Update from the Director

Dear HCSS Stakeholders,

On behalf of the Henry County School System faculty and staff, welcome back to the 24-25 school year!

Continue reading for a highlight of some of our exciting updates:

*The addition of the HC Strings Program to our 3rd and 4th grade students.

*Near completion of the HC Wellness Facility on the HCHS Campus

*New amazing educators to join the outstanding HCSS staff

(pictured below)

*Continued safety enhancements, with the newest being Life Check.

*Completion of full re-roofing of HCHS.

*Administration Updates:

DNH: Sherri Middleton, Principal and Dave Huber, Assistant Principal

Henry: Ashley James, Principal and Monty Byars, Assistant Principal

E.W. Grove: Pam McCord Principal and Ryan Muench, Assistant Principal

HCHS Assistant Principals: Robin House, Leah Nolen, Jake Anderson

We are set for an amazing school year and thank you for supporting the school system and for trusting us with the students of Henry County!

Sincerely,

Dr. Leah Watkins, Director of Schools

Patriot Playschool/PreK

Grove's Patriot Playschool and HCHS's Patriot Pre-K are in session! Our employee Daycare/PK at Grove can be seen in whole group read aloud time and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Patriot Pre-K can be seen practicing for fire drills and playing on the playground at HCHS. So many ways to teach and learn literacy skills and increase fine and gross motor skills! Playing to Learn is our Motto!

images of pk students playing /whole group

Summer Learning Camp 2024

STREAM students made elephant toothpaste while learning about different types of solutions and reactions.

Second Grade students visited different places in the community to learn about where we live!

Students had a visit from Officer Bruce to finish off their community helpers unit.

Our 6th graders took a trip to The Homeplace to visit an 1850s working farm and Living History Museum!

All summer camp students celebrated Juneteenth! Some made foldables, watched videos, and read stories about freedom day!

Water Day fun to celebrate the hard work of Summer Learning Camp: water slides, ice cream sundaes, scavenger hunts, and field day events

PreK-2nd Grade Education

PreK-2nd Grade Teachers — PreK-2nd grade teachers

As we gear up for the new school year, we want to take a moment to express our gratitude to our teachers. Your hard work and dedication does not go unnoticed!

Our PreK-2nd Grade teachers have been busy this summer not only preparing their classrooms but also engaging in professional learning and planning. Teaching young children to read and develop math skills is truly exciting, and we are thrilled to say our teachers are ready for a fantastic school year.

3-8 Education

Science Teachers — Science teachers dive into summer professional development, exploring high-quality, phenomenon-based instruction in preparation for this year's science textbook adoption.

So many eager 3rd graders this year at Dorothy & Noble Harrelson, we had to add another class to make room for all the excitement and learning! Welcome Mrs. Jade Colley to 3rd grade!

3rd graders are all smiles at Dorothy & Noble Harrelson School as they welcome their new teacher, Samantha Spicer, to the classroom!

These enthusiastic 3rd graders at Dorothy & Noble Harrelson School in Taylor Wilbanks classroom take a quick break from math to flash a thumbs up, excited to be back in school and ready to learn!

English as a Second Language

First grade ESL students work on writing sentences at the journal center.

First-grade students work on writing sentences at the journal center.

Students choose which center they want to go to next. They can choose phonics, word work, journal, Lalilo, or games during their center time.

Students choose which center they want to go to. They can choose phonics, word work, journal, Lalilo, or games during their center time.

Career and Technical Education

Leadership and learning opportunities for CTE students don't stop during summer break--and summer 2024 was no exception!

Agriculture pathway student Lucy Beth Jackson represented our district at the Governor's School for Agricultural Science on the campus of UT Martin from May 27-June 21.

Amelia Northam, HCHS STEM pathway student, represented our district June 2-29 on the campus of UT Knoxville at the Governor's School for Sciences and Engineering.

Work Based Learning

Through the WBL program, students put their knowledge and skills to work. For the fall 2024 semester, there are 33 WBL students who leave for a portion of the school day to participate in real-world career opportunities at 30 different WBL employer partners. Our partners for this semester include:

HC Chiropractic Clinic, Able Stables, Lakewood Elementary, Henry Elementary, Sweet Jordan's, HC Auto Repair, West TN Bone & Joint, Wheatley Tech, L & D Properties, Crove Media, Paris Elementary, Rhea Elementary, Bonnie's Real Estate, Sunrise Farms, McDevitt's Construction, HC Tech Department, Max Steele, Dynamix, Lamon Farms, Southern Concrete, PML, Mill Creek Farms, HC Theater Department, McKenzie Valve & Machining, HC Prevention Coalition, Lakeway IGA, Trolinger's, the UPS Store.

K-12 Fine Arts

We would like to share some exciting updates about our Henry County Fine Arts Programs.

This summer has been incredibly busy! The Henry County Marching Patriot Band kicked off their activities the week of July 8th and wrapped up their summer band camp on July 25th with a sneak peek of their 2024 show, What Lies Beneath the Surface.

Additionally, our middle and high school chorus directors has been diligently planning for students. We will have an exciting year of vocal performances. We are also thrilled to welcome the newest addition to our performing arts: the elementary strings program. Our dedicated teachers truly are making some noise!

Click on this link to view summer highlights for the beginning strings program!

2024 Band Camp — Henry County Marching Patriots

School Nutrition

Students & Volunteers at Vernon Place for Summer Feeding

The School Nutrition Summer Feeding Program served over 31,000 meals this summer!

First Baptist Church Summer Feeding Site

Students enjoy lunch at Lakewood Summer Learning Camp

Students at Lakewood Summer Learning Camp enjoy breakfast & lunch for free daily!

The summer feeding staff was responsible for providing meals to over 15 sites across the county!

The School Nutrition team spent the day learning how to best feed our students nutritious meals!

Special Education

Summer Learning - Students spent the day at the KOA experiencing the day in the life of camping.

Thank you to KOA and to Emma Dotson for being our personal lifeguard!

After a week of learning about the different types of animals and their habitats, students experienced up close learning at the Safari Park. They said this was the best field trip ever!

Harrelson 5th Grade at the Fair

Harrelson 3rd, 5th, and FFA students all got to attend the Henry County Fair this year. What an incredible way for our students to experience and learn from agricultural experts in the community. The students loved it and were amazed at the variety of Fair activities and happenings!

Dorothy Noble Harrelson

We are off to a GREAT start at Harrelson for '24-25!

Second graders select all the ways to 10 as they build number sense. These foundations will help them understand all the math to come as they master the standards throughout the grades!

Hawks learn from our new Guidance Counselor, Rachel Simonton, the importance of standing up for others in bullying situations. Harrelson students should feel safe and connected within our school community. These lessons are an important part of that process!

Our BEST BUDDIES program has officially started! Our peer mentors are ready and our younger Hawks are excited as this program enters its second year here at DNH.

Over 100 people showed up for our first ever picnic for faculty and staff members and their families! We were so excited to spend a time of fellowship together with our teachers and staff before welcoming our students back to school!

Henry

The school year is off to a great start at Henry Elementary School!

Henry students earned Pirate Praise during the first week of school for going above and beyond the expectations for G.O.L.D. behavior! When a student earns Pirate Praise, they get to choose a book from our book vending machine!

Henry teachers show appreciation for partners in education!

Henry teachers delivered treats and homemade goodies to our Partners in Education: Commercial Bank, Kroger, Shelter Insurance, and Tosh Farms.

Henry students visit the Henry County Fair!

Third and fouth grade students visited the Henry County Fair where they learned about different agriculture topics and viewed the fair exhibits.

Lakewood students work hard earning feathers and SOAR awards for going above and beyond! These awards recognize their dedication, exceptional work, and positive contributions to the school community, motivating them to continue striving for excellence and reinforcing a culture of achievement and support

Lakewood

Kindergarten students filled "About Me" bags with personal items from home to share with their classmates, offering a glimpse into their lives and personalities. This activity not only fostered a sense of community but also helped the young learners connect with each other on a deeper level by celebrating their unique interests and backgrounds.

The Lakewood cheerleaders opened car doors for arriving fans before the game on Thursday, adding a touch of excitement and hospitality to the pre-game atmosphere. Their spirited welcome set a positive tone for the event and showed their dedication to supporting the community.

Mrs. Christy's class celebrated yellow day by dressing in yellow, making yellow crafts, and singing songs!

E.W. Grove

We’re off to a fantastic start this school year! Our hallways are filled with the energy of 330 brand-new freshmen as they navigate their way through high school. They are meeting new people, learning the layout of the school, and beginning to find their place in our community. It’s an exciting time as we watch them take their first steps on this new journey.

Coach Lassiter's PE classes are getting creative every Friday by developing new games to play with our little Patriots. Given a variety of props, students are tasked with designing their own unique games, fostering creativity, teamwork, and leadership skills in the proces.

Mr. Jackson's Advisory class took a tour of the campus, where students learned the best routes to all of their classes. The first few days of high school can be intimidating, especially when navigating an unfamiliar school. However, by week two, these students have mastered the layout and are moving confidently through our halls.

Students kicked off our first Fun Friday of the school year with a lively karaoke session. We weren't sure how they would respond, but they absolutely loved it! The event was a hit, and we even had several teachers step up to the mic and showcase their talent alongside the students.

HCHS

At the right, some of our HCHS Alumni who now serve as HCHS Staff members gather for a picture on HCHS Institute Day. We are Patriot Proud to have so many folks serving our students!

Miss Cook's Bella Voce' choral group is busy at work practicing music for All West and the National Anthem, which they will sing at each home basketball game during the year.

Ms. Nolen's Physical Science classes complete a lab experiment on separating a mixture by using a variety of tools, including magnets and filters.

Mrs. Hopkins' English 3 students annotate complex text and discuss their findings with peers.

Vision and Mission

Mission: To provide a supportive and inclusive educational environment where every student is recognized, valued, and given the resources and opportunities to achieve their full potential, ensuring they are well-prepared for lifelong success.

Vision: Empowering every student to know their value and be equipped for a successful future.

Henry County School System Newsletter