Chamber’s Leadership Programs Focus on Education During Fall-Winter Sessions

The Chamber’s three leadership development programs – Excellence, Edge and Equip – continued to meet throughout the fall and into the winter.

Excellence in Leadership, the Chamber’s flagship leader development program for professionals, visited GoFAR USA Park in October for some fun team building exercises. Later in the day, the group heard from Doug Bachuss on leadership goals and their class community project, Katie Lee on the Singing River Trail and three classmates discussed the work of the nonprofits they represent.

The class met in November to learn about the impact of education in our community. They began the day at the Chamber’s State of Education Forum where they heard from local educators. After breakfast, they traveled to Athens State University for a tour of the new Cybersecurity Lab. After lunch, the group visited the Career Academies of Decatur where they toured several programs at Decatur's third high school. They ended the day at the Alabama Center for the Arts in downtown Decatur for a guided tour led by Director Jennifer Bunnell and they also heard from United Way of Morgan County CEO Kimberly Ray. The ACA offers classes in painting, pottery, theater and music.

In December, the class met for Law & Order Day. The class began the day at the Morgan County Courthouse where they heard brief presentations from our area judges and officials. The group then traveled to the City of Decatur Fire and Police Training Center to hear about their work and training to serve the community. The attendees also practiced their CPR technique led by Chief Tracy Thornton and Lt. Brandon Sivley. After lunch, the group participated in a mock trial exercise where class members played roles including judges, witnesses, attorneys, jury members and the accused under the supervision of Morgan County District Judge Shelly Waters. The Chamber is thankful to Tina Gibson for coordinating Law and Order Day and to all the participants that made it a success. Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor Nucor Steel Decatur, gold sponsors the City of Decatur, Durbin Leadership, LLC and Shawn D. Garth, Realtor.

In October, our Edge Student Leadership class, comprised of 35 sophomores and juniors from across Morgan County, had an exciting visit to Gofar USA Park last week for a team-building experience. The students were divided into groups to tackle various challenges that required clear communication, strategic thinking and teamwork. After lunch, Taylor Simmons of Horizon Point Consulting, Inc. discussed the results of the students’ Strong Interest Inventory assessments to help them identify their interests when choosing a career path. Brandi Breeden with Clothe Our Kids of North Alabama came to help sort clothes the students donated..

In November, the class focused on the role our judicial and criminal justice systems play in our community. Starting the day at the Morgan County Courthouse, the class heard brief presentations from our area judges and justice officials, where they shared the type of work they do and the cases they cover They included Morgan County Circuit Judges Stephen Brown, Charles Elliott, Jennifer Howell; Morgan County District Judges Brent Craig, Keven Kusta and Shelly Waters; and Morgan County Circuit Court Clerk Chris Priest Morgan County each answered questions from the students. A tour of the Morgan County Jail is always in order to make the students aware of “where they don’t want to be.” It was then time for the mock trial exercise. Students played the roles of judges, jury, prosecution and defense teams, witnesses and the accused under the supervision of Morgan County District Judge Shelly Waters. The Chamber is thankful to Tina Gibson for coordinating Law and Order Day and to all the participants that made it a success.

In December, our Edge Student Leadership class met for Health and Education Day, starting with a tour of Calhoun Community College. They visited the Health Sciences building, Advanced Technology Center and ended the tour at CE-TV (Calhoun Education Television & Digital Media). Decatur Morgan Hospital provided lunch where the class heard from employees about their job responsibilities and took a quick tour. The day wrapped up with Judy Smith, Area Administrator of the Public Health Department, explaining the wide scope of public health issues in our county. Thank you to our presenting sponsor Nucor Steel Decatur and gold sponsors Hubbard & Drake General-Mechanical Contractors, Joe Wheeler EMC and the Morgan County Commission.

Our Equip Student Leadership program, consisting of 26 eighth graders from Decatur City, Morgan County and Hartselle City Schools, toured the Decatur Utilities Water Treatment Plant in October. They learned all about the process that turns water from the Tennessee River into clean drinking water for our community. The plant can treat 68 million gallons of water a day! The students witnessed the various stages, including screening, anaerobic digestion, clarification and chemical disinfection.

In November, the group explored the Calhoun Community College Decatur campus. They toured several departments including the Health Science building where they learned about the dental, nursing, surgical tech and EMT programs. Students also visited CNC Machining, Additive Manufacturing, Welding, Aerospace and heard from Instructor Lewis Nall about the Automotive Technology program. This opportunity helps our 8th graders make informed choices as they prepare for high school and plan their future careers.

The class met in December for a tour of Valley Rubber (GRT Rubber) in Falkville, where they gained valuable insights into key manufacturing processes including blasting, painting, welding and mold maintenance. Valley Rubber produces molded rubber products for industries like mining, oil and road/bridge construction. They met again later in the month for their last session that included a tour of United Launch Alliance in Decatur. The students learned about rockets ULA has built and launched which include the Atlas V, Delta II, Delta IV and the Vulcan. The students got an up-close look at the processes each rocket undergoes before being shipped out of the facility and eventually launched into space. After lunch, the students received a certificate of completion. The goal of the five-month program is to help 8th graders with leadership training, career development and to show them in-demand job opportunities. Thank you to our presenting sponsor Nucor Steel Decatur and gold sponsor 3M.