Fifth grader Kaiden Byrom represented Macon East as the class and district winner at the AISA State Spelling Bee. Kaiden was one of the last two spellers remaining in her grade category after many participants had been eliminated. Misspelling only one word for the day, Kaiden proudly finished as the runner-up in the State Spelling Bee.
The Macon East varsity boys’ basketball season was nothing short of a fairy tale. Their 33-0 perfect season was flawless as was their teamwork and devotion to the goal of a state title. After joining the Knights basketball program in 2015, Coach Larry Chapman has made every effort to build a championship team, and players from area schools and Birmingham transferred to play under his leadership. Coaches Chapman and (Lincoln) Glass set out this year to become a more defensive-minded program that no offense could penetrate, and they succeeded beating the majority of their opponents by an average 38.9 point margin. After playing in several tournaments this season and taking home the trophy from them all, only one trophy was still up for grabs. Heading into the Elite 8 as Region Champions, the Knights eliminated South Choctaw with ease with Artavious Billups leading the charge with 30 points followed by Slate Garmany (14), Christian Lewis (13), and Kyle Edwards (12). The Final Four matchup with Pickens Academy was a 63-29 victory led by Garmany with 28 points and Billups with 18. As predicted, Macon East would face Autauga Academy for a third time in the championship game. It all came down to this game, would the Knights continue on their streak or end this season like the last with a disappointing repeat runner-up trophy? At the end of the first quarter with the Knights up 27-2 over the Generals, it became apparent that Macon East, now called one of the most successful teams in AISA history, would take home the coveted state title. By halftime with the score at 37-8, the excitement was building among the Knight fans and the bench. This team would be the school’s first since 1973’s Macon Academy team to win a state championship in basketball. As time ticked off the clock the coaches cleared the bench, and the starting line-up cheered for their teammates to finish what they started on the court. Once again Artavious Billups and Kyle Edwards led the scoring with 19 each and 13 points from Slate Garmany. These three would be named as members of the all-tournament team with Billups selected as tournament MVP. The three senior starters (Artavious Billups, Slate Garmany, and Christian Lewis) will go on to represent Macon East in the AISA All-Star game on February 17 at Huntingdon College. Seven seniors top the roster for this year’s team, but only one was given the honor of grabbing the trophy. Channy Blackwell, sidelined since football season with an ACL injury fought back to play basketball this season and live out his team’s dream of a state title. Making appearances in just a few games, it became apparent that the injury was not fully recovered, so instead he became a fourth coach to his teammates and chief encourager. Like Channy, we all had tears in our eyes as he took the trophy back to his team. These boys are now like brothers, and each of them will tell you that this season, this team with one dream, is one they will never forget.
The Macon East 5th grade class recently completed their first semester D.A.R.E. course led each year by Corporal Kofee Anderson. Launched in 1983, D.A.R.E. is a comprehensive K-12 education program taught in thousands of schools in America and 52 other countries. D.A.R.E. curricula address drugs, violence, bullying, internet safety, and other high risk circumstances that today are too often a part of students’ lives. D.A.R.E. envisions a world in which students everywhere are empowered to respect others and choose to lead lives free from violence, substance abuse, and other dangerous behaviors. At the conclusion of the course, participants each wrote an essay about what they learned and how it will impact their lives. At the awards ceremony, Kaiden Byrom and Kayce Rutland were honored for Best Essay. Anna Watson was recognized as Top Student for the course, and Corporal Anderson selected Spurlin Culpepper as Most Improved. We thank Corporal Anderson for his dedication to the Macon East students. He is truly a part of our Knight family.
The lower school students were treated to a show from Magician Gary Ledbetter as a reward for achieving their Accelerated Reader goals for the 2nd nine weeks. Mr. Ledbetter performed many magic tricks including levitation, card tricks, and pulling a bunny from his hat. Overall, Macon East students continue to excel in the Accelerated Reader program, reading well above grade level and surpassing their quarterly reading goals. Thanks to school librarian, Leigh Desmarais for always challenging our young readers and planning fun events to reward their accomplishments.
Each year Mrs. York’s 1st grade class celebrates January learning about penguins. The class kicked off the unit by reading Mr. Popper’s Penguins, along with making penguin glyphs and doing research on 17 different types of penguins. Each first grader created their own penguin rookery displayed in the photo above. To complete this fun study of penguins, the class enjoyed watching March of Penguins and eating penguin snacks.
The varsity girls and boys basketball teams capped off an awesome season winning the Region tournament. Both teams are headed into the State Tournament this week vying for the AISA AA title. All-tournament accolades were given to Sommer Sears, Bailey Williams, Artavius Billups, and Logan Goree. Madisyn Kennedy and Kyle Edwards were selected as tournament MVP. This is the second year both teams have competed in the state tournament. Make plans to come out and support the Knights at the Montgomery Multiplex.
The Macon East Drama Club recently competed in the AISA District and State level competitions. Katherine Kirk, placed 3rd at District for her monologue “The Stepsister Speaks Out” based on Cinderella’s stepsister. The drama department presented performances in four categories, including solo acting, duet acting, ensemble, and musical drama. They are currently preparing for “Peter Pan” as this year’s annual spring play.
The JV boys team brought home Macon’s first JV State Tournament win in basketball history. Mike Murry, dubbed the freshman phenom by Coach Glass, led the team all season. Finishing the season with a 14-7 record, the JV team continued to improve through adversity. Averaging 24 points per game, Mike Murry, earned himself MVP honors at the State Tournament. Stone Yarnell and Lane Goree’s efforts on defense earned them both spots on the all-tournament team, while Jake Wyrosdick and Tanner Moore added points to the board. From the energy of the bench to the passion of the fans, the team made this season and tournament a memorable experience.
Four Macon East students were honored to participate in the 2016 AISA All-Star Football game held December 2 at Cramton Bowl. Connor Davis played defense for the East team forcing a fumble early in the first half of the game. Rebecca Chapman, Rai Pritchett, and Alex Wyrosdick cheered Connor and the rest of the East team on from the sidelines as part of the all-star cheerleading squad. These seniors were selected as all-star cheerleaders during tryouts at UCA’s AISA cheerleading camp this summer at Huntingdon College. The participants enjoyed a few days of practice with their fellow AISA teammates and were honored at a luncheon prior to the game. The East team battled back in the 2nd half of the football game but fell to the West team 33-30.
Macon East’s Sommer Sears signed her letter of intent to play softball with Southern Union State Community College. Sommer is a center fielder and a key player on the Lady Knights roster. She looks forward to joining the Bison next year and leading her Macon East team in another bid for the state title this spring.
