BY NICHOLAS YOUNG
FOR THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — The Opelika Chamber of Commerce held its quarterly Business Over Breakfast event on Thursday, Feb. 8. The event centered around question and answer sessions with Opelika Superintendent Dr. Farrell Seymore and newly hired Opelika High School head football coach Bryan Moore.
SEYMORE’S REMARKS
The superintendent began by describing his career journey, highlighting the significance that the Opelika area has played in it. Seymore, an Auburn University graduate, served as a science teacher at Opelika Middle School after graduation. He returned to Auburn to get a master’s degree in educational administration and went on to serve as the assistant principal and eventually principal for Opelika Middle School. Additionally, he served as the principal at Opelika High School before assuming his current position of superintendent. After spending many years in the area, Seymore considers himself a native.
“I love Opelika — I’m not from Opelika originally, but it is my home,” he said. “I firmly believe, as an educator, I want to live here and invest in the community. Opelika is very welcoming and open to everyone coming in the door and provides the best cutting-edge opportunities for young people.”
Seymore said these opportunities that Opelika seeks to provide for its students are “not only for today, but for the future.”
The superintendent spoke about the importance of practical life skills.
“I’m convinced they’re going to have to be good employees… show up for work… think, problem solve and work together — these are the habits and traits we want to instill in our young people early.”
Seymore said that because of rapid enrollment increases in the schools, an outside firm was hired to produce an enrollment projection study. He explained that based on the results, the school system will be preparing for future growth.
“I see it as an opportunity, but it’s also a tremendous responsibility that we as a school system and also a community have to understand and recognize these families are coming.”
When discussing what that process entailed Seymore said, “We’re working with a group now to do an analysis of all of our buildings to make sure we’re making the most efficient use of our space.”
He added that preparation for growth would involve more than building renovations.
“It’s about staffing quality people … recruiting and looking to expand our programs,” he explained.
Seymore addressed the potential challenges that the Opelika school system faces. Transportation is a major issue.
“Can anyone drive a bus?” he asked the crowd.
Seymore said many bus drivers are reaching the age of retirement, and the next generation has not come forward to fill this role.
“This is one of those areas that is a critical need, and a lot of folks are just not going into that profession,” he said.
“I view a bus driver as maybe the most important person in the school system,” he explained. “They are often the first person a child will see in the morning and the last person when they leave in the afternoon.”
When asked what is his favorite thing about leading a city school, he responded, “The people and certainly the children first. … It’s about being around the kids.”
Seymore told a story about one of his favorite memories: the opening of Fox Run School and “being able to hold the door open as the first child walk[ed] in the door. … as an educator and as a parent, that’s meaningful to me, that legacy will stand long after I’m gone.”
Seymore also added that faculty and staff are a very close second.
“They all influence our kids every day,” he said.
In concluding remarks, Seymore said he does not want Opelika City Schools to be the “best kept secret in East Alabama” and urged that anyone who is curious about the school system or any of its programs should not hesitate to reach out with any questions.
MOORE’S REMARKS
Moore began his session by providing an overview of his coaching career, beginning with his first coaching job at Opelika High School.
Moore spoke about how he almost took a job at another high school before being convinced by former Opelika head coach Spence McCracken to join his staff as assistant coach in 2007. Moore spent eight years at Opelika High School, the last four of which he was offensive coordinator, until being offered a head coaching job elsewhere in 2015.
Moore described his return to Opelika as “a blessing.”
“Being able to come back home is really special,” he said. “It’s just the beginning, I think, of what’s going to be really special. And I love the growth idea.”
He said he is excited about OHS moving up in classification from 6A to 7A.
“If we’re going to go 7A, let’s go there and grow,” he said.
Moore emphasized that he wanted to build strong relationships with the players and provide them with ample opportunity to succeed.
“The talent and ability is in the room,” he said of his players. “We have the ability to be successful.”
He said he believes that in order to produce success, he must first model it.
“It’s about the connection between us [coaches] and the connection between them [players], and how we go about operating and caring for each other,” he explained. “I can’t just preach that, I have to show it and go do it.”
Moore also emphasized the importance of working with players to have career and life plans after high school. He said his players should aim to follow one of three career paths after graduation: school, skills or service. This means that players can either enroll in higher education schools like college or university, learn a trade or serve in the military.
Moore said he is implementing a mandatory study hall to ensure that no player would fall behind academically.
When asked about the goals for the team on the field, Moore was clear: “Win a region championship or state championship. …we want to win games.”
He praised his rising senior class saying they have “a chance to turn this thing around quickly … it’s a special group.”
Moore concluded by discussing his desire to get players acclimated to the routines of the program earlier. He spoke about introducing players to a weight room setting when they are in the sixth grade. He said that teaching proper and safe methods of weight training to players early in their playing career will help alleviate any stress and anxiety that may arise later.
This fall, the Opelika Bulldogs will aim to return to the playoffs after a two-year absence. The season will begin in late August.