Two of Metro’s finest are taking their lessons learned on the road! Frankie Harris, 6th grade literacy and social studies teacher at Rose Park Middle Magnet, and Kathleen Turnmire, English teacher at Martin Luther King, Jr. Magnet High School, are two of Tennessee’s newly named Reward School Ambassadors. They will spend the next year traveling the midstate region, sharing best practices with neighboring schools and working to boost student achievement across the board.

Harris and Turnmire both earned top scores on Tennessee’s new evaluation system and were subsequently nominated by their schools -- both Reward Schools which means they are among the top 10 percent of Tennessee schools in terms of student performance. They are two of just 15 teachers across the state selected for this prestigious post.   

In addition to the year-long paid position as Reward School Ambassadors, Harris and Turnmire will also receive a $20,000 grant to further their educational programming.

When asked about her new role, Turnmire commented, "As an ambassador, I will be able to combine the teaching skills I have honed at MLK with the leadership skills I developed through Metro's TLI. I am thankful to have the opportunity to collaborate with educators across the state who are passionate about helping students meet their academic potential. Metro has given me a rich set of educational tools, and I am proud to share these skills with my fellow teachers in Middle Tennessee. Additionally, I am thankful for the support and guidance of my colleagues and administrators at MLK over the past five years; I would not be in this position without them!

Five MNPS students have been named semifinalists in the National Achievement Scholarship Program! Congratulations to MLK student Mustapha W., and Hume-Fogg students Rukayat A., Jeremy C., Dayja T., and Teaira W. These students are among roughly 1,600 seniors across the country who scored in the highest percentile for the region. They will now compete for more than 800 Achievement Scholarship Awards worth more than $2.5 million. Good luck!

Bryson A., a student at Rose Park Math and Science Magnet, is one of five semifinalists in the SCORE Students Rise to the Challenge competition. Bryson wrote an essay on innovation in the classroom (view it here). Find SCORE on Facebook and vote for Bryson before Tuesday, Oct. 2, and he could be the one of three finalists. If selected, Bryson will go into the final interview round. The three finalists will attend the SCORE Prize event Monday, Oct. 8, at the Ryman Auditorium. Let's make sure Bryson gets a front row seat .... go vote! 

Nashville has new reason to celebrate! The Tennessee Department of Education released its inaugural list of Reward Schools and 14 of the state’s top performing schools are right here in Davidson County:  

• Bellshire Elementary


• Hattie Cotton Elementary


• Dupont Elementary


• Glendale Spanish Immersion


• Head Middle


• Hume-Fogg Magnet High


• Lockeland Elementary


• Martin Luther King Jr Magnet


• McGavockElementary


• Meigs Middle Magnet


• Nashville School of the Arts


• New Vision Academy


• Percy Priest Elementary


• Rose Park Math & Science Middle Magnet

 

“This is a great accomplishment for our schools,” said Director of Schools Dr. Jesse Register, “and we are so proud of them. The innovative teaching, the dedication, and the true sense of community that we are seeing throughout Metro Schools is exciting. We still have work to do, but we are on the right path.”

 

This first announcement of Reward Schools includes 166 schools across the state. Five percent of schools on the list were recognized for success rate in 3-8 math, 3-8 reading/language arts, 3-8 science, Algebra I, English I, English II, Biology I, and graduation rate. The other five percent of schools made the list based on high TVAAS scores (value-added).

 

Governor Bill Haslam and Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman celebrated the Reward Schools with a live-streamed announcement earlier today. Schools across thestate were invited to join the stream and hear words of congratulations from the Governor, First Lady Crissy Haslam and Commissioner Huffman.

 

Tennessee unveiled its new accountability system in early 2012 under a U. S. Department of Education waiver from the No Child Left Behind guidelines.  The new system emphasizes increases in student achievement among all student groups as well as closing any achievement gaps in student groups. Metro Schools earned intermediate status for the district as a whole, meeting seven of nine benchmarks and showing increases in student achievement. 

Brad Brown, theatre teacher and head of the fine arts department at Hillsboro High School, is headed to the West Coast to hang out with none other than Alex Trebek.  After an eight-month long testing and audition process, he was selected as one of 15 teachers from across the nation to compete in the 2nd Annual Teachers' Tournament on Jeopardy! The tournament will be filmed January 23-24, 2012. The winner will take home $100,000. Air dates have yet to be announced, so stay tuned and help us wish Mr. Brown good luck!

Katerine Hernandez, a rising senior at Glencliff High School, won a Gold Medal at the Family, Career, & Community Leaders of America National Conference in Anaheim, California!  Katerine competed with students from across the nation in the Nutrition and Wellness event and earned the top score in the Southern Region.