Jayce Bias is soft spoken and reserved, but his smile is spontaneous when he talks about his pride in his school and how he helped EPIC Alternative Elementary celebrate its designation as a 2024 National Blue Ribbon School on Tuesday. EPIC is one of only 356 schools in the country and five in Alabama to earn the honor this year.

Bias individually escorted four guests, including Alabama Education Superintendent Eric Mackey, to the school’s auditorium for the celebration. In his address to the audience of students, current and former teachers, staff and stakeholders, Mackey thanked Bias for making him feel welcome.

“That’s my first time to be called out publicly,” said Bias, a fifth-grade student who has attended EPIC since kindergarten. “And it was in front of a lot of important people. It felt really good.”

Bias said the Blue Ribbon designation is a major achievement. “Our school is very smart, very competitive,” he said. “We have very kind teachers. They don’t go hard on us, but they try to push us to our limits.”

The U.S. Department of Education annually awards Blue Ribbon status to elementary, middle and high schools based on overall high academic achievement or success in closing achievement gaps among diverse groups of students. EPIC, along with the other Alabama schools earning the designation this year, earned recognition for high academic performance.

“The goals of the program are to shine a spotlight on the best schools in the United States and to share best practices of outstanding schools across the country,” the Education Department states on its website.

Core elements National Blue Ribbon schools share, according to the Education Department, are: leaders who articulate a clear vision of instructional excellence, uphold high standards, showcase effective teaching methods and offer robust professional development for their staff; data-driven instruction; a concerted effort to ensure every student succeeds; and collaboration among families, communities, and educators.

Other than EPIC, the only other school in the Birmingham area to achieve the Blue Ribbon designation was Brookwood Forest Elementary School in Mountain Brook.

Founded in 1972, EPIC, which stands for Educational Plan for the Individual Child, is a K-5 Birmingham city school that serves approximately 250 students from across the area.

The student population includes gifted students and those with physical and cognitive disabilities, all of whom learn together in a building with an open-concept architectural design that features retracting walls and few doors.

Ninety-four percent of students are Black, and 56% are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

This is the second time the Education Department has named EPIC a Blue Ribbon school. The first time was in 1993.

In addition to Mackey’s speech, the Blue Ribbon celebration event included remarks by EPIC administrators, Birmingham City Schools Superintendent Mark Sullivan, Birmingham Department of Youth Services Executive Director Galvin Billups and fifth-grade student Milah Coleman as well as performances by the school’s cheerleaders and band.

“In education, it truly takes a village – where everyone must invest in our school’s vision, where we strive to prepare our scholars to lead in a global society,” said EPIC Principal Aulundria Grace. “As the instructional leader of EPIC, I want to thank everyone for believing that we are the best at getting better. And that captures a growth mindset.”

Teachers, parents and administrators at the celebration attributed the Blue Ribbon designation and the school’s overall success to its community spirit, focus on teamwork and dedication to an inclusive learning environment.

 

All Students Together

Emma T. Shepard, a founding teacher at EPIC, helped create the program’s initial curriculum and develop its philosophy. “The idea was to teach all exceptionalities together under one roof,” she said.

Her daughter, Christina Norman, was in EPIC’s second graduating class, when the program was still housed at Glen Iris Elementary School, and has served as librarian at EPIC. Norman’s son, who has Down’s syndrome, graduated from EPIC in 2021.

“The concept of allowing typical and atypical students to learn together provides more compassion for others as the children grow older,” Norman said. “It allows them to see that even though we may seem different, we’re all really the same.”

Students with autism, hearing impairments and other disabilities are not isolated from other students. Norman said her son was always in a regular classroom, and his speech improved because he was listening to his peers.

Teachers make sure all students achieve, said JeTuan Parker, a former reading coach at EPIC. One way they do this is by planning together, a strategy that the building’s open design facilitates. “How can I implement my plan to help you with yours?” is a question teachers often ask one another, Parker said.

In addressing faculty and staff during closing remarks at Tuesday’s event, Assistant Principal Abigail Brown said: “This is just the start. Since you made a commitment to the process, our intentionality needs to reach new heights. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and we thank each of you and every one of you for your daily commitment.”

“We believe in each of you,” Brown said to the students. “We remain committed to giving you our best because we want the best from you.”

Brown said EPIC will build on current success by continuing to engage parents and provide high-level professional development for teachers. Faculty will visit Atlanta soon for schoolwide professional development, she said.

EPIC is planning another Blue Ribbon celebration and will invite families and the whole community to that event, Brown said.

Alabama’s 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools:

• Brookwood Forest Elementary School in Mountain Brook
• Carver School of Mathematics, Science and Technology in Dothan
• Crestline Elementary School in Hartselle
• East Elementary School in Cullman
• EPIC Alternative Elementary School in Birmingham