Grove Hill Elementary Named One of 19 Alabama Schools to Win Every Child Achieves Award
Clarke County's superintendent announced the statewide honor at the Oct. 15 school board meeting, where the board also heard about bus costs, hurricane damage and school meals.
GROVE HILL, Ala. — Grove Hill Elementary School has been chosen for the Every Child Achieves Award, a statewide recognition for schools that serve students experiencing poverty while outperforming state averages in reading and math.
Clarke County School District Superintendent Ashlie Flowers announced the award at the Clarke County Board of Education’s Oct. 15 meeting. The award is given by Teach For America Alabama and the A+ Education Partnership. Only 19 Alabama schools were selected this year, based on their results on the 2025-26 Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program.
Flowers credited the school’s teachers, leadership team and families, saying the recognition reflects their work to help students succeed.
Report card counseling and testing
In her superintendent’s report, Flowers also described a district initiative in which central office staff visit schools to talk one-on-one with students about their grades. She encouraged parents and guardians to have similar conversations at home and to stay in contact with teachers and school staff.
Flowers reported that all sophomores have taken the Pre-ACT and that seniors are scheduled to take the WorkKeys assessment. The district has also added WorkKeys testing for freshmen and sophomores at each high school, giving those students earlier chances to earn a college and career readiness indicator.
Storm damage and bus costs
Flowers told the board the district had minimal damage from Hurricane Isaias, with one major exception: the roof of Sage Auditorium at Clarke County High School was seriously damaged. The board approved an emergency declaration for the auditorium. South AL News previously reported on the damage, which emergency officials estimated at $700,000 to $1 million.
Flowers also raised concern about the cost of replacing school buses. The district runs about 70 buses, and recent quotes for new ones have reached approximately $175,000 each, compared with $75,000 available per bus.
Student-run cafes and school meals
District special education coordinator Angie Jordan presented on workplace skills programs that let students with special needs gain experience running student-operated cafes at both high schools. At Clarke County High School, students operate the Dawg House Café, and proceeds help pay for field trips. At Jackson High School, students run Jake’s Brew Crew, which also raises money for field trips.
Child Nutrition Director Mallory Phillippi described the district’s meal program, which uses the federal Community Eligibility Provision to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students. That federal option lets eligible high-poverty schools and districts serve meals at no charge to every student, without collecting individual applications. About 76% of Clarke County students qualify through direct certification, which identifies children whose families already receive certain public benefits. Phillippi said the district serves lunch to about 90% of students each day and is working to bring more freshly prepared breakfast items back to cafeterias, including warm biscuits, cheese grits and cheese toast.
Other action
The board approved accounts payable of $3,707,662.81. The next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 19 at 4 p.m.
