In Fall 2023, Blackburn students visited St. Clair and Shelby counties on a 3-day Burt Jones Rural Communities Experience. Next year, the experience will return to its typical 4-day format. Please use the itinerary below as an example of the range of activities that students engage in during this trip.
Itinerary
Thursday, October 26
9:45am Session I – PK-12 Education at The Center for Education and Performing Arts with Dr. James Martin (Superintendent, Pell City Schools)
11:15pm Session II – Industry Tours with Don Smith (Executive Director, St. Clair County Economic Development Council)
- Eissmann Automotive
- Ford Meter Box Company
2:00pm Session III – Council-Manager Local Governance at the Pell City Municipal Complex Building with Councilor Ivi McDaniel (District 2, City Council) and Brian Muenger (City Manager)
3:30pm Session IV – Veterans Programs and Services
- Alabama State Veterans Home Program at the Colonel Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home with Commissioner Kent Davis (Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs and Rear Admiral [Retired], United States Navy) and Hilary Hardwick (Director)
- Veterans Treatment Court at the St. Clair County Courthouse with Judge Philip Seay (Presiding Circuit Judge)
5:00pm Session V – Environmental Panel at Jefferson State Community College with Sen. Lance Bell (District 11, Alabama State Senate) and Commissioner Stan Batemon (Chairman, St. Clair County Commission)
Friday, October 27
8:30am Session VI – Alabama Power Oxygen Tanks with Dr. Kenneth Odum (Principal Engineer) and Wyatt Williams (Operations and Maintenance Hydro Manager) at Logan Martin Lake Dam
10:30am Session VII – Family Genealogy and Row Crop Agriculture with Peter Datcher at Datcher Farms
2:00pm Session VIII – Juvenile Justice at the Shelby County Courthouse with Judge Erin Welborn (Juvenile Court Judge)
3:30pm Session IX – Shelby County Reporter with Alex Etheredge (General Manager) at the Shelby County Arts Center
5:00pm Session X – Shelby County Arts Council with Bruce Anderson (Executive Director) and Leslie Belk (Community Education Coordinator) at the Shelby County Arts Center
Saturday, October 28
8:45am Session XI – Industrial Tour at Vulcan Materials Quarry with Joel Barber (Manager Human Resources, Southern Gulf Coast Division), Joe Dykes (District Operations Manager), and Austin Graham (Plant Manager)
10:30am Session XII – Montevallo Development Cooperative District at Montevallo City Hall with Steve Gilbert (City Clerk and Treasurer)
1:15pm Session XIII – Montevallo Legacy Project at David Mathews Center for Civic Life with Joyce Jones (Director of Engaged Education and Public Service, University of Montevallo), Dr. Kathy King (Director and Co-Editor, Untold Stories of Black Montevallo), and Dr. Paul Mahaffey (Associate Professor and Chair, Department of English and World Languages, University of Montevallo)
2:45pm Choose your own Adventure Activity
- Aldrich Coal Mine Museum
- Art Stalk on Main Street
- Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum
- Orr Park