Five new classroom teachers and three new teacher assistants are joining the staff at Bright School.  They are Emily Satterfield (fourth), Allie Baum (third), Caroline Pennington (kindergarten assistant), Jana Evans (kindergarten), Jessica Huffer (kindergarten assistant), MacKenzie Taylor (second), Amanda Angel (third) and Kate Lynch (junior pre-K assistant). 

Miss Satterfield, a Chattanooga native, earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Covenant College and spent the last three years teaching fourth grade at Redeemer Christian School in Florida. 

Miss Baum, a New Jersey native, earned her bachelor’s degree in classics from Union College and her master’s in elementary education from the University of Pennsylvania. She previously taught at West Philadelphia Achievement Charter Elementary School and Torah Academy of Greater Philadelphia. 

Miss Pennington, a native of Nashville, earned her bachelor’s degree in child and family studies from Baylor University. She has been an intern at St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School and a lab student at Piper Child Development Center in Waco, Texas. 

Mrs. Evans, who is from Knoxville, came to Bright School last year, first as interim librarian and then taught first grade when Beverly Vyule went on maternity leave. She earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and has been teaching for more than 20 years. Last fall, she and her husband relocated to Chattanooga from Montgomery, Alabama, where she taught kindergarten at Trinity Presbyterian School and designed and implemented a new preschool program there. 

Miss Huffer, a Chattanooga native, earned her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She has been a counselor at Camp Bright this summer and also was a student teacher at East Brainerd Elementary and Chattanooga Charter School of Excellence. 

Miss Taylor, a Knoxville native, earned her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and graduated from Webb School of Knoxville. She was a student teacher at Black Fox Elementary School in Cleveland and Ringgold Primary School. 

Mrs. Angel, who is from White House, Tenn., earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s degree in education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She has taught at two elementary schools and a middle school over the past nine years. Her son, Asher, will be in junior pre-K at Bright School this fall. 

Miss Lynch ’02, a graduate of Bright School, has previously been a teacher assistant and extended care workers at the school. She earned her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and she will graduate before school begins upon completion of her master's degree. 

Here is a list of teachers by grade for 2016-17

Junior Pre-K
Karen Thompson and assistant Laurel McPherson
Cathy Hicks and assistant Kate Lynch

Pre-K
Kathi Wagner and assistant Morgan Lovelace
Emily Hon and assistant Kali Neithammer

Kindergarten
Jana Evans and assistant Caroline Pennington
Leisl Slaughter and assistant Jessica Huffer
Bill Greene and assistant Sue Theele

First Grade
Denise Cooper, Merrill Levine and LeAnne Sharpe

Second Grade
Denise Hurlbut, Karen Smith and MacKenzie Taylor

Third Grade
Allison Baum, Katie Shirley and Amanda Angel

Fourth Grade
Emily Satterfield, Andrew Rust and Allison Sakich

Fifth Grade
Brenda Austin, Beth Warren and Vicki Everett

Kilbride Enrichment Center
Sue Lyman, Noelle Coleman, Susan Howell and Susan Jones