By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

PELHAM—Visitors to Valley Intermediate School may notice the fresh new look of the school’s front office. Several parents and local businesses donated their time and talents to give the space a much-needed facelift, VIS Principal Robin Hollingsworth said.

VIS parents Shannon Fox and Charity Russell, with local handmade gift and accessory business Foxy Creations, repainted and redecorated the entire front office over the summer. Throughout the year, they have been updating the office with new seasonal decorations, such as themed door hangings. They also donated curtains and made aprons emblazoned with VIS that students wear while raising the flag in front of the school.

“They painted, they redecorated the office and they did it all for free,” Hollingsworth said. “They were all about it.”

Husband of VIS teacher Christy Cox, Jimmy Cox of Alabama Casters and Equipment donated two metal signs, a large panther and a Pelham City Schools logo. Both hang on the wall behind the front desk.

“We’ve gotten tons of compliments,” Hollingsworth said of the metal signs.

The redecorated front office includes a waiting area for adults along with a special area for small children, complete with a child size table and chairs, crayons and coloring pages.

Fox and Russell preserved some of the office’s former décor in the new decorations, including a photo of the mural created in memory of a Pelham teacher that had adorned a sidewall of the office.

“We didn’t want to cover it up and not have it somewhere,” Hollingsworth said.

Hollingsworth said she is still looking for some historic photos of Pelham to frame and hang in the office as well.