By PERRY SMITH / Staff Writer

VINCENT – Thought it’s only the middle of July, students will be back in the classroom Monday at Vincent’s two schools – the only system in Shelby County that operates under a year-round schedule.

In preparing for the influx of children, Principal Beverly Miller wanted to give her teachers a chance to bond and get to know one another.

To build trust, the teachers split into teams and helped each other through the “Challenge Course” last Thursday at Family Connection in Alabaster.

The educators guided one another across the maze of nets and boards and did “trust falls,” where they caught each other falling backwards.

“I thought it would be a good experience for our new teachers and the rest of our staff,” Miller said. “We need to support each other in order to give the children the help they need.”

Miller said she went through the program as part of Leadership Shelby County, and saw its effectiveness.

She said she felt like it was especially important for new staff members to become familiar with returning teachers.

Fourth-grade teacher Jamey Benton said she just joined the school a few weeks ago and really learned from the course.

“I enjoyed the way the group came together,” she said, “I think it helped us really get to know one another.