CSAS teacher named Geography Teacher of the Year
April Wyatt, a geography teacher at Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences, was awarded the 2019 Tom and Stella Mullane Geography Teacher of the Year Award by the Tennessee Geographic Alliance.
The award recognizes outstanding geographic educators in grades 7 through 12, according to a news release.
"As a former student of CSAS herself, Wyatt now uses that experience as a tool to better understand the way her students learn," said Jim Boles, principal of CSAS, in a statement. "She makes World Geography come alive for students in a way that is real and pertinent to their lives."
Wyatt will be honored at the annual Tennessee Council for Social Studies conference and receive $500 from the Alliance.
Kurt Butefish, director of the Tennessee Geographic Alliance, said in a news release that the nomination speaks volumes about Wyatt's excellence as an educator.
"The nomination shared how she makes global subject matter relevant by relating it to issues in the Chattanooga area and how she draws upon personal experiences to make geography resonate with her classes," he said.
Chattanooga Prep to honor Dr. King on Jan. 21
Chattanooga's newest charter school, the all-boys Chattanooga Preparatory School, will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a showcase of visual and performance arts.
The school's 65 sixth-grade boys have been preparing for the event for the last several weeks alongside their teachers and mentors.
The event will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 21 at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center, 200 East M.L. King Blvd.
"The Bessie is proud to host such talented young men as they honor Dr. Martin Luther King," said Paula Wilkes, president of Bessie Smith Cultural Center, in a statement. "We are looking forward to seeing what great work the students have accomplished with this project and to hear what they have learned in the process."
The event is free and open to the public.
CCA student honored by National YoungArts Foundation
Maggie Wilkinson, a student at the Chattanooga Center for Creative Arts , was named a 2019 YoungArts Foundation finalist in writing and poetry, the organization's highest honor.
Wilkinson was recognized at the 38th Annual National YoungArts Week in Miami, Florida earlier this month. She was one of only 710 students across the country selected to participate in the week, which allows students to participate in master classes and workshops with internationally recognized leaders in their fields.
Wilkinson will receive a cash prize of $10,000 and will share her work at institutes including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Baryshnikov Arts Center and New World Center.
If you have news about local schools you'd like to be included in Class Notes, email Meghan Mangrum at mmangrum@timesfreepress.com.