Photo courtesy of Eddie Griffith.
A kindergarten class at Hall-Kent Elementary School in West Homewood during the school’s early years.
There is something intangible about Homewood’s schools, something that lives in the halls and classrooms. Teachers feel it when they walk through the doors for the first time, and students breathe in without quite knowing it’s there. It has no name on any document. It isn’t written into any curriculum. But everyone who lives it knows it exists. It is the reason teachers stay and the reason students exceed what they thought possible. It is also the reason a century of families chose to live in Homewood for the schools.
Photo by Karim Shamsi-Basha.
Homewood High School principal Joel Henneke, right, with history teacher Frankie McKeown.
Joel Henneke, principal at Homewood High School, calls it “The Homewood Way.” He speaks of it with something like reverence, knowing how difficult it is to describe something so fundamental yet so ethereal.
“We call it The Homewood Way,” Henneke said. “When we hire teachers, they find out quickly about this Homewood Way that no one can identify. It’s what has defined us for a long time.”
The Homewood school system includes Edgewood Elementary School, Shades Cahaba Elementary, Hall-Kent Elementary, Homewood Middle School and Homewood High School. Each school carries the same DNA. Each one asks the same question of every student: What can we do to help you become who you’re meant to be?
Photo courtesy of Eddie Griffith.
Hall-Kent Elementary in West Homewood was founded in 1928. It has expanded since then.
Henneke has been principal at Homewood High School for 20 years. He speaks about his job with gratitude. “I’m thankful for what I get to do,” he said. “The community has high expectations, real community engagement and a partnership between education and the city government. And we are student-centered.”
He has watched the school system evolve, but one thing has remained constant: genuine care that shows in high graduation rates, in students who feel known, in families who stay because they trust that their children are regarded and respected.
“I see us continuing to improve,” Henneke said. “Our commitment is to prepare the students for what comes next. We don’t just have you pass a test. We help you go after your passions.”
Photo courtesy of Eddie Griffith.
The Rosedale High School band in 1947.
Those passions show up in athletics at the high school, where games are more than competition. Student athletes learn to push beyond what they thought possible, while the whole city shows up on Friday nights. Coaches demand excellence in both performance and character — a commitment that has defined Homewood.
“It goes back to leadership,” said Rick Baguley, the high school athletic director. “From superintendent to coaches, we invest in students and guide them to achieve their goals. We honor Homewood’s tradition while pushing to new heights. In my 27 years, the community support has been extraordinary. They show up. Always.”
Passions also show up in the performing arts and music.
Band Director Chris Cooper has worked with The Homewood Patriot Band for decades. “People ask me all the time about retiring. Why would I retire? This is a dream job. I have wonderful students and staff and amazing administrators.”
Under his direction, the band has traveled to extraordinary places. They performed in the Rose Parade. They performed in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Next year, they will travel to the Netherlands for the Corso Zundert flower parade.
Photo by Karim Shamsi-Basha.
Homewood schools regularly rank near the top in Alabama.
And his teaching philosophy reflects the essence of what makes Homewood’s schools some of the best in Alabama. “The students are our audience, and we always try to find out what is best for our kids and our community. There’s a difference between success and excellence. We want excellence.”
Former band director Ron Pence now works part time with the students. “Homewood is a place where if you can dream it, you can do it,” he said. “Being part of a living, breathing group, ever changing, always growing but still holding the tradition of the Homewood Patriot Band. Working here for 33 years fills my heart with joy and pride. Go Homewood Patriot Band. Live the dream!”
The band relies on students like Anna Peterson, the current drum major of the Homewood High School Patriot Band. She cried when selected. “This was a dream of mine,” she said.
The position carries weight: standing in front of 300 musicians, commanding their respect, representing the community. Peterson understood the gravity of it.
“I want to leave behind a great legacy,” Peterson said. “It’s an honor to showcase what this community does for us. And I want to carry on that legacy.”
Photo courtesy of Chris Cooper.
The Homewood High School Patriot Band.
Peterson credits the leaders who came before her. “The leaders I saw in the past inspired me,” she said. “As a freshman, I was insecure and quiet. They pushed me out of my comfort zone and gave me confidence.”
From academics to the arts to the band to athletics, the Homewood Way continues to unfold across generations. It appears in classrooms where teachers stay because they belong, in football fields where entire communities gather, in band rooms where young people discover what they are capable of becoming. It is the reason families choose to live in Homewood, the reason they stay, the reason they come back.
The Homewood Way is absolutely real. It is the reason the city built its schools, and the reason, a hundred years later, the schools continue to build the city.
