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News-old
January Reopening Schedule
![]() The schedule for the return to school has been released. Click link for more info. After a review of community and school COVID-19 data, Blount County students will continue the transition back to in-person learning in the following manner at our schools:
For the week of January, 11, 2021, parents of in-person learners at Blount County Schools can expect:
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The principal's calling: Eagleton's Wyrosdick delivers good news to parents
When Eagleton Elementary Principal Buffy Wyrosdick called a student’s mother the first week of school, the woman’s first, frustrated comment was “Already?” Instead of being in trouble, though, her child was being congratulated. She was one of the first parents Wyrosdick dialed for a “Good News Call of the Day.”
Now more than three dozen families have received good news from the principal, who set a goal this school year to call the parents of at least 130 of the 511 students.
“You can’t make enough positive phone calls home,” she said. “I don’t want that first phone call to be ‘We’re in trouble.’” One parent told the principal, “When I saw the school phone number pop up, my heart sank.” But when Wyrosdick tells them about the wonderful accomplishments she and the other staff members have recognized in their children, sometimes the parents become teary-eyed. The principal recognized one kindergartner for stopping to help another student tie a shoe and another student who “blew his reading goal out of the water.” Wyrosdick credits another administrator she follows on Twitter with the call idea: Minnesota Principal Mark French, @PrincipalFrench. Kết quả xổ số Cà MauOne of the unexpected benefits of the social media site she has found is professional development, as it connects her with education leaders across the globe. Eagleton students still are a bit hesitant when Wyrosdick calls them to the office for the surprise. When Landon Bowers arrived on a recent afternoon and she asked the third-grader if he wanted to know why he was called to the office, he slowly said, “Yeah,” as if he wasn’t quite sure he wanted to hear the answer. “We’re going to call home and brag on you,” the principal said as the boy broke into a huge grin. Kết quả xổ số Cà MauLater he confessed that while he was walking to the office he was wondering, “What if I’m in trouble?” Kết quả xổ số Cà MauAfter Wyrosdick explained why Landon was called to the office, they headed to the hallway to take a smiling and a silly selfie together to post on Twitter after the call. As they walked back through the main office to Wyrosdick’s room, along the way the principal told everyone they passed why the student was in the office, and they offered congratulations and high-fives. On the phone with parents, the principal shares her own observations as well as what teachers have told her. She told Landon’s mother, Damaris, how polite her son always is and how hard the math teacher said he has worked. After struggling in math earlier, Landon now has scored 100 percent on his past three tests. Kết quả xổ số Cà Mau“He’s really giving his ‘personal best effort,’” the principal said. Eagleton highly values “PBE” in its students. Kết quả xổ số Cà MauA social studies teacher also had noted Landon’s contributions to a recent lesson. “He really brought Cuba to life for his classmates,” Wyrosdick said. “We’re blessed to have him here at our school,” she told the mother. Kết quả xổ số Cà Mau“I’m blown away,” Damaris Bowers said after talking with the principal. “He’s worked so hard.” Later in the afternoon, Wyrosdick posted call photos on Twitter with “#GoodNewsCallOfTheDay” and “#eessoars2016.” The principal said she sees the joy in the children’s faces and the pride and self-confidence that carry through long after the phone call. “This is the highlight of my day,” she said. Parents often tell her, “You made my day.” “I”m all about building relationships with the students, the staff and the school community,” the principal said. The calls are just one element of positive reinforcement. She also will give a “Shout Out” to a student during the morning announcements, and the school has positive referral forms that teachers can quickly complete to recognize students. Although working the call habit into the workday was a challenge at first, Wyrosdick said, “This is a priority. I want to make sure I make this happen.” She has created a spreadsheet with each day of the school year, where she records whom she called, the student’s grade level and other notes, such as why she didn’t make a call if the day is blank. Already she has noted scheduled activities for the remainder of the year, to show when she may need to plan the call earlier in the day or ask Assistant Principal Chad Tipton to make a call for her. “I’d love to see this take off and see lots of Good News Calls of the Day coming from Blount County,” the Eagleton principal said. April Herron, principal at Middlesettlements Elementary School, began making a #GoodNewsCallOfTheDay in late October, after talking with Wyrosdick and attending social media sessions at the state Education Department’s LEAD conference in Nashville. Herron already had been making positive calls to parents, but now she is including the students in those calls. “The children have just been giddy,” the principal said. Knowing how tense a call from the school can make parents, she’s sure to begin by telling them, “I’m calling for a great reason,” to put them at ease. Kết quả xổ số Cà MauIf the principal later needs to talk with a parent about a problem, that first positive call can pave the way by showing that the school truly cares about the child, she noted. Kết quả xổ số Cà MauTo show her appreciation to Wyrosdick for inspiring the calls, Herron sent her fellow principal a gift: a selfie stick. Find the principals’ posts on Twitter from the accounts of @BuffyWyrosdick and @MSESettlers, with #GoodNewsCallOfTheDay.
By Amy Beth Miller amy.miller@thedailytimes.com TheDailyTimes.com | |
Carpenters Middle School practices saving lives
When someone suffers from a sudden cardiac arrest, every minute counts. If the person receives CPR and shock with an automated external defibrillator (AED) within three to five minutes, the odds of survival are about 70 percent, according to Karen Dean Smith, coordinator of the Project ADAM program at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, who works to provide training and supplies to schools. With each passing minute, the survival rate drops 10 percent. “It’s a quick thing, and it has to be responded to quickly,” Smith said during a recent interview. “Our goal is to be able to get an AED delivering a shock to anywhere on campus in three to five minutes.” During a drill Wednesday at Carpenters Middle School, the cardiac response team had an AED to the “victim” in less than 50 seconds and delivered the first shock within two minutes. In this case the “victim” was a practice dummy. Kết quả xổ số Cà MauWhile Blount County Schools have conducted staff CPR and AED training for years, the student health services coordinator, Robin Cook, told every school to conduct at least two drills this school year. “The drills give everyone a better perspective of what everybody’s roles are,” Cook said. “The drills will make a difference.” Multiple roles “We’re not professionals, but we want to be as prepared as possible,” said CMS Principal Jon Young. The 10 members of the CMS cardiac arrest response team (CART) are a subset of the school’s crisis team, chosen for their locations in the school and their ability to handle stressful situations. For example, Halle Timpson, a sixth-grade math and science teacher whose classroom is close to the AED location, is also an Air Force veteran. “We all know our roles,” CMS Assistant Principal Courtney Whitehead said. Kết quả xổ số Cà MauThe school resource officer and head custodian are responsible for communicating with the 911 dispatch center and ambulance service. The front office calls Carpenters Elementary for its school nurse to come to the middle school to care for any children in the clinic and relay any health information from the files in the nurse’s office about the victim. Teachers who aren’t on the crises team know to cover classes for those who are and to keep students out of the hallways and away from the incident scene, creating a clear pathway for an ambulance crew to respond. On her way to the scene, school nurse Angie Gillis, RN, grabs a red backpack that includes items such as a first-aid kit, airway, blood pressure cuff and more. “It’s my little ambulance in a bag, she said. Refining practices “We learn something every time,” Whitehead said of the CMS drills.
Each time the CMS staff has refined its process. The first time, for
example, they learned that they could use a button on their radios to
activate a siren sound. Because three team members are designated to
take the school’s AED to the site, in case someone is out of the
building, they learned that when the person who retrieves it leaves the
case door open others can easily see the devices is on its way. Kết quả xổ số Cà MauPrepared for years While the drills in Blount County Schools may be new, training isn’t. The registered nurses who work in Blount County’s middle and high schools are trained CPR instructors, and staff members are encouraged to take the CPR training they offer, which includes AED training. “We’re constantly doing CPR training throughout the year,” Cook said. All coaches must have the training, and every field trip must include an adult trained in CPR. The first two AEDs were donated to Blount County Schools 10-15 years ago, and by 2009 every school had at least one, Cook said. Some have two AEDs and the high schools have three. BCS has a total of 33 AEDs. “All schools are working toward being designated as Heart Safe Schools,” Cook said. CMS received its accreditation a few weeks ago. To receive that accreditation through the Sudden Arrhythmia Death
Syndromes Foundation, schools must complete a number of steps to raise
awareness and prevent cardiac deaths, in addition to training and
drills. Maryville and Alcoa schools also have received Heart Safe
Schools designation. By Amy Beth Miller-The Daily Times |
Students gain expertise in Second Battle of the Build
From a rustic-style farm table constructed without screws or nails to
a mailbox pillar made with artificial stone, the 2nd Annual Battle of
the Build showed off students’ knowledge and skill. At the event
sponsored by the Maryville Alcoa Home Builders Association at Foothills
Mall on Saturday, judges awarded: • First place, $1,000, to William Blount High School Kết quả xổ số Cà MauThe prize money will go to each school’s vocational program, and money from a silent auction for the projects also will go back to the schools.
Technically the Maryville Junior High project is a folding,
articulated table bench, but the students call it a “transformer,” a
picnic table with parts that easily glide into place to form a
bench. They modified designs they found online to add support so wood
wouldn’t bow, add space between boards to improve drainage and more. Combined Interests Kết quả xổ số Cà MauMichael McClelland, a senior, represented Maryville High School with a mountain dulcimer he crafted as a sophomore in a woodworking class. “I learned a lot about music while making the dulcimer,” McClelland said. “I learned a lot about how wood instruments are made.” He also learned about the resonance of different materials, soft and hard wood, plastic and bone. For the nut and bridge on his dulcimer, McClelland used deer bone that his teacher provided. Asked what he’ll do after graduation, McClelland said, “Mainly I’m going to play music.” But he also may get to a two-year college to study welding. “If I’m this good at wood, why not try metal,” said McClelland, who has won previous shop awards.
In presenting the awards Saturday, Brad McDougall said, “There are excellent jobs available in the construction area,” and he remarked about the lack of people trained for jobs in those trades. ”There’s more being taught than we realize, but there’s more that can be done” to prepare students for those jobs, McDougall, immediate past president of the Maryville Alcoa Home Builders Association, said later. By Amy Beth Miller-The Daily Times |
Judge encourages educators who make a difference when they enter the classroom
Juvenile Court Judge Kenlyn Foster reflected on the many educators
who shaped her life when they walked into their classrooms, as she
delivered the keynote speech Tuesday night at Blount County Schools’
Excellence in Education Banquet.
Kết quả xổ số Cà MauA 1986 graduate of Heritage High School, Foster recalled James Goodson, who inspired her creativity, Dorothy Petree, who taught her how to write, and Terri Bradshaw who taught her the value of being practical. She remembered Alan Martin, who threw a rock against a classroom wall to demonstrate Newton’s First Law of Motion, and Jane Pesterfield, who tried —unsuccessfully — to teach Foster to adopt neatness as a habit, among other teachers who shaped her life. Benny Dalton taught her the value of community, Foster said, and she remembered the late John Davis Jr., “who taught me what it means to be a member of a school family.”
Top Teachers During the banquet at Heritage High School, Blount County Schools
honored dozens of teachers representing each school, as well as
classified staff, administrators and alumni. Three Blount County
educators honored as 2015 Teacher of the Year will go on to compete for
the honor of Tennessee Teacher of the Year:
Amy Beth Miller-The Daily Times |
Pedal Power pumps up reading at Carpenters Middle
Nearly 200 Carpenters Middle School students are reading and riding during 20 minutes of their language arts classes.
While all of the schools' students read a book they select for 20
minutes a day during language arts, the 196 students in the new Pedal
Power program ride exercise bikes at the same time. The goal is to
improve their reading, and the exercise is just an added benefit. In the
first week, even the students noticed a difference and were
enthusiastic about the pedaling time. "They beg me to come ride the
bikes," said eight-grade language arts teacher Jordan Ridenour.
Improved focus
"I used to not focus while I was reading," said Robert Barron, an
eighth-grader who was reading "Pop" by Gordon Korman during Friday's
Pedal Power program. Riding the bike helps, Barron said. "I think of
reading instead of other things," like playing with a pencil."I've been
reading more," said classmate Lexxus Woods, who read "Autumn Falls" by
Bella Thorne while she was on the exercise bike Friday morning.
Students are even talking about their Pedal Power accomplishments
in the hallway. Ridenour said he has heard comments such as "I read 20
pages and biked two miles!" Ridenour was enthusiastic about the program
as soon as he heard about it. Reading while running on a treadmill is
one of his habits. "That's sometimes where I get my best reading done,"
he said. He recognized that having a physical outlet instead of trying
to just sit still would help middle school students. "Sometimes these
kids get a little fidgety," Ridenour said.
Tracking results
Literacy leader Terri Bradshaw was inspired to launch Pedal Power
by people she saw reading while exercising at the gym and other school
"read and ride" programs that have reported better reading test scores
for students who bike while reading. At one elementary school, she said,
students who read while biking scored in the 83th percentile on a
reading test while classmates who didn't use the bikes scored in the
60th percentile. "I hope to see similar results," Bradshaw said.
CMS students in the Pedal Power program took the STAR Reading test
Monday, the day before they started using the bikes, and they will take
the test again at the end of the school year. Students' reading more
also would help Carpenters Middle reach its goal for the Reading Rocks
program of completing 10,000 books this school year.
"Reading is woven into our (school) culture," said Principal Jon
Young, noting that administrators and teachers also will read beside
students during designated reading times during the school week.
Health grant funding
CMS purchased 14 exercise bikes with a $2,000 Coordinated School
Health mini-grant and some additional funding from Volunteer Pharmacy.
Bradshaw hoped to start with 10 bikes, but the funding and a deal she
found on Amazon allowed her to purchase more. Custodian Tony Carnes
assembled the exercise bikes with some help from Bradshaw's husband. The
exercise bikes are located in a room that formerly housed outdated
computers. Teachers also are reaping the benefits, riding while reading
or grading papers during planning periods when students aren't using the
bikes. Amy Beth Miller-The Daily Times |
Blount, Maryville honored for AP gains
This was the third consecutive year Blount County earned
recognition, and Maryville also made the honor roll in 2013. The honor
roll recognizes districts that increase access to Advanced Placement
courses while also increasing the percentage of students earning a score
of 3 or higher on AP exams.
Colleges generally require scores of 3, 4 or 5 on AP exams for
college credit, placement or both. Nationwide, 421 school districts
earned recognition on the most recent honor roll, based on data from
2013-15. Maryville, Heritage and William Blount high schools all track
their AP data a bit differently, but all show significant gains in the
past five years.
Blount students have dozen choices
William Blount High School has gone from offering a single AP class
in 2011 to up to a dozen now, although not every class is held every
year. Heritage High School has 10 AP classes. “We’re really trying to
push rigorous AP courses,” HHS Assistant Principal Robert Reeves said.
HHS is working to increase awareness among students and parents about AP
courses, and Reeves said, “Teachers are our best recruiters.” Blount
County students can begin AP coursework their freshman year with AP
Human Geography.
“There are some kids that come out of this school who are going to
have nine or 10 AP course credits,” Reeves said. “It’s almost an entire
year of school.” “This is life-changing for some of these students,” the
assistant principal said. “I’m impressed with how our teachers have
gotten so much out of these students,” Reeves said. Along with bright
students, when a high number score well enough on the AP exam, “you’ve
got a rock star as a teacher,” he said.
In 2015, for example, all 19 HHS students who took the AP Biology
exam scored a 3 or higher. Of 90 HHS students who took an AP exam 2015,
71 had a score of 3 or more. Heritage’s AP program grew from students
taking 54 exams in 2011 to 85 in 2015 and 135 last year. “I’d like to
see us go over 500 AP exams here,” Reeves said. Even if they don’t take
the exams, though, Reeves noted that simply completing the more
challenging AP coursework can drive student achievement in other areas,
such as ACT scores.
William Blount increased the number of students taking AP
coursework from 27 in 2011 to 173 in 2013 and 204 in 2015. The number of
AP exams increased to 11, 123 and 134, respectively. Last year, William
Blount students scored 3 or higher on 91 AP exams.
Maryville increasing too
In 2011, Maryville High School offered a dozen AP courses and now
it has teachers trained to offer 23, although not all courses are held
every year. Last year and this year it held 18 AP courses. In 2011,
students filled 638 seats in AP classes, with many taking more than one.
This year MHS has 979 AP seats filled. “Maryville City Schools’
strategic plan set a goal to increase students earning college credit
through AP course work,” Principal Greg Roach said, so it has been
recommending students for AP work and encouraging them to test for
college credit. “We want to be sure that we’re challenging each
student,” he said. The number of exams taken by MHS students rose from
280 in 2011 to 356 in 2013 and 521 last year.In the past three years, an
average of 80 percent of the AP test takers at MHS have scored well
enough to earn college credit.
Support for exam fees
The Blount County Education Foundation provides scholarships to
help cover the AP exam fees. For non-fee-waiver students, those who
don’t qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches, BCEF offers to
pay half of the $92 exam fee. It will pay the entire fee for
fee-waivered students. “We are very grateful to the Blount County
Education Foundation for their support of our students,” William Blount
Principal Rob Clark said. Maryville High School keeps a list of sponsors
to assist students who need help paying for their exam fees. By Amy Beth Miller-The Daily Times |
Blount Schools 'green' cleaning receives national recognition
Walk into any of Blount County Schools’ 23 buildings, and you won’t
smell the strong ammonia, lemon or pine odors people often associate
with cleaning products. Instead, Blount County has replaced harsh
chemicals with safer and more environmentally friendly products and
practices over the past five years. “Many people went through the years
thinking that clean has a smell,” said Gary Farmer, the schools’
facilities director. “Clean does not have a smell.” “I would put the
cleanliness of our buildings up against any other school system, green
or non-green,” said Rick Morgan, custodial supervisor for Blount County
Schools.
Award-winning program Blount County Schools’ cleaning program received national recognition with an honorable mention in the Green Cleaning Awards for Schools & Universities last month. Kết quả xổ số Cà MauThe only K-12 district that scored higher, from Athens, Ga., received last year’s honorable mention in the awards sponsored by American School & University magazine, the Green Cleaning Network and the Healthy Schools Campaign. Since 2005, 10 states and the District of Columbia have adopted some type of law requiring schools to consider environmentally friendly cleaning products and practices, but Tennessee is not among them. Schools, vendor work together Blount County Schools works closely with its vendor, Kelsan Inc., on the cleaning program, including training twice a year for the district’s 79 custodians on best practices and new products. Teresa Farmer, Kelsan’s e-commerce and education coordinator, said she usually works with higher education institutions in East Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina, including Maryville College and the University of Tennessee. However, students in K-5 schools can greatly benefit from reducing the amount and harshness of cleaning chemicals, which can trigger asthma attacks. Evolving effort Blount County first tested a green cleaning initiative at Carpenters Middle School and Eagleton Elementary School in 2010. In addition to cost savings projected to be 10 percent to 15 percent annually, those schools also saw a slight increase in attendance, and the CMS principal reported fewer reactions among students and staff with allergies after cleaning at the school. Schools across the district transitioned to the new cleaning methods gradually, over about three years, as they used up existing supplies, reducing the transition cost. As equipment reaches the end of its use, Farmer also is replacing it with more environmentally friendly options. Kết quả xổ số Cà MauStandardized cleaning procedures call for disinfecting all “touch surfaces,” such as desktops, doorknobs, handrails and water fountains daily, with more intensive cleaning if a student is sent home ill from a classroom. Farmer thinks cleaning procedures have helped Blount County Schools remain open over the past three years when other districts have had to close because of widespread illness. More efficient “It surprised me that the green cleaners were as effective, if not
more effective than, the volatile chemicals,” Morgan said of the initial
switch. Now concentrated cleaners are dispensed through a wall-mounted
chemical management system at each school that mixes the cleaners with
the proper amount of water before use. Custodians wash and reuse
color-coded microfiber clothes and dust mops, and they clean bathrooms
with a pressurized water and vacuum system, so there is no
mopping. Three of the four main cleaners the schools use are Green Seal
certified for meeting health, environment and performance standards. The
fourth is a hospital-grade disinfectant. Previously the staff used a bucket and a string mop that had to be thrown away, in a process that was tiring and hard on the workers’ backs, Morgan said. This year the custodians started using a system that applies wax from a backpack system with a sprayer and a microfiber pad that can be reused. The system also applies wax in a thinner layer than the old method, so it dries more effectively and creates a harder surface, Morgan explained. He estimates the schools will use 30 percent less wax with the new system. The newest ec-H2O floor scrubbers Blount County Schools is purchasing use no detergents, just electrically charged water, in a system estimated to also use 70 percent less water. While the savings can be substantial, Farmer said he’s particularly focused on the health benefits that can result from using safer products and procedures. “I’m proud of what we have done here and also proud of where we are going,” Farmer said. “It’s a safer way to clean.” Amy Beth Miller-The Daily Times, Article Tom Sherlin-The Daily Times, photographer |
Dollars for Doris sending patient to St. Jude
![]() Kết quả xổ số Cà MauThe money will pay for a child and parent to fly to the Memphis facility for treatment. Poppelreiter didn’t need financial aid for her treatment, but she was glad to give her name to the “Dollars for Doris” campaign to help children. She noted that Blount County has lost several young people to cancer in recent years. Kết quả xổ số Cà MauEnglish teacher Nancy Kemp started the campaign, which collected $51 from her students its first day in late October. “I want my kids to learn that if they give back, good things will happen,” Kemp said. She tells her students to “create your own karma.” As the campaign spread schoolwide, William Blount students brought in loose change and entire piggy banks, and collections were taken at basketball games and in the high school office. After a story about the campaign appeared in The Daily Times in late November, community members also sent donations to the school. Kết quả xổ số Cà MauPoppelreiter heard from former students, her favorite high school teacher, and colleagues and mentors from throughout her 38 years as an educator in Blount County. “That was very humbling for me,” Poppelreiter said. Principal Rob Clark allowed teachers to wear blue jeans to school for two weeks in December when they donated $10. As the campaign was wrapping up before the winter break, Von Buchanan, cafeteria manager, presented a donation from her team that Kemp said “really pushed the goal over the edge.” Amy Beth Miller, article-The Daily Times Kết quả xổ số Cà MauTom Sherlin, photo-The Daily Times |
Student-run credit union hones important skills
![]() Besides refueling their bodies with lunch on Wednesday, students at Eagleton Middle School entered the cafeteria ready to save for the future. That’s because the Royal Treasury Credit Union is now open for
business for the semester. The student-run credit union is a partnership
between the school and Y-12 Federal Credit Union. During lunch, all
students in the school, which houses those in sixth through eighth
grade, have the opportunity to open an account, make deposits and even
withdrawals as they learn the ins and outs of saving and budgeting.
Jessica Burchfield, school advisor for the program at Y-12, has one
semester under her belt and is now ready for the next. She has nine EMS
students who have operated the Royal Treasury since school began. Added
to this group will be six students in the Comprehensive Development
Classroom of teacher Robin Gaines. This is the first time these special
education students have been invited to join in the operation of the
school’s credit union. Gaines and her students couldn’t be happier.
“We talk about social skills in class, about being polite and
what’s appropriate,” Gaines said. “We also work on money in the
classroom a lot. This makes it more meaningful.”
Gaines’ students will be involved in everything from opening the
safe in the morning to taking in deposits, recording them, helping with
withdrawals and opening new accounts. The students from last semester
are working with them side by side. “These kids are super excited,”
Burchfield said. “They love it.”
Burchfield was inspired to include the CDC members after one
student in the class came to the school-operated credit union last
semester full of enthusiasm. He wanted to open an account. The student
is Derek Kyle. He came into the cafeteria, asked about an account and
took home the necessary paperwork. The following week, he was back with
the completed form. He’s been making deposits into his account ever
since. Kyle said he is ready to get started as an employee. He said the
money he has saved in his own account is for whenever he needs it. He
has also been asking friends to come and start their own accounts.
“This is going to help me learn more about money,” Kyle said. When
Burchfield initially asked if Gaines would be interested in
participating, she immediately said yes.
“This is a big deal,” the teacher said. “When it’s over, I hope my
students gain confidence, self-esteem and better social skills. I think
the social aspect is what holds them back the most.” Working on this
team will help them with communication skills in a nonacademic setting,
Gaines pointed out.That is so important because it’s hard to set up
those situations in the classroom. “This will be a very natural teaching
tool,” she said.
There is even a little competition going on to see which grade can
make the most deposits. The winner will be rewarded with a party at
semester’s end.
The eighth grade is planning a trip to Washington D.C. in April.
Burchfield said the credit union workers have figured out how much these
students need to save. It equalled out to $13.88 per week. On
Wednesday, the first day the credit union has been open this semester,
Burchfield was there guiding last semester’s group of mentors and
getting the CDC students ready for their roles. There was even a wheel
to spin for prizes for students coming in to open accounts or make
deposits.
The credit union at Eagleton Middle has been open since 2010, but
this is Burchfield’s first year as school advisor for Y-12. She said the
accounts these middle schoolers open can follow them into adulthood if
they choose. Eighth-grader Chandler Ford has experience with the Royal
Treasury. He worked in it last year and also last semester. He is one of
the ones who is helping Gaines’ students get off on the right foot. He
said the experience has helped him learn how to handle money and also
talk to people. He looks forward to another fun semester.
For the ones operating the credit union, it is just like having a
job, Gaines and Burchfield said. They wear the same shirts, are expected
to be on time and do a good job. Attitude is also important. Burchfield
even has the students go through an interview process. Y-12 Federal
Credit Union also partners with Union Grove Middle School and William
Blount High School to run credit unions there. In the end, the whole
process teaches students about the importance of saving, the need to be
accurate, how to be polite and gives them a big dose of
responsibility. “This is such a great experience for them,” Gaines said. Melanie Tucker-Story, The Daily Times Tom Sherlin-Photographs, The Daily Times |