Fultondale High School exceptional education teacher Denise Harris tutors a student recently during the school’s Wildcat Fever exercise.

By Melanie Patterson

The North Jefferson News



There were doctors swarming Fultondale High School recently, but it was no medical emergency.

In an exercise called Catch the Wildcat Fever, staff and faculty were scrubbed in and treating a serious condition — failed graduation exams.

For the second year in a row, Fultondale High School has set aside time for several weeks in order to remediate students who have failed all or part of the graduation exam.

Last year there was a football theme. This year’s medical theme consists of physicians (teachers) doling out prescriptions of math, reading, language, science and social studies.

Catch the Wildcat Fever takes place a half hour every Tuesday and Thursday until students re-take the graduation exam on March 9.

The whole school gets involved.

Students in grades 9-10, and in 11-12 who have passed the grad exam do not remediate. They work on their studies as “researchers.” Their portion of the program is called DEAR (Drop Everything and Research).

Seventh- and eighth-graders get in on the act too.

During the exercise, they gather in the lunchroom or a classroom and receive tutoring in the Alabama Reading and Mathematics Test from seniors who are taking advanced placement courses and who have passed the graduation exam.

Just like last year’s Wildcat Blitz, Catch the Wildcat Fever was a creation of counselor Sheila Scott and assistant principal Stephanie Robinson.

Senior Kevin Kidd said the exercise is benefitting him.

“With everybody helping me, I think I can pass this test,” he said.

Coach and teacher Billy Hughes agreed that Catch the Wildcat Fever will help students. In his classroom recently during the event, he was tutoring a handful of students.

“Bringing them into smaller groups gives them the confidence to ask questions they wouldn’t ask before,” Hughes said. “They really open up.”

Senior Brittany Howell was also tutoring students during the Wildcat Fever. She was surprised at how well the younger students listened to her and asked questions.

The staff chooses themes each year to make learning more fun for students.

“This gives the kids something they will remember,” said Scott.