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BROOK HIGHLAND PLAZA • VESTAVIA CITY CENTER
Reflections on retirement 3 Vestavia Hills principals retiring this summer By GRACE THORNTON
K
im Hauser said the day she talked with Becky Patton in 2005, she didn’t think it was a job interview — not really, anyway. “We just ended up talking a lot,” Hauser said. So she was surprised when Patton, the principal at Vestavia Hills Elementary West at the time, offered her a job as the assistant principal. Hauser had been a teacher at Vestavia Hills Elementary Central for nine years at the time.
See RETIREMENT | page 27
Kim Hauser, the principal at Vestavia Hills Elementary West, listens as third grader Manar Baroody reads a Mother’s Day poem on May 9. Hauser is retiring after 19 years as an administrator at West, with 28 years in the Vestavia Hills school system. Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Summer in the city: Activities to explore around Vestavia Hills By GRACE THORNTON As the days get longer, there’s more time to pack in all the fun Vestavia Hills has to offer. Check out something new this summer in the city you call home.
TRY YOUR HAND AT PICKLEBALL
Children play in the splash pad at the Vestavia Hills Aquatic Complex. Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
If you haven’t picked up a pickleball paddle yet but have been wanting to, now is a great time — Vestavia’s supply of courts is constantly growing. You can find them in neighborhoods, parks and churches, and
INSIDE
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many are open to the public. Wald Park (1090 Montgomery Highway) has outdoor courts available for use, and Sicard Hollow Athletic Complex (4851 Sicard Hollow Road) has outdoor courts open to the public, but you can only reserve them in advance if you’re a member. Vestavia Hills Recreation Center (1973 Merryvale Road) and The Lighthouse at Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church (2061 Kentucky Ave.) also have indoor courts, but a membership is required to play. Before you pick up a paddle for the first time, check out this rules tutorial to get you
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started: usapickleball.org/what-is-pickleball/ official-rules/rules-summary. The rules may seem complicated, but once you get going, it doesn’t take long to catch on.
PLAY AND SPLASH
With summer heating up, it’s the perfect time to get the kids out to try the splash pad at the Sicard Hollow Athletic Complex, which is open 9 a.m. to sunset. After they dry off, they can check out the
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See SUMMER | page 26 Sports................................ 18 Community....................... 21 facebook.com/vestaviavoice
Down to Earth
Celebrating 170
Bridging education with nature, Dolly Ridge Elementary debuts outdoor classroom.
Rocky Ridge Cumberland Presbyterian Church celebrates 170 years.
See page 9
Cummings
See page 22
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