As we kick-off this holiday week of Thanksgiving, I would like to share my sincere appreciation for all of our public school teachers working in our Metro Nashville Public Schools and across the state. Our teachers make a tremendous, positive impact on Tennessee's children and do incredible work with too few resources every single day. As a proud product of public schools (shoutout to LSSD and Wilson Co.) and a proud parent of MNPS students, it is an honor to be able to fight for and represent the interests of Tennessee's educators in the Tennessee General Assembly.
To show my support, I regularly visit with principals and educators throughout my House district to learn how I can better represent them and assist our students. This morning I had the opportunity to make a special visit to John B. Whitsitt Elementary School in Woodbine to honor a wonderful teacher and interact with some very talented students. As a strong believer in the value of arts education, I recently sponsored an art contest for Whitsitt Elementary's third grade students themed "Proud to be a Tennessean." Arts teacher Angela Naglieri organized and oversaw the entire contest. The students selected a winner from each of their third-grade classrooms, and the entire grade then selected a grand prize winner from among four finalists.
It was a privilege to honor Ms. Naglieri this morning with a House Proclamation and present her with a donation for her classroom's art supplies. Every third grader received a Tennessee House coloring book, and each of the classroom winners received an official Tennessee House certificate and gift card. The grand prize winner received a certificate, gift card and Tennessee state flag. Also, the grand prize winner's artwork will be the cover of my official birthday card that will be mailed to District 55 residents in 2024.
It is now my honor to announce the following winners of Whitsitt Elementary's "Proud to be a Tennessean" art contest and their beautiful artwork. [drumroll...]
