During the month of October, in honor of National Principals Month, Chattanooga 2.0 received over 750 ‘Thank You’ note submissions from students, teachers, parents, and community members to our Hamilton County principals.
“Principals shape the culture of our schools by creating an environment that supports academic excellence and innovation for both teachers and students,” says Sarah Morgan, President of The Benwood Foundation and member of the Chattanooga 2.0 Great Teachers Great Leaders action team. “It is crucial that we provide our school leaders the training, resources, and support to help them meet these high expectations and to recognize them for their dedication and achievements.”
Chattanooga 2.0 has recognized the importance of empowering school leaders in the district since it was outlined as a priority area in its initial report in 2016. This priority area, along with the priority of supporting great teachers in every school and classroom, is what led to the creation of the Great Teachers, Great Leaders action team.
Over the last year and a half, the work of this action team has led to professional development programs, resources to support Hamilton County teachers and principals, and opportunities to train our brightest teachers for leadership roles.
“We are thrilled with the number of ‘Thank You’ notes submitted to our incredible Hamilton County principals,” said, Jennifer Andrews, Program and Engagement Manager, Chattanooga 2.0. “Our principals and school leaders deserve to be recognized for their tireless efforts in pursuit of excellence, the progress our schools are making daily, and the impact they have on each child in our community.”
All 64 teachers who submitted ‘Thank You’ notes were entered into a raffle to win one of four field trips donated by community partners– Creative Discovery Museum, Tennessee Aquarium, Hunter Museum of Art, and a tour of the Edney Innovation Center (includes TechTown, Co.Lab, and the Enterprise Center).
Matt Raper, 7th Grade ELA teacher at Ivy Academy, and Ashley Cox, 10th Grade English teacher at The Howard School, were the two teachers randomly selected and will each take up to 30 of their students and principal on one of the field trips in the coming months.
