Rotary Club Of Chattanooga Hamilton Place Honors Local Educators

For the 14th time since 2002 the Rotary Club of Chattanooga Hamilton Place has presented its annual “Influential Educator” Awards. The presentation took place on Wednesday at their weekly meeting held at GraceWorks Church on Lee Highway. 

Among this year’s honorees were teachers from Boyd-Buchanan School, Collegedale Academy, East Hamilton High School, Ooltewah High School and Silverdale Baptist Academy. They included a government/economics teacher, a coach, a math teacher, an English teacher and a middle school Bible teacher. 

The award winners, a school administrator and a student chosen to introduce their school’s honoree were all transported to and from the luncheon in shiny white limousines provided by Chattanooga Funeral Homes. 

Chet Butterworth, a fairly new face to education and a government and economics teacher at Boyd-Buchanan, referred to a mentor while he was in high school as pointing him down the road to a career in working with young people. He said, “My mentor, a gentleman by the name of Andy Polk, told me ‘To always show them that you care'.” 

When she introduced Coach Bryce Reading of Collegedale Academy, student Jessica Bell said, “He’s always actively involved with every student and cares about every single one of us.” Coach Reading is the track and field coach at the academy. 

Ms. Kirsten Legac of East Hamilton High School has taught math for 10 years and appeared to be ball of energy as she made her acceptance speech. Student Hannah Datillo introduced her teacher and recalled that the first time she walked into Ms. Legac’s classroom she thought, “This going to be an easy A.” “I was wrong she said,” laughingly, joined by members of the audience. 

“I soon found out that grades were not going to define our experience in her class,” Ms. Datillo said. Coming from a family of educators, Ms. Legac said, “I used to spend hours in my basement teaching my imaginary students.” Recently she said she was approached by a fellow teacher who had taught for 15 years. “She told me that was her best semester in all those years and it was because of something I has shared with her.” What Ms. Legac had shared was, “Stop thinking of teaching as ‘us’ against ‘them.’ Think of us as all on the same team.” 

Brent Dyer, a student of Ms. Grey Briggs at Ooltewah High School, introduced the English teacher as, “A very approachable person, one that many students, although not in her classes, go to for help.” And, on top of that, he said, “Her humility is amazing.” 

Ms. Briggs shared her thoughts on being an honoree through a poem she wrote, “The Teaching 1-2-3.” Upon conclusion of reading it, it was obvious that she was, indeed, an educator that cared for her students. Her thoughts went to things beyond the classroom and many of those in attendance appeared to have something caught in their eye afterwards. 

A.J. McInnis, a student at Silverdale Baptist Academy said of his school’s honoree, Mr. Evan Pierce, “My entire class looks forward to going to his class. He’s always there for his students, with an open and willing heart.” 

Mr. Pierce, a veteran of nine years in the classroom, said, “If you love what you’re doing, if you enjoy what you’re doing, your students will love and enjoy it, as well.” 

In closing, the program co-chair, Ms. Bridgette Thurman, Rotarian and the local president of Junior Achievement, told the award winners, “Thank you all for being the leaders in the Chattanooga community. You are rock stars and you represent the ideals of Rotary every day in your jobs.” 

To close out the meeting, Ms. Gina Crumbliss, club president told the audience to always do as late Downtown Rotary member Blake Strickland had said, “Live the life you love.” Something that was apparent of all of the 2016 Influential Educators.” 

(Email Dennis Norwood at sportsshooter614@gmail.com; Follow him on Twitter at @DennisENorwood)