DAPHNE, Ala. — Bayside Academy students are continuing to experience the school’s legacy of cultural enhancement, fun, artistic achievement and athletic achievement, as well as starting their own traditions of excellence!

The second-graders have been busily observing the life cycle of Painted Lady butterflies, marveling at the metamorphic processes that the small caterpillars complete before going into the pupal, and finally the adult stages. It’s amazing to watch the once homely caterpillars become the sylphs of the skies.

After studying biology, the second-graders recently practiced their geography skills by searching for pirate gold while dressed as marauding sea dogs using a treasure map. The second graders-also enjoyed wrapping their teachers up for a mummy race and building a skeleton for Halloween.

The fourth-graders, as an extension of the Alabama history class, met with Butch Fuller to learn about Creek Indian traditions. He is a published author, lecturer and re-enactor, who lives near the University of Montevallo, though he spends most of his time traveling the United States and Canada in order to educate people about the ways of the Creek Indians of the 19 century.

Bayside students have done well in artistic competitions recently. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Marine Resources Division held a competition for their 2008 calendar, to which fourth-graders in Mobile and Baldwin counties could submit entries. From a pool of about 1,500 entries, they chose about 70 winners.

The Bayside winners are: Sarah Nobles, whose entry will be featured for the month of March; and Andy Citrin, Amanda Peterson, Jack Heebe, William Buhl and Carina Cox, who won honorary mention and will have their works included in the back of the calendar.

The Daphne Public Library sponsored a bookmark competition open to all schools in the Daphne area. The Bayside winners are as follows.

•Overall first place: David Williams

•Overall second place: Emma Nelson

•First grade, first place: Erica Kercher

•Second grade, first place: David Williams

•Second grade, third place: Andie Gorowsky

•Third grade, first place: Virginia Green

•Fourth grade, first place: Morgan Miller, and

•Fifth grade, first place: Emma Nelson

The Thomas Hospital Foundation is also holding a competition, its “Grand Holiday Symphony Art Auction.”

Twenty-five works of art have been selected from Baldwin County schools. One of the 25 will be chosen to be the cover art for the 2008 Thomas Hospital Foundation Christmas card. The event will take place on Dec. 1 at the Grand Hotel.

The following Bayside students were juried into the show: Fern Graves, Brooke Hohman, Hannah Ng, Anja Sanchez-Navarro and Anna Yearwood.

The Bayside Art Department would like to wish everyone the best of luck.

Courtney Parker, a member of the Bayside Anchorettes, was crowned Miss Alabama Teen USA for 2008 by Canden Jackson, Miss Alabama Teen USA 2007 and fellow Bayside senior.

Courtney and Canden say that another member of the Bayside Anchorettes is waiting in the wings for next year’s pageant; perhaps a new Bayside tradition has already been founded.

The most prominent Bayside Dynasty has performed well yet again. The Bayside Lady Admirals won the state championships in volleyball, in a come-from-behind victory, taking the full five sets that had everyone on the edge of their seats as they watched the Admirals, about to lose the third set and the game, come back and take the next three sets consecutively for the state title.

The year-end record for the Lady Admirals is 41–15.

Bayside congratulates everyone for their outstanding performances, and hopes to see more good things come about in the future.