The innovative project to highlight good news in the Claiborne school system seems to be paying off in dividends of excited students, teachers and administration, alike. Following is but a snippet of the December good news report.

Janet Zachary, county reading coach for the statewide ‘Read to be Ready,’ says the district should be proud of Ellen Myers and Tazewell-New Tazewell (TNT) schools for their participation in the three year program.

“Our teachers have accepted their roles as not only teachers but also learners and have put this information to work. Their hard work has awarded us with a visit from the Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Dr. Candice McQueen. She came to talk and visit with the teachers at Ellen Myers to get their ideas about the program,” said Zachary.

Read to be Ready is a Tennessee initiative launched in 2016 by the governor, his wife and McQueen to move students toward reading proficiency.

Both schools are in the second year of the program.

In another matter, TNT Primary kindergartners now have easier access to the internet based courses via the acquisition of computer virtual stations in all seven classrooms.

Meanwhile, the teachers at Ellen Myers have begun vertical planning and are making changes according to some “good conversations” about the gaps in the curriculum.

Springdale Elementary kindergartners are doing an excellent job with CVC words, word families and the blending of those words, according to the school’s report.

Powell Valley Elementary was nominated by the judges as one of ten finalists in the ‘Build a Bright Future’ contest. More than 4,000 schools entered this event. Each of the nine runners-up will receive $2,500 to be used toward the project described in the essay.

The Voices of Zambia, from the International Bible College of Zambia, traveled to PVE to present an African cultural event as a way to raise awareness and support.

“Our students are still talking about it,” states the report.

Midway Beta Club students attended the state Beta convention in Nashville, where they competed in events during the conference.

At H.Y. Livesay, sixth grade students are building weather instruments to log data as part of their ‘Adopt a City Weather Unit.’

The Alpha School and Family Resource Center combined their efforts to collect coats and food for county families during the annual drives. The program culminated on Dec. 6-7 with the giveaways held at the old Ma Brown house.

There was an art show at Clairfield Elementary, headed by ‘Mrs. Dora,’ who volunteers her time and expertise to teach art class every Friday to the students.

“Everyone enjoyed the opportunity to express themselves through art and have parents and friends come out to our school to view their completed pieces,” states the school report.

Forge Ridge 4-H students won during the speech and poster contests held annually throughout the district. Melanie Rose earned first place in fourth grade speech. Seventh grader Rylie Hurst earned the top spot in the poster division. And, Gavin Houston placed first in fourth grade for the district.

In another matter, over 90 families benefited recently from the Forge Ridge community outreach program, which connects parents and guardians with local services.

Four Soldiers Memorial Middle School (SMMS) teachers were recently honored by the Claiborne Board of Education for their student performances during the TCAP 2016-17 scoring period.

Claiborne High Future Farmers of America (FFA) ceremonies and the Parliamentary Procedure teams finished first in the districts, regionals and sectionals. This is the first time this has occurred.

The CHS band was invited to participate in the Knoxville Christmas Parade.