The Huntsville High School car, left, overtakes the Howard High car during the 2018 Chattanooga Green Prix at Chattanooga State Technical Community College on Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Students from area schools built single-seat electric race cars to compete in the event.Green Prix cars to be featured at Motorcar Festival
Cars that are part of Hamilton County Schools' electric race car program will make an appearance at the inaugural Chattanooga Motorcar Festival.
Green Prix cars from Soddy-Daisy Middle, Sequoyah High, Clifton Hills Elementary and Orchard Knob Elementary schools will be featured and will run a short race at the event.
The festival, sponsored by Volkswagen and hosted by the Westin Hotel and Chattanooga's West Village will be held from October 11 to 13. The event will not only show off vintage cars but will also include time trials, a concours d'elegance, a rally and other family-friendly activities.
The Green Prix program launched in eight local schools in 2017. It was aimed at teaching students design and engineering skills as they geared up for a competition this spring.
Cleveland City Schools host strategic planning sessions
The Cleveland City Schools system will be hosting a second strategic planning session Thursday, Sept. 19. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in Cleveland High School's library. The focus groups are intended for community members to hear from district leaders and school board members about the district's five-year strategic plan. Community members also will be encouraged to share their own feedback in a small group setting.
Chattanooga Public Library awarded $20K state grant
Last week, members of Hamilton County's legislative delegation announced a $20,000 technology grant for the Chattanooga Public Library from the Tennessee State Library and Archives.
Technology grants are available for public libraries to replace or purchase technology, including computers, software, networking hardware or peripherals. The local Collegedale Public Library also will receive a $4,752 grant for desktops and children's workstations.
"Libraries are an essential place for people to go when they don't have access to computers at home or work," said State Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, in a press release. "It is especially important for those who need to search for jobs, apply for unemployment benefits or get online training that helps them enhance their skills. I am proud to support this grant."
State Sens. Gardenhire and Bo Watson joined Reps. Robin Smith, Patsy Hazlewood, Yusuf Hakeem, Mike Carter and Esther Helton last Tuesday announce the award after being notified by Secretary of State Tre Hargett.
"Access to technology is something many of us take granted," Hargett said in a press release. "Our public libraries across the state play a pivotal role in connecting Tennesseans. I'm proud of the role the Tennessee Library and Archives plays in increasing access to technology and education across the entire state."
The State Library and Archives has awarded more than $350,000 in technology grants across the state.
TSU band to visit Orchard Knob Middle
Tennessee State University's marching band will visit Orchard Knob Middle School at 1 p.m. on Monday. The band will perform for the school's students as part of a statewide tour that launched last week.
The band will have visited four schools including schools in Memphis and Atlanta and on Sunday performed during the Atlanta Falcons' half-time show. The band will conclude it's performance tour at Orchard Knob Middle School.
Chattanooga State kicks off Chautauqua lecture series
Chattanooga State Community College will kick off its 6th annual Chautauqua Lecture Series beginning Thursday.
The lecture series will feature the compelling and culturally relevant research of seven Humanities & Fine Arts faculty as well as the series finale with Writers@Work 2019-2020 visiting author Daniel Wallace.
Anna Harrington will kick off the series at 2 p.m. on Thursday with a talk entitled "An Insider's Guide to Downton Abbey: A Behind the Scenes Look at History, Manners, and the Aristocracy of Edwardian England," which provides an insider's glimpse into Edwardian country life and aristocracy as portrayed in the hit Masterpiece series Downton Abbey.
Additional lecture presentations will occur on Oct. 17, Nov. 21, Feb. 13, March 19 and April 9. All events are free and open to the public and will take place at 2 p.m. in Chattanooga State's Humanities Building Room H-133 on its main campus at 4501 Amnicola Highway.
If you have news about local schools you'd like included in Class Notes, email Meghan Mangrum at mmangrum@timesfreepress.com.