By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Alabaster School Superintendent Dr. Wayne Vickers received the exact response he was looking for when he uttered a phrase familiar to generations of Alabaster students.

“It’s a great day to be a Warrior,” Vickers said, as the thousands gathered at Larry Simmons Stadium on Aug. 16 erupted into cheers. “That will have even greater meaning this time next year.”

Vickers, the Alabaster Board of Education and city elected officials took the field during Warrior Day at the stadium to celebrate the upstart Alabaster City School System just three days before children return to classes.

The event featured a performance by the Thompson Middle and Thompson High School choirs, scrimmages by the city’s youth league and school football teams and an invocation by Alabaster First United Methodist Pastor Brian Erickson.

Vickers shared big hopes for the city’s future.

“A lot of naysayers say it won’t be as good as Shelby County or Hoover, but just wait,” Vickers said. “If you have friends in Homewood or Hoover, tell them to sell now and move to Alabaster while they have a chance. This is going to be the best year ever for Alabaster.”

The event also served as one of the first public displays of the new Alabaster City Schools logo and tagline: “Champions of our Future.”

“If what we’ve seen so far is any indication, our future is really bright,” said Alabaster Mayor Marty Handlon.

Vickers drew applause from the crowd when he touted the more than $600,000 the district has spent on school renovation and maintenance items since the beginning of July.

“Those were things that were long overdue,” Vickers said. “This is just the tip of the iceberg. We’ve got the opportunity to do something that is better than anything in Alabama.”