The School Superintendents Association (AASA) announced today Dr. Bryan Johnson, superintendent of Hamilton County Schools, is a finalist for 2021 National Superintendent of the Year. Dr. Johnson is one of only four superintendents across the United States to be named a finalist.

The HCS Hero video today features Lynn Swingle, an exceptional education teacher at Hamilton County Virtual School. Mrs. Swingle has taught for 30 years and 28 of those years have been in Hamilton County Schools. Heroes are not always people who do spectacular deeds but are often merely everyday individuals who determine to take an opportunity to act and make a difference. Swingle is a special person choosing to make a difference. Hamilton County Schools honored her with an I Am Hamilton shirt and recognized Swingle as an HCS Hero.

When planning a family trip, you don't think it may turn into a journey of a lifetime, but that is what happened to Kobe Rivers, a senior at Brainerd High School. For Kobe, a family trip that included a plane flight sparked an interest in aviation that set him on a quest to become a pilot, and a Future Ready Institute program at Brainerd High is preparing him to succeed. On his family flight, Kobe was intrigued by the friendly skies, and he began considering a future with his head in the clouds. After returning home, he checked into the Future Ready Institute of Aviation at Brainerd High School and began to work to make his dream come true.

Hamilton County Schools is one of only seven school districts in Tennessee selected to pilot a rapid COVID-19 testing program through the Tennessee Department of Health and the Department of Education. The new test (BinaxNOW) will help school districts implement COVID-19 testing in their facilities that will provide results on-site within approximately 20 minutes. Scheduled to begin Friday, December 4, Hamilton County Schools will be the first pilot school district to start the program.

High school seniors are contemplating college plans and taking college entrance exams to solidify their chance of getting into their choice school. Four seniors in Hamilton County Schools moved much closer to getting a plum acceptance to the college of their dreams by earning a perfect score on the ACT. Collin Matthews, at Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences, Seo Yoon Yang, "Yoonie," Signal Mountain High, Chase Post, also at Signal Mountain High, and Saim Bhimji, at East Hamilton High Schools are on their way to locking up a spot at choice universities as the four posted the highest possible ACT composite score of 36. According to the ACT, only one-tenth of one percent of all test takers earn the top score on the national standardized test used for college admissions in the United States. It is impressive for Hamilton County Schools to now have four of those top students and for Signal Mountain High to have two in the class of 2021.

The East Ridge High School Pioneer family invites you join them at the school in a Celebration of Life Ceremony for the late Coach Catherine Neely, Saturday December 5. There will be two activities for the public to participate in during the day. There will be a Walk Down Memory Lane in the school gym and a celebration of life ceremony in the stadium.

Clifton Hills Elementary and The Howard School are 2020-2021 Silver-level RTI2-B (Response to Instruction and Intervention for Behavior) Model of Demonstration Schools selected by the Tennessee Behavior Supports Project (TBSP) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The Tennessee Department of Education funds the TBSP program. There are over 1,800 schools across the state, and each year a small percentage of schools meet the criteria to be selected an RTI2-B Model of Demonstration School.

High school seniors are contemplating college plans and taking college entrance exams to solidify their chance of getting into their choice school. Three seniors in Hamilton County Schools moved much closer to getting a plum acceptance to the college of their dreams by earning a perfect score on the ACT. Collin Matthews, a senior at Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences, Seo Yoon Yang, "Yoonie," a senior at Signal Mountain High, and Chase Post, also a senior at Signal Mountain High, are on their way to locking up a spot at choice universities as the three posted the highest possible ACT composite score of 36. According to the ACT, only one-tenth of one percent of all test takers earn the top score on the national standardized test used for college admissions in the United States. It is impressive for Hamilton County Schools to have three of those top students and for Signal Mountain High to have two in the class of 2021.

Cody Patterson was today named the new Communications Officer of Hamilton County Schools. Patterson will begin working with the district on Friday, December 4.

Hamilton County Schools is excited to introduce its newly established nonprofit partner organization, the Hamilton County Schools Foundation, that will harness additional resources for public schools in Hamilton County. The added resources will bring exciting new learning opportunities for students and help propel Hamilton County Schools to the top as a leader in education in Tennessee.

While some students were relaxing over Fall Break, a group of seniors from STEM School Chattanooga prepared to take on college teams in the Gig City Innovation Challenge. The STEM School team was the only high school group in the competition. The teams in the event were seeking to find a way to make our Gig City the EV City in the near future. The STEM Chattanooga team finished second in the competition, with a team from Northwestern University coming in first place.

Heroes are not always people who do spectacular deeds but are often everyday individuals who determine to take an opportunity to act and make a difference. Today, we celebrate Mary Ricketts, the custodian at Brainerd High School, for her 32 years of service to the school and 42 years of service to the Brainerd community. She started the first ten years of her career at Brainerd Junior High. Miss Mary, as she is known to most of the faculty and students at Brainerd High, is a special person choosing to make a difference. Hamilton County Schools honored her with an I Am Hamilton shirt and recognized Ricketts as an HCS Hero.