Vestavia Hills High School
Encyclopedia
Vestavia Hills High School (VHHS), founded in 1970, is a public high school
in Vestavia Hills, Alabama
, a suburb of Birmingham
. Part of the Vestavia Hills School System, the high school is known for the success of its band
, math, debate
, "We the People" Team, Economics Challenge Team, American football
, soccer, wrestling, baseball
, and tennis
teams.
The student enrollment for the 2009-2010 academic year is 1715. The current school principal is Cas McWaters, a (former) chemistry teacher and VHHS assistant principal who left Vestavia briefly (2004–2006) to serve as principal at Tarrant High School. He returned to his alma mater in 2006 to lead the high school. Assistant principals include Dr. Danny Steele, David Howard, Charles Bruce, and Melissa Smith. VHHS has more than 20 National Board Certified teachers.
VHHS has recently undergone a long-awaited face lift, with the front of the school, its office suite, and lobby being remodeled in 2007-2008. Another 22 classrooms were added to the campus in Fall 2009, known as the "H Wing." In 2003-2004, the new "E" wing was also completed. Interactive classrooms with state-of-the-art technology were installed all over the school in Summer 2008.
The school mascot
is the Rebel
(a cartoon depiction of a "Southern gentleman" patterned after the University of Mississippi
mascot). The name "Rebels", the mascot, the Confederate battle flag (though not the school's official flag) as a rallying symbol was the subject of a school board debate in November 2000. After hearing many opinions, mostly in favor of keeping these symbols, the board took the advice of its legal counsel and made no new policy. The use of the flag, once common, is now strongly discouraged. An official flag has been made. The issue was never any very serious concern.
However, the school renewed the issue in 2006, by giving out free school flags during the football season. This school flag was designed over 10 years ago, but failed to garner the attention of the student body. The second attempt has proved much more successful, with students readily accepting the flag.
Vestavia Hills High School is known to have a long-time rivalry in academics and sports with Hoover High School
in Hoover, Alabama
. Footage from a Hoover vs. Vestavia Hills football game can be seen on Hoover High School's former television show, MTV
's Two-A-Days
.
courses (World History, U.S. History, European History, English Language & Lit., Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Psychology, Physics B, Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, French, Latin, Spanish, German, Government, Economics, Art, etc.). Vestavia also offers a number of Honors courses. Dual Enrollment classes are available for both English and Math.
The graduating class of 2008 had a S.A.T. Verbal mean of 618 and a Math mean of 643. The average ACT composite score was 24.4. There were 20 National Merit Finalists in 2008 and http://www.vestavia.k12.al.us/high/index.php?module=htmlpages&func=display&pid=109. The AP exam "pass score" of 3 or higher was 83% in 2008.
We the People sponsor, Amy Maddox, was named the (national) Daughters of the American Revolution Teacher of the Year in Summer 2008 and traveled to Washington, D.C. for her awards ceremony. Counselor Christine Rohling was named Alabama School Counselor of the Year in November 2007.
Outstanding teaching staff include Kay Tipton
, chair of the math department from 1989 to her retirement in 2007, who won Cornell University
's Outstanding High School Educator Award, the Golden Apple Teacher of the Year Award, and received the White House
Commission of Presidential Scholars
Distinguished Teacher Award three times.
Former Debate Coach Marilee Dukes was inducted to the National Forensics League Hall of Fame in 2004. http://www.victorybriefs.net/webs/daily/archives/000704.html She is also in the Tournament of Champions Coaches Hall of Fame. Dukes coached at Alabama’s Vestavia Hills High School for over twenty years and made the program one of the powerhouses of the 1990s. Her students have claimed the championships and top speaker awards at every major national tournament during her tenure, and she has coached debaters to finals at the Tournament of Champions an unprecedented seven times. She is one of ten coaches honored by having a debate round in the Barkley Forum
for High Schools at Emory University
named after her. http://www.victorybriefsdaily.com/2006/01/24/debate-history-a-spotlight-on-the-barkley-forum-tutorials/.
Former Band Director Ted Galloway not only conducted performing groups of consistently high quality, but also brought many legendary jazz musicians, such as Urbie Green
to the school for performances.
Vestavia's math team has dominated national competition for more than a decade. The team has earned 15 first-place and 3 second-place finishes in 18 National Mu Alpha Theta
Convention competitions. Most recently, Vestavia finished second to Buchholz High School
of Gainesville, Florida
at a national competition in Tampa, Florida
. http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1123666117210890.xml&coll=2 Other successes include four victories at the regional Furman University
Wylie Mathematics Tournament from 1999 to 2004 http://math.furman.edu/tournament/tournament.html
The debate team, winners of seven national championships, has the distinction of being the first team in history to win both the Lincoln-Douglas Debate
and the Policy Debate
in the National Forensic League
championships. http://www.alsde.edu/html/boe_resolutions2.asp?id=634 Vestavia is also one of two schools to have two national champions in Lincoln-Douglas debate Tournament of Champions (debate)
.
In 2008, Vestavia won the national Economics Challenge, and its We the People team has won national acclaim since 2005, most recently winning second in the nation at both the 2009 and 2010 National Finals in Washington, DC. http://www.civiced.org/uploads/centerInTheNews/WethePeopleFinalsRelease-2.27.09.pdf
Vestavia's newspaper, The Vedette, received the All-Alabama award for the 2005-2006 school year and has won state-level honors every year since then. The All-Alabama award, sponsored by the Alabama Scholastic Press Association is the highest award that can be given to a high school newspaper in Alabama.
Vestavia's literary and visual arts magazine, "The Muse," won the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Silver Crown award (sponsored by Columbia University) for the 2008-2009 school year, one of the highest national awards; as well as several National Scholastic Press Association awards in the past.
in London on January 1, 2010.
Vestavia's choirs are currently under the direction of Megan Rudolph.
, cheerleading
, basketball
, baseball
, soccer, wrestling
, golf
, tennis
, softball
, swimming
, volleyball
, cross country
, and indoor and outdoor track and field
.
The Vestavia athletics program has produced several notable successes. The soccer, golf
and tennis
teams have enjoyed notable successes. The baseball
team, under the late Coach Sammy Dunn, won nine state titles in the highest division of competition, including seven straight from 1994–2000 and the 1998 national championship. Dunn's 27-year record at Vestavia was 647-146.
The Rebels' wrestling
teams have won the last three (2007–09) Class 6A state team championships. The wrestling team, under legendary Coach Steve Gaydosh, has won 12 state titles and the school has won 13 overall. The 13 state titles ranks second in the state behind Benjamin Russell's (Alexander City) 14 state titles.
Vestavia athletics enjoyed tremendous success during the 2006-07 school year, as the girl's soccer, girl's tennis, and wrestling teams won 6A state championships. The boy's soccer team placed second in the state and the football team made it to the state semi-finals. The football team returned to the semi-finals in 2007.
The varsity cheerleading squad competes annually, and On February 14, 2010, VHHS won the national UCA cheerleading competition in Orlando, Florida.
The Vestavia boys outdoor track and field team won the 6A state championships in 2008.
The Vestavia varsity boys basketball team won the 6A state championship in 2009.
The Vestavia varsity boys tennis team won the 6A state championship in 2011.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Vestavia Hills, Alabama
Vestavia Hills, Alabama
Vestavia Hills is a city in Jefferson and Shelby Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a suburb of the city of Birmingham.-History:Vestavia Hills is named for the estate of former Birmingham mayor George B. Ward. It was situated on the crest of Shades Mountain in what is now the northern...
, a suburb of Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
. Part of the Vestavia Hills School System, the high school is known for the success of its band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, math, debate
Debate
Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
, "We the People" Team, Economics Challenge Team, American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, soccer, wrestling, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
teams.
The student enrollment for the 2009-2010 academic year is 1715. The current school principal is Cas McWaters, a (former) chemistry teacher and VHHS assistant principal who left Vestavia briefly (2004–2006) to serve as principal at Tarrant High School. He returned to his alma mater in 2006 to lead the high school. Assistant principals include Dr. Danny Steele, David Howard, Charles Bruce, and Melissa Smith. VHHS has more than 20 National Board Certified teachers.
VHHS has recently undergone a long-awaited face lift, with the front of the school, its office suite, and lobby being remodeled in 2007-2008. Another 22 classrooms were added to the campus in Fall 2009, known as the "H Wing." In 2003-2004, the new "E" wing was also completed. Interactive classrooms with state-of-the-art technology were installed all over the school in Summer 2008.
The school mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
is the Rebel
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
(a cartoon depiction of a "Southern gentleman" patterned after the University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
mascot). The name "Rebels", the mascot, the Confederate battle flag (though not the school's official flag) as a rallying symbol was the subject of a school board debate in November 2000. After hearing many opinions, mostly in favor of keeping these symbols, the board took the advice of its legal counsel and made no new policy. The use of the flag, once common, is now strongly discouraged. An official flag has been made. The issue was never any very serious concern.
However, the school renewed the issue in 2006, by giving out free school flags during the football season. This school flag was designed over 10 years ago, but failed to garner the attention of the student body. The second attempt has proved much more successful, with students readily accepting the flag.
Vestavia Hills High School is known to have a long-time rivalry in academics and sports with Hoover High School
Hoover High School (Alabama)
Hoover High School is a public high school in Hoover, Alabama, USA, serving grades 9-12. It was built as a replacement for W. A. Berry High School. It is currently one of the two International Baccalaureate schools in the Greater Birmingham Area...
in Hoover, Alabama
Hoover, Alabama
Hoover is a city in Jefferson and Shelby Counties in north central Alabama, in the United States. The largest suburb of Birmingham, the population of the city was 62,742 as of the 2000 census and 81,619 in the 2010 census. Hoover is part of the Birmingham-Hoover, AL MSA and is also included in the...
. Footage from a Hoover vs. Vestavia Hills football game can be seen on Hoover High School's former television show, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Two-A-Days
Two-A-Days
Two-A-Days is a show on the United States cable television channel MTV. The show chronicled the lives of teens at Hoover High School in Hoover, Alabama, a suburb of nearby Birmingham...
.
Academics
Vestavia has 150 courses available on yearly basis. Vestavia offerers a number of APAdvanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
courses (World History, U.S. History, European History, English Language & Lit., Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Psychology, Physics B, Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, French, Latin, Spanish, German, Government, Economics, Art, etc.). Vestavia also offers a number of Honors courses. Dual Enrollment classes are available for both English and Math.
The graduating class of 2008 had a S.A.T. Verbal mean of 618 and a Math mean of 643. The average ACT composite score was 24.4. There were 20 National Merit Finalists in 2008 and http://www.vestavia.k12.al.us/high/index.php?module=htmlpages&func=display&pid=109. The AP exam "pass score" of 3 or higher was 83% in 2008.
Faculty
The school employs 140 teachers (for a student:teacher ratio of 13:1). The average Vestavia Hills teacher has 17 years of experience, with 81% of the faculty holding Master's or more advanced degrees. More than 20 of the school's teachers have achieved "National Board Certification" with several more on track to be certified.We the People sponsor, Amy Maddox, was named the (national) Daughters of the American Revolution Teacher of the Year in Summer 2008 and traveled to Washington, D.C. for her awards ceremony. Counselor Christine Rohling was named Alabama School Counselor of the Year in November 2007.
Outstanding teaching staff include Kay Tipton
Kay Tipton
Kay Tipton was an award-winning mathematics teacher at Vestavia Hills High School, a public high school in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, . She had been at the school since its establishment in 1970. Tipton founded the Vestavia Hills High School Math Team in 1975 and had served as math department chair...
, chair of the math department from 1989 to her retirement in 2007, who won Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
's Outstanding High School Educator Award, the Golden Apple Teacher of the Year Award, and received the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
Commission of Presidential Scholars
Presidential Scholars Program
The United States Presidential Scholars Program is the highest possible honor for graduating high school seniors in the United States of America....
Distinguished Teacher Award three times.
Former Debate Coach Marilee Dukes was inducted to the National Forensics League Hall of Fame in 2004. http://www.victorybriefs.net/webs/daily/archives/000704.html She is also in the Tournament of Champions Coaches Hall of Fame. Dukes coached at Alabama’s Vestavia Hills High School for over twenty years and made the program one of the powerhouses of the 1990s. Her students have claimed the championships and top speaker awards at every major national tournament during her tenure, and she has coached debaters to finals at the Tournament of Champions an unprecedented seven times. She is one of ten coaches honored by having a debate round in the Barkley Forum
Barkley Forum
The Barkley Forum, named after Emory alumnus and former United States Vice-President Alben W. Barkley, is the intercollegiate debate and forensics organization at Emory University. Debate at Emory began in the 1830s...
for High Schools at Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
named after her. http://www.victorybriefsdaily.com/2006/01/24/debate-history-a-spotlight-on-the-barkley-forum-tutorials/.
Former Band Director Ted Galloway not only conducted performing groups of consistently high quality, but also brought many legendary jazz musicians, such as Urbie Green
Urbie Green
Urban Clifford "Urbie" Green is an American jazz trombonist who toured with Woody Herman, Gene Krupa, Jan Savitt, and Frankie Carle....
to the school for performances.
Achievements
VHHS was named a Blue Ribbon School by the Federal Department of Education in September, 2009. One of 39 high schools in the nation to receive this special status in 2009, the award is a follow up to its Blue Ribbon Status achievement in 1991.Vestavia's math team has dominated national competition for more than a decade. The team has earned 15 first-place and 3 second-place finishes in 18 National Mu Alpha Theta
Mu Alpha Theta
Mu Alpha Theta is a United States mathematics honor society for high schools and two-year colleges. It has over 89,000 student members in more than 1,800 schools worldwide. Its main goals are to inspire keen interest in mathematics, develop strong scholarship in the subject, and promote the...
Convention competitions. Most recently, Vestavia finished second to Buchholz High School
Buchholz High School
F. W. Buchholz High School is a high school in Gainesville, Florida. Buchholz is one of seven high schools in Alachua County. Opened in January 1971, it is the largest of the public high schools in Gainesville...
of Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
at a national competition in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
. http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1123666117210890.xml&coll=2 Other successes include four victories at the regional Furman University
Furman University
Furman University is a selective, private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Furman is one of the oldest, and more selective private institutions in South Carolina...
Wylie Mathematics Tournament from 1999 to 2004 http://math.furman.edu/tournament/tournament.html
The debate team, winners of seven national championships, has the distinction of being the first team in history to win both the Lincoln-Douglas Debate
Lincoln-Douglas debate
Lincoln–Douglas debate is sometimes also called values debate because it traditionally places a heavy emphasis on logic, ethical values, and philosophy...
and the Policy Debate
Policy debate
Policy debate is a form of speech competition in which teams of two advocate for and against a resolution that typically calls for policy change by the United States federal government or security discourse...
in the National Forensic League
National Forensic League
The National Forensic League is a non-partisan, non-profit educational honor society established to encourage and motivate American high school students to participate in and become proficient in the forensic arts: debate, public speaking and interpretation. NFL is the America's oldest and largest...
championships. http://www.alsde.edu/html/boe_resolutions2.asp?id=634 Vestavia is also one of two schools to have two national champions in Lincoln-Douglas debate Tournament of Champions (debate)
Tournament of Champions (debate)
The Tournament of Champions is a high school debate tournament held annually at the University of Kentucky on the first weekend of May. It is the most prestigious tournament on the "national circuit," representing some of the most competitively successful debaters from the nation's most prestigious...
.
In 2008, Vestavia won the national Economics Challenge, and its We the People team has won national acclaim since 2005, most recently winning second in the nation at both the 2009 and 2010 National Finals in Washington, DC. http://www.civiced.org/uploads/centerInTheNews/WethePeopleFinalsRelease-2.27.09.pdf
Vestavia's newspaper, The Vedette, received the All-Alabama award for the 2005-2006 school year and has won state-level honors every year since then. The All-Alabama award, sponsored by the Alabama Scholastic Press Association is the highest award that can be given to a high school newspaper in Alabama.
Vestavia's literary and visual arts magazine, "The Muse," won the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Silver Crown award (sponsored by Columbia University) for the 2008-2009 school year, one of the highest national awards; as well as several National Scholastic Press Association awards in the past.
Music Department
Vestavia has a long-standing tradition of a quality music department. Both the band and choir have won numerous state and regional awards, and consistently place best-in-class in competition. Vestavia's jazz program, in particular, has been notable since its founding by bandleader Ted Galloway. The bands are currently under the direction of Jerell Horton, assisted by Heather Palmer. The band marched in the New Year's Day ParadeNew Year's Day Parade
The New Year's Day Parade is a parade through the streets of the West End of London, which takes place annually on 1 January. The first year the parade took place was 1987, as the Lord Mayor of Westminster's Big Parade...
in London on January 1, 2010.
Vestavia's choirs are currently under the direction of Megan Rudolph.
Athletic programs
Vestavia Hills High School fields varsity teams in footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, soccer, wrestling
Scholastic wrestling
Scholastic wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially Collegiate wrestling with some slight modifications. It is currently...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, and indoor and outdoor track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
.
The Vestavia athletics program has produced several notable successes. The soccer, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
teams have enjoyed notable successes. The baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team, under the late Coach Sammy Dunn, won nine state titles in the highest division of competition, including seven straight from 1994–2000 and the 1998 national championship. Dunn's 27-year record at Vestavia was 647-146.
The Rebels' wrestling
Scholastic wrestling
Scholastic wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially Collegiate wrestling with some slight modifications. It is currently...
teams have won the last three (2007–09) Class 6A state team championships. The wrestling team, under legendary Coach Steve Gaydosh, has won 12 state titles and the school has won 13 overall. The 13 state titles ranks second in the state behind Benjamin Russell's (Alexander City) 14 state titles.
Vestavia athletics enjoyed tremendous success during the 2006-07 school year, as the girl's soccer, girl's tennis, and wrestling teams won 6A state championships. The boy's soccer team placed second in the state and the football team made it to the state semi-finals. The football team returned to the semi-finals in 2007.
The varsity cheerleading squad competes annually, and On February 14, 2010, VHHS won the national UCA cheerleading competition in Orlando, Florida.
The Vestavia boys outdoor track and field team won the 6A state championships in 2008.
The Vestavia varsity boys basketball team won the 6A state championship in 2009.
The Vestavia varsity boys tennis team won the 6A state championship in 2011.
Buddy Anderson Field
Buddy Anderson Field (at Thompson Reynolds Stadium) is home of the Vestavia Hills Rebels. The field is named after current head coach Buddy Anderson. Anderson has been coaching at Vestavia since 1972, and has remained the head coach since 1978.Alumni
Notable alumni of Vestavia Hills High School include:- Michael PapajohnMichael PapajohnMichael Papajohn is an American actor, stuntman and former college baseball player for the LSU Tigers baseball team.-Early life:...
(1983), actor, film producer & stunt performer - Jay Prater (1983), Multi-Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
winning television meteorologist - Chris HammondChris HammondChristopher Andrew Hammond is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball.Hammond was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth round of the amateur draft. Hammond had not sustained considerable success until his revival as a relief pitcher with the Atlanta Braves...
(1984), Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher (Reds, Marlins, Braves, Yankees, A's, Padres) - Christopher Lee NutterChristopher Lee NutterChristopher Lee Nutter is the author of The Way Out: The Gay Man’s Guide to Freedom, No Matter if You’re in Denial, Closeted, Half In, Half Out, Just Out, or Been Around the Block , and co-author of Ignite the Genius Within .-Early career:Nutter grew up in Birmingham, Alabama and graduated from...
(1988), journalist (The New York Times, The Village Voice), media consultant, and author, The Way Out: The Gay Man's Guide to Freedom HCI Books, 2006, and Ignite the Genius Within, Penguin, March, 2009. - Colter BeanColter BeanRandall Colter Bean is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent.Bean attended Vestavia Hills High School in Birmingham before attending Auburn University. Bean played in the College World Series and was named All-SEC second team in 2000...
(1995), Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher (New York YankeesNew York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
) - Josh HancockJosh HancockJoshua Morgan Hancock was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals. Born in Cleveland, Mississippi, he lived in St. Louis during the off-season...
(1996), former Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher (St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
) (deceased) - Rebecca MooreRebecca Moore (pageant titleholder)Rebecca Jo Moore is a beauty queen from Vestavia Hills, Alabama who has competed in the Miss USA pageant.Moore won the Miss Alabama USA 2007 title in a state pageant held in Birmingham on 1 October 2006...
, Miss Alabama USAMiss Alabama USAThe Miss Alabama USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Alabama in the Miss USA pageant.Alabama is one of the more successful and consistent states at Miss USA. Although they have had a number of runners-up, finalists and semi-finalists, they have only...
2007 - Trey HardeeTrey HardeeJames Edward Hardee III is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the decathlon.-Career:...
(2002), 2009&2011 IAAF World Championships Decathlon winner, 2008 Beijing Olympian, 2006 NCAA Records (decathlon, heptathlon), 2005 NCAA Champion