Kaleigh Walker Great Educators

Region 5 Educator Summit: Empowering Our Teachers

As students and families begin preparing for the school year, so are educators across Knox County Schools! 

The inaugural Region 5 Educator Summit brought together every teacher, teaching assistant, counselor, instructional coach, and principal from across the region for a full day of teacher-led professional learning – a new highlight to the back-to-school ritual.

With over 120 sessions to choose from, topics ranged from instructional leadership and family-community engagement to the KCS Instructional Framework and school improvement instructional models. This diversity allowed attendees to tailor their experience to their personal professional development pathways.

“The Region 5 Educator Summit will be a game-changer for us,” said Region 5 Director Dr. Dexter Murphy. “The feedback from our educators and principals over the past year has been invaluable in shaping our professional development initiatives. The Educator Summit builds on this foundation, providing a platform for our teachers to lead and share their expertise.”

This groundbreaking event was designed by educators for educators based on input from the Regional Teacher Council. Educators had the opportunity to participate in four sessions of their choice, building a culture of collaboration and shared expertise. 

“It’s great receiving this PD from fellow educators,” said Christenberry Elementary teacher Katie Esco. “We are all in the same position, so it feels more connected and directly applicable to our classrooms.”

The Region 5 Educator Summit is a symbol of the district’s collective dedication to celebrating and developing its educators while setting the stage for continued growth and success.

“We are excited to see the impact of these choice sessions,” said Region 5 Supervisor Sallee Reynolds. “With such a wide range of topics, every educator can find sessions that resonate with their professional growth needs.”

The summit also included updates on the Region 5 Strategic Plan, an overview of the KCS and Region 5 Instructional Frameworks, and a spotlight on the “Year of the Principal.”

Knox County Schools is grateful to all who participated and contributed to the success of the Region 5 Educator Summit. Together, we are transforming futures the Region 5 way!

Great Educators in Every School

Great educators are core to the mission of KCS. By investing in meaningful professional development and growth opportunities, and pursuing innovative strategies to retain and recruit high-quality educators, KCS is positioning great educators in every classroom.

Kaleigh Walker Career Empowerment, Student Success

Austin-East Senior Makes History with Full-Ride QuestBridge Scholarship

As the end of the year neared and anticipation grew to hear back about a life-changing scholarship, Austin-East senior Angeline Irankunda almost pulled her application so she didn’t feel disappointed if she wasn’t chosen. 

But one day in early December, the email hit her inbox that she had earned a full-ride to Emory University through the QuestBridge Match Scholarship. 

QuestBridge connects the brightest students from low-income backgrounds with elite colleges and universities across the nation. Only about 10% of applicants ultimately are matched with a school, and recipients are awarded with over $200,000 over a four-year period.

“This scholarship is set up to allow students to have access without barriers. It’s going to give her so much financial independence,” said Instructional Coach Lindsay Davis. “It’s so amazing to watch her realize how this is going to free her up to just be a student for the first time in her life.”

Austin-East counselor Katrina Thaxton introduced Irankunda to QuestBridge when she was a junior for the College Prep Scholars program. Through the program, students receive additional admissions resources and are five times more likely to earn the scholarship.

“I want her to speak to some of our high-achieving juniors and let them know about the opportunity that is there,” Thaxton said. “I’m hoping that we have multiple scholars, and they could move forward to be matched.”

At Emory, Irankunda is looking forward to studying psychology or elementary education. She feels drawn to working with children because of her own childhood experiences.

“I’ve always loved kids, and I feel like teaching would be my way of pouring into other kids,” she said. “In elementary and middle school, I got in a lot of trouble and nobody ever took time to figure out why I was acting like that. So I feel like if I were to become an educator, that would be my contribution – to be that good person for kids.”

As an immigrant from Tanzania, Irankunda has changed the outlook of her future by remaining focused on her goals since she first entered Austin-East High School.

“I think when she got to high school, she realized this was her last step before adulthood, and everything she does from the moment she stepped foot in this building was going to impact what comes next,” Davis said. “So she decided she wanted to be in the top of her class. She decided she wanted to take all the AP and honors classes. To watch her from day one recognize this is all leading to what she wants and not wanting to blow this chance has been so amazing.”

Four years of building maturity and working on her personal and educational goals have changed her life, and she’s not over yet.

“One of the things I wanted to do when I came to Austin-East was leave my legacy and show everyone that you can break the norms,” Irankunda said. “You can make history like I’m making history.”

Kaleigh Walker Community Partners, Student Supports

‘Region 5 Way’ Sets Goals For Historic Schools In Knoxville

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)!

knoxschools.org/region5