Students at schools in Farragut call her Miss Patty, the lady who drives the big yellow school bus.
Patty Braden, a retiree who followed her daughter, son-in-law, and grandsons to Tennessee from California, decided two years ago that she wanted to return to work. Her daughter suggested becoming a school bus driver.
“I thought, ‘Could I drive a school bus?’ Well, I knew I love kids,” she said. “I interviewed, got the job, went to school, and here I am. I love it!”
She especially loves connecting with different age groups and getting to know the names of all 60+ kids each year. She tells them “Happy Birthday” and decorates the bus with holiday decorations. Students sing songs together and share stories on the PA system.
“We have a diverse group of children,” Braden said. “Last year, we learned to count to ten in Chinese, Polish, French, Russian, and Spanish. We just have fun!”
As much fun as she and her passengers have each day, she stresses safety for a tragic reason. Braden lost a young family member due to a car failing to follow school bus laws.
Morgan was crossing the street to get on a bus that was stopped with flashing lights and an extended stop sign. An oncoming car sped past the bus and struck her.
It is for this reason Braden, like so many others, emphasizes the importance of safety, especially during National School Bus Safety Week.
In her bus, she ensures cars from all directions are at a complete stop before opening the doors to let students off.
“I’m probably a little extra cautious when my kids are getting on and off the bus,” Braden said. “We all have busy lives, but people in vehicles have to stop.”
In addition to advocating for school bus safety, she also encourages more people to become bus drivers. Drivers have hours of free time between runs, days off when students are off, and work with amazing students each day.
“This is giving back to the kids of our futures. We need drivers just like the schools need aids,” Braden said. “Come do a ride-along on a bus to see if you’d like it. We’ll show you what we do. It’s not that bad; it’s actually that good!”
Learn more about how to be a safe driver around school buses here, and find more information about how to become a driver here!
Current UT System President Randy Boyd owns the Tennessee Smokies, founded tnAchieves and a number of other businesses. Most importantly to us, he’s a KCS Legacy.
Hall Pass sat down with Boyd to discuss his time in KCS schools, learn about his life since he graduated, and ask for advice he’s share with current KCS students.
Note: Responses have been lightly edited for length or clarity.
Where did you go to school?
I started off at Anderson Elementary School and stayed for first, second, and third grade. Then in fourth grade, I moved to New Hopewell Elementary and was there through seventh grade. From there, I went to Doyle Middle School. I was in the first graduating class from Doyle Middle School, this new open classroom environment. From there, I went to Doyle High School, now South-Doyle, and graduated in 1976.
Did you ever have a teacher who made an impact on your life?
I had so many teachers, and I feel like it is my obligation to give back to Knox County Schools because of how much it gave to me. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for the teachers that I had.
I’ll say Mrs. Bragg in third grade loved me, took very good care of me, and paid a lot of attention to me. Mrs. Brabson in sixth grade believed in me a lot and gave me a lot of support and encouragement. I had a great experience with her. In high school, Mrs. Jones, my algebra teacher, was always somebody who would go the extra mile for me and make sure that I got the extra tutoring support that I needed. I would have a fit if I made a B, and she would console me and make sure that I understood that it wasn’t the end of the world. I set high expectations for myself, but she always helped moderate those a little bit. Mr. Rector, my English teacher in high school, helped me in so many ways. At one time, I thought I was going to be a writer. He helped me with my composition and gave me redos on occasion when he knew I didn’t do my best work. In that process, I also discovered that my writing skills weren’t good enough to be a really successful writer, so I decided to pursue something else. Then maybe I’ll finish with Mr. Kennedy, who was my political science and geography teacher in high school. He helped sponsor us when we decided to create something called the Political Involvement Group, or PIG. We were an active little group trying to do research on how to make education better, and we sometimes broke a few rules, and he was always there to defend and support us.
That’s just a few that come to the top of my mind. I could think about so many others, but I had so many great teachers who made such a positive difference in my life.
So, working to improve education isn’t really a new venture for you. You’ve been doing it since high school.
I was a Boy Scout, and in Boy Scouts, we always were taught to leave the world a better place than we found it. That’s been kind of embedded in me for a long time, and I’ve tried to teach that to other Scouts that I was the Scout Master for later. But as I’ve thought about it, trying to leave the world a better place, I feel like education is the inflection point of everything. If you really want to make a difference, make a difference in education. That’s where you can have the most profound impact.
Do you have a favorite memory from your time in school?
It would have been my last year of high school. I graduated high school in three years, so my last year of high school was my junior year. We didn’t have a great football team, but we did play Oak Ridge, who was at the time number one in the state. We played them at Oak Ridge, an away game, and beat them in a last-second field goal. Our field goal kicker, I think it was the only field goal he ever completed, kicked the winning field goal, and that was a pretty exciting time. I think we finished 3-7 that year, so we weren’t that great, but to beat the number one team in the last second was pretty thrilling.
Did you play any other sports in high school?
I actually lettered in five sports. I used to say that I was mediocre at more sports than most people knew how to play. I wasn’t great at anything. In football, I was a defensive back. When the coach would give me a chance, I wanted to play split end. I also returned kickoffs and punts. I enjoyed it. I wish I had listened to the coach and run up the field rather than trying to dodge and get a touchdown on every touch.
What is the greatest obstacle you’ve overcome?
The first five years of starting my third company, which was Radio Systems. Just getting that off the ground. I was probably sleeping three hours a night trying to manage cash flow and all the challenges that come with the startup. It was a five-year marathon. It was a struggle, but we were able to overcome the challenges and be successful.
What advice would you give to the students at your alma mater?
First and foremost, go to college. You absolutely need to get something beyond a high school diploma if you’re going to be successful. Now, that could be a technical college like TCAT or a community college, which are both free of tuition and fees for all Tennesseans; and, if your household income is less than $75,000, which is true for two-thirds of the state, you can go to any UT campus free of tuition and fees. You will not graduate with a lot of debt. That’s a myth. 50% of the students that go to UT will graduate with zero debt, so it’s affordable. With the new UT Promise and the Tennessee Promise, it’s even more affordable. If you get a four-year college degree, you’re going to make $1.5 million more in your lifetime. If you go to a community college and get an associate’s degree, you’ll make $400,000 more in your lifetime. That’s why going to college would be the first thing.Then outside of school, I would just say persist. Everybody’s going to have a struggle. I’ve never met anybody that was successful and didn’t have some obstacles. The difference between the people who are successful and the people who aren’t is that people who are successful overcame those obstacles and persisted. When I think about the keys to success, there are so many different attributes one could have, but the most important thing—and I think the most essential thing—is persistence. You’re going to have obstacles. Just persist.
A famous KCS grad made a significant impact at a local school on Friday by presenting music teacher Tom Walsh with the first Music Teacher of Note award and donating $20,000 to the school’s music program to buy new instruments!
The Morgan Wallen Foundation’s Program Director, Lesli Wallen, taught at Adrian-Burnett Elementary for most of her career, where she met and worked with Walsh.
He is a longtime music teacher, and he is known to rummage around yard sales on weekends to find inexpensive musical instruments for his classroom.
“In all my years of teaching, I have never come in contact with a music teacher like he is,” Wallen said. “I have been so impacted by his love of teaching and his love for the kids.”
She waited weeks to tell her former coworker he’s “not going to have to go to any more yard sales.”
The award and donation were kept under wraps until Friday, when Morgan Wallen spoke to the group in a video congratulating Walsh and thanking him for his years of service to his students.
“I know he gives 100%, is always getting there early in the morning to make sure y’all are getting to practice, and does anything he can to make y’all better,” said Wallen.
Walsh was short in his speech, taking in the sounds of the excited students and his moment on stage: “Honestly, I had no idea about this, and I’m already thinking about what I’m doing to do with this,” he said.
Before the morning bell on Wednesday, a group of Green Magnet students gathered in the library to see what a new group was about.
A towering man introduced himself as Mr. C and welcomed everyone to the first meeting of Real Talk the school had held in years.
Real Talk, a mentoring program for elementary and middle school students, started over a dozen years ago at Vine Middle with only four students. The group now serves over 375 students weekly in eight schools across the district, and they hope to add five more before the end of the year.
“I started the program because I didn’t want kids to go through some of the things that I was going through at that time in life,” said Real Talk Founder and KCS Talent Acquisition Specialist Clarence Swearengen.
Years ago, he walked a path full of “dark days,” and one day almost lost his life. He then vowed to make a change – not only for him, but also for the young people in his community.
Steering students away from a criminal lifestyle, Real Talk focuses on positive role models and eye-opening experiences.
“Some speakers are pastors that were once gang members who have transformed their lives into productive citizens doing really, really good stuff for our community,” he said. “They decide to pour into our youth.”
The program curriculum aligns with the district’s Four Priorities, especially in career empowerment and preparation. Real Talk hits the road to go on college tours, explore military bases, and visit job sites to expose the group to as many positive opportunities as possible.
Swearengen said he witnesses the power of the program when former students return to Real Talk as guest speakers.
“When you see that transformation, you know your program is successful,” he said.
United Way sponsors the program, but groups interested in providing additional support can visit realtalkmp.org.
College Application Month is a great time to build excitement and educating students of all ages about life after high school.
tnAchieves is jumping in to do just that for seniors at Fulton High School by connecting students with representatives from local community colleges, four-year universities, and trade schools who can help them complete applications while also answering any of their questions – big or small.
“It’s about bringing the community inside Fulton to encourage the students and help normalize college. It really eases a lot of the intimidation that often lies within the students about going to college,” said tnAchieves President and CEO Krissy DeAlejandro. “Fulton is so excited. The leadership team and counselors there have been so amazing.”
Last year, every Fulton senior completed a college application, DeAlejandro said, which likely played a role in the school’s increased college-going rate.
In it’s second year, the College Application Blitz has grown from 45 volunteers from schools and organizations to more than 80 this year.
“When I put the call-to-action out, everybody raised their hands and wanted to be there,” DeAlejandro said. “I think there’s a lot of momentum around the 70% by 2024 effort, and people are eager to know what they can do to be helpful.”
Students can apply here for the TN Promise scholarship – which helps them attend any community or technical college in Tennessee, tuition free for two years. The deadline to apply is November 1.
During the pandemic, Green Magnet Academy Principal Jessica Holman expressed a need she saw for her school: a revitalized outdoor space that would match and support the high-quality STEAM education happening inside the classroom.
South-Doyle High graduate and The Boyd Foundation co-founder Randy Boyd jumped at the chance to support this endeavor.
“We believe that health and play are incredibly important parts of a child’s education,” Boyd said. “We saw this as an opportunity to help make a difference in a school with the greatest need.”
The foundation generously donated $650,000 to support the project, a gift made in coordination with Knox Education Foundation.
“I was blown away with the sheer generosity and genuine desire to help our school and community that he and his foundation had,” Holman said.
When it came time to plan the space, the principal turned to the school community for input. Focus groups allowed students and stakeholders to give their voices to the design.
The result was a beautiful three-quarter acre space with a play structure, swing sets, a full basketball court, a soccer field with full-sized goals, two running lanes, outdoor musical instruments, raised garden beds, and a shaded seating area.
“I’m hopeful it’s the best playground in the county and maybe the state. These kids deserve it,” Boyd said. “I don’t know what part of the playground the children will like the most, but I’m excited for them to go and watch them choose for themselves.”
Holman’s favorite feature is not the play equipment, but the mural.
“The detail of how the artist had woven in those STEAM elements into the illustrations and depictions of students that actually look like our students,” she said. “He was able to capture that sense of wonder and discovery that our students see every day in our classrooms having that STEAM-integrated learning.”
The mural paints such a realistic picture of the student body that a girl approached the artist during recess one day and asked, “Are you painting me? That looks like me.”
“That’s exactly what I want the kids to feel like and to know that they were the inspiration behind this,” Holman said.
This summer, KCS received news that the district has been chosen as a recipient of the U.S. DOD’s ESGR 2023 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.
Representatives of KCS, including Superintendent Dr. Jon Rysewyk and Interim Assistant Superintendent of Business and Talent Jennifer Hemmelgarn, traveled to Washington, D.C. this week to be formally recognized and accept the award at the Pentagon.
The individual who nominated KCS for the award is a Hardin Valley Academy social studies teacher and a Major in the Tennessee Army National Guard.
Mjr. Michael Hicks has “taught for 10 years in Knox County Schools and have been placed on orders or had extensive drill weekends multiple times,” he said. “They have given me and my family 100% support while serving my country and are very deserving of Employer Support Freedom Award recognition.”
Dr. J.D. Faulconer, now the principal at Kelley Volunteer Academy, previously worked as a CTE specialist who oversaw the JROTC programs in the district.
Faulconer believes that hiring military members is a mutually beneficial relationship. Reservists and Guardsmen receive support from the district, and the schools receive highly skilled teachers.
“They want to be a servant leader, they know how to work as a team, and they know what collaboration looks like,” he said. “They know what grit and determination and resiliency look like in the classroom, and right now that’s what our teachers need. I think that’s what Mjr. Hicks brings to the table, and I think that’s what a lot of our veterans bring to the table.”
The ESGR, or Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve office, states the Freedom Award is the highest recognition given by the U.S. government to employers for their support of Guardsmen and Reservists.
Only 15 employers are chosen out of thousands of applicants each year, and KCS is the only school district to earn the distinction this year.
“If we have veterans coming out of military service and looking to continue to make an impact and they are working for a school district that is now known to support Guard members and Reservists, I think it’s a win-win for being able to recruit,” Faulconer said. “And not only recruit but retain wonderful educators.”
The 20th annual Partners in Education Foundation’s (PIE) Dine Out for Education fundraiser will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 29 for members of the community to purchase meals from local participating restaurants to benefit Knox County Schools.
Eateries that have partnered with PIE for this fundraiser have pledged to donate 10% of their total food sales for the day which will fund school needs, such as technology, professional development, and playground equipment.
“We want to be a good partner to these restaurants, who are giving 10% of the day’s take, and then be able to tell the public that we have no overhead at PIE. This is all voluntary, so it’s dollar-for-dollar,” said PIE President Adam Wilson. “Every dollar that comes in goes right back to the schools.”
This year, a new component to the fundraiser adds a little friendly competition with a chance to win $500 and a staff pizza party.
Participants are encouraged to follow the Partners in Education’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages, share a photo dining out, tag PIE, and mention their school. The votes will be tallied to determine the two schools with the most votes, which will receive the prizes.
“I think it brings out that fun, competitive spirit,” Wilson said.
Last year’s event pulled in around $20,000, and PIE was able to fund teacher morale programs, purchase gym equipment, and replace outdated handheld two-way radio sets.
A full list of school needs that may be funded through Dine Out for Education can be found here, and more information on the fundraiser can be found here.
KCS would also like to thank the sponsors of this event: Graphic Creations, Knoxville TVA Employee Credit Union, First Horizon, Adam Wilson Realty, American Fidelity, and Mountain Commerce Bank.
Students with disabilities and their families often face a similar issue: how to navigate life after high school.
This issue is one Melissa Callahan, Shelly Fordgrotkopt, and Michelle Pittman aim to answer. They work with the Transition School to Work (TSW) grant that provides pre-employment transition services to students with disabilities.
“This grant specifically focuses on students with disabilities, and we know that the adult world and navigating life are hard for anybody,” Pittman said. “These kinds of sessions are really key in helping individuals really figure out themselves and overcome their barriers.”
The team teaches skills in job exploration, workplace readiness, and self-advocacy. They host Transition Tuesdays to educate and provide valuable resources to families and staff for students preparing for life after high school, and a Transition Fair that brings together their community partners as a “one-stop shop” for resources.
“Being a resource is so important because their students are going to leave a system that’s taken care of them for a really long time,” Fordgrotkopt said. “We really see partnering with community resources as filling a gap for parents.”
Their dedication to their students and years of hard work received recognition from a well-known partner.
Knoxville’s disABILITY Resource Center awarded them the 2023 Spirit of ADA Community Service Provider Award.
“We’re so honored. It’s really nice to be recognized by your peers in the community,” Fordgrotkopt said. “I think that just makes us feel really appreciated.”
The recognition only serves as encouragement to do more for their students.
Callahan stated: “The affirmation and just knowing how important the resources are for the students and the parents and the collaboration just pushes us to continue to offer more of that to parents and students. It’s such an important piece of what we do.”
To learn more about the TSW grant or Transition Tuesdays, find community resources, and see upcoming events, visit knoxschools.org/specialeducation.
Angel Bowman, a KCS Region 5 parent, stands in front of the new Lonsdale Elementary building. She has been an active member in the Lonsdale community for 21 years.
Angel Bowman, a KCS parent for 21 years and an active member of the Lonsdale community, received a phone call several months ago inviting her to give feedback about KCS Region 5.
“I have never been asked at the region level what I thought about anything,” Bowman said. “For the region to be asking makes me feel like they want to hear from the parents.”
Located in and around downtown Knoxville, Region 5 includes many historic schools with a strong educational legacy, but many students in this region also face unique challenges and obstacles to learning.
In December, KCS began work on a plan to strategically improve the 13 schools that comprise Region 5. This plan was built using community feedback from focus groups that included students, families, teachers, principals, and community leaders from different industries to create high-achieving goals and the action steps that are necessary to meet those goals.
“I feel like the goals are high, but they are attainable with a lot of intentionality, dedication, and work,” said Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Academy Principal Robin Curry. “It is the work that is needed for our kids.”
The Region 5 Way established four main themes the strategic plan aims to reach: holding high academic expectations for all students, recruiting and retaining elite educators, providing career and college pathways for K-12 students, and establishing systems to meet whole-child needs for academic success.
These major themes were divided into specific goals with ambitious and achievable actions, metrics, and milestones to meet the goals in the next five years.
The initiative is being led by Region 5 Director Dr. Dexter Murphy and Supervisor Sallee Reynolds.
Murphy said it is important for the district to match the potential and talent of students in Region 5 with a compelling action plan.
“By setting ambitious, tangible goals and carefully measuring our progress toward them, the Region 5 Way will be our community’s transformative call to action,” he said.
And for the parents like Angel Bowman, it’s exciting to be part of the broader effort to bring change.
“We have some of the best and brightest minds here in our communities. We are raising and helping to develop the next generation of geniuses, so we need to have high expectations from an early age,” Bowman said.
She added: “It feels like there is this group of people that are rallying around our kiddos and our community and our school. There feels like this overwhelming excitement of ‘we’re all going to do this together.’”
Knox County Schools is committed to highlighting the success stories of Region 5. Know someone from KCS Region 5 that should be highlighted on Hall Pass? Reach out to Kaleigh Cortez (kaleigh.cortez@knoxschools.org)!
