Central Office Update

On July 31, certified employees from across the school district gathered at Jefferson County High School for the annual kick-off event. Before the ceremony, various departments hosted fun activities and distributed information in the commons area. District partners, including many Jefferson County businesses, were in attendance to celebrate teachers and provide refreshments and door prizes. Teachers participated in activities including ring toss, basketball, and networking, earning chances to win door prize tickets. JCHS service learning students served a light breakfast, and everyone had a chance to catch up after the summer break.

The district uses this event to showcase the talents of its students. The opening ceremony began with the JROTC presenting the colors, followed by the National Anthem, sung by Rebecca Goldstein, and the Pledge of Allegiance, led by Piedmont Elementary's Mia and Carson Kabatuando. Dr. Arnold delivered an opening message, emphasizing the importance of building relationships with students and coworkers, and spreading the word about the value of public education. Central Office staff provided departmental updates, set goals for the year, and reviewed last year's accomplishments.

A highlight of the ceremony was the recognition of Jefferson County employees with 20 or more years of service in the district. Awardees received a pin to honor their many years of dedicated service to the students and families of Jefferson County.

In surveys following the event, many attendees expressed gratitude for hearing Dr. Arnold speak about the district and acknowledged the effort put into organizing the event. Suggestions for improvement were also shared, and the district leadership team has reviewed all the feedback. Some changes will be implemented to make next year’s event even better.

Summer Learning Camps for rising kindergarten through ninth grade kept the learning going for close to 1,000 students this past June. The focus was on reading and math with additional time built in for individualized needs during an intervention block. Rising K-3 students participated in STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, Math) each day. Transportation and meals were provided to students free of charge.

Rising 10th graders were able to attend an academic boot camp during June. This program allowed students to recover some high school credit.

We want to thank all of the teachers, instructional assistants, site directors, nurses, bus drivers, and cafeteria workers. Because of your efforts, more students are ready to learn at high-levels this school year!

On August 13, 2024, Jefferson County Schools hosted a Safety Forum for stakeholders at Jefferson County High School. Attendees had the opportunity to hear from key leaders, including the Director of Schools, the Jefferson County Sheriff, and various Supervisors involved in school safety initiatives. The event also allowed parents and community members to meet the School Resource Officers (SROs) and connect with a local Department of Homeland Security Agent.

Additionally, community agencies such as Rescue 180 and the National Guard's "Stashed Away" trailer were present for parents to explore. These resources are dedicated to promoting a safe and healthy lifestyle, emphasizing the importance of avoiding vaping and substance use.

Jefferson County Schools hosted a lively Faculty and Staff Tailgate, bringing together team members for an afternoon of camaraderie and celebration. The event offered an opportunity to strengthen bonds among colleagues, share experiences, and enjoy some well-deserved relaxation. With a spread of delicious food and fun activities, the tailgate underscored the district's commitment to fostering a supportive and connected work environment, all while gearing up for a successful school year ahead. The district would like to thank to Jefferson City Christian Church, and other community partners and sponsors that made this event possible.

New teachers in Jefferson County began the New Teacher Cohort 2024 on August 27. The program pairs new teachers with strong mentors in their buildings who support them throughout the year. This year the program will focus on classroom management techniques as presented in the book, Teach Like a Champion.

Teachers are provided a structured learning cycle to help them internalize the techniques. The cycle includes the following steps: Teachers learn a few techniques in the monthly learning session; teachers practice the techniques for a few weeks; mentors observe new teachers for a brief amount of time and provide feedback in the form of a “glow” and a “grow”; teachers and mentors reflect together and learn from each other at the next session.

In the August session, teachers learned about procedures and routines that, when implemented well, allow smooth transitions during class and give priority to instruction.

The DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) is the culmination of the DECA year. More than 20,000 high school students, teacher-advisors, business professionals and alumni gather for several days of DECA excitement. DECA members demonstrate their college and career ready knowledge and skills by participating in DECA’s industry-validated Competitive Events Program, aligned with Career Clusters, National Curriculum Standards and 21st Century Skills in the areas of marketing, finance, hospitality, management and entrepreneurship. These members have qualified to attend based on superior performance at the district and association levels. More than 1,000 business professionals serve as judges to evaluate DECA members’ mastery of these concepts.

The International Conference represents some of the best and brightest in the world. There were over 20,000 students representing every state and 10-15 countries from around the world. The following students qualified and represented Jefferson County Schools at the conference in Anaheim, California.

1. Sarah Howard and Emily Royston - Travel and Tourism Team Decision Making Event

2. Bethany Engelberger and Dalton Foose - Sports and Entertainment Team Decision Making Event

Work-based learning connects students with community partners through apprenticeships and employment opportunities. Jefferson County Schools has strong partnerships with many placements in the county. We would like to spotlight a few and tell of the wonderful opportunities students have gained in training and education while working at their facilities. Aaron King, Emily Robinson, Kent Clevenger and Miguel Luna began careers and gained educational opportunities while in their Work-Based Learning placements.

Aaron King, pictured below, started with Oshkosh on September 8th, 2020, as a Weld Apprentice while attending Jefferson County High School. Aaron continued to work part-time while in school and into his freshman year at the University of Tennessee, where he is studying Cyber Security. In June of 2022, Aaron applied for a Digital Technology internship within the company and started that role in August of 2022. While going to college full-time and working as an intern, Aaron has managed to stay debt free from college tuition and work on many projects here within the Oshkosh/JLG facility. One of the main projects he has worked on is the expansion of our local area network and the startup of a new facility and all its data infrastructure setup and installment. Aaron has shown himself not only to have an impeccable work ethic but a drive and willingness to learn and grow within the company. He is a true asset and someone who has truly benefited from the School to Work program.

Emily Robinson, from Jefferson County High School worked as an intern at the café at the Bush Visitor Center during her senior year. While working, she has had the opportunity to learn all safety protocol with the kitchen equipment gaining her ServSafe certification, and all of the positions in the kitchen. She has also been trained in the front of the house daily operations. Emily was able successfully learn all the daily operations from open to the closing duties at the cafe. Since graduating from high school, Emily decided to continue to working for Bush Beans, and she has continued to do an amazing job. The internship program is a great program to students, and Bush Brothers has really enjoyed being a part of the program per the Bush Brothers Management Team.

Kent Clevenger, pictured below, started the WBL program at Rusty Wallace Ford in Dandridge as a part-time lube tech. He was then promoted to a full-time technician upon high school graduation. The Ford Dealership sent him to the Ford Master Class School in Atlanta during the summer. While working there, he received paid-for training for a year and has continued his career with Ford. He is now training the new Work-Based Learning lube tech. Jeremy Cleveland stated,” Kent has been a great asset to our Service Department and is moving up quickly with his positive, willing attitude and attention to detail.”

Migel Luna, pictured below, began his career at MAHLE in February 2024 as a high school intern in the Motorsport division and was hired full time in June directly after graduation as a Motorsport Machining Set Up Operator Trainee. Within 3 months of full-time employment, he has successfully completed the required safety classes and has also surpassed the minimum score requirement for several job specific classes/tests, such as Finish Piston Drawing, Intermediate Math, Piston Features, Workplan/Control Plan and Hand Measuring Devices. As a machining set up operator, Migel is responsible for the manufacture of pistons for Nascar and the entire racing industry using control plans, high precision lathes with milling capability, CNC machinery, CMM’s, robots, lasers and hand measuring devices. He uses his troubleshooting skills to address set up, tooling, quality and productivity issues on machine tools and process equipment. With Migel’s technical foundation he is building with MAHLE, he will not just have a secure job, but a career with life-long skills that will enable him to advance in the Automotive Racing Industry as far as he is willing to pursue.

While Aaron, Emily, Kent, and Miguel all entered their careers through Work-Based Learning, they have received education specific to their careers through opportunities at their employers. Whether that be college classes for a degree, on the job training and certifications, or at a company sponsored school specific to the industry. Partners are willing to pay for college and training to gain successful employees.