Spratling awarded Civil Rights and Liberties Excellence Teaching Award. Oak Ridge, TN – John Spratling’s dedication to his students at Robertsville Middle School in Oak Ridge, TN has brought much attention to his work. The most recent is the Civil Rights and Liberties Excellence Teaching Award that included $250. This year Spratling has also been…
The Alfred Street Baptist Church Foundation and Google Cloud have partnered to present the largest free virtual HBCU College Fair in the nation. This is the 19th Annual HBCU college fair, presented by ASBC but this year it will be virtual and available to more participants. Alexandria, VA (BPRW) February 4, 2021 — The Alfred…
KNOXVILLE, TN (February 1, 2021) – The new Freedom Pass allows unlimited rides on KAT’s fixed-route bus service through Dec. 31, 2021. “The City’s Freedom Pass program will increase access to after-school activities, jobs, parks, libraries and so much more at no cost to families,” Mayor Kincannon said. “This was a promise I made to…
Transfer Window Open Until February 16 Is your student considering a school outside of your family’s attendance zone? Families seeking a transfer can submit an application until 4 p.m. on Feb. 16, 2021. Many students are assigned and bused to attendance zones outside of their neighborhoods. This may be an opportunity for your student to…
KNOXVILLE, TN (February 3, 2021) – As schools across Knox County celebrate Black History Month, students will learn about pioneering African-American scientists, civil rights leaders and artists. Educators are also working to ensure that Black history and achievements are woven into the district’s curriculum throughout the year. Shannon Jackson, the district’s executive director of teaching…
John Spratling, a history teacher, and coach at Robertsville Middle School in Oak Ridge is the WBIR-TV Educator of the Week in January 2021. Spratling has been instrumental in the works of the Scarboro Oak Ridge 85 and the Oak Ridge Preschool renaming. He has also developed coursework on the history of the Oak Ridge…
KNOXVILLE, TN (Jan. 7, 2021) – In a Knoxville College Board of Trustees meeting on January 4, 2021, Leonard L. Adams, Jr. was elected to serve as interim president effective immediately. Former interim president Dr. Keith Lindsey ended his term on December 31, 2020, after serving for…
Knox County Schools Superintendent Bob Thomas to host a virtual meeting to solicit community input on the impact of the pandemic and the district’s new virtual learning program has affected academic achievement, discipline, and disparities among student groups. KNOXVILLE, TN, (December 2020) – “Dear KCS Community, I wanted to take a moment and let you…
Over 30 Districts Received Grant Funding for Middle School STEM and CTE Education Nashville, TN—Today, the Tennessee Department of Education announced over $700,000 in additional grants will be awarded to districts to fund science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and middle school career and technical education (CTE). Four Knox County middle schools earned grants from the Tennessee Department of Education last…
Knoxville, Tenn. (December 2020)- Artwork created by students at Beaumont Magnet Academy is being highlighted in the nation’s capital this month. Beaumont was one of 56 schools chosen by the National Park Service to create ornaments for the 2020 National Christmas Tree display, on the Ellipse in President’s Park. The ornaments decorate 56 smaller trees that…
UScellular’s Community Connections program provides a virtual way for K-12 groups to raise up to $1,000 to spend as needed. Organizations can still sign up for assistance through Dec. 31. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Dec. 4, 2020) – UScellular Community Connections program has provided more than $2,500 to youth organizations in East Tennessee in 2020 to help…
A heads-up to future engineers, mathematics majors, scientific thinkers, intellectual problem-solvers, and students of imagination and innovation. NASA invites you to share your genius. (Editor’s note: We decided to share this information that was sent to us on November 20th.) The competition started on September 15, 2020. The East Tennessee Enlightener online site is relatively…
By Brian Canever KNOXVILLE, TN (Nov. 18, 2020) – Five years ago, KoJak Wells was in the stockroom of a Dollar General Store pushing aside storage containers to make room for a small picnic table and two plastic crates where he and his fiancée would sit to eat the double-decker fast-food tacos she’d bring for…
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed challenges for schools across the country, but at Carter High School it gave a pair of student leaders the opportunity to step up. By Josh Flory KNOXVILLE, TN (October 2020) – Seniors Jadejsha Arnold and Ploomie Messer are the drum majors for the CHS marching band. That role always involves…
The new school will serve students from Sam E. Hill Primary as well as Lonsdale Elementary schools. (UPDATED from Oct. 23) KNOXVILLE, TN (Oct. 23, 2020) – The plan for a new Lonsdale Elementary School will be shared at a meeting today, at 5:30 pm, (Thursday, Oct. 29) at Lonsdale Elementary School, 1317 Louisiana Avenue. …
Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Academy transitions from a media communications theme to a focus on global cultures and languages. By Josh Flory A Knox County elementary school is embracing a new mission aimed at preparing students for success on the global stage. Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Academy this week is celebrating its new magnet theme…
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 15, 2020) – A donation from UScellular has made a “maker space” at the Walter P. Taylor Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley located in East Knoxville. The new maker space is equipped with tools to advance STEM learning for elementary and middle school-aged children who attend the club. The…
NATIONWIDE (October 12, 2020) – The vision for HBCU Knoxville College’s 145th year and beyond is on re-accreditation, renovation, and rebuilding. Help protect our house. We are not simply trying to survive, it is our goal to thrive. Our goal is to raise $750,000 during this Homecoming Campaign. There will not be any events…
Tennessee school honored for early success with NIET initiatives that focus on high-quality instruction KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Sept. 11, 2020) – Dr. Candice McQueen, CEO of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET), surprised leaders at Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Academy in Knox County Schools with a $5,000 NIET School of Promise Award. The…
KNOXVILLE, TN (Sept. 7, 2020) – Cedar Bluff Middle School will move to online learning beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 8. This is expected to last for a total of five school days, and students will return to school for in-person instruction on Tuesday, Sept. 15, unless otherwise notified. According to the school system, this decision is…
Knoxville, TN (Sept. 5, 2020) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently provided districts with an optional, new flexibility that will allow KCS to temporarily provide free breakfast and lunch to all students, regardless of income status or school attended. Our district has opted to take advantage of this flexibility, and it will begin on…
By Josh Flory Knoxville, TN (August 2020) – The recent death of John Lewis, a longtime Georgia U.S. Representative and an icon of the Civil Rights Movement, brought back a special memory for one member of the Austin-East High School community. Jesse Jones is a Project Grad Student and Family Support Coach at Austin-East, and…
Knox County Schools will start on Monday, August 24, with a half-day for students from 8:30 am to 12 noon. L&N and CMA students is from 9:30am to 12:30 pm. If your student will be attending in-person instruction they will need to wear a mask. Transportation will be provided. WEAR MASKS PROPERLY: There are plenty…
Nationwide BlackNews (Aug. 3, 2020) — Experiencing a pandemic may be new to some of us, but it is not a new experience for many other countries in the world. In fact, North Carolina-native, Gahmya Drummond-Bey taught through two pandemics while teaching in South Korea. The first was in 2009 during the H1N1 pandemic in…
KNOXVILLE, TN (July 28, 2020) – Project GRAD supporters stepped up in a big way this month for the 3rd annual WATE Project GRAD Laptop Telethon, topping all previous totals and surpassing the telethon’s original goal. Last year the WATE Project GRAD Laptop Telethon brought in more than $43,000 to purchase laptops for 126 Project…