We're looking for Volunteers for the Back To School Bash!

This is a reminder that all students entering the seventh grade must turn in an updated TN immunization certificate, as required by the State of Tennessee, no later than August 7, 2019.

BY AMBER WADOVICK, Elizabethton Star

The LaPorte Sports Complex is just about complete. All the city needs now is time for the grass to grow.

Beginning June 11, the Betsy Book Bus will hit the road for the second season of its summer program. The bus will be distributing free books to children and teens in 13 different neighborhoods and programs across Elizabethton. The program will run for five weeks this summer to help local students build their home libraries and get excited about reading.

BY JONATHAN ROBERTS, Johnson City Press

Elizabethton High School may not name a valedictorian, but that doesn’t mean the school is short on students with impressive resumes.

Beginning with the Class of 2020, seniors at Elizabethton High School (EHS) will be enrolled in a new course designed to teach postsecondary success skills. The course, “Success! Skills for Excelling in College and Life,” will be co-taught by EHS teachers and Milligan College professors. Students enrolled will receive three hours of college dual enrollment credit.

If you asked a high school student what his or her summer plans are, you probably wouldn't expect to hear Veronica Watson’s response – teaching teens computer coding.

Podcasting is now becoming a staple across industries – even in education. This week, Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Instructional Design Team looks to incorporate it into their studies, they sought the advice of Elizabethton High School students.

BY CALEB PERHNE, WCYB

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. — The demand is growing for airline pilots while the number of pilots available is shrinking.

National Public Radio recently announced four Elizabethton High School juniors as the winners of the inaugural nationwide NPR Student Podcast Challenge. The contest was open to middle and high school students, and judges received nearly 6,000 submissions – about half of which were from high school students.

TAD Mathletes received four major awards in a competition Tuesday with 20 regional teams!

Student presentations and displays highlighted projects from throughout the year at Monday's Open House at EHS. Students were proud to share their work from immersive project-based learning (PBL) courses, but also from PBL coursework in their core classes. 

BY STEVE DRUMMOND & CLARE LOMBARDO, National Public Radio

What happened to a circus elephant in the small East Tennessee town of Erwin a century ago, and what are the people there today doing about it

In a first-time field trip, all 7th graders from T. A. Dugger Junior High School toured Tennessee College of Applied Technology at Elizabethton on Tuesday.

Elizabethton High School hosted an inaugural teacher recruitment event Tuesday designed to showcase the school’s vision and to attract future teachers. The purpose is not to fill currently open positions – there are few available – but to develop a short-list of innovative educators whose teaching styles align with EHS’ mission to design the high school of the future.

BY AMBER WADOVICK, Elizabethton Star

This was a different kind of field trip. Instead of going to the zoo and looking at animals or checking out a government building, students across Elizabethton and Carter County got out of school to do sports they often have no access to, and for many, it was a trip they had heavily anticipated for a long time.

Appalachian Highlands 20 Under 20 highlights students who have shown an affinity for science, math, engineering, and have leadership, community service, and entrepreneurial skills. Abbie Addington was selected by Counseling to represent EHS.

Students have far exceeded expectations in a recent assignment to create a podcast that tells a community story. The podcasts were recently submitted to the National Public Radio (NPR) Student Podcast Challenge, and they count for a grade in the Integrated English III and US History classes at Elizabethton High School. Winning submissions will air on NPR’s Morning Edition or All Things Considered and will be announced this month.

On Wednesday afternoon, Dr. Phil Roe, U.S. Congressman from Tennessee’s first district, visited with students at Harold McCormick Elementary School in Elizabethton. He shared the importance of civic involvement and literacy, telling students these will open the doors to a lifetime of opportunity.

Last week, ESE Kindergarten classes studied all about Community Helpers.

On April 13, four Elizabethton FFA members placed 2nd in the East TN Regional Nursery and Landscape Career Development Event. The students are Nathan Batchelder, Cheyenne Bowers, Heather Estep, and Maddie Jaynes.

Few high school honors compare to being named among the academic top 10 percent of your graduating class. On Monday night, 33 Elizabethton High school students were recognized at the school’s Top Ten Percent Banquet.

This weekend, EHS Advanced Drama participated in the Tennessee High School Speech and Drama League (THSSDL) District Competition in Johnson City.

BY ANDREW WADOVICK, Elizabethton Star

The Imagination Library is kicking off its annual Educators Hall of Fame for the 2019 year, bringing recognition and appreciation to the region’s educators.

BY BRYCE PHILLIPS, Elizabethton Star

Ask any high school coach, and they will tell that their athletic program can only be as good as its feeder programs.

News, events, and frequently visited web pages are now just a click away with the new Elizabethton City Schools mobile application.

BY THE XQ TEAM, Medium

Serving on a school board can be exhausting. It can be frustrating. It can mean late nights and tough decisions.

But Rita Booher has not regretted a moment of it.

Growing up in a small town can make opportunities seem limited. But EHS alumnus Dr. Joseph Ibrahim visited history and health science students Thursday with a different message.

BY BRYCE PHILLIPS, Elizabethton Star

Elizabethton High School senior Will Bowers has a vision.

Parents and students of rising 6th graders are encouraged to attend 5th Grade Parent Night at T. A. Dugger Junior High School on Thursday, April 4, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. We will provide a lot of information on the about registration, sports, clubs, and general information that parents and students need to be aware of for the upcoming school year.

Elizabethton High School soccer players were elated Tuesday to tour their new locker room, which was the result of a student-led Community Improvement Class project. After several months of planning, fundraising, and working in the building, they cut the ribbon and opened the new facility.

Elizabethton High School and T. A. Dugger Junior High School Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) students attended the State FBLA Leadership Conference this week and brought home several awards. 

Tired of not having the energy to function during the day? Need a way to relieve stress? Want to be more fit? Reduce your blood pressure? Increase your muscular strength and endurance? Have a healthier, stronger heart?

Several T. A. Dugger Junior High School and Elizabethton High School band students participated in the East Tennessee School Band and Orchestra Solo & Ensemble Festival held at Chuckey Doak High School on March 2. They were all awarded medals for receiving a Superior or Excellent rating. A large number of students prepared solos and small ensemble pieces for the event, and Elizabethton had the most students participate of any other schools in attendance.

It’s not uncommon for students to graduate college, begin a job in their chosen field, and realize it’s not at all what they expected. To help students get familiar with real job opportunities and what a day of work will be like in various fields, Elizabethton High School has launched a new partnership with local businesses called Career POP (Possibility – Opportunity – Partnership).

BY ANDREW WADOVIC, Elizabethton Star

Taking a national exam without passing out is often an accomplishment in itself. Scoring significantly above the state average is another, but being able to broadcast your accomplishments to the entire city on a massive sign is a feat on its own level.

Congratulations to EHS students who placed highly in a regional business contest!

Many of our students celebrated Read Across America Day and Dr. Seuss' birthday by dressing like their favorite book characters and reading together.

In her first weeks on the job, Tennessee’s new Education Commissioner, Dr. Penny Schwinn, has already visited dozens of classrooms across the state. She is listening to students and teachers to better understand what’s working. On Friday, she visited East Side Elementary in Elizabethton, Tenn. among four schools in northeast Tennessee.

Parents interested in their children attending Elizabethton City Schools as new tuition students should apply online in the Cyclone Connection for grades K-8 or in person for grades 9-12. 

West Side students in grades 3-5 now have an opportunity to learn about rockets, build models, and fly them after school. Principal and club sponsor John Wright hopes this will inspire an interest in space exploration as well as technology and engineer careers of the future.

Students in the special education program at Elizabethton High School will begin cultivating plants for their new market garden, thanks to a donation by the Knights of Columbus Council 10743. Their instructor, Lucas Andrews, said they are hoping to partner with restaurants who will be able to use the microgreens and figs they grow.

Parents interested in enrolling their children in the Wandell Early Learning Center can now begin the process online. The online application is available on the WELC web page and on Elizabethton City Schools social media. Parents applying online will be contacted by the WELC Office regarding required documentation.

BY CURTIS CARDEN, WJHL

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (WJHL) - Recent visitors to downtown Elizabethton will notice colorful barn quilts and corresponding personal stories on display in the breezeway.

Recent visitors to downtown Elizabethton will notice colorful barn quilts and corresponding personal stories on display in the breezeway. These are the culmination of a student-organized K-12 storytelling and art contest in Elizabethton City Schools called East TN Tuff Tales.

Planning is underway for the 4^th annual Elizabethton Back-2-School Bash, and organizers are calling on the community to get involved as sponsors, partners in the resource fair, and volunteers.

Elizabethton High School seniors again participated in the state’s free ACT Retake, with 40 percent of participants improving their scores. More than a quarter of the current senior class will graduate with a higher score as a result of this opportunity, which was provided at no cost by the Tennessee Department of Education.

Congratulations to all Elizabethton teachers of the year! 

BY JOHN THOMPSON, Johnson City Press

ELIZABETHTON — Part of nearly every high school student’s educational experience is the writing of research papers. While this is important experience for future college courses and future jobs after college, there may not be enough primary sources to meet the needs of all these students.

Several students across the district have recently qualified for auditioned choral and instrumental groups at the state level. On behalf of the Elizabethton Board of Education, Board Chair Rita Booher congratulates each of these students and their instructors.

ELIZABETHTON - January 20-26, 2019 is School Board Appreciation Week in Tennessee. This week helps build awareness and understanding of the vital functions our locally elected boards of education play in our community. Elizabethton City Schools is joining public school districts from across the state to celebrate School Board Appreciation Week and honor local board members for their commitment to Elizabethton and its children.

Welcome Maggie Donnellan, Bartleby Community Partners Coordinator for Elizabethton High School. Donnellan graduated from Furman University in May 2018 (Roll Dins!) and is so pleased to be starting her next chapter here in Elizabethton.

Last month, East Side's own Rachel Darnell was invited to speak on a panel at a Read to be Ready celebration in Knoxville with Education Commissioner Candice McQueen. The panel consisted of one teacher, one reading coach, and one reading coach consultant from east Tennessee.

BY KASEY MARLER, WJHL

ELIZABETHTON, TN (WJHL) - The plan was set. Sara Dunford was going to get her engineering degree and go into construction.