The Dragon's Tale
December 2013 Volume 4 Issue 2
Clinton High School ♦ 425 Dragon Drive ♦ Clinton, TN
37716
(865) 457-2611 FAX (865) 457-8805
Dear Parents,
Welcome to The Dragon's Tale, Clinton High School's quarterly parent newsletter! This is the
second issue of the 2013 - 2014 school year. In this issue of The Dragon's Tale you will
hopefully find many items that will help you become more familiar with all things CHS, while also keeping you updated on all the items that are occurring this quarter.
One item of note is the excerpt from the Director of Education in Tennessee, Mr. Kevin Huff-
man. Clinton High School, Anderson County Schools, and most Tennessee public schools were reported doing a fantastic job academically this past year and many schools achieved some of the most aggressive academic strides in the country. We are certainly proud of our
students and our teachers that have helped us achieve these gains!
I still would like to stress the importance of good attendance. Currently we are hovering
around 94% - 95%. We can do better! Many students are still arriving tardy to school and/or leaving school early. This impacts not only our financial needs, but also our academic scores.
Proper attendance should not be an "every once in a while" occurrence. Please help us by making sure your child is at school every day and that they both arrive on time and stay all
day. You are a crucial aspect of this process and we need to establish a climate and culture where attending school every day and academic success is a pillar of our culture.
One notable change this school year has been our Professional Learning Community (PLC) time set aside every Wednesday. This is time set aside for teachers to work and grow their understanding of all things "Common Core." Most days, students are released at 3:50 pm,
but now every Wednesday the release time is 2:20 pm. So far this time has been used to the
fullest extent and we hope to continue this schedule next semester and into the next school year.
Please also pay special attention to the school calendar printed inside. This will help all stu-
dents and parents plan their vacations and time away from school so as to not miss important instructional time.
As we plan for our fast-approaching EOC exams and look to the future to plan for what lies
ahead for us, it is crucial that we focus on what is most important. This is school safety, aca-
demic rigor, a disciplined school environment, and preparing ALL students to be "college or career ready" for 2014. Help us make this happen by lending your support and encourage- ment.
Clinton High School is a community of learners and we believe that together, we can make a
difference!
Respectfully,
Eric L. Snider
Eric Snider
Principal
Clinton High School
Here are some interesting facts
about Clinton High School..
Did you know that.
Clinton High School has been contacted by three (3) separate school districts
over the past three (3) years to see the secret behind the successful advances in
academics. In school year 2011 - 2012 CHS was described as; "A High School
On The Rise" and was visited personally by 15 district office and high school personnel.
2011 - 2012 McMinn County, TN
2012 - 2013 Corbin County, KY
2012 - 2013 Chatham County, GA
Out of the sophomores (264) who took the PLAN Test this year
24% (63) students scored a 19 or higher in Reading which allows them to take
dual enrollment U.S. History (and/or Psychology) courses next year for which they will earn college credit.
A graduate from Clinton High School performed at the Metropolitan Opera
House in New York City. Perry Ward is a college professor with numerous ad-
vanced degrees in music. The 1980 Clinton grad was involved in several oper-
atic productions at the Met. He also performed at another musical shrine—
Carnegie Hall
This is the first time in several years that CHS students scored higher than the
State average on the ACT in the following areas:
ACT English ACT Math ACT Reading ACT Science ACT Composite
Last year's CHS graduating class accumulated nearly 6.5 million dollars in
scholarship money. That works out to almost $25,000.00 per graduate.
Graduation Rate Comparison
National(2012)75.50% Tennessee(2012) 77.40% Clinton High School 93.79%
A Clinton High School graduate, Mr. Charles Ronald Kirksey (CHS Class of 1965), won a Pulitzer Prize.
Clinton High School boasts an alum who was a first round draft choice in the
National Football League. In 1986, Charles McRae graduated from C.H.S. He
would become a standout at U.T., and would be the seventh over-all pick in the
first round of the 1991 N.F.L. draft, being selected by the Tampa Bay Bucca- neers.
Clinton graduates have been elected to numerous state and local political posi-
tions. That statement is true many times over. Familiar names like Cathy Brown, Jerry Shattuck, Jim Hackworth, and Charles "Bones" Seivers all graduated from Clinton. 1957 alum James E. "Buzz" Elkins served eight years in the Tennessee
House of Representatives and ten in the Senate. He was so widely respected
that, after his death, a joint resolution by the House and the Senate stated,
"Senator Elkins always upheld the public trust, and his commitment to the wel-
fare of his fellow citizens is truly inspirational."
Did you know that the position of "Commissioner for the Tennessee Department
of Education" was actually held for a time by a CHS graduate? Dr. Lana Seiv-
ers is currently the dean of the college of education at Middle Tennessee State University. From 2003-2008 she was, indeed, this state's educational leader.
This 1968 C.H.S. graduate was also named an M.T.S.U. Distinguished Alumnus in 2007.
Other notable CHS graduates include- a Miss U.S.A.- 1939 graduate Margaret
Smith Underwood, and published author Deanna Lochamy Caswell- a 1993 graduate and author of First Ballet, Train Trip, and Little House in the Suburbs.
California State University Bakersfield professor Doug Davis a 1966 CHS gradu-
ate, received his M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard, performed and arranged count- less musical compositions, created and organized the Bakersfield Jazz Festival, and became the chairman of the C.S.U.B. music department.
Clinton High School accepted over 40 applications from outside schools to
transfer in to CHS for our outstanding academic programs, extra-curricular activ-
ities, and competitive sports teams. This is up 350% from 4 years ago!
**All of the above data was compiled by CHS using past State of TN data, current enrollment numbers and data, and also with the research of Mr. Ray Oliver. Let it
also be known that Mr. Ray Oliver is not only a teacher at CHS, but also has
published over 5 books, the last of which was entitled; Freddy: A Love Story.
"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant."
Robert Louis Stevenson
Angela Carico
Caleb Tipton
Josh Tipton Dan Jenkins
Clinton High School Administrators
9th grade (ext.405)
10th grade (ext.406) 11th grade (ext.407)
12th grade (ext.408)
Clinton High School Administrative Assistants
Monique Berry Nancy Harper Monica Miller Robin Minch
Genevieve Stanfield
Counseling Office
Attendance Main Office Bookkeeper
Registrar
Clinton High School Winter Sports 2013/2014
Dan Jenkins, Athletic Director
If you have a student who would like to participate in any sport at Clinton High School,
please contact Dan Jenkins at .
Winter Sports Coaches
Boy's Basketball Chris Lockard Girl's Basketball Tonya Snyder
Swimming Jan Smith
Wrestling Tyler Rosenlieb
February 8, 2014
April 12, 2014 June 14, 2014
ACT DEADLINES AND DATES:
Register by January 10, 2014
Register by March 7, 2014
Register by May 9, 2014
REGISTER ONLINE AT
Attention Seniors and Senior Parents: Do you need help with your college applications, FAFSA, or other college information? Call your GEAR UP Coordinator
Hoppy Merryman at 963-8467 to schedule an
appointment today. College research, financial aid
counseling, career planning, college visits and more.
Over 40% of this year's senior class* have taken, or will take, at least one college dual enrollment/dual credit class by the time they graduate.
*excluding BRAC, CRCS students
August 4 August 6
September 1
October 13-17
November 26-28
Anderson County Schools
2014-2015 School Year Calendar
Student Registration
Classes Begin
Labor Day/No School
Fall Break
Thanksgiving Break
December 22-January 2 Winter Break
January 6
January 19
February 16 March 16-20
April 3 April 6 May 17 May 25 May 26
Classes Resume
Martin Luther King Day/ No School
President's Day/No School
Spring Break Good Friday
No School
Graduation
Memorial Day/No School
Last Day for Students
GRADUATION INFORMATION
Contact us: or .
Graduation will be here before we know it. Both Amy Kelly-
Graham and DeWayne Emert are working with seniors to make
sure they are on track to graduate. Clinton High School prides it- self on the quality of its graduation and this year is no exception. The second payment for the graduation fee of $95.00 will be col- lected the week of December 2nd through the 5th. Students are to
pay in their advisory classes. A minimum payment of $30.00 is re-
quested. This should bring each senior up to $60.00 paid toward
graduation: cap, gown, tassel, Senior breakfast, diploma, diploma
cover and Thompson-Boling Arena. The balance must be paid in
full Feb.4th-6th. The balance must be paid prior to being measured for cap and gown. Orders for cards and announcements have been
placed with Balfour. Order may still be placed online. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Emert at CHS. His planning pe- riod is from 10:00 until 11:40.
Clinton High School seniors will have earned almost 800 college credit hours by
the time they graduate (264 classes x 3 hours = 792 hours)
Featured Department - AFJROTC
Instructors
Carl Pittman, Major, (ret) SMSgt (ret) Timothy J. Kumes
Mission of the AFJROTC program at Clinton High School "Develop citizens of character dedicated to serving their nation and
community." The goals of the program are to instill values of citizenship,
service to the United States and personal responsibility and sense of accomplishment.
There is NO military obliga- tion if a student enrolls into
the Air Force JROTC program at Clinton High School. After
successful completion of at
least 3 semesters of
AFJROTC, cadets can possi- bly enlist into the military at the next higher pay grade.
Cadets get many opportuni- ties to participate in commu-
nity service events earning
community service volunteer hours which will look favora- bly on college applications.
The Clinton High School JROTC visited the 134th Air
Refueling Wing at McGhee Tyson on October 31st.
Cadets are put into leader-
ship positions and given op- portunities to have a cadet-
staff work for them; some cadets can volunteer for certain positions. Ca- dets can earn their Wellness credit through the AFJROTC physical training
curriculum. Cadets get to participate in field trips to a local Air National Guard base for employment plans, fly on civilian aircraft, and visit an Air
Force base and museum. Both schools will give cadets Freshmen level aca-
demic credit. Cadets have the opportunity to earn approved elective credits
at two separate regionally accredited institutions: Adams State & UCCS
(University of Colorado, Colorado State). Visit http:/
for Adams
State and for UCCS visit
In only the 2nd year of our Air Force JROTC course at CHS our own students
scored in the top 1/4 of all students state-wide on the prestigious ASVAB military
entrance exam!
Summer School Requirements
The following summer school requirements were approved at the September
school board meeting:
Effective October 1, 2013, require students who have been identified by coun-
selors for credit recovery in courses offered thru on-line curriculum attend daily
Advisory sessions at the two high schools until such time as they have recov-
ered the credit for the class (s). These students may be rotated out to regular
Advisory, opening space for other students in need of credit recovery. Total cost $1000.00 paid thru extended contracts.
Offer instructional classes during third block using on-line curriculum at the
Bridge Academy held at Anderson County Career and Technical Center. If space is available.
Offer instructional sessions after school at the Clinch River Community School
for those courses not presently offered through Skills Tutor. 100 hours paid thru extended contracts, for a total of $2000.00.
Offer a special credit recovery session for seniors from May 17 to May 25 for
seniors with insufficient credits to participate in the graduation ceremony. This
session will be open to seniors who will be able to recover enough credits to earn a regular diploma. Since the session is offered after graduation, these
students will not qualify to participate in the graduation ceremony the weekend before the beginning of this session.
The maximum grade that may be earned in credit recovery will a D.
Students attending summer school will pay $75.00 per credit or no
more that $150.00. This will help defray the costs of summer school, and it
is hoped that this will serve as an incentive to complete work during the course of the school year.
Priority for summer school enrollment will be granted to seniors.
From Kevin S. Huffman, Commissioner Tennessee Department of Education . . .
"Tennessee's 2013 NAEP results make it the fastest growing state in the
country in educational outcomes. Not only did Tennessee's growth surpass
all other states this year, it is the largest recorded growth in a single test-
ing cycle since NAEP began testing all states a decade ago."
TN's scores grew an average of 5.5 scale score points on each of the tests-
roughly the equivalent of improving half a grad level compared to just two years ago.
TN moved from scoring in the bottom ten in the country on all four tests in
2011, to scoring within one scale score point of the national average on 3 of
the 4 tests in 2013. Essentially, we are now in the 30s instead of the 40s on state rankings and within sight of the national norm.
African American student growth was extremely high-higher, even, than
growth for other students.
TN accomplished this growth while significantly increasing the participation
rates for students with disabilities.
"Every moment and every event of every man's life on earth plants something in his soul."
Thomas Merton
A Walk Through History
By Ray Oliver
"You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them." I thought of those words as I took my creative writing class on a trip to Green McAdoo recently.
Harper Lee's iconic character, Atticus Finch, spoke the words. I hoped to
give my students a chance to do just that—to put themselves in the shoes of
someone caught in the maelstrom surrounding the 1956 integration of Clinton
High School, and then write about it. We were graciously greeted by Jerry Shat- tuck, who talked about his experiences as a high school student at that time. We saw footage from news reports and "The Clinton 12" documentary. We read let-
ters of support. We read the venomous hate mail. We learned about our history. And then we walked.
We walked the same walk that the Clinton 12 took, and even though there was no jeering mob to demean us, we felt their presence.
People often talk about "kids today." Denigrating the young is an easy and
frequent activity for some. I wish people could have seen the reactions of these
kids that day. I wish they could have read or heard the prose, the poetry, the masterpieces that were presented as a result of that trip.
I'd like to think that 31 students were able to practice what Atticus
preached; that they were able to climb into the shoes of others and walk around in them. It was truly a walk to remember.
FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE
Wednesday, December 18th
Early Bird, 2nd, & 4th block exams (during regular class times)
Thursday, December 19th
1st & 3rd block exams (during regular class times)
Students can only check out after 3rd block is over completely (not during) and
they must have presented a note before-hand.
Classes with 4th wave lunch may check out after their exam is over and before
they go to lunch.
No parent phone calls and/or parent emails will suffice for early check-
out.
Friday, December 20th
This is a 1/2 day for Make-ups only. No school busses will run on this day.
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Eleanor Roosevelt
COUNSELING CORNER
(Students are divided among the counselors alphabetically by last name.)
Carrie Jenkins Debbie Hawk Mary Tuskan
Melissa Fey
Genevieve Stanfield
Monique Berry
Students A thru E Students F thru L
Students M thru Students S thru
Registrar
Guidance Secretary
Counselors will be meeting with sophomores to return and review PLAN
scores from November 18 - December 4. Ask your student to show you