Hamilton County Schools

Hamilton County Schools has developed a new way for community leaders to experience the school district and the rewards and challenges of preparing the community’s children for future success. Leadership Hamilton County Schools is coming this fall to foster informed citizen leaders and transform communities. The series of sessions will begin in September and run through April of next year.

Chattanooga Gas donated $35,000 in January for the training of teachers and equipment for ten schools. The company donated an additional $136,500 to purchase equipment to expand the program to the additional 29 schools.

Students new to Hamilton County Schools for the 2018-2019 school year will be able to register online beginning Monday, July 16 on the district website at hcde.org. Online registration for new students will continue until Tuesday, September 7, 2018.

Hamilton County Schools has taken the registration process digital. Registration is online this year to streamline providing student and parent information. Parents can access online registration on the district’s new website. Registration is necessary for all students from first-grade to seniors in high school during the online registration.

There will be a public meeting to view plans for the new East Hamilton Middle School on Tuesday, July 10 at 6:30 at East Hamilton School. TWH Architects representatives will be at the meeting to provide an overview of the project and plans for the new middle school for the Missionary Ridge Learning Community of Hamilton County Schools. The meeting will be in the theater at East Hamilton School.

Hixson High Health Occupations students continued the school’s legacy of success at the Future Healthcare Professionals International Leadership Conference with two students placing in the Top 10 in their respective competitions. Recent Hixson graduate Ciera Smidt won a silver medal placing second in Nursing Assisting. Hixson High has placed in the top two in the event for the fourth consecutive year! Nathan Schofield also placed in the top 10 taking eighth in Physical Therapy; another competition in which Hixson has a top 10 legacy. The conference was in Dallas, Texas.

Dr. Le Andrea Ware returned to her alma mater Howard High earlier this year to close out the school year, and her love for the school and community has led her to make the Howard move permanent. Ware will remove the interim tag and become the executive principal of Howard High. Ware showed her love and dedication to Howard students earlier today at the school’s summer graduation as she led parents and others in attendance in cheering on the 18 Howard High 2018 summer graduates. Ware commended the summer graduates for their perseverance and grit for returning to summer school to complete their graduation requirements. “These young people did not listen when some may have said you can't finish, and today they are boldly saying yes we can,” Ware said to the crowd gathered for the graduation ceremony. “We salute these young people, and this is a day of celebration.”

Howard High School will hold the summer graduation celebration called Power of Hope Thursday, June 28 at 10:30 a.m. at Howard High School. Summer graduates exuding the power of hope will include 18 graduates of Howard.

Hamilton County Schools today announced the principal selections for Nolan Elementary and Alpine Crest Elementary for next school year. The talent team for the school district searched across the country to attract the best school leaders as part of their mission to attract great teachers and leaders to Hamilton County Schools. One search landed in Maine and the other in Nashville to secure the top principal talent for the children of the Tennessee Valley. Dr. Kelley Weiss will be the new principal at Alpine Crest Elementary while Dr. Ashley Aldridge Wilson will be the new principal at Nolan Elementary.

Kristen Nauss, a resident of Hamilton County and Soddy-Daisy, is returning to Hamilton County Schools to lead the School Nutrition Department as the new director. Nauss will take over for Carolyn Childs who retired after 11 years with the district. Nauss was the supervisor of nutritional services in Hamilton County Schools from 2011 to 2014.

Reaching graduation day is an important milestone for high school teens, but it is also a starting point for the rest of their lives. A larger number of 2018 graduates of Hamilton County Schools will have a head start on their next step as the class received $10 million more in scholarship offers than the previous class. The Class of 2018 had over $31 million in scholarship offers to colleges and universities.

Hamilton County Schools has added $75,000 in funding from the Perkins Reserve Consolidated Grant to start Future Ready Institutes in schools this fall. The grant will provide opportunities for teachers to attend conferences and training sessions focused on Career Academy best practices, national standards, project-based learning, design thinking instruction and early post-secondary learning programs.