VESTAVIA HILLS HIGH SCHOOL NEWS

Written by Jeffrey Zhao and Aditya Sheelavant Credits: leotoday8 on FaceBook Curious about our fellow Vestavians, we researched the rules that guide their existence—personal mottos, mindsets that maintained their sanity, and, for some, Flying Spaghetti Monster mantras. Take Ms. O’Kelley, who reinvigorated our understanding of gratuity by spitting straight facts: “ Kindness matters .” Porter Hottle channelled his inner Mr. Horton, professing that we should “ Treat people wit

Credits: Katherine Terino The full history of Vestavia Hills High School’s boys cross country team is long and complex, so for the sake of brevity, our story will start in the fall of 2017. Senior James Sweeny and junior Bryce Hutchinson were poised to lead the team. There was also a phenom freshman aging onto the team, his name was Ethan Strand. The team had a strong season opener at Chickasaw Trails with James Sweeney taking second place in a time of 15:40 narrowly losing

**The media below contains the opinion of an individual student and therefore does not represent or speak to the values of Vestavia Hills High School and Vestavia Hills City Schools ** Image courtesy of Mean Girls Wiki I remember having an army of tabs open, searching up everything I could on Vestavia Hills High School the week before I transferred here. I found an impressive amount of information, from VHHS’s old mascot, to notable alums, and even my way to Pillar. It was a

Photo Credits: Vestavia Hills Magazine Mr. Sinnott is a teacher who has made a meaningful impression on a large portion of our student body. He’s been mentioned a few times here on the Pillar website—most recently as he received the most votes in a “favorite teacher” poll—but I’m here to dive into a special part of the Mr. Sinnott persona: his eclectic hobbies and interests. Something struck me on the very first day I spent in his class: Mr. Sinnott seems to be able to talk

Credits: Jennifer Dalton, Pictured (left to right): Annika Dalton, Anna-Sophia Le, Davidson Smith, Colin Strevy, Autumn Berry, Andy Sheng, Herbert Bryant, Ella Palmer, AJ Rembert Today, the Vestavia Hills High School Jazz Band is playing at the city’s Salute to Veterans Day Celebration. Gigs like these are common for the Jazz Band, which often gets invited to play at community events. Immediately following, the Jazz Band will prepare for their Fall Concert, which is next Mon

Credits: Kathy Forte on Pinterest The Vestavia Hills High Schoolers got their spooky on early at the first annual Trunk or Treat that was hosted at Vestavia Hills High School, led by the VHHS Student Government Association (SGA). Many groups entered the Trunk or Treat, with their themes being diverse and creative, from a circus theme to an under-the-sea theme and even a hippie-themed car.  Trunk or Treat was created to support the Lovelady Center, which is the charity that

Photo Credits: Getty Images What is literacy, and why is it important? According to Britannica, literacy goes beyond recognizing letters and words. It includes being able to read, write, and interpret different types of literature. A person who is literate should be able to understand, evaluate, and use written material to engage with society and achieve their goals (National Center for Education Statistics). When students suffer with reading and comprehending what they read

Credits: David Bartus If you are anything like me, you probably associate certain songs, albums, and artists with certain seasons or periods of your life. Music is an important part of many people's daily lives, so over this week, I decided to find out what fellow Vestavia Hills High School students and faculty are listening to. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the answers I received from interviewing people from multiple grades and classes. Each answer I got was uniqu

The media below contains the opinion of an individual student and therefore does not represent or speak to the values of Vestavia Hills High School and Vestavia Hills City Schools ** College is stressful; of that, there’s no doubt. Whether by human nature, the systematic-pressure-inducing educational experience, or “just because,” we stand at the precipice of the unknown—otherwise known as everything college—and cannot help but worry. In reality, there have been college stud

Trick-or-treating, dressing up, and eating way too much candy are all traditional activities commonly associated with Halloween: the adored October holiday. No matter what activities you participate in on Halloween, everyone seems to celebrate this holiday in some form. It is a well-known favorite throughout America, but most people only know Halloween in its modern form.  Just like other holidays, Halloween has developed significantly over time, and many fans of this holida

Photo credits: Bama Preps On Friday, October 24, Vestavia Hills Varsity Football, ranked as the number two seed, faced their rivals, the Hoover Bucs, ranked number five. The Rebels needed school spirit to pull off the win, so Friday began with a morning pep rally. Each grade level dressed according to its theme: freshmen wore camo, sophomores dressed as celebrities, juniors wore black, seniors wore togas, and the band wore their Halloween costumes. David Leon took senior to

Credits: @vhhsfrenchduslay on Instagram Leah Dupre, affectionately known by her students as “Madame DuSlay,” is one of two French teachers at Vestavia Hills High School. She teaches French level 1 and 2 at the Freshman Campus, as well as level 2 classes at the main campus. Every high school French student at Vestavia will take her class at some point in their study. In French 1 and 2, her students learn the intricacies of the French language, how to read and write in French,

Photo Credits: Literacy Club The Literacy Club is at the heart of Vestavia. Not only do they impact the Vestavia Youth, but they also have encouraged adolescent reading throughout Birmingham. The Literacy Club at Vestavia bridges educational gaps and boosts the reputation of reading. Children are not reading now more than ever, and statistics prove it. The latest comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, which states that in 2022, only 39% of 9-year-old childr

Photo by Alan Hardman  on Unsplash The media below contains the opinion of an individual student and therefore does not represent or speak to the values of Vestavia Hills High School and Vestavia Hills City Schools . This week looked a little different than normal, featuring an e-day on Tuesday and an unexpected event on Thursday. On Monday , the lunchroom kicked off Halloween week with pizza crunchers and baked ziti. Many people consider this meal mediocre. Between two su

Credits: Vestavia Hills Magazine The media below contains the opinion of an individual student and therefore does not represent or speak to the values of Vestavia Hills High School and Vestavia Hills City Schools There you are, in the school lobby, observing the hundreds of students trickling in. It’s another Monday morning, and what do you see in many a teen’s hand? Caffeine. Some are sipping on Alani and Celsius. Some have just gone on a quick run to Vestavia Hills Nutri

Written by Grace Ding, Hannah Chen, and Sophia Chen On Saturday, October 25th, the VHHS Robotics Team kicked off their season at the Spooky on the Plains Tournament, located at Loachapoka High School. Keep reading to learn a little bit more about this extracurricular, the results of this tournament, and what more of the season will look like! A bit about robotics This year, there are four VHHS teams: Awesome Sauce! (99040A), Blackout robotics (99040B), Botanical Bots (99040

Credits: liahonaacademy.com Senior Year is filled with fun traditions and memories, from iconic school dances to some more tacit ones, including senior skip day. When the senioritis or the stress is hitting too hard, some seniors will skip school to catch up on schoolwork or take a breather. Senior skip day began in the 1930s as a way for students to feel rebellious and celebrate the end of their academic career. It was popularized by the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Alth

Credits: Emily Jin This past weekend, a select few from our track and field team visited the Alabama 4-H Center for a leadership retreat. This group consisted of every grade level found at the main campus (sophomore to senior), as well as every event group in both genders, except for distance due to their upcoming Sectionals meet.  At 9 am Saturday, the team met up at the dorms to begin the quick one-day retreat. The coaches communicated their expectations, excitement, and

Credits: Katherine Terino On October 30, the Cross Country team fought for their spot at the State Championships. It was a chilly morning with overcast skies and intermittent drizzle, around 50 degrees. The team had raced on the same course on October 18, which helped the athletes better gauge the terrain and develop stronger racing strategies. At sectionals, teams compete against others in the same division and area. In Alabama, there are four different sectional sites for

Photo Credits: Stranahan High School On Tuesday, October 28th, Vestavia Hills High School’s sophomores and juniors took the PSAT, a standardized test meant to prepare students for the actual SAT, one common college admissions test, and allow eligible juniors to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program. For sophomores, the PSAT was a low-stakes exam. Unless their parents were treating their scores as life or death, the only thing on the line for them was a couple