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VESTAVIA HILLS HIGH SCHOOL NEWS
For Students, By Students
Poetry in Performance
Photo Credits: Anjali Anantharam Poetry is literature in performance. It allows the reader, performer, and listener to dive into human connection and explore past experiences. By writing poetry, we are able to connect with our inner selves and express that to others. Poetry has always been present in human identity. The Poetry Out Loud Competition allows students a chance to explore past poets and themselves, sharing their discoveries with others. Our school sponsors Ms. Rob
The Man Who Walked Around the World
Photo Credits: BBC Imagine you actually set out on a goal that was so out there, so distant, so expansive. Well, Karl Bushby did. The goal? To walk around the world. The Manifest It's not so often that we hear a common child’s dream genuinely pursued. That's what makes this story so important to be heard. It all started when Bushby was a school student with severe dyslexia. He claims “I used to dream about great big journeys on foot. I started drawing lines on maps, and the
Album Reviews Pt. 2: ISOxo, Tinashe, Lucy Bedroque
Photo Credits: c - Album Cover by Lucy Bedroque 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. ISOxo’s sophomore album Hardcore Diva was released just a day before the annual Niteharts Festival in California. Hardcore Diva primarily serves as a hybrid trap EDM album with rage elements most similar to ISOxo’s first album kidsgonemad! Personall
What is your teacher superpower?
Photo Credits: Pixel What superpower would you want? It's a question that's been asked during millions of icebreakers. Answers vary, from flying to reading minds to time travel. But have you ever wondered what your teachers thought about having superpowers? Especially about superpowers that could help them teach? Faculty at VHHS were asked the question, "If you could have any superpower to help your teaching, what would it be?" Here are their answers: With the end of the fi
Student vs. Faculty Basketball Game: Ballers or Airballing?
Photo Credits: Kelly Chen As homecoming season at Vestavia Hills High School comes to a close, the SGA has been working hard to fundraise for this year’s fall charity, the Prescott House. One of the most highly anticipated events of the year, this year’s Student vs. Faculty Basketball Game certainly did not disappoint, uniting students of multiple grades as they let their Rebel spirit shine through against their common enemy, the faculty basketball team. The faculty team s
A Much Needed Break
Photo Credits: Irinia Fedorova on iStock At the end of every grading period, life gets very stressful for students. Freshman and juniors are tired from their first quarter of high school, sophomores have the pre-ACT coming up, and seniors are overwhelmed from college applications. Most students will agree that a break at this point in the year is not just wanted, but a necessity. Having a chance to enjoy themselves without the pressure of schoolwork, students did all sort
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Poetry in Performance
Photo Credits: Anjali Anantharam Poetry is literature in performance. It allows the reader, performer, and listener to dive into human connection and explore past experiences. By writing poetry, we are able to connect with our inner selves and express that to others. Poetry has always been present in human identity. The Poetry Out Loud Competition allows students a chance to explore past poets and themselves, sharing their discoveries with others. Our school sponsors Ms. Rob
Anjali Anantharam
Nov 22 min read
Success At Smokies!
By Sophia Chen and Astha Mehta Photo Credit: 1rebelrobotics (VHHS Robotics Team's Instagram) Between bags of SkinnyPop and Chipotle runs, Vestavia's robotics team 99040B Blackout had plenty of ways to keep themselves fueled throughout the Smoky Mountain Forge Signature Event. On October 9th-10th, the team travelled to Tennessee to compete against teams across North America. Blackout placed first in preliminary matches, advanced to the finals of the tournament, and also earne
Vestavia Pillar
Nov 23 min read
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry - Chem Club Discussion
Photo Credits: @nobelprize on Instagram CHEM Club, sponsored by A.P. Chemistry teacher Mrs. Sutherland, recently discussed the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry at the last club meeting. The prize was awarded to Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai “for the discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis." Simply speaking, these laureates discovered a way to spontaneously produce homochiral molecules with a specific “handedness.” Molecules called isome
Adam Zhao
Oct 191 min read
Club Highlight: Health Literacy
Photo Credit: Vestavia Hills Health Literacy Club Instagram Last year, the Health Literacy Club was founded by Dev Patel and Divya Ramani, quickly gaining traction and attracting over 20 members in its first year. The club was founded with the objectives of teaching members about health equity and helping the Greater Birmingham area, where several communities are designated as “Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs)” due to limited healthcare resources. That is the gap the club
Dev Patel
Oct 192 min read
Your 2026-27 Mr and Miss Vestavia!
Photo Credit: Vestavia News Network's Instagram, Libby Soong and Grace Ann Swift, two of your Miss Vestavia Nominees! Each year, Vestavia Hills High School seniors have the opportunity to vote for Mr. and Miss Vestavia. Students vote for classmates they believe should be recognized for their accomplishments and the impact they have made throughout the school year and their overall high school experience. The process begins with nominations from our teachers and faculty. The
Marley Flannagan
Oct 51 min read
Fall Charity 2026!
Photo Credit: VHHS's Instagram VHHS’s annual Fall Charity Kickoff took place on September 15th, and we are partnering with The Prescott House! To start the kickoff, a few members of the SGA team were able to introduce and present this year's fundraiser. The SGA also announced this year’s homecoming king nominations for each grade and the band. The homecoming kings were introduced and participated in an exciting game where they were judges for our very own Dancing with the St
Abigail Wang
Oct 52 min read
Tales of Trickery: a Senior Directed Play!
Photo Credits: Lane Peterson, the cast of the Tales of Trickery Vestavia’s Theater program performs a variety of shows all year round. Most recently, they performed their Senior Directed Plays. Senior Directed Plays are a set of performances that are completed led and directed by the Seniors in the Vestavia Hills Theatre Department. For this article, I asked Madelyn Garrick, a junior in the theatre department, to tell me a little bit more about the process and the behind the
Audrey Kim
Sep 282 min read
The 2026-27 National Merit Semifinalists!
Photo Credits: Vestavia Hills City Schools Every year, over 1.3 million high school juniors compete for the National Merit Scholarship, with only 16,000 students nationwide qualifying as semifinalists. Of those 16,000 students, 234 qualified in Alabama, including 15 from Vestavia Hills High School. So how do you become a semifinalist in the first place? Well, it’s not easy. Students have to take the PSAT/NMSQT, a shorter, slightly easier version of the SAT. Although studen
Jason Murong
Sep 282 min read
Vestavia Novice Debate Tournament
Photo Credits: Abigail Wang, Vestavia Hills High School On September 19th, Vestavia’s Speech and Debate team hosted their annual Novice Tournament. The tournament was a huge success with competitors from all over Alabama travelling to compete! The Novice Tournament is especially tailored for first year competitors, which gives them the opportunity to learn how a tournament works, and also compete against students with a similar experience level. The Speech and Debate coach
Astha Mehta
Sep 282 min read
A Not-So-Flowery Festival
Courtesy of VHHS Rebel Marching Band Instagram 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 . Every year, in the nation's capital of Washington, D.C., a festival is held to celebrate the blooming of the city's cherry blossom trees and the coming of spring. However, the festival is not just a commemoration of joy and growth; rather, it has d
Alan Sheng
Apr 206 min read
The Vestavia Singers Don’t Get A Day Off
All Photo Credits: Ruth Graham Our Vestavia Singers have had a great season. They hosted a successful Contempo at home, placed third in their division at the Hoover Showchoir Smackdown, scored second at the Albertville Diamond Classic, and landed third again at King of the Mountain—a special shoutout to Mary Pitts for winning best female performer! But honestly, show choir deserves respect and applause from the entire student body, not just this article. It might be one of
Ruth Graham
Feb 112 min read
FRANK Fait NOLA
Photo Credits: Claire Placzek New Orleans doesn’t know what’s coming for them, as French 5 from VHHS makes their entrance in The Big Easy. In order to learn more about French and Creole culture, French 5 went on a trip to New Orleans, where they would take part in learning about the culture, food, and history of New Orleans--a time filled with laughter, joy, and tours for native French speakers, as well as multiple visits to the original Cafe Dupont (where the beignets ri
Carrie Smith
Feb 112 min read
Indoor Track State Meet
Vestavia Hills Track and Field at the CrossPlex in Bessemer The Vestavia Hills Track and Field team delivered an outstanding performance at the CrossPlex Indoor Track State Meet that took place in Bessemer on January 31, 2026. The girls team claimed State Runner-up, earning 63 points with 9 girls in 17 events; additionally, the boys team, consisting of 12 guys in 16 events, won 4th place with a whopping 70 points! Vestavia Hills’ outstanding track athletes competed in a v
Abigail Wang
Feb 112 min read
VHHS Sadie Hawkins Dance: Success
Photo Credits: Linear Collider The Vestavia Hills Sadie Hawkins Dance took place on January 24 at the Civic Center, and it proved to be a huge success despite several obstacles leading up to the event. With unpredictable weather and concerns that the dance might be canceled, many students were unsure what the night would hold. However, thanks to careful planning and strong attendance, the evening turned out to be one of the most memorable school events of the year. This yea
Brianna Tortorici
Feb 112 min read
New Season of RISE
During the spring semester, VHHS is excited for our new season of RISE. Each year, RISE brings students, faculty, and families together to support cancer research at UAB O’Neal Center. During this special season of RISE, it’s important to mark our calendars for some important fundraising dates. First in January, the kickoff assembly featured Olympic-style performances and a torch lighting ceremony. After the kickoff assembly on January 24th, students danced and celebrated a
Tina Lou
Feb 112 min read
Highlights from the 2025 Fall Semester: Arts and Academics
Photo Credits: Instagram, VHHS Rebel Marching Band at Mud Creek Marching Festival The new year, for many, is a time of self-evaluation and profound hope. The first of January inspires goals and promises of personal refinement (go check out our article on New Year’s Resolutions) and invites an excitement to leave the past year behind. Even so, our most popular anthem for the New Year, originally a Scottish poem, reminds us to step into the future with remembrance and apprecia
William Pitts
Jan 122 min read
New Courses at Vestavia
By Audrey Kim and Aiden Billano It’s that time of year again: the time we get to decide how we’re all going to spend the next year. With course selection fast approaching, as you look at potential classes in Vestavia’s Next Steps Live Binder , you may notice a few new additions since last year. After listening to student interest, these new courses were proposed by teachers and approved by the Board of Education to be available starting this year. Unfortunately, these course
Audrey Kim
Jan 112 min read
Magic City Invitational
Photo Credits: dadot.com In early December, our Track and Field team began the official indoor season with the Magic City Invitational. Located at the Crossplex, our athletes spent their afternoons competing and supporting as they broke into the competitive season. In the 60m ambulatory, Vaughan Rainer ran a 10.03, winning the event. In the 60m, Cance (Derek) Mills ran a personal record of 7.02, placing 7th in the overall meet and putting himself 2nd in the school’s record
Emily Jin
Jan 113 min read
Speech and Debate at the Big Gump Classic
Photo Credits: Astha Mehta On December 5th and 6th, the Vestavia Hills Speech and Debate team competed in Montgomery at Montgomery Academy. The Big GUMP Classic -- one of the most anticipated competitions in the region -- has always been a Vestavia Hills favorite. The adored clay trophies feature a variety of extravagant animals, and the competition is a great way for competitors to grow and learn. The team competed in a variety of events, including Public Forum, Congression
Astha Mehta
Jan 112 min read
An Annual Tradition: The VHHS Math Tournament
Photo Credits: Mrs. Hyde, several Math Team students involved with tournament preparation Each year, the VHHS math team hosts a tournament, garnering nationwide attention and over a thousand students, from 6th graders fresh off their first semester of middle school, to seniors in high school just about ready to leave. This year, on the weekend of December 6th, it was no different. With over half a hundred schools ranging from ASFA to West Point HS, a full alphabetical journe
Alan Sheng
Jan 114 min read
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