CommunityLink

Eastern Shore, AL

Health Care

Here in Baldwin County, we take pride in our quality of life and the quality of our public and private schools. There are first-class educational opportunities for students of all ages, thanks to the vision and planning of past and present community leaders and educators. Our educational climate fosters success. All schools on the Eastern Shore provide a wealth of opportunity for individual students to learn the skills needed for the challenges of the future.


K–12 Education

Public Schools
The Baldwin County Board of Education (BCBE), the county’s school system, faces the challenges of rapid growth. At the same time, BCBE must keep an eye toward the future. BCBE has as its mission to prepare life-long learners who are responsible and caring citizens. The first public school in Alabama, built in 1799, was in the Baldwin County community of Tensaw. Today’s schools remain community centers.

Over the past decade, student enrollment has increased rapidly, to 25,700 students, and the BCBE is pursuing the largest sustained building program in Alabama. Presently maintaining 47 campuses with more than 4,000 employees, BCBE has completed 20 new schools for Baldwin County feeder school communities since 1985, and new wings have been added to six elementary schools. There is still more building planned in almost every community in the county to keep up with Baldwin County’s rapid growth — six new schools are being built, and eight schools will undergo significant renovation and additions. A new high school in Spanish Fort was recently completed. Middle schools for Fairhope and Spanish Fort are in the future growth plan also.

The BCBE building initiative proposes a new Technology Magnet High School for Baldwin County. The Fairhope Center for the Arts is an outstanding project that will bring advanced-level arts education and a performing arts center to Baldwin County.

We are also very proud of our students’ achievements. Since 1991, the average ACT score for Eastern Shore students has been equal to or better than the average for all students taking the college admission test throughout the United States. Almost 60 percent of the high school students on the Eastern Shore are enrolled in college-preparatory classes, and several hundred students take advanced-placement course work. Stanford Achievement Test scores (measure of academic performance) have been above the national average for the past eight years, and ACT scores have exceeded state and national averages for more than 10 years.

Private Schools
Bayside Academy in Daphne, founded in 1967, is located in the historic Howard Hotel overlooking Mobile Bay. It is the only private college-preparatory school on the Eastern Shore and is an independent, co-educational day school for students from pre-K through 12th grade.

For an atmosphere that blends academic and spiritual enrichment, there are several private Christian schools on the Eastern Shore. Christ the King Catholic School in Daphne has served students in grades kindergarten through eight since 1949 and places a strong emphasis on the arts and humanities in its curriculum. The school offers personalized instruction to meet each student’s needs and is dedicated to the individual student’s spiritual, cognitive, social, emotional and physical growth. Other Christian schools in the area include Bayshore Christian School in Fairhope and Old Spanish Fort Christian School.

The Marietta Johnson School of Organic Education in Fairhope serves students from kindergarten through the eighth grade and was founded in 1907 by the freethinking educator for whom the school is named. The School of Organic Education adheres to the belief that every child is exceptional and endeavors to meet not only the academic needs of its students, but also their “entire mental, physical and spiritual needs.”

Weinacker’s Montessori School and Eastern Shore Montessori in Daphne provide early childhood school and preschool, based on the Montessori philosophy of education.

Eastern Shore Chamber Youth Leadership Program
Area students participate in a unique educational project — the Eastern Shore Chamber Youth Leadership program. Students participate in seminars to develop community awareness and leadership skills. They also become involved in volunteer activities and small group community projects in this seven-month program. The program selects 40 young people from a group of highly qualified applicants.

The Chamber recognizes how important it is for young people to learn to work together to address problems in the community. The program encourages shared learning and teamwork. After the students learn about their communities and develop leadership skills, they are able to take action through community-service projects that impact larger groups of people and develop a better workforce.


Higher Education

The University of South Alabama Baldwin County (USABC)
Located in downtown Fairhope, the University of South Alabama Baldwin County is accredited as a branch campus by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. For students who have completed the university’s general education requirements, USABC offers upper-level undergraduate courses in business administration, communications (public relations track), criminal justice, elementary education and liberal arts. A minor in psychology is also offered.

Students with a bachelor’s degree can complete master’s degrees in the following areas: elementary education, educational administration, counseling and special education. Since 1984, the Fairhope campus has welcomed full-time, part-time and non-traditional students to its course offerings in business, education and the liberal arts.

Many of the programs are designed to help working adults complete their degrees, offering courses during evening hours. In 2003, a nursing program was added, and it continues to grow. Students with two years of nursing coursework are able to complete the bachelor’s degree in nursing at the Fairhope location and train in Baldwin County’s health care facilities. Nursing classes meet daily in the mornings and afternoons.

USABC also offers the Adult Degree Program, providing adults with flexibility to build a degree around personal and professional goals. Students in the Adult Degree Program study course offerings from three academic disciplines and work closely with an adviser to complete the bachelor’s degree. All courses at USABC are taught by faculty members from the university’s academic departments; most of the faculty members hold terminal degrees. The Fairhope campus has a computer lab for students’ use, and a faculty member from the university’s library is also a member of the Baldwin County staff.

USABC offers non-credit courses for adults in the community during the fall and spring semesters. The USABC Performance Center features a film series twice a year and is open to the public. The Fairhope campus of the University of South Alabama supports the university’s public service mission through its cooperative work with community organizations and by providing Baldwin County residents access to higher education.

For more information, call 251-928-8133 or e-mail usabc@usouthal.edu.

Faulkner State Community College
Faulkner State Community College, with its beautiful branch campus in the center of downtown Fairhope, has a flexible schedule allowing students the opportunity to combine work and academics. Its main campus is in Bay Minette, and its branch campuses include Fairhope and Gulf Shores.

The Fairhope campus courses have a liberal arts focus. Some of the courses include art, biology, history, English, mathematics, computer science, speech, office administration, psychology and physical education. Students can earn the following degrees: Associate of Arts, Associate of Science and Associate of Applied Science, and certificate.

Upon completion of degree requirements, students transfer to senior universities to complete baccalaureate degree requirements or move directly into the job market in the career of their choice. Stop by the Fairhope location and take a tour of the campus to see what they have to offer. Call 251-990-0420 or visit www.faulknerstate.edu for more information.

Huntingdon College
Huntingdon College offers a bachelor’s degree in business at the local Faulkner State Community College campuses. The accelerated course format within Huntingdon College’s School of Business and Professional Studies (SBPS) is designed for working adult students with past college experience who are interested in enhancing their marketability or re-entering the workplace. Through this program, a college degree in business can be completed by going to class one night a week. Students are choosing the Huntingdon program as an “online alternative.” Also, since it can be challenging for an adult to commit to a traditional 16-week semester, Huntingdon designed a program that only requires a commitment of five weeks at a time. Students can accelerate their program even further by choosing to attend classes two nights a week. This “adult-friendly” program has been successful in other parts of Alabama and is now finding similar success here in Baldwin County.

The program is unique in that it is designed for busy adults. By attending class one night a week for five weeks, students are able to take traditional semester classes in an accelerated format. Students can be accepted and can register for classes at any time. Classes are currently offered at the Bay Minette campus and will be offered at the Fairhope and Gulf Shores campuses in the near future. Students with three years of work experience, 45 transferable hours from an accredited institution, and a 2.0 GPA are accepted.

For more information, call 580-4908 or visit www.huntingdon.edu/sbps.

The University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a private Christian university of liberal arts and sciences affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention. Over 1,800 students are enrolled in more than 44 undergraduate and graduate programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Christian Studies, School of Education, School of Nursing, Center for Performing Arts, and Center for Adult Programs.

Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is located on a beautiful 800-acre campus in northern Mobile County. The university is committed to providing a quality academic program with a Christian worldview. Students in all majors may participate in programs of the Center for Performing Arts, which offers extensive opportunities to perform locally and abroad as well as to learn from Christian recording artists such as Mark Harris of 4Him, worship leader Don Moen, and award-winning composer and alumnus Steven V. Taylor. The Center for Adult Programs has expanded degree programs and offers a variety of bachelor’s degrees during nights and weekends at times convenient for working adults. The university strives for its graduates to be known as persons of character who know how to think, who know what is right, and who have the courage and willingness to make a difference through their career, community, church and family.

The University of Mobile is located at 5735 College Parkway, Mobile, Alabama, 36613-2842. For more information, call the Admissions Office at 251-442-2273 or toll-free at 800-946-7267, or visit www.umobile.edu.

United States Sports Academy (USSA)
Known as “America’s Graduate School of Sport,” the United States Sports Academy in Daphne is an independent, nonprofit, special-mission school of sport offering sport-specific residential and online distance-learning programs to students, teachers and administrators around the world. USSA awards a baccalaureate degree, a Master of Sport Science degree, and a Doctor of Sports Management degree. The institution is certified by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

USSA is an outstanding resource for the sport industry in instruction, research and service. Today, professionals in the business of sports — a multibillion-dollar industry — will, in all likelihood, need an advanced degree from an institute of higher education to prepare for a successful career. For more information, call 251-626-3303 or go to www.ussa.edu.

Public Libraries
The new Fairhope Public Library (located across from the Fairhope campus of Faulkner State on Fairhope Avenue) opened in January 2007. It is a learning center for residents with an expanding collection of books and materials, Internet access, and basic computer classes. The Friends of the Fairhope Library present The Written Word, a quarterly book review. The library also hosts a lecture series for adults and activities for children, including summer reading programs and story times.

Daphne Public Library, like Fairhope, is part of the Baldwin County Library Cooperative and provides access to the Internet and to the Alabama Virtual Library. Children enjoy the library’s weekly story hours, craft time and drama classes. The Daphne library is also home to the Small Business Resource Center and the Earth Matters Environmental Resource Center. It provides specialized research materials for adults. In addition, visitors come to the Daphne facility for its monthly lectures by local authors, an annual poetry contest and special exhibits. Plans for expansion of the Daphne Public Library are currently underway.

Other Learning Opportunities

• Eastern Shore Art Center in Fairhope has five teaching studios and offers classes for children and adults in general media.

• Eastern Shore Institute of Lifelong Learning, started in 1997, offers short-term studies for entertainment and enrichment and features classes in arts, crafts, nature and life skills.

• Bay Rivers Art Guild in Daphne provides continuing arts education through a variety of classes.

• The City of Daphne Recreation Department has classes in arts and crafts, fitness, martial arts, performing arts, drama, sports, and personal development for all ages.

• Fairhope Recreation Department’s Summer of Fun includes classes in arts and crafts for children.