As we wrap up National School Counseling Week, we're grateful for the counselors across our district who show up every day for our students! They support, encourage, and advocate with passion, bringing tremendous heart to our schools. We're so thankful for you🫶!
14 days ago, JEFCOED
A school counselor stands in front of the Jefferson County school district background. She is celebrating and holding her arms up. The sign in her hands says school counseling programs amplify student success by celebrating them!
A group of people huddle together while smiling at the camera. The group includes a principal, school, counselor, and students. They are all celebrating national school counselor week at Clay elementary school.
A school counselor stands with two young elementary school students. They are all wearing unique hats. The school counselor in the back has on a black cowboy style hat, the girl in the front left is on a red, cowboy hat, and the boy on the right has on a blue beanie style hat.
A school counselor is being celebrated during national school counselor appreciation week. She is holding a vase full of pink and red flowers. In the background are several cut out red hearts with custom messages.
A school counselor is standing in front of a colorful bulletin board. She is smiling and holding a book that says the coffee bean for kids.
Two people are bringing a school, counselor a pot of flowers, a gift, and some yellow and purple balloons. They are celebrating her for national school counseling week.
A school counselor is standing in an elementary school classroom. She is holding a vase full of red roses. She is being celebrated for national school counseling week.
School counselor is standing in front of a banner that says, "I know this is a little cheesy, but you're our favorite school counselor. Happy school, counselor appreciation week."
We’re just hours from tipoff and couldn’t be more excited to bring you live coverage of tonight’s matchups between Pleasant Grove and Shades Valley!🏀🎉

Our live broadcast begins with the girls game at 6:00, followed by the boys at 7:30! See you soon!

How to watch:
📲Download the JEFCOED TV app on Roku, Amazon Fire, or Apple TV
▶️Watch on our Facebook page, YouTube channel, or www.jefcoed.com/tv
23 days ago, JEFCOED
Image is a graphic announcing JEFCOED TV's live coverage of the basketball game between Pleasant Grove and Shades Valley on Jan 29. The girls game begins at 6 p.m. and the boys game begins at 7:30. The graphic says you can watch the broadcast on AppleTv, FireTv, Roku, and JEFCOED.COM/TV
What an amazing accomplishment for Shades Valley High School’s Jeremy Chatman!🎉🏀

Last week, Birmingham Tip Off Club recognized Jeremy as their Player of the Week. This honor highlights Jeremy’s success in both athletics and the classroom, as well as his character and integrity. It makes us so proud to see a member of our JEFCOED family recognized in this way!👏 Congratulations, Jeremy!
24 days ago, JEFCOED
Shades Valley High School student Jeremy Chatman smiles and holds an award while standing in front of a Birmingham Tip Off Club photo backdrop.
Shades Valley High School student Jeremy Chatman speaks into a microphone at the Birmingham Tip Off Club meeting.
Shades Valley High School student Jeremy Chatman poses next to Alabama Basketball Coach Nate Oats for a photo. Jeremy holds an award.
#GoodThingsHappening!💙 We are thrilled to share that more than two dozen JEFCOED schools earned the Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR Certification! To earn this honor, these schools had to have an ENERGY STAR score of at least 75, meaning they run at least 75% more efficiently than similar buildings across the country.

In recognition of their commitment to energy conservation and sustainability, Superintendent Dr. Walter Gonsoulin and representatives from Cenergistic presented 27 of our schools with awards and certificates at this week’s board meeting! Please help us congratulate the following schools:

Bagley Elementary, Bragg Middle, Brookville Elementary, Bryant Park Elementary, Burkett Center, Center Point Elementary, Chalkville Elementary, Clay Elementary, Corner Middle, Erwin
Intermediate, Erwin Middle, Gardendale Elementary, Gardendale High, Hueytown Primary, McAdory High, McCalla Elementary, Minor High, Minor Middle, North Jefferson Middle, Pinson Elementary, Pinson Valley High, Pleasant Grove Elementary, JCIB MYP, Rudd
Middle, Shades Valley High, U.W. Clemon Elementary, and Warrior Elementary.
29 days ago, JEFCOED
JEFCOED principals with schools that received the Energy Star award stand together for a photo with Superintendent Dr. Gonsoulin and representatives from Cenergistic in the JEFCOED board room.
Gardendale High School's principal holds an Energy Star award and smiles for a photo.
Two JEFCOED principals pose for a photo with Energy Star awards in their hands while standing in the hallway of the board of education.
McAdory High School's principal poses for a photo in the JEFCOED board room while holding an Energy Star award.

1,000 career points for Shades Valley's Zoey Little!!🏀🎉

Zoey reached this impressive milestone during Shades Valley's win over Fairfield High School this week! We're so excited for Zoey and congratulate her on this major accomplishment!👏

about 1 month ago, JEFCOED
Image is a graphic with text and a photo of Shades Valley High School basketball player, Zoey Little wearing her basketball uniform. The text announces her reaching 1,000 career points during Shades Valley's game against Fairfield on January 12, 2026.
Shades Valley High School girls basketball players stand together in uniform on the basketball court for a photo with three adults. Player Zoey Little stands in the middle and holds up a framed graphic announcing her reaching 1,000 career basketball points.
Shades Valley sophomore Heather Butler is making big moves on the mat!💯🎉
She’s reached a remarkable 100 varsity wins!👏 We’re so proud of Heather’s hard work and can’t wait to see what the rest of this wrestling season holds for her!
about 1 month ago, JEFCOED
A woman, a high school student, a man, and a boy stand together for a photo in a gymnasium. The high school student and boy hold up a poster with images of the high school student and text that says "Congratulations 100 wins Heather Butler 2026."
It's School Board Recognition Month! 🍎 Please join us in honoring our board members for their commitment to students, service to our community, and championship-level leadership. We simply could not achieve what we do without your support!
about 2 months ago, JEFCOED
Graphic thanking the Jefferson County Schools' School Board. Pictured are Ronnie Dixion, Board President, Stephanie Floyd, Board Vice President, Carita Venable, Board Member, Walter Curry, Board Member, and Glenn Durough, Board Member. The text in the middle says, "Thank You JEFCOED School Board"
From beautiful music to creative dance routines, our students have brought so much joy to the board through their Holiday Cheer performances!❄️👏 We sincerely thank each group that has performed so far, and we applaud them for sharing their talents!

Please join us in celebrating our first round of holiday cheer performers!🎉
-Concord Singers led by Ms. Georgecia Cowan
-Minor High School Concert Choir led by Ms. Ingrid Brown
-Pinson Valley High School Advanced Mariachi Band led by Mr. Keith Brandenburg
-Gardendale High School Concert and Chamber Choirs led by Ms. Melissa Talley
-McAdory Elementary School Interpretive Dance Team led by Ms. Monica Finley
-Lipscomb Singers led by Ms. Georgecia Cowan
-Shades Valley High School Valley Singers led by Dr. Jillian Johnson
-Center Point High School Chorale led by Mr. Vedric Shelby

We have more performances on Tuesday! Head to this link to see which groups are performing and how to watch live: https://www.jefcoed.com/article/2587424
2 months ago, JEFCOED
Concord Singers perform inside JEFCOED board room.
Minor High School concert choir performs inside JEFCOED board room.
Pinson Valley High School Advanced Mariachi Band performs inside JEFCOED board room.
Gardendale High School choir performs inside JEFCOED board room.
McAdory Elementary School Interpretive Dance Team performs inside JEFCOED board room.
Lipscomb singers perform inside JEFCOED board room.
Shades Valley High School Valley Singers perform inside JEFCOED board room.
Center Point High School Chorale performs inside JEFCOED board room.
🗓️🏀TONIGHT: Join JEFCOED TV as we bring you live coverage of this evening's matchups between McAdory and Shades Valley! The girls teams hit the court at 6 p.m. and the boys game will follow. Our live coverage begins at 5:50 p.m. See you then!

How to watch⬇️
📲Download the JEFCOED TV app on Roku, Amazon Fire, or Apple TV.
💻 Watch on our Facebook page, YouTube channel, or website, jefcoed.com/tv
2 months ago, JEFCOED
Image is a graphic with text and an image of a basketball and basketball hoop. The text says "Live Stream McAdory VS Shades Valley Dec 8th Girls: 6:00 PM Boys: 7:30 PM" Below the text are images of the AppleTV, firetv and Roku logos followed by the website, jefcoed.com/tv. On the bottom right side of the graphic is the JEFCOED TV Basketball logo.
History made at Shades Valley!🤼‍♀️🎉 Let’s hear it for Heather Butler, the first student in school history to place in a girls wrestling event! During Battle in the Burg, Heather had a stellar performance and, with three 1st period pins, went on to win 1st place! We congratulate Heather on this major achievement and can’t wait to see what she continues to accomplish this season!
3 months ago, JEFCOED
Heather Butler smiles while holding a bracket and wearing a 1st place medal inside a gym with wrestling mats.
A wrestling official holds up Heather Butler's arm after she won a wrestling event against another wrestler. They stand in a crowded gym on top of wrestling mats.
We have an exciting weekend ahead!🎶👏 You’re invited to our All County Band Festival this Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, at Gardendale High School!

This free performance begins at 11 a.m. and will feature the talents of middle and high school band members from throughout our district. They’ve been hard at work rehearsing for the big show and are ready to put on an outstanding performance! We hope to see you there!
4 months ago, JEFCOED
Image is a graphic with text over a cream colored background. The text says "Jefferson County School District Presents All County Band Festival Celebrating Our County's Finest Young Musicians! Saturday Nov. 8, 2025"
JEFCOED All County Band members rehearse on a stage.
JEFCOED All County Band members rehearse in a band room.
JEFCOED All County Band members rehearse in a band room.
There was no short supply of stellar dance moves and cool costumes at this year’s Monster Mash!👻🎃 The annual event brings together middle and high school Exceptional Education students for a day filled with Halloween fun! We appreciate all of our student volunteers and educators who make this awesome event possible year after year!
4 months ago, JEFCOED
Two women in bumble bee costumes pose with a child in a Super Grover costume in a school gym.
A man in a fencing costume poses with a boy in a Spider-Man costume
A group of students stand together and pose for a photo in a school gym.
Two students dressed in costumes stand for a photo in a school gym. One student is wearing a football jersey and the other student is wearing a police officer costume
Two students dance together in a school gym. One is wearing a pumpkin costume
Students dance together in a school gym
Two students pose together for a photo in a school gym
Two students stand together for a photo in a school gym. One student is wearing a scary Halloween mask. The other student is dressed like a can of Coca-Cola
A student dances in a school gym
An adult wearing a referee costume poses for a photo with students wearing sports uniforms. One student is dressed like a basketball player, one is dressed like a baseball player and another student is dressed as a football player.
We appreciate each student who attended our first Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council meeting of the year! During these meetings, student representatives from throughout our district participate in thought-provoking conversations with Dr. Gonsoulin. These discussions are invaluable and allow us to continue growing as a district. Thank you again to everyone who participated!
5 months ago, JEFCOED
JEFCOED Superintendent Dr. Gonsoulin stands in a library and talks to children. The students sit at tables in the library. Some have their hands raised.
JEFCOED Superintendent Dr. Gonsoulin stands in a library and talks to students. The students are sitting at tables.
JEFCOED Superintendent Dr. Gonsoulin stands in a room and talks to students who are sitting at tables.
JEFCOED Superintendent Dr. Gonsoulin stands next to a student. Both are smiling at the camera.
Today is School Custodian Appreciation Day, and we hope you'll join us in celebrating our outstanding custodians here at JEFCOED!🎉
These heroes not only ensure students and teachers spend their days in clean, safe environments, but also spread positivity throughout their schools. We appreciate all they do to help our district thrive! When you see your school custodian today, be sure to tell them thank you!
5 months ago, JEFCOED
The image is a graphic with text that reads "JEFCOED Honoring the Unsung Heroes of Cleanliness and Order thank you for all you do! Happy Custodian Appreciation Day" The background of the graphic has bubbles, a mop and cleaning supplies on it.
We are SO excited to share that the Jefferson County School District has been awarded the Blue Cross Blue Shield Be Healthy Grant for the VERY first time!🎉👏 Mr. Christopher Reeves, Physical Education Supervisor for Jefferson County Schools, says, “This is a meaningful moment for our district, as it reflects the dedication of so many who believe in the power of physical education to shape healthier lives for our students.” Mr. Reeves adds that this grant will provide everything from exercise bikes to agility ladders, benefiting and inspiring students and educators. Thank you to everyone who made this possible!
6 months ago, JEFCOED
Children play with yoga balls inside a gym.
Children hit pool noodles on yoga balls inside a gym.
The image is a graphic with text on it that reads "We Won Be Healthy School Grant Program"
How cool is this?!🎭
We're so proud of JEFCOED theatre directors, Ms. Taylor Chatman (Pleasant Grove High School) and Mr. Carl Dean (Shades Valley High School), for starring in local musicals!👏
Ms. Chatman played the role of Alice in "Big River," and Mr. Dean is playing Earl in "Waitress". It's wonderful to see our talented educators shine on stage!
7 months ago, JEFCOED
Three people stand on a stage and sing
A man and a woman stand on a stage and talk to each other. Two people sit at a table in the background behind the man and woman. The set is designed to look like a diner.
Our Back to School Conference is in the books!📚 We want to give a huge thank you to our educators and administrators for making today such a success! You are laying the foundation for a wonderful school year, and it’s clear that “Alabama has something to say!” We can’t wait to see our classrooms filled up again in just a few short days!
7 months ago, JEFCOED
A group of people stand in a room and talk to each other.
A man and a woman stand together and smile
A large group of people sit in an auditorium
A man stands on a stage and talks
New Teacher Orientation ✏️📘👏 We're so excited to greet our new educators and officially bring them into the JEFCOED family! You're joining a district committed to Inspiring Change and Creating Impact, one student at a time. We're so glad you're here!

Special thanks to Leslie Chatta and Shernell Lewis, our 2025-2026 Teachers of the Year, for sharing powerful words of encouragement and inspiration. We're also grateful to Gardendale High School, along with our many staff and volunteers who helped make the day such a success!
7 months ago, JEFCOED
School employees greeting educators at a registration desk.
Jefferson County School District drawstring bag on a registration table
Teachers signing in at a registration table for New Teacher Orientation.
Two school leaders smiling for the camera.
Two educators giving each other a hug across the shoulders.
Superintendent Dr. Walter Gonsoulin speaking on stage during New Teacher Orientation.
Teachers walking and visiting in a hallway.
Shernell Lewis holding a microphone and presenting onstage.
Leslie Chatta holding a microphone and presenting on stage.
Leslie Chatta and Shernell Lewis posing for a picture with greenery behind them.
Behind the scenes of Birmingham High School Football Media Days!📸🎥
As the season quickly approaches, our teams are speaking with news outlets about what we can expect once they hit the field!
In total, there are more than 40 schools from the Birmingham metro area participating in Media Days!
We’re getting fired up for football season and can't wait to see our talented teams in action!🏈🎉
7 months ago, JEFCOED
Two men sit, facing toward each other. One man holds two microphones in the direction of the other man.
Four students wearing matching polo shirts and khaki pants walk onto a stage.
Two men sit in a room, facing each other. A camera on a tripod sits next to the two men.

🎉JEFCOED was well-represented during AHSAA’s North-South All-Star week!🎉

Congratulations to our talented athletes and coach for being selected for this elite group!

🥎Softball - Anna Kate Smith, Corner High School
⚽Boys Soccer - Wyatt Chandler, Gardendale High School
🏀Boys Basketball - Jeremy Chatman, Shades Valley High School
🏀Girls Basketball - Zoey Little, Shades Valley High School
⚾Baseball Coach - Ryan Keedy, Gardendale High School

📷Photos courtesy of AHSAA, Shades Valley High School, Gardendale High School Athletics, and Gardendale High School Soccer 📷

7 months ago, JEFCOED
Photo of girl wearing a softball glove, holding a softball. Text around the photo reads "North-South All-Star Game Anna Kate Smith Corner High School"
Photo of a boy wearing a soccer jersey, standing on a soccer field.
Graphic has photos of two basketball players. Text around players reads "2025 AHSAA North-South All-Star Game AHSAA 2025 North All Stars SVLM Alabama All-Star Sports Week AHSAA SV"
Two men wearing athletic clothes stand in a dugout, smiling at camera.