Kaleigh Walker Career Empowerment, Great Educators, Student Success

Empowering Creativity: Farragut Middle’s Innovative Print Shop

At Farragut Middle School, there’s a new, cutting-edge Print Shop program that’s changing the way students engage with their education.

Thanks to the vision of FMS administration and Brian Fogarty, a former math and science teacher turned creative leader, the school is embracing the challenge of bringing real-world experiences to these 6th- through 8th-graders. 

“They’re designing, producing, marketing, and budgeting,” Fogarty said. “The students are doing everything themselves in the shop.”

The program is hands-on from day one. Students dive into every aspect of the process, from brainstorming designs to operating equipment like silkscreen presses and heat presses. 

Fogarty is passionate about giving students real-world experiences, saying, “It’s all about giving them an opportunity. They’re going to mess up, but that’s part of learning.”

Students in 6th grade begin with a career awareness course where they are introduced to different areas in the industry, and they start career exploration in 7th grade before choosing their “department” for 8th grade. 

“For a lot of them, this class has really helped to give them an outlet to show their creativity and be successful,” Fogarty reflects. “They’re shining stars here.”

The Print Shop isn’t just about making posters and T-shirts; it’s about teaching valuable skills like communication, problem-solving, and entrepreneurship. Students learn to work with customers, manage finances, and market their products. Fogarty envisions a future where students take these skills and run with them, whether starting their own Etsy stores or pursuing careers in design.

As the program continues to evolve, Fogarty is excited about the possibilities. From expanding partnerships with high schools to exploring new technologies like 3D printing, the Print Shop is just getting started. 

“We’re giving them a little taste of everything,” Fogarty says with a smile. “Who knows where they’ll take it?”

In a world where creativity and innovation are more valuable than ever, Farragut Middle School’s Print Shop is leading the way. Thanks to dedicated educators like Brian Fogarty, the next generation of designers, entrepreneurs, and problem-solvers is already hard at work, shaping the future, one print at a time.

Kaleigh Walker 865 Academies, Career Empowerment, Great Educators

Flying to Success: Powell’s Aviation Odyssey

Students at Powell High School are not just reaching for the skies; they’re soaring through the clouds thanks to the school’s cutting-edge Aviation pathway.

Operating within the Academy of Commerce and Transportation, this unique program is a standout as the only high school aviation course of study in Knox County and a rare gem statewide, offering students a hands-on journey into the world of aerospace education.

At the helm of this ambitious venture is Tennessee Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer Andy Salas, whose expertise in tactical military rotary flight brings a dynamic perspective to the classroom. 

When he’s not leading the charge in education, you can find him maneuvering Blackhawk helicopters, serving as both pilot and instructor.

“After school, I’ll go straight to the airfield, fly at night, and hopefully get home by midnight,” Salas said. “I do that at least once a week, and sometimes up to three times a week, for my proficiency.”

Just days into his new role at Powell, Salas orchestrated a thrilling event: a Medevac Blackhawk helicopter swooped in, touching down on school grounds. Students explored the aircraft and gained insights from the flight crew. This kind of experiential learning sets the stage for what’s to come in the program.

But it’s not just about the thrill of helicopters and the roar of engines. The Aviation pathway begins with a solid foundation in Introduction to Aerospace, where students delve into aviation history, aircraft structures, and principles of aerodynamics. From there, they ascend through Aerospace I and II before reaching Unmanned Aerial Systems, a course designed to take them to the world of drone piloting, culminating in an FAA Remote Pilot Certification.

For students like Lucas Keefe, the journey is more than academic–it’s a personal legacy. 

“My great-grandfather was an aviator and my grandfather was an aircraft mechanic, so I’m naturally interested in planes,” Keefe said. “One of my goals is to fly them one day, and these classes will help me carry on the tradition.”

Before students select a pathway in the 865 Academies, they undergo the YouScience aptitude test, which guides them toward careers aligned with their passions. Students in the class soared above the rest in the aviation section.

As Salas continues to lead the course, he looks toward an exciting future.

“Seeing the end product of these kids graduating from this program in a few years is going to be the most thrilling part for me,” he said.

The sky’s the limit for the students of Powell High School.

Kaleigh Walker Great Educators, Student Supports

Celebrating Heroes of Education during National School Counselor Week

National School Counselor Week is a time to shine a spotlight on a group of heroes in our district – our school counselors. These dedicated professionals play a pivotal role in shaping the academic and emotional well-being of our students. 

For many counselors, the decision to enter the field is rooted in a deep-seated passion for helping young minds navigate the challenges of growing up. 

Kriston Ramsey, the counselor at Gap Creek and Fountain City Elementary, started her career as a family service worker for the Department of Children’s Services but felt her efforts were only retroactively impacting the students she worked with.

“There’s so many things we can do proactively to impact their life longer term,” she said. “I want to try to give these kids the skills they can use to avoid those situations in the future at all possible. I’ve seen the effects of negative situations, and they’re not pretty.”

Sterchi Elementary Counselor Devin Debusk

School counselors wear many hats, providing a wide range of services to address the diverse needs of their students. 

Hardin Valley Middle School counselor Rebecca Gomez said each day is different. She could walk in with a plan for a classroom lesson on diversity and identity, a group counseling session on building friendship skills, and a one-on-one with a student who is struggling, and have her entire schedule change if a child is in crisis.

She added, “There is so much collaboration and consultation behind the scenes with teachers, administrators, and parents as we may identify larger barriers to learning. Side by side, we put the pieces together to remove those for students.”

From showcasing potential career fields to boosting social-emotional skills, counselors play a crucial role in nurturing the holistic development of their students.

Despite the hardships and troubles they assist with every day in their schools, counselors love interacting with their kids.

“One of my favorite things is when the kids say silly things or tell funny stories. They sometimes forget you’re an adult and just pour their heart out to you like you’re their friend,” said the counselor at Sterchi Elementary, Devin Debusk. “Our kids are so loving and supportive of each other. They can be wild and crazy, but they just love their teachers and love to have fun.”

Hardin Valley Middle Counselor Rebecca Gomez

In their daily interactions with students, these counselors are attuned to the common issues affecting today’s youth. 

“I’m working with a lot of students on social skills and coping skills, along with working through anxieties,” Ramsey said. “We’re still seeing the effects of COVID through the behaviors of our kids and how much social learning they missed out on during that time.”

Gomez added, “I have seen an increase in mental health concerns, for sure.” She continued, “But I also see that the conversations around it are being brought into the open and a lot more people are wanting to support students in that area.”

When it comes to supporting their child outside of school, Debusk stressed the importance of community involvement in student development.

“Kids crave undivided, positive attention from adults. That’s something anyone can provide, whether you’re a family member, daycare worker, or school staff member. Just listening to them and giving them respect to share their thoughts is so important to them.”

The stories of these incredible individuals are just a glimpse into counselors’ passion and commitment to their vital roles in schools across the district. 

Gap Creek and Fountain City Elementary Schools Counselor Kriston Ramsey

As we celebrate National School Counselor Week, Knox County Schools encourages the community to take a moment to appreciate and honor these dedicated professionals who work tirelessly to shape the future of our children.

Kaleigh Walker Great Educators, Student Success, Student Supports

Building Connections as KCS’s First Executive Latina Principal

Just days into her new role as executive principal principal, Sofia Roth makes it a point to visit every classroom each morning.

It’s a daily routine she’s kept up no matter what school she was in. Now at Richard Yoakley, it’s helped her to quickly get to know everyone at the school during her mid-year transition from Fulton. 

“I’m a people person, and I like to make relationships wherever I go,” Roth said. “I want the students and teachers to see me everyday and have the opportunity to chat if they need to.”

The relationships she’s built throughout her 20+ year career in education have created a strong network that’s been helpful to her every step of the way. She still calls on the principals she’s had over time for advice and guidance. 

As the first Latina executive principal at KCS, Roth also hopes to be that role model for those teachers like her who want to explore what they think is out of reach.

“There’s a handful of Latino teachers in the county, and my door is always open for those who might want to visit and shadow me,” Roth said. “You don’t know what life as an administrator could look like until you see it for yourself.”

She also connects with a lot of the students at her schools because, like many of them, she is the product of an ELL education. 

“I hope some of them will see that there’s a world out there where they can do whatever they want to,” she said. “The other day I had a student ask if I thought she could do what I’m doing. I said, ‘Absolutely!’”

It’s her passion for building relationships that made her realize that she works really well with the at-risk populations in Knox County. 

“I quickly discovered that a lot of those children don’t have people they can rely on,” Roth said. For this reason, she’s trying to change the perception of her new school placement. She continued: “I think that people hear ‘Richard Yoakley,’ and they run the other way; they think it’s a bad school, and it’s not. We have really good kids that made a mistake.”

Kaleigh Walker Great Educators, Student Success

From Struggles to Scribbles: A Pre-K Teacher’s Literacy Triumph Inspires Little Learners

Sandra Robledo proudly stands in her Pre-K classroom after school.

Every morning at 7:15 a.m., 20 three- to five-year-olds run into a colorful classroom at West View Elementary, ready for the day ahead.

Pre-K teacher Sandra Robledo has each day planned for them down to the minute so they know what to expect every time they come to school.

After a trip to the cafeteria for breakfast, the class returns to their room for a group read-aloud and a nursery rhyme. 

“In Pre-K, we work on phonemic awareness and pre-skills, like some of the letters, letter sounds, and what starts with what letter. Then they need to know their name and how to write their name,” she said. “If you introduce these skills in Pre-K, they’ll be better prepared in kindergarten.”

Building on strong foundational literacy skills is a priority for Knox County Schools, especially as studies have shown that students who are not proficient readers by third grade are four times less likely than their peers to graduate high school.

This is why the Learning and Literacy Department and the Early Childhood Department provide high-quality instructional material in every classroom, starting with Pre-K.

Robledo said the improvement she has seen in her students “has been amazing” since Heggerty was implemented three years ago. 

“They’re sponges,” she said. “It’s important for me to know that the kids are getting high-quality teaching, but also care as well.”

She holds back tears as she recalls how “Pre-K chose me.”

Robledo returned to Knoxville from teaching at an international school in Caracas, Venezuela, when she attended a KCS Hiring Fair. She thought she might teach first or second grade, but as she wandered around the booths and tables of local schools looking for her future home away from home, she saw Carol Idol, the former Pre-K program coordinator, waving an application at her. 

“I thought, ‘Wow, I might want to try that,’ so Carol brought me to West View. I knew this was the school I wanted to be in,” she said. “I’m so happy here!”

This year marks a decade at West View, but she’s been a lifelong educator, as she began teaching children English when she was 16 in her home country of Colombia.

“I was a struggling student, so I felt like I could help kids that were also struggling or have trouble learning,” Robledo said. “That compassion came from a home that always wanted to help.”

Kaleigh Walker Great Educators, Student Supports

El triunfo en alfabetización de una maestra de preescolar inspira a pequeños estudiantes

Sandra Robledo proudly stands in her Pre-K classroom after school.

Todas las mañanas a las 7:15, 20 niños entre tres y cinco años de edad corren a su aula en West View Primary listos para el día que tienen por delante.

La maestra de Pre-K Sandra Robledo planea cada día y cada minuto para que ellos sepan qué se les espera cada vez que vengan a la escuela.

Después de ir a la cafetería a desayunar, los estudiantes regresan a su aula para la lectura de un cuento en voz alta y una canción infantil.

“En Pre-K, trabajamos en la conciencia fonémica y las habilidades tempranas, como reconocer letras, sus sonidos y con qué letra comienza algunas palabras. También aprenden las letras de su nombre y cómo escribirlo,” dijo. “Si se introducen estas habilidades en el Pre Kínder, estarán mejor preparados para entrar a Kínder.”

El construir habilidades básicas y sólidas de alfabetización es una prioridad para las escuelas del condado de Knox, especialmente porque los estudios han demostrado que los estudiantes que llegan al tercer grado y no son lectores competentes tienen cuatro veces menos probabilidades que sus compañeros de graduarse de la escuela secundaria.

Es por eso que el Departamento de Aprendizaje y Alfabetización y el Departamento de Enseñanza Preescolar proporcionan materiales didácticos de alta calidad en todas las aulas, comenzando con Pre-K.

Robledo dijo que la mejora que ha visto en sus estudiantes “ha sido asombrosa” desde que se implementó Heggerty hace tres años.

“Son unas esponjitas,” dijo. “Es importante para mí saber que los niños no solo están recibiendo un buen cuidado sino también una enseñanza de alta calidad.”

Se le encharcan los ojos al recordar cómo “Pre-K me eligió a mí.”

Robledo regresó a Knoxville después de enseñar en una escuela internacional en Caracas, Venezuela y asistió a una feria de trabajo de KCS. Pensó que tal vez enseñaría primero o segundo grado, pero mientras iba de mesa en mesa de las diferentes escuelas locales buscando su nuevo destino, vio a Carol Idol, la que era en ese entonces la coordinadora del programa de pre kínder, llamándole la atención con una aplicación de trabajo.

“Pensé: ‘Wow, tal vez me interese hacer eso’, así que Carol me llevó a la mesa de West View Elementary. Supe entonces que ahí era donde quería enseñar,” —dijo. “¡Estoy tan feliz de estar aquí!”

Este año cumple diez años en West View, pero ha sido educadora toda la vida, ya que comenzó a enseñar inglés a niños cuando solo tenía 16 años en su país de origen, Colombia.

“Tuve dificultades como estudiante, así que sentí que podía ayudar a los niños que también tenían dificultades o problemas de aprendizaje.” dijo Robledo. “Esa compasión vino de un hogar que siempre quiso ayudar.”

Kaleigh Walker Great Educators

From the Navy to the Classroom: A Veteran’s Journey as an Inspiring Teacher

Antoinette Williams (then Thibou) in Navy uniform next to current-day Williams sporting West Valley Middle School gear.

Students in Antoinette Williams’ seventh-grade social studies class spent a portion of this week writing cards to veterans as a way to enhance the lessons they’re learning in the classroom.

As they talked about veterans and active military in their own families, they learned that their very own teacher served the country.

In 1990, Williams decided to enlist in the military with a dear friend, and after meeting with a recruiter, she chose to join the Navy.

She attended boot camp in October of that year and finished in time to be home for Christmas. 

“One of the best experiences was when we graduated and went to Orlando. We got to be in our uniforms, so everyone knew we were military,” Williams said. “We didn’t have a lot of badges or pins, so everybody knew we were new, but everyone was so friendly.”

Other memories were “not as fun,” like midnight watch duty or working in the galley of the ship, but all of her experiences gave her a strong work ethic that she carries over into the classroom.

When she left the military after nearly four years of service, she went back to school, but didn’t initially get a degree in education.

“I think I always wanted to be a teacher, but I was a communications major for undergrad,” she said. “Once I started working with children more, I just one day said, ‘I think I want to be a teacher,’ out loud. I applied to the UT teaching program, and I’ve been doing this for 23 years.”

All these years later, Veterans Day still means so much to Williams, especially with several family members who have also served. She still gets emotional remembering how proud her father-in-law was to be a veteran of the country. 

“I know a ton of veterans and their families that put their whole heart into it every day,” Williams said. “We need to think about them more than just on Veterans Day. We need to think about them almost every day because the reason that we have our freedoms is because somebody is not with their family and they’re defending us in whatever way possible.”

KCS celebrated veterans, Guard members, and reservists at the Honoring Service Ceremony earlier this week, where a video featuring several KCS veterans was premiered for the first time. The full video is shown below.

Kaleigh Walker Great Educators

Compassionate Principal Goes Above and Beyond to Empower Students in a Nontraditional Setting

When he steps out of his office, J.D. Faulconer is almost immediately surrounded by students offering fist bumps and asking for snacks.

He’s only been the principal of Dr. Paul L. Kelley Volunteer Academy (KVA) since the summer, but has already built a great reputation with students.

KVA is a non-traditional high school for seniors needing to make up credits to graduate.

“You’re getting to know kids, and you’re quickly forming that bond and relationship with them,” Faulconer said. “Then the next day they ring that bell and they’re done. It’s tough sometimes, but it’s all for the kids.”

Faulconer said a lot of the students who enter the school have not had good experiences in the principal’s office, and he aims to change that viewpoint.

“We try to create a culture in a small amount of time where kids feel loved, protected, respected, and taken care of,” he said. “I want them to realize this isn’t the place where you come just when you’re in trouble, but this is a place where you come when you’re hungry or you need someone to talk to.”

This experience in an administrative role comes from over a dozen years in a school building.

He became a special education teacher in Anderson County where he first ventured into administration at elementary and middle schools. When he accepted a position as a high school principal in Corbin, Kentucky, he began a stretch of three years commuting about three hours to and from Anderson County each day.

“I spent many nights sleeping in my office because I couldn’t get over Jellico Mountain in the snow,” Faulconer said. “But we made it work. Then almost overnight I accepted a job in Knox County to open Career Magnet Academy.”

Ever since that first day in a classroom, Faulconer has remembered why he entered this profession in the first place, and no matter where he ends up within the educational system, he’ll always keep those values close to heart.

“At the end of the day, we didn’t start in public education to sit in a principal seat. We started to make an impact on kids, and we don’t forget that,” he said. “That’s what we’re driven by every single day.”

Kaleigh Walker Great Educators, Student Success, Student Supports

Tutoring Changes Outcomes for Students and Teachers

Science teacher Matthew Walker tutors a student after school in Central High’s library.

Nearly every day after the final bell, students gather in the Central High library for an hour of tutoring.

Central’s program, like so many others across Knox County Schools, offers free tutoring in math, science, and English four days a week.

It’s in these sessions that math teacher and program coordinator Andrew Turner sees an impact on students and teachers.

“We talk about resilience and finishing strong a lot at Central,” Turner said. “I really feel like the tutoring program assists the idea that it’s never over. You may have started poorly or gotten behind here or there, but we’re going to help you and support you in catching up.”

Over the years, Turner has tracked student participation in the program and found that it has a deep influence on graduation rates. He said one year 20% of graduates who were on the line of eligibility were able to finish high school because of the extra support they received in tutoring.

The teachers leading the afterschool sessions also learn and benefit in their own way.

In a room full of students all needing assistance in different subjects, teachers oftentimes step in to help with courses they don’t teach. An algebra teacher might help with biology, or a literature teacher could assist with world geography. “It’s fun to watch teachers push themselves professionally and stay fresh on content,” Turner said. He added, “The hearts of these teachers are so big. Getting paid is nice, but they would do it for free. They really do care about the kids.”

Kaleigh Walker Great Educators, Student Success, Student Supports

Holston Middle Counselors Work to Support the Whole Child

When the Whole Child Support Team concept was introduced last year at Holston Middle, the counselors were ready to welcome the process with open arms. 

“Whole-child support means you’re looking at every piece of the child, so when a kid is struggling in math, for example, we dig deep into what else is going on in their life that might lead them to struggle in math,” said sixth-grade counselor Hannah Roberts.

In just over a year, Holston’s students have already seen significant improvements in behavior and academics.

Anjelica Nichols, the seventh-grade counselor, said at one point in time 35 seventh-graders were failing a class. In just two weeks of whole-child meetings and interventions, 70% of those students no longer had Fs. 

“If we hadn’t had everyone at the table with those different ideas or reached out to the students’ families, I don’t think we would have seen that much of a turnaround,” she said. “Everyone’s insight is needed to help the child be successful.”

When a teacher notices a change in a student, they are encouraged to refer them to the Whole-Child Support Team. Counselors then conduct a root-cause analysis and determine what additional supports are needed. 

Eighth-grade counselor Taylor Branson also emphasized the importance of echoing support at home.“Be as involved as possible, and do a ten-minute check-in with your kiddo every day,” she said. “If you have any questions about your student and want our perspective, reach out! We want to work together to build support around your kids.”