Yearly Archives: 2016

The YMCA’s Jimmy Hitchcock Memorial Award is the highest honor bestowed upon high school athletes in the Montgomery area.  Based on the principles of Christian leadership as well as athletic and academic excellence, the Hitchcock award encourages and inspires others to emulate the man whose memory is perpetuated by this award.  At the 57th annual Jimmy Hitchcock banquet, Macon East’s Jesi Garrett was honored to be selected as the 2016 female winner.  Trinity’s Robert Adams, pictured below with Jesi, was the male award winner.  The daughter of Terri and Alan Garrett, Jesi is not only an outstanding student at Macon East with a GPA of 4.24, she is a 10 time state champion and valedictorian of her graduating class.  A three sport athlete in volleyball, basketball, and volleyball, she has earned 5 consecutive state championships in both volleyball and softball.  Jesi has been named to numerous AISA all-tournament and all-metro teams and was selected as the AISA player of the year and state tournament MVP for volleyball.  Jesi was also an all-state basketball player, all-metro player of the year, and participated in the AISA senior all-star games in each of her sports.  Previously an all-state softball player, Jesi is sure to receive even more accolades for the 2016 season as well.  She serves at the team captain in all three sports, as well as being vice-president of the Mu Alpha Theta Mathematics Honor Society, member of the National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Students, Camelot Club Justice, and the Math Team.  As a member of Woodland United Methodist Church, Jesi is involved in the youth group and sings in the choir.  Jesi not only made history as the first Hitchcock award winner from Macon East Academy, she will be the first two-sport athlete at the College of Coastal Georgia.  Jesi has committed to play both volleyball and softball for the Mariners, while pursuing a degree in nursing.

Also representing Macon East at the 2016 Hitchcock awards was Lexi Brantley.  Lexi is also a 5 time state champion in volleyball, an outstanding student and leader at MEA, and will be continuing her athletic career at Belhaven in Jackson, Mississippi.  Both girls are truly representative of the principals of the historic Hitchcock program.  Each year, freshman honorees are invited to attend the banquet representing their school.  Nate Center and Bailey Williams were selected as this year’s freshman representatives and were both inspired to strive to be award nominees as seniors.  Macon East congratulates all of these outstanding Christian athletes who proudly represented their school at the 2016 Jimmy Hitchcock Memorial Award ceremony.

The Macon East Drama Club presented their annual spring play Alice on May 3.  Alice was adapted by seniors Hannah Davis and Hannah Walters from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll, with inspiration from Tim Burton’s Alice and Wonderland.  Along with adapting the script, Hannah Davis and Hannah Walters designed the set and costumes with the help of Mrs. Candice Duffey, drama club sponsor.  Once the girls settled on a design, members of the cast helped make Wonderland and the characters in Alice come to life.  This year’s play was a huge success and the first time students in 7th-12th grades have participated in the spring play.  The magnificently colorful set design and costumes along with outstanding theatrical performances by the entire cast brought Alice to life. 

Cast:

• Alice- Hannah Davis
• Margaret- Alice’s sister- Sarah Margaret Poundstone
• White rabbit- Hannah Walters
• Skull person #1- Sam Pittenger
• Skull person #2- Casie Starling
• Skull person #3- Lauren Taylor
• Tweedle dee- Barrett Hammond
• Tweedle dum- Georgia Blaze
• Flowers
  • daisy- Sarah Margaret Poundstone
  • tiger-lily- Katherine Kirk
  • rose- Grace Allen
• Duchess- Meri-Kathryn Bright
• Cook- Katherine Kirk
• Caterpillar- Savannah Clemens
• Cheshire Cat- Bailey Blaze
• Mad Hatter- Hannah Johnson
• March Hare- Ty Grant
• Dormouse- Katherine Kirk
• Knave of Hearts- Lane Johnson
• Cards
  • Two-Katherine Kirk
  • five- Jonathan Mathis
  • seven- Max Taylor
• Red Queen- Rachel Sargent
• White Queen/ Ivory Queen- Madison Folkes

Backstage:

• Makayla Morris
• Ashley Atkins
• Jennifer Campbell

The Macon East Jr/Sr Prom was held Saturday, April 30 at 129 Coosa in Montgomery’s downtown Alley entertainment district.  The junior class, prom committee members (Sami Nesbitt, Alex Wyrosdick, Rai Pritchett, and Cadey Brown), and prom sponsor Jennifer Harris worked all year to plan an evening of fun and dancing.  Taking their inspiration from Vincent van Gogh’s 1889 painting, this year’s prom theme was Starry Night.  The banquet hall at 129 Coosa was decorated with a replica of Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” along with stars and twinkling lights suspended from the venue’s exposed beams.  Couples enjoyed having their picture taken sitting in the eight foot crescent moon.  Members of the Class of 2016 and their escorts were recognized at the senior lead outs, as parents snapped pictures to commemorate the moment.  DJ Ziggy kept everyone on the dance floor until the announcement of the 2016 Prom King and Queen – Mr. Patrick Brown and Miss Ally Slaton.

Legislative Day, sponsored by the Alabama Bankers Association, invites high school student government leaders and class officers from all over Alabama to learn about the legislative process and meet their elected officials. Participants have an opportunity  to visit the House chamber, learn how bills become law, and take part in a mock vote. Tours of  the Capitol and the Alabama Department of Archives and History, as well as lunch with legislators and senate banking committee members at the RSA Activity Center are part of the day’s events.  Macon East representatives, Susie Johnson, Sami Nesbitt, and Jennifer Campbell enjoyed taking part in this year’s Alabama Legislative Day.

Several Macon East juniors and seniors participated in the Montgomery and Pike Road Youth in City Government events.  Youth in City Government days, sponsored by the YMCA, give student leaders the opportunity to debate city ordinances they propose, preside on the council, and be eligible to participate in the youth mayor’s election.  Students also enjoyed meeting with the Mayor and City Councilmen and lunch with the other student representatives.  Meri-Kathryn Bright, 2016 Pike Road Youth Mayor, was succeeded by MEA’s Seth Meadows who will serve as Mayor for 2017.  Bailey Blaze was recognized for her service on the city council presiding over the day’s events at Montgomery’s Youth in City day.

Montgomery participants: Bailey Blaze, Lindsey Johnson, Alex Wyrosdick, Hannah Davis, Meri-Kathryn Bright, and Chandler Lunn

Pike Road participants: Will Dowe, Hannah Walters, Seth Meadows, Bailey Blaze, Meri-Kathryn Bright, and DH Holifield

Fourth grade student, Jacob Simpson received 2nd place honors in the AISA State Reading Contest.  Jacob qualified for the contest in the 3rd-5th grade category based on the number of pages read this school year.  Reading over 25,000 pages through the accelerated reader program, Jacob was honored to be the 2nd top reader in the state for 3rd-5th grade.

District qualifiers participated in the AISA State Art Show at Faulkner University.  Three Macon East students received recognition at the state show.  Addison Little (3rd grade) received 3rd place for her water base entry “Ocean.”  In the non-color drawing category, Wade Desmarais’ (5th grade) “Feather” was awarded 2nd place.  Also receiving 2nd place honors in the collage & mixed media division was Zach Taylor’s (9th grade) entry titled “Apples.”  Congratulations to these aspiring artists for awards received at the local, district, and state art shows.