Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By NOAH WORTHAM | Staff Writer 

Alabaster – A group of local teens have signed up to have a direct impact on the city after being inducted into the 2023-2024 Alabaster Teen Council.

Alabaster Mayor Scott Brakefield swore in the 2023-2024 Alabaster Teen Council during a regularly scheduled Alabaster City Council Meeting on Monday, April 24.

“We are so proud of this Alabaster Teen Council Class,” Councilmember Jamie Cole said. “They are set to learn a great deal about how our city runs and about great leadership in general.”

The mission of the Alabaster Teen Council is to provide local youth with an opportunity to impact the community while learning about local government and to create active and informed teenage citizens. The program intends to transform their view of the role of local government by exposing members to municipal responsibilities, volunteerism and through executing outreach peer events.

Mayor Scott Brakefield spoke during the meeting and explained how the Alabaster Teen Council came about.

“In 2014, my predecessor, Mayor Marty Handlon, came to the council with the idea of initiating an Alabaster Teen Council,” Brakefield said. “I was on the council at that time, we thought it was a wonderful idea to get our teenagers involved in service and understanding what goes on in our city and how our city operates.”

Every year, the teen council is open to Thompson, Evangel, Alabaster and community home schools for those in grades 9-11.

“It’s so special to see the bond this class has,’ Cole said. “Many of them have been in school together since kindergarten and you can sense the mutual respect. My son, Sullivan Thomas, is part of this class, so it’s extra special for his mom and me.”

The council aims to create an informed group of students who are familiar with municipal issues, to develop lasting relationships between students and city leaders, sustain youth presence in a broad range of impact and decision-making areas across the community, develop future civic leaders and to organize events for community teens.

“This is a top-notch leadership program and our young citizens are blessed to have access to it,” Cole said.

The following students were inducted into the 2023-2024 Alabaster Teen Council:

• Akaree Barbour
• Maddie Baxley
• Abigail Bess
• Liam Binzer
• Lauren Blackmon
• Kaylah Brown
• Cooper Burks
• Kaitlyn Burnett
• Brooks Byars
• Anna Campbell
• Fred Cadillias
• Sully Cole
• Nora Ellis
• Sasha Gann
• Simone Jones
• Olivia Kelley
• Dylan Logan
• Madison McNichols
• Morgan McNichols
• Hannah Moseley
• Blair N’dungu
• Thuy Nguyen
• Georgie O’Neal
• Luke Reid
• Jose Serrano
• MaryDee Sermons
• Ella Southern
• Carter Thompson
• George Walker
• Avery Williamson
• Savannah Young