FROM STAFF REPORTS

HELENA–Attorney General Luther Strange has announced the winners of the 2015 Alabama Safe Schools Awards of Excellence and Helena Middle School is among the 10 recipients.

Awards will be personally presented by Strange in the coming weeks to the 10 winning schools.

Strange will visit Helena Middle School on Tuesday, April 26 at 9 a.m. to present the award during a ceremony assembly.

“Being the recipient of this prestigious award is not only a huge honor for our school but for our community,” said HMS principal Scott Knight. “The City of Helena, and our police and fire departments play a vital role in assisting us in our safety efforts. I am extremely proud of my assistant principal Jennifer Cofer and SRO Ken Lowery for continuously developing and revising our school safety plan with innovative ideas based on current safety research and the needs of our students. This award is also attributed to our faculty, staff and students who understand the importance of providing a safe learning environment.”

Since Strange reinstituted these awards, the emphasis has been on technological advances dealing with modern safety challenges.

As a result of past programs, the Attorney General compiled a “Best Practices” guide, and schools are judged by their implementation of these recommended practices. A panel of judges reviewed nominations to determine a winner from each of the eight state school board districts as well as private schools for each state region.

“The safety of our children at schools continues to be a paramount concern and we must work together to ensure that Alabama schools take the best possible protective measures,” said Strange. “Each year, we learn from the successes of those who are recognized for excellence. We commend these outstanding schools, and look forward to implementing Best Practices to keep all Alabama schoolchildren safe from harm.”

Below is a list of the 10 recipients of the 2015 Attorney General’s Safe Schools Initiative Award of Excellence for each State School Board district and each state region for private schools:

• District 1, Orange Beach Elementary, Orange Beach, Baldwin County;
• District 2, Opelika High School, Opelika, Lee County;
• District 3, Helena Middle School, Helena, Shelby County;
• District 4, No submissions were received this year;
• District 5, Monroe County High School; Monroeville; Monroe County;
• District 6, Oak Park Middle School, Decatur, Morgan County;
• District 7, Hewitt-Trussville High School, Trussville, Jefferson County;
• District 8, Cedar Hill Elementary School, Ardmore, Limestone County;
• Private School, Northern Region, Riverhill School, Florence, Lauderdale County;
• Private School, Central Region, Coosa Valley Academy, Harpersville, Shelby County;
• Private School, Southern Region, Lakeside School, Eufaula, Barbour County.