Home to three Medal of Honor winners, numerous sports championships, Miss Alabamas and Elvis sightings, Leeds excels in continuing its status as, “The City of Valor.”  

Leeds City Schools is at the forefront of technology as they have boldly gone where no other school district in the state of Alabama has gone—launching their own App.

Teaming up with School Connect, a company based in Norman, Oklahoma, parents, students, teachers, coaches and community members can instantly know what’s going on at Leeds Elementary, Middle and High school through the help of their smart phone.

School Connect creator (and former educator) Dr. Nick Migliorino developed an App, also known as an application, for Norman Public Schools on his own time.

“In July 2007 I was talking to a friend at a little league game and I told him I have this whole thing drawn out and ready to go. He said, ‘let’s get it done,” Migliorino said.

In October 2011 Norman Public Schools launched as an experimental phase and by January 2012 the kinks were worked out.

Through word of mouth and local media in Norman, School Connect grew.

“It was truly organic,” said Migliorino. “We had no marketing campaign from our side.”

Migliorino has a Ph.D. in educational technologies.

Not only has he turned his love for teaching and technology into a career he enjoys, he’s developed a cost effect way for schools to attain the App—for free!

As the former Norman Public Schools Director of Secondary Education, Migliorino developed a working relationship with their local Josten’s representative.

Jostens, “the” company for school year books and class rings (to name a few) decided to partner with School Connect to provide this free service.

“What was supposed to be a 15 minute meeting with the CEO of Jostens turned into two-and-a-half hours,” said Migliorino. “They completely flipped the table on me and said we believe in your vision, passion, commitment to graduate and feel this is the next piece in helping schools communicate. If you’ll run it, we’ll completely support you in that.”

Ironically, Migliorino says the hardest thing about the App is telling people it’s free.

Excited to have the first school district from Alabama to join School Connect, Migliorino says he looks forward to helping change the vernacular of Leeds City Schools.

Leeds City Schools Superintendent John Moore agrees.

“We are so excited to be able to deliver announcements and successes to our community in real time,” Moore said.

Available through the Apple Store for iPhone users or through Play Store for Droids, with the push of a few buttons on your phone, parents are able to receive what, in School Connect terms, is called a push message.

For example if school is delayed, instead of reading the ticker at the bottom of your TV screen or waiting to hear it on the radio you’d instantly receive this message once the Leeds App is downloaded on your smart phone.

Leeds Elementary School (LES) App administrator and second grade teacher Christi Trucks said this will do wonders for the parents without personal computers at home.

“Communication is integral to successful schools and the Leeds App is a wonderful way to ensure that parents are kept up to date on school events and information,” said Trucks. “It is a great tool for our teachers, PTO and administration to share school happenings. I think the parents will find it very easy to use and hope that they come to rely on it for their school news, events and calendar.”

Angela Walker with the Leeds High School Career Technical Education Department says it’s an honor to be the first in the state.

“The Leeds App is very user friendly and a great asset for communication between the schools and the community,” said Walker.

As Leeds City Schools continues its mission of “promoting achievement, respect and success,” School Connect strengthens that by allowing the Leeds community to “get connected and stay connected.”

For more information of the Leeds App visit www.leedsk12.org, click News then School News.