Opelika City Schools posts perfect lunchroom health scores
Every school’s cafeteria team in the Opelika City Schools System achieved a score of 100 on their health department inspections throughout the 2023-2024 school year. Pictured, front row from left to right, are Constance Smith of Fox Run, Marsha Broach of Opelika Middle School, Cathy Murray of Southview, Donna Howard of West Forest and Lynn Lee, CNP Director. On the back row, from left to right, are Elaine Smith of OHS, Listasha Avery of Jeter; Debra Walker of Morris Avenue, Kaela Allen of Northside and Amy Jacobs of Carver.
County school board approves pay raises
BY EMILY WRIGHT
FOR THE OBSERVER
LEE COUNTY — The Lee County Schools Board of Education held its regular monthly meeting on June 11.
The board approved a 2% pay raise for all Lee County teachers and other personnel, an increase passed by the Alabama Legislature for state employees. The pay raise will be effective with new contracts starting July 1, Aug. 1 and Sept. 1, and state funds earmarked for the increase will be received starting in October. Raises for locally-funded teachers and other locally-funded positions will be paid for with local funds.
Also at the meeting, the board approved an enrollment policy regarding out-of-district students. These out-of-district students are those who, according to Policy 6.1.5, “maintain a legal residence within the State of Alabama, outside of Lee County but within 50 miles of the Lee County Board of Education Central Office, and who are not otherwise eligible to attend Lee County Schools under these policies.” The students, who must be in good academic standing and rising 6th graders or higher, can enroll through the Lee County Schools Online Virtual Platform.
In other action, the board approved the 2024-2025 Student Handbook and Student Code of Conduct and completed the first reading of the Revised Lee County Special Education Plan for Children with Disabilities.
The next meeting of the school board will be on Tuesday, July 9, at the District Office, located at 2410 Society Hill Road in Opelika.
Sellers named principal of Morris Ave. Intermediate
CONTRIBUTED BY OPELIKA CITY SCHOOLS
OPELIKA — Dr. Farrell Seymore, superintendent of Opelika City Schools, is proud to announce the selection of Laura Sellers as the new principal of Morris Avenue Intermediate School.
“We are excited to welcome Mrs. Laura Sellers as the new principal of Morris Avenue Intermediate School,” said Seymore. “She is a veteran educator who is committed to the success of all students. She has excelled as the lead teacher at Morris Avenue, and we look forward to her serving in this new role as principal to continue our mission of educating every child, every day.”
Sellers has worked in Opelika City Schools for the past nine years. She began her career with the Opelika City Schools teaching fifth grade at Morris Avenue Intermediate School in 2015. She was selected as lead teacher at Morris Avenue in 2021. Prior to teaching at Morris Avenue, she taught sixth grade at Johnnie Carr Middle School in Montgomery.
“The faculty, staff, and students at Morris Avenue are wonderful and I look forward to continuing to work with them as I move into this leadership position,” Sellers said. “My family and I love Opelika and I am excited to play a role in the growth and success of Opelika City Schools.”
Sellers received a bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies from Auburn University in 2011, a master’s degree in elementary education in 2013 from AUM and an Educational Specialist degree in 2020. She also received certification in Instructional Leadership from the University of West Alabama in 2020.
Sellers is a 2024 graduate of the Opelika Chamber’s “20 Under 40” program, where she served as the Service Project chair. Laura and her husband, Lane, are the proud parents of two children, Britton, 6, and Brooks, 3.
AHS technology club shares at summer school
Members of Auburn High School’s Technology Students Association Engineering Club visited summer school, bringing along remote-controlled vehicles they use for competitions. The elementary-aged students got an up-close look at the cutting-edge technology and engineering skills the TSA students have mastered, from intricate design to agile maneuvering. The summer schoolers got to interact with technology by steering the vehicles through intense “battle bot” challenges.