Hamilton County Schools

Hamilton County Board of Education members Karitsa Jones and Jenny Hill have earned Boardsmanship Awards from the Tennessee School Boards Association (TSBA). Local board members who invest their time and effort into becoming more informed and effective board members earn the award. The Boardsmanship Awards are given for participation in activities outside of local school board obligations. There are five levels of recognition by TSBA, which honors a board member’s commitment to training, willingness to participate in workshops, and a volunteer spirit.

Kristen Burrus, an educator at STEM School Chattanooga, was named winner of the First Technology Excellence Awards Unsung Tech Hero of the Year Award announced by the Chattanooga Technology Council. The inaugural TechX Awards recognized regional organizations and companies for outstanding involvement, achievement, and accomplishments in the Chattanooga technology community. Across ten categories, there were 70 nominations from 33 companies or organizations. The Chattanooga Technology Council announced the winners in a virtual awards presentation on Thursday, September 10.

Dr. Bryan Johnson, superintendent of Hamilton County Schools, is one of 24 school leaders from across the country to be named a Superintendent to Watch by NSPRA, a national organization serving school communication. NSPRA selected the superintendents for their use of communication technology in innovative and effective ways. The school leaders engage and inform their school communities with new communication technology tools combined with tried-and-true techniques. Selection criteria required those selected to have less than five years of experience as a superintendent in a school district and possess dynamic, fast-paced leadership with strong communication at its core.

Keeping schools open is vital for the growth of children and the community. Hamilton County Schools encourages families to be SAFE this Labor Day weekend as you plan activities, so there is not an increase in COVID-19 transmission over the holiday. SAFE activities will help schools stay open when children return to the classroom after the short break. SAFE is the acronym the school district has used to remind families to Stay home when you are sick, Avoid getting too close to others, Face coverings are a must, and Everyone wash your hands regularly. During the long holiday weekend, the “S” could also stand for Stay away from group gatherings that could transmit COVID-19 to more people in the community.

Learning at home using technology has been a challenge for schools and families as everyone adapts to operating in a new learning arrangement during the pandemic. At East Side Elementary School, the situation has become much more manageable thanks to a $32,500 donation to the school from the Church of the Good Shepherd to purchase needed Chromebooks. The school was able to buy an additional 147 Chromebooks to move closer to one device for every child at East Side Elementary.

Jessica Laliberte Bowman, a Chattanooga choreographer and teacher for Hamilton County Schools, is one of 21 artists selected internationally to join Curriculum in Motion® Institute, a yearlong professional development program for choreographers at Jacob's Pillow. Motivated by a desire to make new dances with young artists, Bowman co-developed the Student Choreography Project at Chattanooga Center for Creative Arts (CCA), where she is on dance faculty. Jacob's Pillow is one of the field's most prestigious professional dance training centers and has been recognized as a 'hub and mecca of dancing' in TIME Magazine and 'the dance center of the nation' in The New York Times. Jacob's Pillow is a national historic landmark, recipient of the National Medal of Arts, and home to America's longest-running international dance festival.

Buses are ready to roll for the new school year for Hamilton County Schools when the school year starts Wednesday. There are always questions about routes, bus stop locations, and times. The new year also brings new options for students who attend a Future Ready Institute in a high school out of the student’s district. New bus Hubs have been developed to get students to the Future Ready Institute that matches the student’s career goals and ambitions.

Over the course of this calendar year 2020, Hamilton County Schools has faced unprecedented times with the continuing disruption from COVID-19 and the Easter Sunday tornado that struck our community in April. Our district leadership team has risen to the moment, and now several are poised to take on new challenges.

The NAMM Foundation has honored Hamilton County Schools on its list of Best Communities for Music Education in 2019 for the districts outstanding commitment to music education. Hamilton County Schools was one of ten school districts in Tennessee and only 623 districts nationally to receive the honor.

Zenna R. Whayeb, a senior at Central High School, was selected as the Tennessee Society Sons of the American Revolution (TNSSAR) winner of the Rumbaugh Historical Oration Contest at the 129th TNSSAR Annual Conference in Murfreesboro, TN on Saturday, March 23. Whayeb represented the John Sevier Chapter in the contest and plans to attend the University of Michigan this fall.

Bill Gates’ blog called GatesNotes for November 21, 2019, posted yesterday with a story about The Howard School. The blog features the school’s turnaround to prepare teens in the community for success after graduation. The title of the blog “I love this school’s energy!” sets the tone for Gates’ impressions of The Howard School from his recent visit to see the Hustlin’ Tigers at work.