Mary G. Montgomery High School

Friday we had a visit from Estie! 🐾 MCSO ESD Detection K9 Estie #103 is a nearly five-year-old Goldador who serves as an Electronic Storage Detection (ESD) canine for the Mobile County Sheriff's Office (MCSO). Donated by Operation Underground Railroad in March 2023, Estie plays a vital role in assisting with Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) investigations. Estie has a very unique and specialized skill — she is trained to detect the odor of triphenylphosphine oxide, a chemical compound found on the circuit boards of electronic storage devices. That means she can sniff out hidden SD cards, hard drives, cell phones, and other tiny electronic devices that might otherwise go undetected. Estie visited campus last Friday with her handler, Sgt. Laura Grantham, and our students had the opportunity to watch her “work” as she located devices placed around Mrs. Touchstone’s Forensics classroom. It was incredible to see her skills in action! Of course, the highlight for many students was getting to give Estie a few well-deserved pets after she finished working. 🖤🩵
Fun fact — Estie actually began her career training as a service dog, but when that path wasn’t quite the right fit, she found her calling in detection work. Now, she’s making a powerful impact in protecting children and supporting law enforcement.
It was truly an unforgettable day for Mrs. Touchstone’s Forensics class!

We are incredibly proud of our outstanding students who competed at the South Alabama Regional National History Day competition. The students worked for months on historical inquiry, analysis of primary and secondary sources, and creative presentation of their findings relating to this year's theme of "Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in History." Please join us in congratulating all of our participants and wish luck to the following students who qualified for the state competition on April 9:
1st Place in Group Exhibits - "The Tragedy and Legacy of Emmett Till" by Kenadie Thomas, Melody Van Hook, and Chelsea White
2nd Place in Group Exhibits - "The AIDS Epidemic" by Bronwyn Allen and Kaydence Matthews
2nd Place in Group Documentary - "Separate No More: A Revolution Against Segregation" by Jayden Jordan, Autumn Miller, Megan Love, and Tiana Turner

🎉🐝 Scholarship Spotlight at the Buzz Tour! 🐝🎉
We are proud to celebrate three of our outstanding students who were awarded scholarships this morning during the Alabama State University Buzz Tour!
✨ Kelvin Wilson – Incentive Scholarship
✨ McKenzie Reid – Excellence Scholarship
✨ Treyvone Archie – Presidential Scholarship
These students represented our school with excellence and made us incredibly proud. Their hard work and dedication continue to create amazing opportunities for their futures.
Join us in congratulating Kelvin, McKenzie, and Treyvone on this outstanding achievement! 🎓👏
#VikingPride #CollegeBound #ScholarshipSuccess

Our Semmes FFA officers and their advisor Ms. Dent had a great time at the Mimi & Poppy's Place Community Homesteader Workshop on Saturday, February 21. What a fantastic way to kick off National FFA Week and continue celebrating National CTE Month! The event was PACKED all day long with a steady stream of visitors and community members.
Ms. Dent and Semmes FFA President Emma Blankinchip took the stage at 12:30 to talk about starting your own garden and how we’re growing plants and future leaders.
We’d like to give a special shoutout to Mimi & Poppy's Place for inviting us and putting together this wonderful event, all of the vendors for their great set ups, the City of Semmes for helping promote the event, and most especially the community members of Semmes and the surrounding area for coming out!
We are already looking forward to the next workshop!

Assistant Principal, Ms. Box was featured on MCPSS Learning Leading Now podcast. She was recently awarded the Alabama Association of Secondary School Principals Assistant Principal of the Year. To listen to the podcast, click here https://open.spotify.com/episode/7H87pjFMeG2wFV8bO5gWBK

FBLA had a wonderful time volunteering at the Mobile SPCA . The members help load and organize merchandise to plan for their upcoming rummage sale fundraiser on March 13th and 14th. They also got a chance to cuddle with some puppies. These puppies are all set to take flight ✈️ next week to their adopted families up north. 🐶🐾 #makeyourmark #ctemonth #mgmfbla #fblaweek2026 #skolvikings #mobilespca #adoptdontshop #AdoptDontShopUSA

Mrs. Hillier’s Hospitality and Tourism classes participated in spreading the Mardi Gras spirit before Mardi Gras break. Students wrote a personal letter to a teacher, coach, administrator, or school staff to show their appreciation. As a class, we believe hospitality is a way of making someone feel welcomed, comfortable, and valued. We wanted to make sure these chosen teachers and staff were thanked and valued for bringing this into their classroom!

Spring is almost here… and so is our Plant Sale! 🌱🌸 Starting March 17, our MGM Academy of Agribusiness greenhouse doors will officially be open! Over the past several weeks, our students have been hard at work sowing seeds, transplanting seedlings, watering trays, cleaning benches, and making sure every plant is healthy and ready for its new home. From tiny seeds to thriving plants, they’ve poured time, patience, and pride into every step of the process. We can’t wait for you to see the results of their dedication! Mark your calendars, come support our program, and let our students help you get your spring growing started. 💚🌼 #SpringPlantSale #GrowingLeaders #FromSeedToSale

Our Pre-K students had so much fun learning about the Mardi Gras tradition of a second line thanks to our amazing Dance Department! A second line is a joyful New Orleans parade tradition that began in New Orleans. The “first line” is usually a brass band and the main parade participants, while the “second line” is everyone who follows along behind them—dancing, waving handkerchiefs or umbrellas, and celebrating to the music. It’s all about community, movement, and joy! After learning the steps and traditions, our Pre-K students put their new skills to good use by creating their very own second line outside. With big smiles, lots of rhythm, and plenty of enthusiasm, they paraded and danced just like a true Mardi Gras celebration. What a fun way to learn about culture, music, and movement all at once!

Dual Enrollment U.S. History students in Dr. Landry's class, recently completed research projects with a creative twist!
They researched the 13 British Colonies, while our 11th graders explored Progressive Era reformers. Students were given a variety of project options to showcase their learning, including ABC books, timelines, political cartoons with analysis questions, reformer résumés, and even Mardi Gras–style floats. The clear favorite? Mardi Gras floats! 🎭 Students went above and beyond, combining historical research with creativity to bring their topics to life. We are so proud of the hard work, originality, and academic excellence these students demonstrated!

Ms. Dent with our MGM Academy of Agribusiness and our Semmes FFA Treasurer Sky Christian were thrilled to take part in filming a segment for mcpssTV’s Homeroom. They took part in showcasing the importance of Career Tech education. We’re looking forward to sharing the segment soon! Check out their amazing interview with this link https://youtu.be/MWv7ju-Ydo8?si=yVDXZhSJeaL4uUWG

Recently students in Mrs. Touchstone's Forensics class completed their blood splatter lab. Next they will dive into analyzing the spatter and calculating angle of impact—where the real detective work begins! 🔍📐 This was the fun part. Over the last two weeks they have talked about how investigators analyze blood stains. the students were taught them about identifying blood stain direction and then how to calculate the angle of impact. With this information, investigators can start to determine things such as: type of weapon, where the victim was located and where the suspect stood. The point of the lab was to create some spatter to analyze (after it all dries of course😉)!

Students in our Drawing 2 and 3 classes created an original surrealist anatomical heart artwork that combines observation, cultural research, memory, and imagination. To begin this project students examined anatomically correct heart references, explored surrealist concepts such as symbolism, scale, and juxtaposition, and researched global proverbs and beliefs about the heart. Through inquiry, experimentation with media, and ethical artmaking practices, students demonstrate technical skill, craftsmanship, and originality while producing a professionally presented final artwork. 🫀❤️

Our MGM Academy of Agribusiness faced brutal cold temperatures in January and February. The students along with teacher, Ms. Dent worked overtime to make sure their plants stayed nice and warm to be ready for the upcoming Spring Plant Sale. Thank you to FOX10 News for showcasing our students and program. Check out the news story about what all goes into keeping the plants alive during this cold spell. https://www.fox10tv.com/2026/02/06/cold-weather-challenges-mary-g-montgomery-horticulture-students/
#CTEMonth #FFA

Congratulations to Dr. Karla McInnis who recently secured Ingalls Future Shipbuilders STEM Grants from Ingalls Shipbuilding to enhance the STEM lessons in their classrooms. Out of more than 1,000 applications, Mary G. Montgomery was only one of two MCPSS schools and 1 of only 15 schools and educational programs across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama to receive one of these grants. Dr. McInnis will use her grant for Physics in Action – An honors physics class will gain hands scientific equipment to explore and visualize physics principles through real-world experimentation.

Auditions for the 2026-27 MGM Viking Band Visual Ensemble are approaching soon! Audition information and tryouts can be found at http://www.mgmband.com/visual-ensemble-auditions.html The MGM Visual Ensemble consists of The MGM Color Guard, The MGM Vikettes (Dance Team) and The MGM Majorettes. All three of our visual teams have a history of competitive success and superior performances! Please note the tryout dates for the group you wish to audition for! All groups will start audition clinics in the MGM Band Room.  If you audition for dance, and are not selected for the team, you are welcome to audition for Color guard with no additional fee. If you are interested in auditioning for one of these teams, please check out the audition packet linked above! You can also grab a packet from the MGM High band office, located in the band room! If you have any questions, please reach out to Mr. Warren via email at, jwarren@mcpss.com

TOMORROW IS THE DEADLINE!!! 🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓
Our annual Semmes FFA Strawberry Fundraiser is underway, and we’re now taking pre-orders through February 13! Don’t miss your chance to enjoy fresh, delicious strawberries while supporting our students.
🧺 Pre-order options:
• Full flat: $26
• Half flat: $15
📆 Ordering window: January 26 – February 13
All proceeds directly support our FFA chapter, helping fund travel, competitions, and other valuable educational experiences for our students.
📲 Place your order by filling out the Google Form here: https://forms.gle/68GKTUDW5PemYD6A7
Thank you for supporting agricultural education and our FFA family! 🍓💙💛

February 8-14 is Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) week . On Service Sunday we showcased our FBLA members that recently volunteered with our feeder elementary schools for Career Day. 💙💛 #makeyourmark #skolvikings #mcpss #alabamafbla #mgmfbla #fblaweek2026

MGM Cheer tryouts will be held March 6th. All participants must have a complete Dragonfly account as well as up to date physical. Packets will be available soon on our website. Please email eblackburn@mcpss.com with any questions.