Liberty Park Elementary School

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Liberty Park Elementary School (also known as Vestavia Hills Elementary Liberty Park or VHELP), located at 17051 Liberty Parkway, is one of five elementary schools in Vestavia Hills City Schools serving grades kindergarten through fifth. It serves the Liberty Park area. Enrollment in 2012 was approximately 640 students. The principal is Ty Arendall.

History

In 1992, when Liberty Park was annexed by Vestavia Hills, developers Drummond Company and Torchmark agreed to spend $15 million toward building elementary and middle schools in Liberty Park and expanding Vestavia Hills High School, if the school board began construction when 115 school-aged children lived in the subdivision. That milestone was reached in early 1998 and bidding began in February. The bids were awarded in May, with Hoar Construction as the primary contractor.

Construction began in late spring 1998 and was scheduled to be completed in time for fall classes in 1999. In December, Helen Holley, previously the assistant principal of Vestavia East Elementary School, was announced as the new school's principal.

Liberty Park became Vestavia Hills' sixth school, opening to about 200 students in kindergarten through sixth grade on August 24, 1999. The school also became Vestavia Hills' first to serve preschoolers with disabilities. Previously, those students attended classes at Hall-Kent Elementary School in Homewood.

In 2002, eight classrooms were added to the school to accommodate Vestavia Hills' increasing population. In 2008, Liberty Park Middle School, adjacent and connected to the elementary school, opened for 6th through 8th grade students.

Liberty Park Elementary was one of five Alabama schools awarded a "Blue Ribbon" from the U.S. Department of Education in 2017.

Principals

  1. Helen Holley, 1999-2012
  2. Ty Arendall, 2012–present

References

  • Jones, Melanie. (February 4, 1998). "Liberty Park Elementary now on horizon." The Birmingham News, page 1-H.
  • Jones, Melanie. (March 25, 1998). "Education Boards sets deadline for bids." The Birmingham News, page 1-H.
  • Jones, Melanie. (May 6, 1998). "Bids to be awarded for school construction." The Birmingham News, page 2-H.
  • Jones, Melanie. (December 30, 1998). "Helen Holley to be principal at new school in Liberty Park." The Birmingham News, page 2-H.
  • Jones, Melanie. (June 16, 1999). "New Liberty Park school to provide special classes." The Birmingham News, page 2-H.
  • Jones, Melanie. (August 4, 1999). "Liberty Park's first school ready to welcome students." The Birmingham News, page 1-H.
  • Wright, Barnett. (July 3, 2002). "Blair: Area to need 2nd school soon." The Birmingham News, page 1-S.
  • Singleton, William C. III. (May 2, 2012). "Principal moves, another retires." The Birmingham News.

External links