Hamilton County Schools

Today, “I am Hamilton” spotlights our first parent Tammy Baxter, an active and involved parent at Soddy Daisy High Schools in the North River Learning Community. Baxter is involved in activities involving her daughters at Soddy Daisy, active in parent volunteer groups, regularly seen at Hamilton County Board of Education meetings, and a voice for parents in parent advisory activities for her school and the district.

Jerry Webb, manufacturing, electrical and plumbing systems teacher from Central High School, has won second place in the 2018 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence. Webb’s work with his classes in the area of renewable energy earned him the second place finish in the national contest. He was surprised with the news and a check for $50,000 during the prize presentation at Central High this morning.

Aiden Thomason, a second-grader at Nolan Elementary was the winner of the Superintendent's Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge for 2018. Nolan Elementary had more students to read over 1000 minutes in the Summer Reading Challenge than any other Hamilton County School.

The Hixson High School Air Force JROTC Cadet Corps held a Veterans appreciation event on Thursday at the Morning Pointe assisted living facility in Hixson, TN. The Wildcat Cadet Corps showed up in full-force with over 90 Cadets and a Hixson High Band member participating.

Stacey Bradley, a STEAM Lab assistant at Wolftever Creek Elementary, received an “I Am Hamilton” t-shirt today for her work with children in the lab focused on science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM.) Hamilton County Schools presents the special shirts to individuals for efforts that positively impact the lives of children.

“I Am Hamilton” begins a new phase of recognition for people making a difference for children with the first presentation of an “I AM Hamilton” t-shirt to Andrea Dyer, an ESOL teacher at The Howard School. Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson presented the shirt this morning. The shirt has the new district logo on the front with I AM Hamilton in large print on the back.

Master Sergeant Doug Burhans from Hixson High School is representing Tennessee at the Veteran Golfers Association’s National Championship tournament. The tournament winds up play tomorrow at Olympic Club in San Francisco, California.

Today, “I am Hamilton” spotlights our first student Rizwaan Abdul, a junior at STEM School Chattanooga, a magnet program in the Missionary Ridge Learning Community. “The staff here at STEM School are very nice and focused on the needs of individual students,“ Abdul said.

In the first year of existence, the Future Ready Institutes in Hamilton County high schools have earned the recognition of making a significant impact on the community. The Future Ready Institutes were presented the Community Impact Award by The Urban League of Greater Chattanooga at the groups Equal Opportunity breakfast held Tuesday, October 30 at the Chattanooga Convention Center. Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson, Board Member Tiffanie Robinson, and Director of the Future Ready Institutes Blake Freeman accepted the award.

Hamilton County graduate’s ACT composite score held steady for all students, and economically disadvantaged students showed increases across the board for 2018. The scores were announced today by Education Department Commissioner Candice McQueen. The composite for Hamilton County Schools held at 19.9 with a participation rate of 97 percent. The state average score was 20.2. Scores in math, English, and science remained within 0.1 of last year’s scores while reading saw a 0.2 increase.

Hamilton County Schools kicks off the hiring season with the fall Teacher Recruitment Fair on Tuesday, November 13 at East Ridge Elementary School. Principals at the event will look for potential new teachers for their interim positions in the schools for the second half of this school year, and teaching positions to begin next school year in the fall of 2019.

The joy of 170 fifth-grade children singing and performing makes for a wonderful evening but add the excitement of an announcement that will impact the arts throughout the community and it becomes an extra special night. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced Chattanooga-Hamilton County, Tennessee, as the 26th site in the country for Ensuring the Arts for Any Given Child at the annual Hamilton Sings concert last night. Any Given Child is a catalyst program that improves the academic experience and performance of children and creates change by involving the arts community in the power of strategic, coordinated arts education.