Education

After objections by Middle Tennessee Association of Realtors, county officials have admitted that Bedford County Board of Commissioners' Jan. 8 vote to increase the Adequate Facilities Tax was not legal, and the vote will likely either be rescinded next month or else the increase will be allowed to fade away without the required second vote...

Following a recent impromptu tour of the new Cascade High School site, Bedford County school superintendent Don Embry is confident that students and teachers will be occupying the space in August. “The instructions I’m receiving right now is that we’re on target . . . good to go,” Embry said...

Hannah Pimentel, daughter of Roger and Diane Pimentel of Normandy, graduated Dec. 14 with honors, and an award of excellence in clinicals, from Belmont University in Nashville. She graduated five months early as a registered nurse, and will begin employment at Vanderbilt University Medical Center this year. (Submitted photo)

Even with electricity and fuel costs in the millions, Bedford County School System is still reported to be starting the second half of the school year in the black, based on financial reports presented Tuesday at the Bedford County Board of Education's monthly meeting...

A Middle Tennessee State University sorority will host a celebration of the life of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on his official federal holiday. The Eta Psi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. will lead the spiritual service and candlelight vigil beginning at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 21, in the Student Union Ballroom on campus. Aaron Treadwell, an assistant professor of history at MTSU and senior pastor at African Methodist Episcopal Church in Nashville, will deliver the keynote address...

Tennessee College of Applied Technology at Shelbyville will hold a SkillsUSA Open House Monday, Feb. 4 from 3-6 p.m. at the main campus in Shelbyville will include demonstrations, pizza refreshments, and special giveaways. The event is free and open to the public...

The Criminal Justice I students from Shelbyville Central High School recently visited Tennessee Department of Corrections, where they were informed of possible careers with the realm of Criminal Justice. Students where instructed on the requirements, educational standards and physical standards that are mandated through the Tennessee Department of Corrections. Students were also allowed to experience real life simulation training which made them aware of the stress and responsibility that comes with this type of career. (Submitted photo)

Students are often lectured on various aspects of the workforce they’re about to enter. Through Partners in Education, students receive more hands-on opportunities to experience the importance of a skilled local work environment, according to Kelly North, director of workforce development of Shelbyville-Bedford County Chamber of Commerce...

Grant Countess, a freshman accounting and leadership and ministry major from Shelbyville, is among more than 1,200 Harding University students included on the dean's list for grades achieved during the fall 2018 semester. The dean's list is published each semester by Dr. Marty Spears, University provost, honoring those who have achieved high scholarship. To be eligible, a student must be carrying 12 or more hours with a 3.65 or higher grade-point average and no incompletes...

Central High students work together to feed hungry Shelbyville Central High School students collected more than 22,000 cans of food in this school year's Great Canned Food Drive held Nov. 12-19. The food was donated to Good Samaritan Food Bank, First Choice Pregnancy Center, New Destiny Dog Rescue and many area church food banks...

A 45-foot customized bus will bring the exciting worlds of politics and mass communication to MTSU as C-SPAN's "Southern Swing" makes a stop in Murfreesboro. The bus and its interactive exhibits will be accessible from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building. Access to the bus is free and open to the public...

When I was a freshman at Community High School umpteen years ago, Ardis Rittenberry-Caffey was my Algebra I teacher. I missed her when she later transferred to Shelbyville Central High School. When I worked at the T-G back in the 1980s and 90s, I would see her when I covered events at SCHS. Nothing compares to that smile of hers...

Romny Felts of Bedford County has been named to the Dean's List at the College of Coastal Georgia, in Brunswick, Georgia, for high academic performance during the Fall 2018 semester. The students named to the Dean's List achieved a GPA of between 3.5 to 3.99 while enrolled as full-time students in the given term...

The Webb School in Bell Buckle will open its campus on Jan. 21 for Visitors' Day to host prospective students and their families. The daylong event begins at 9 a.m. with registration and breakfast and concludes at 3 p.m. The schedule includes the daily chapel program and also a tour of the 150-acre campus, led by a current Webb student. ...

Bedford County Board of Commissioners, meeting Tuesday night, approved an increase in the Adequate Facilities Tax on new residential construction, from $1 to $1.33 per square foot, which did not sit well with some real estate agents and builders attending the meeting...

More than 5,170 Middle Tennessee State University students are included on the latest Dean's List for their academic achievements for the fall 2018 semester. To qualify for the Dean's List, a student must maintain a current semester grade-point average of 3.5 or above and earn at least 12 semester hours...

MOORE COUNTY — Four Tennessee Board of Regents schools, including Motlow State Community College and Tennessee College of Applied Technology at Shelbyville, discussed their plans and achievements during the annual legislative breakfast held Friday morning on Motlow’s Moore County campus...

Bedford County Education Association (BCEA) and Tennessee Education Association (TEA) members met Thursday night for a social and educational discussion session. The educators also had a chance to talk over issues with state legislators State Rep. Pat Marsh, State Sen. Shane Reeves and State Rep. Rick Tillis. Bedford County Commissioner Greg Vick, who represents District 2, discussed education, including technology needs, with (from left) Teresa Webb, Harris Middle School special education instructor and Eakin Elementary teacher Sandy Beech during the TEA sponsored event at Legends Restaurant on Thursday night. (T-G Photo by Dawn Hankins)

A Bedford County school resource officer was arrested for DUI early New Year’s morning, the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office said. The vehicle allegedly driven by SRO Chadwick James “Chad” Webster, 34, of Lafayette Street was found by a state trooper in a ditch in the Highway 130 South (Old Tullahoma Highway) area shortly after midnight, Sheriff Austin Swing said...

A new year generally means for most a new calendar. Bedford County Board of Education, which likely maintains one of the largest calendars locally, has approved its 2019-2020 school calendar. Superintendent Don Embry recently explained the details of Bedford County School’s newest color-coded calendar, which begins July 2019 and ends May 2020...

One of Bedford County School Superintendent Don Embry's goals for 2019 is to "promote achievement across the system." As part of those goals, Embry announced recently that East Side School is recipient of a $54,000 summer Read to Be Ready grant. "We applied for that grant system-wide," Embry told Bedford County Board of Education during its monthly meeting. "We rotate ... it's not just East Side which participates. This is a very useful program for our kids."...

A Bedford County student has been awarded a scholarship to attend the University of Tennessee at Martin for the 2019-2020 academic year, according to Dr. James Mantooth, executive director, Office of Enrollment Services and Student Engagement. Jazmin Clark, of Shelbyville, daughter of Kenneth and Melody Terry, will be a freshman. She received the Achieve Scholarship...

Bedford County Board of Education discussed refurbishing some of Cascade High's furniture Tuesday night. Board members later questioned if it's feasible to ask an already understaffed maintenance crew to work overtime to repurpose 40-plus-year-old inventory...

Susan Coop Howell of Bell Buckle, archivist and library assistant at The Webb School, recently completed the Tennessee Archives Institute program in November, earning the designation of Certified Archives Manager. During a three-year cycle of instruction, she received training and hands-on experience on how to take care of and preserve historical records and documents. This program is made available through the Tennessee State Library and Archives in Nashville...

Four high school graduates from Bedford County were recently awarded the Mary Lynn and Bob Prince Scholarship to Motlow State Community College for the 2018-19 academic year. The scholarships are provided through the Motlow College Foundation. From left are 102-year-old Mary Lynn Prince, along with scholarship recipients Abigayle Jones, Caroline Smith, Morgan McCune, Jade Goins, and Motlow president Michael Torrence. (Motlow College photo)

The 42-year-old student desks at Cascade High School are finally spent, superintendent Don Embry told Bedford County Board of Education Tuesday night at its December meeting. "We plan on replacing virtually every student desk out there," he told school board members...

Boys & Girls Club of Bedford County, on Madison Street, has a new director, Ralph Buckingham. Buckingham, a native of Bell Buckle, has worked for the Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department as well as other youth development organizations. He is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, and member of the Pi Gamma Gamma chapter of Omega Psi Phi. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and presently serves as a minister at the Kings Chapel Church of God in Christ in Wartrace...

MARTIN -- Shelbyville resident and former state senator Jim Tracy was graduation speaker at the University of Tennessee at Martin's summer and fall commencement Saturday. Tracy, a UT Martin graduate and West Tennessee native, is now state director for USDA Rural Development...

The Shelbyville Central High School Criminal Justice Student Organization completed its 2018 toy drive. The student members were able to provide for 38 families in need this Christmas season. The students were assisted by Bedford Farmers Co-op, Bedford County Sheriff’s Office and Dollar General. (Submitted photo)

There was a great turnout recently for the Winter Celebration at Thomas Magnet School, sponsored by fifth grader Jean Carlo Sanchez. (Submitted photo)

Liberty School boys’ and girls’ basketball teams shopped for Christmas gifts for a needy family recently. When employees at Walmart learned the purpose of their visit, some employees contributed to the effort as well. (Submitted photos)

Bedford County Imagination Library has received a $3,000 grant to provide new, free, age-appropriate books each month to Bedford County children from birth to age 5. The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, a charitable organization dedicated to enriching the quality of life in the 40 Tennessee counties it serves, provided the funds as part of $2,726,800 in grants given to 453 nonprofit organizations as part of the 2018 annual grantmaking process...

Cascade Elementary School has announced its students of the month for November. Each grade level and related arts classes choose a student each month. Titan Transfer, through the Partners In Education program, sponsors the awards. Front row, from left: Tipton McGee, Corley Hill, Megan Bennett, and Emery Potts. Back row: Christy Martin of Titan Transfer, Mateo Gaspar, Brinlie Collet, Japneet Kaur, and Assistant Principal Robin Ayers. (Submitted photo)

Thomas Magnet School second graders Carter Insell, Ava Anderson and Xaylie Gordon participate in a science project about owls. Students began their field trip to Owl’s Hill Nature Sanctuary in Brentwood, where they got to see owls. The wrap up the unit, students dissected owl pellets. Students were able to break apart the pellet and find the remains. They were to identify the fole skeleton remains. (T-G Photo by Dawn Hankins)

Victory Baptist Academy has announced its first quarter honor roll for grades 7-12. (Submitted photos)

The Motlow State Community College Humanities Department sponsored a Motlow Art Faculty art exhibit in November at the Eoff Hall Gallery on the Moore County Campus. The exhibit featured a variety of exceptional individual works from members of the Motlow art teaching community. A reception was recently held for the artists/instructors: Becky Childress, Eric Claunch, Beth Martin, Brian Robinson, Joey Tigert, and Jeff Williams. Seen here at the reception is Art Instructor Eric Claunch, with Motlow art students, from left, Alex Weeden, Anna-Martha Campbell and Riley Gill, as they admire his work, pickle nipples. To view the photo gallery for the reception and exhibited work, go to http://photos.mscc.edu/Faculty-Art-Show-at-the-Eoff. (Motlow College photo)

A newly-organized scout troop emphasizing adventure is inviting young women and men between ages 14-20 to join the fun, Venturing Crew 371 held its first organized activity, a bonfire and movie, Saturday night. "Venturing is one of three youth organizations within the Boy Scouts -- Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venturing," Advisor Van Ayers said Monday. ...

Two Shelbyville elementary schools will be the first outside of Nashville to benefit from Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s “Disney Musicals In Schools” program. Representatives of Eakin Elementary School and Learning Way Elementary School recently attended an orientation session at TPAC, in downtown Nashville, at which they selected their musicals and learned more about the program. The 17-week program will begin in January...

Just as Tennessee Department of Education rolls out new policies to heighten school counseling, Liberty School educator Jordan Tatom has been honored by his peers as state “counselor of the year.” Tatom received this special recognition during the recent annual conference of the Tennessee School Counselors Association in Nashville. It’s a high honor just to be asked to attend, much less win the top honor...

Liberty School librarian Sarah Gammon might be considered a literacy "super hero" since being selected by the Literacy Association of Tennessee as Librarian of the Year. "It was a complete and utter surprise," she says of her award, presented on Monday in Murfreesboro. "I'm just honored and thankful to have been chosen."...

Boys & Girls Club of Bedford County presented a $150 check to Tim Estes of Defenders of Freedom and Liberty, which sponsors the local Wreaths Across America observance. The club had a goal of raising $75, in order to sponsor five wreaths for the graves of veterans at Willow Mount Cemtery, but the children were able to double that amount through bake sales and a “penny war” competition. Club members will also assist with placing the wreaths. The Wreaths Across America observance will be held Dec. 15; an 11 a.m. opening ceremony at New Beginnings Baptist Church will be followed at 1 p.m. by the placement of 1,300 wreaths on the graves of veterans at Willow Mount. (Submitted photo)

Bedford County Board of Education members recently referred to Mark and Theresa Catron as "the epitome of parent volunteers." Though this sentiment makes them blush a little, they're honored to be the 2018 Tennessee School Board Association's volunteers of the year...

Tennessee Department of Education's annual Report Card released Tuesday shows Bedford County made significant strides in ACT scores, but failed to achieve an annual increase in overall academic achievement and growth. What that means for the county is that students did not perform well at grade level during the 2017-2018 school year. Based on last year's numbers, students did not make significant strides in their year-to-year academic growth...

Sarah Thomas, a Motlow State Community College nursing student from Wartrace, was recently awarded the Rhonda and Max Jarrell Nursing Scholarship for the 2018-19 academic year. The scholarship is provided through the Motlow College Foundation. From left are Motlow president Michael Torrence, Thomas, Rhonda "Roni" Jarrell, and Max Jarrell...

Kimetta R. Hairston, 2018-2019 American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow, represented her host institution, Virginia State University, and her home institution, Bowie State University, for two days at Motlow State Community College. Established in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program is designed to strengthen institutions and leadership in American higher education by identifying and preparing faculty and staff for senior positions in college and university administration through its distinctive and intensive nominator-driven, cohort-based mentorship model.. ...

A local college has journeyed to Mars -- or at least its name did, all in the name of inspiring students. The Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Shelbyville submitted its name to be inscribed on a disc that was placed on NASA's InSight Mars Lander. The spacecraft touched down on the Red Planet on Nov. 26...

Shelbyville Central High School and Bedford County Sheriff’s Office have teamed up to help bring joy to needy children in Bedford County during the holidays. Criminal Justice Instructor Chris Hobbs, right, and Sheriff Austin Swing are conducting a toy drive for underprivileged children for Christmas. “Our goal is to ensure that no child goes without,” said Hobbs. Toy bins have been placed at Bedford County Sheriff’s Office, Shelbyville Police Department, Bedford Farmers Co-Op, Dollar General on Madison Street and Lane Parkway, and the SCHS lobby. To register a child in need, call Hobbs at 931-684-1889. Toys will be distributed Dec. 17 at the SCHS Annex; recipients will be contacted by phone with further instructions.

The late J.C. Gordon founded and co-owned WEGO Precision Machine Inc., which made precision parts for NASA. His legacy will live on through five Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Shelbyville students, who were recently awarded memorial scholarships in his name....