Sittin' with the Supe

In this special episode, Dr. Nichols sits down with a few of the talented Madison City Schools students recognized by the State Superintendent’s Art Exhibition. These young artists share their inspiration, creative process, and what it means to be honored for their work. Featured students include: Immanuel Cruz (2nd Grade, Heritage Elementary) Mason McClelland (3rd Grade, Mill Creek Elementary) Le...

In this episode, Dr. Nichols is joined by Col. (Ret) David Mulack and current Liberty Middle School 8th grader & military child, Kate Martin. David is a recent Army retiree and father of one graduate of Madison City Schools and one son currently at JCHS. Kate is the daughter of two recently retired Army Colonels, Aaron Martin and Liz Martin, and her sibling is a 10th grader at JCHS. During the...

In this episode, Dr. Nichols is joined by Head Cross Country Coaches, Bill McIllwain (Bob Jones High School) and Drew Bell (James Clemens High School) along with Head Swim Coaches, Ryan Rhoades (BJHS) and Kelly Davis (JCHS) as they talk about their successful programs. The coaches share their experiences, insights, and how their sports make a big difference for their students - teaching resilience...

For the first episode of Sittin' with the Supe Season 3, join Dr, Nichols as he discusses one of the most important aspects of our school system, school safety and mental health. Safety Coordinator, Jamie Golliver, gives a behind the scenes look at the efforts made by Madison City Schools to ensure our students and staff have a safe, comfortable, and productive environment to learn in daily. Menta...

We have the best students here in Madison City. This episode of Sittin' With Supe supports that claim, as Dr. Nichols sits down with Bob Jones students, Drew Crocker, Simon Adkins, and Sophia Johnson , to discuss an exciting community event they have organized for May 4th, MadFest. Listen to find out more about the exciting opportunities you can participate in from hot air balloon rides, to food t...

In this episode of Sittin' with the Supe, Dr. Nichols discusses the opportunities that our outdoor classroom programs in Madison City Schools provide, not only by engaging our students in real life science learning, but also by building community that extends outside the school walls. Beth Woodard, Gifted Specialist and Outdoor Classroom Manager for Madison Elementary, as well as community partner...

Join Dr. Nichols for a look into the newly expanded K-5 STEM program in Madison City Schools. Guests Julie Vandiver (Columbia), Kawanna Gardner (West Madison PreK), Megan Gowan (Horizon), and Crissy Stegherr (Madison) explain the ins and outs of STEM education in our elementary schools, including what it means to be STEM literate, the importance of exploring STEM careers in elementary school, and...

Bob Jones engineering students, Justin Nguyen and Gresham Baker, Bob Jones engineering teacher, Jessye Gaines, and KTECH employees, Robin Dauma and Karl Liggin, join Dr. Nichols in this episode of Sittin' with the Supe. KTECH is a great community partner with Madison City Schools and a licensed private school through the Alabama Community College system where students can learn and gain industry c...

It's International Computer Science Education Week, and our Madison City teachers and students are engaging in all types of fun and meaningful computer science learning, from coding partnerships to guest speakers from the community. To highlight this week, Dr. Nichols sits down with Ms. Kim Straub of James Clemens High School and Mr. Bill McIlwain of Bob Jones High School, to get the scoop on topi...

Join Dr. Nichols to celebrate National Principal Appreciation Month! In October we celebrate all of the amazing principals who play such an important role in making Madison City Schools the great school district that it is. Dr. Georgina Nelson from Heritage Elementary, Mr. Jamie Hill from Discovery Middle, and Dr. Kerry Donaldson from James Clemens High School share insight into the demanding job...

Join Dr. Nichols as he sits down with Coach Jenny Jarrett and three members of the nationally ranked volleyball team at Bob Jones High School. Seniors Meg Jarrett, Eliza Tyrrell, and Rachel Mecklenburg share insights about the program and their gained experiences with the team.

In this episode of Sittin' with the Supe Dr. Nichols is joined by Audra Loftin, music teacher at Columbia Elementary and Noel Newquist, art teacher at Midtown Elementary. They discuss the recent expansion of the art and music program which has opened up all sorts of new opportunities for teachers and students in Madison City.

Join Dr. Nichols as he chats with Dr. Treva Stewart, Mrs. Tabitha Odom, and Mr. Gerald Franks to get the scoop on overseeing the grand opening of Journey Middle School, our newest addition to the district.

Join Dr. Nichols as he talks to three women from Bob Jones High School who are all attending Military Service Academies next year! Madeline Edwards (Army), Leah Lessmann (Air Force), and Kathryn LaFerrera (Navy) share about their future plans and what preparing for each academy looks like. Congratulations, ladies!

In this episode of our podcast, Dr. Nichols sits down with three members of our Horizon Elementary Archery Team: Paul Allison, Emma Streling, and Audrey Walker. Joining them as well are team sponsor Tesa Hernandez and coach Shawn Streling. The team members, coach, and sponsor share insights into the archery program, the benefits students glean from participating, and how the program impacts studen...

Join Dr. Nichols during this special episode of Sittin' with the Supe, which is very appropriately airing during the Month of the Military Child, to offer insight into our Elementary and Secondary Student to Student (S2S) programs. Rainbow Elementary S2S. officers, Kayleigh Smith and Eisley Yaw, join Discovery Middle S2S member. Micah Sigler, to discuss what they love about the S2S program which s...

Kaetlyn Hermann, Federal Programs Specialist, Micah York, Liberty Middle School, and Jessie Mayes, Heritage Elementary School, join Dr. Nichols to discuss the support the district and schools provide for our English Language Learners. From classroom support to the upcoming summer camp, Madison City Schools offers a variety of services for our 670 EL students!

Join Dr. Nichols as he chats with Mrs. Nichole Phillips, principal of our Madison City First Class PreK, Lisa Koerlin, lead PreK teacher, and Melissa Mims, Coordinator of Elementary Instruction. Topics discussed include the PreK registration process, what curriculum in a PreK classroom consists of, and how parents can ensure their students are prepared for Kindergarten.

Olyvia English and Parx White from Bob Jones' Engineering Academy and Tara Flynn and Akshat "AK" Dubey from James Clemens' Health Science Academy joined Dr. Nichols to speak about their internship experiences this past semester. They also talked about the different CTE courses available in those academies and how opportunities in elementary and middle school set them up for success in high school.

One of the elements that sets Madison City Schools apart from others is the vast number of opportunities our students are offered as they move through their academic journey. From numerous elective courses, to career tech studies, and educational pathways, each individual student is supported in finding the experiences that are the perfect fit for him or her. While choice is a fantastic thing, the...

Did you know we employee dogs here in Madison City Schools? In this episode of Sittin' with the Supe Dr. Nichols welcomes one of our cutest and friendliest members of staff to the podcast table. Barnie, the school service dog for Madison Elementary, is joined by his primary handler and MES counselor Stefanie Cook, secondary counselor and gifted specialist Beth Woodard, and our MCS mental health se...

Sally Warden, Marc Jacobson, and Greg Curtis sit down with Dr. Ed Nichols to talk about their role in the formation of the the Madison City School District as we celebrate our 25th anniversary. These podcast guests, along with many others, were crucial in our transition from the county to what we now know as Madison City Schools, one of the state’s most successful districts.

Join Dr. Nichols as he catches up with our Bob Jones and James Clemens esports coaches, Ms. Pam Paquette and Ms. Aubree White. Learn a little more about the inner workings of this modern sport, the opportunities it offers our students, and what our current teams are up to.

Madison City has multiple fantastic theatre groups in our elementary, middle, and high schools. In this episode, Dr. Nichols sits down with two of our theatre directors, Amy Patel from James Clemens and Dana Herwig from Columbia Elementary. Follow the conversation from center stage to behind the curtains as we discuss the hard work and success of our students and get the scoop on all the MCS drama...

In this episode, Dr. Nichols chats with Kaleb Owens, Lana Meskunas, and Stephanie Bostick, our college and career readiness coach and counselors. Listen and learn about all the services and opportunities our district offers students as they determine their pathway after graduation. The team also shares some helpful tips for families.