John Glass, the AFA presenter, Bryant Haynes, and his wife Claire.
Bryant Haynes, physics teacher at Girls Preparatory School, has been named as the Chattanooga Air Force Association Chapter Teacher of the Year and AFA State Teacher of the Year.
AFA’s Teacher of the Year awards, at the local, state, and national levels, are presented annually to the educator who has gone “the extra mile to inspire students and increase student interest in math, science and technology,” according to the AFA. Five statewide chapters in Tennessee nominated STEM teachers who are “furthering excellence and making coming to class an adventure,” said John Glass, a nuclear parts specialist with Westinghouse Electric Corporation who presented the award at a GPS school-wide assembly.
Mr. Haynes will be honored at the AFA state convention in early May in Knoxville, and his name and nomination will be submitted for national consideration.
Mr. Haynes has taught at GPS since 2000 and has been named the Upper School Teacher of the Year. He has also taught conceptual physics and chemistry, and in his current physics curriculum, students are involved in several self-directed projects and field trips. Every spring, his classes go to the Coolidge Park carousel to study circular motion. The students also wire their own unique and inventive lamps, and he directed one student in the creation of her own guitar.
Mr. Haynes is the sponsor of the JETS (Junior Engineering Technical Society) club. He serves on the selection committees for National Honor Society and Cum Laude. He earned his bachelor’s from Rhodes College and his master’s at the University of Virginia.