November 2025 | Volume 14 | Issue 2
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
SERVING HOOVER, HOMEWOOD, MOUNTAIN BROOK, VESTAVIA HILLS, TRUSSVILLE AND THE 280 CORRIDOR
HOOVER’S COMMUNITY NEWS SOURCE HOOVERSUN.COM | STARNESMEDIA.COM
Jags Show Up
Spain Park Jaguars showing signs of growth, overcoming and learning from past seasons.
See page 19
Real-world ready Hoover’s Riverchase Career Connection Center helps students gain career skills, compete for jobs By EMILY REED
Hoover to New York
Lola Ruth Adams featured in National Down Syndrome Society video.
See page 20
INSIDE Sponsors............. 4 City....................... 6 Schoolhouse........7 Business.............. 8
Real Estate........ 12 Events................. 14 Sports.................18 Community.......20
W
hen Ja’Skylar Simpkins starts her school day, instead of cracking a textbook, she might be cracking an egg for a dish she’s developing — a new recipe she hopes others will try and enjoy. Standing in a state-of-the-art test kitchen alongside classmates, Simpkins, a Spain Park High School senior, has become comfortable tossing in a little dash of flavor to achieve her desired cuisine. This is no ordinary classroom — it’s a space filled with aromas wafting through the ceiling as high school students use their hands to create dishes that could be served in fine restaurants. “Experimenting with flavors and coming up with new ideas for a dish is something that really has always excited me,” the 17-yearold Simpkins said. “I think I am motivated by coming up with ideas for recipes because I love food and spending time in the kitchen is something I enjoy.” Simpkins, like most high school students, has visions for what she might become one day — in her case, a chef at a restaurant she hopes to one day own. Simpkins uses her visions and passion for cooking as a culinary student at Hoover’s Riverchase Career Connection Center, also known as RC3.
Above: Spain Park High School senior Ja’Skylar Simpkins is all smiles as a culinary student at Hoover’s Riverchase Career Connection Center, known as RC3. Left: Hoover senior Sarah Kathryn Picardy is studying under the Health Science Academy at RC3. Below: Hoover junior Henry Wright works on a tire at RC3’s new Automotive Academy. Photos by Tosha Gaines.
See RC3 | page 24 Scan the QR code to follow us on social media or sign up for our newsletter!
What we stand for: Hoover residents share what patriotism means to them By KELLI S. HEWETT With Veterans Day celebrated this month, patriotic symbols will be evident in the city. But how do we live patriotically in daily life here at home? Local residents say true patriotism is about actions and in how we treat our neighbors. Photo by David Leong.
In Hoover, November means flags on porches, students preparing for assemblies, listening to veterans sing a capella at the Hoover Library Theatre and neighbors lining the streets for Birmingham’s Veterans Day parade — the oldest in the country.
But this year, as the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2026, we wanted to ask a personal question: What does patriotism mean to you — and how do you live it, here in Hoover?
See PATRIOTISM | page 26 And ahead in 2026!
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