Saint James School Alumni Association

✨Sibling Alumni Update- Dr. Sailor Miles Stickler (‘18) and Presley Miles ('21)✨

Dr. Sailor Miles Stickler ('18) graduated from the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM-Auburn). She matched into the Neurology residency program at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. Sailor is a neurologist (Auburn Summa Cum Laude graduate) and her husband, Dr. Banks McMullen Stickler is an anesthesiologist (UAB graduate). Sailor was honored as a Distinguished Scholar and inducted into Sigma Sigma Phi Honor Society for maintaining >3.8. Her husband, Banks became a doctor 15 seconds before Sailor and was allowed to stay on stage and hood his wife, Sailor!

Presley Miles (‘21) ran cross country, indoor track and outdoor track for all four years at Duke University and Auburn University and is working for Cisco Systems as a Sales Executive after a two year internship. Presley graduated Summa Cum Laude from Auburn and also maintained a 4.0 while at Duke University. Presley was also a member of Chi Omega Sorority.

Way to go Sailor and Presley!

✨Alumni Update- J. Pratt Austin-Trucks (‘87)✨
J. Pratt Austin-Trucks has practiced law in Wetumpka, AL for 24 years with the Law Offices of Jacqueline E. Austin and J. Pratt Austin-Trucks and also is now of counsel with the firm of LawyerUp, LLC in Birmingham. She is engaged to Edwin Johnston of Wetumpka.

She currently serves with the Alabama State Bar as the Bar Commissioner for the 19th Judicial Circuit and became an At-Large Bar Commissioner on July 1, 2026. She is the current president of the Elmore County Bar Association and a board member of Ivy's Closet, the Alabama State Bar Women's Section, and the Community Action Partnership of Middle Alabama.

She has two children, daughter Turner (24), who is beginning veterinary school at Auburn University in August, and son Smith (19), who is a student at Troy University.

Pictured are her fiance, Edwin Johnston, and another picture with one of her sons, Smith Cole, her mother Jacqueline Austin, and her sister Jamelyn Austin Trucks (STJ Class of 1991) who lives in New Orleans.
Congratulations J!! We love hearing about your amazing accomplishments!

✨Alumni Update- Casey Johnson Piola ('08)✨

Casey teaches AP US History at Homewood High School, just south of Birmingham, where she has been teaching for 12 years. In addition to maintaining a +95% pass rate on the APUSH Exam, she was selected as the 2025-2026 Homewood High School Teacher of the Year and then went on to be selected as the 2025-2026 Homewood City Schools Secondary Teacher of the Year.

She was also recently selected by the administrative team to represent the Social Studies Department for her school’s group of Instructional Leaders, who are guiding the faculty as they transition from traditional grading to Evidence-Based Grading. In April, she was chosen to travel to Chicago for a site visit at the leading school in the nation for EBG, and will be piloting EBG in her classroom next year. She also qualified for Maintenance of Certification for her National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBCT) certification last spring and earned an Education Specialist Degree from UAB, in addition to her Master’s of Education from the University of Alabama.

Casey has been married to her husband Alex for 10 years, and they have two boys: Jonathan (age 6) and William (age 2).

Congratulations, Casey! We are so proud of you!

Meghan Townes Behny ('03) recently graduated from Boston University with a PhD in American Studies. Last September, she defended her dissertation, “Beyond Monument Avenue: Art, Authority, and Visions of the Future in Reconstruction and New South Richmond". In October, she and her husband, Robert Behny, welcomed their daughter, Madeleine!
Congratulations, Meghan! We are so proud of you!

Mrs. Dianne Gilliland, beloved 7th grade faculty member, retired from full-time teaching at the end of the 2025-2026 school year. We are so incredibly thankful for her dedicated service to STJ since 1991. This year, she taught seven children of Saint James alumni. Making this even more special, she also taught many of their parents when they were in 7th grade as well. What a generational full-circle moment!

✨Alumni Update- Ryan Barranco ('21)✨

From serving as one of just 40 official ambassadors for the University of Alabama’s Capstone Men and Women program to now being selected as a Student Ambassador for the University of Mississippi School of Law, Ryan continues to be an amazing representative, just as he did as a student ambassador at STJ!

Ryan graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Italian in May 2025. Within Kappa Alpha Order, he served as Freshman Class President, Philanthropy Chair, and Chapter President before later being elected National Undergraduate Chairman for Kappa Alpha Order, representing thousands of undergraduate members across the country. He was also active in the University of Alabama Student Government Association, serving as Director of Athletics and working on multiple successful campus-wide election campaigns. In addition, he was selected for Jason’s Senior Men’s Honorary, recognizing the 40 most distinguished men on campus, and was involved in Capstone Men and Women.

Outside of campus leadership, he interned in Washington, D.C. for the Republican National Committee and studied abroad in Florence, Italy, where he completed multiple courses in Italian.

Out of all his involvement on campus, he feels his favorite was serving as one of the Capstone Men and Women, leading campus tours, representing the university at official events, cheering on the sidelines of games, and welcoming future students and families to campus. Ryan credits much of his success to his time at Saint James, especially the Student Ambassador program, led by Mrs. Bartlett, and his time working with admissions. He shared that the kindness, encouragement, and leadership opportunities he experienced at STJ helped shape who he is today and left a lasting impact on his life.

Now, after completing his first year at the University of Mississippi School of Law (Ole Miss), he has been chosen by faculty to help represent the law school through tours, admissions events, and orientation for incoming law students. This year, he was elected Student Bar Association Social Chair, selected as one of six Business Law Fellows, and received Top Negotiator honors in Contracts Drafting and Negotiation after earning the highest grade in his section.

This summer, he will be working as a Legal Intern for Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, one of the nation’s largest military shipbuilders and a major builder of U.S. Navy vessels, before later joining the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office in the Policy and Opinions Division. Ryan plans to pursue a career in corporate law.

Ryan, we are so proud to see you accomplishing your goals and making a difference on your campuses! Way to go!

Last call for alumni updates for the next Columns magazine! Please have these updates emailed to [email protected] this week. Feel free to include a picture for sharing purposes. Thank you and GO TRO!

Welcome new STJ Alumni! Class of 2026!

Alumni, please join us for a farewell reception honoring departing and retiring faculty and staff on Thursday, May 21. We will begin at 8:00 in the STJ Commons (located in the Leu Elementary Building). We hope to see you there!

It's a special Throwback Thursday in honor of our 2026 Alumni Day of Giving! In just 11 days, we will welcome our newest class of alumni. As you reflect back on what made your STJ experience so special, please consider making a gift to the school and the programs that prepared you for life. Give now at: https://www.givecampus.com/schools/SaintJamesSchoolAL/alumni-day-of-giving-2026?funnel_origin=BAh7BzoVZnVubmVsX29yaWdpbl9pZEkiKWYwZWY4MWQwLTY3NWUtNDAxNi1hZDNmLWNlY2M2NjI3ZWQ5NgY6BkVUOhdmdW5uZWxfb3JpZ2luX3R5cGVJIhZPdXRyZWFjaFJlY2lwaWVudAY7BkY=--5909086112962699928097e48243e046790e0325.