Page 32 • 2017-2018 THE GREENEVILLE SUN GREENE COUNTY GUIDEBOOK
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and a Microsoft IT Academy as well as an academic program that allows middle school students to take an algebra class for high school credit. Greeneville Middle School ranked as the 8th Best Public Middle School in Tennessee in Niche Ranking’s 2016 survey. GMS received all A’s in Achievement on the 2015 Tennessee Department of Education Report Card.
Greeneville High School Greeneville High School offers more than 160 courses and operates on a block schedule format, which is composed of four class periods of 90 minutes each day. Dual enrollment courses with Walters State Community College and Tusculum College are offered at GHS, allowing for the possibility of graduating high school with an Associate’s Degree. A freshman academy program and credit-recovery program help students achieve academic success. In addition, the system offers an
alternative graduation path program for students identified with specific challenges. The 2015 composite ACT score for Greeneville High School was 21.3, higher than the state and national averages; 95 percent of the graduating seniors were tested. The district was selected for the 6th Annual College Board AP Honor Roll again in 2016. This was the third time the district has received this distinction. Advanced Placement offerings include Biology, Calculus AB, Chemistry, English, European History, Human Geography, Music Theory, Physics, Psychology, U.S. History and U.S. Government. Greeneville High School also offers a Microsoft IT Academy and a U.S. Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. GHS is the only high school in Tennessee to be a member of the National Aerospace Institute in Kentucky. This program offers students enrolled in Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps the opportunity to earn their pilot’s license. Greeneville High School was recognized
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by U.S. News and World Report as one of the Best High Schools in Tennessee, and was ranked as the 7th Best Public High School in Tennessee in Niche Ranking’s 2016 survey. 2015 Tennessee Department of Education Report Card: • 96.2 percent Graduation Rate • No. 1 in state EOC Algebra II – 90.3 percent proficient/advanced • No. 1 in state EOC Chemistry – 86.1 percent proficient/advanced
STEM Greeneville places a strong emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math, which is known as STEM for short. This emphasis is motivated by a desire to increase the percent of students scoring at the college readiness level on the ACT, particularly in Science Reasoning. Another motivation is the desire to focus on career and college readiness through an emphasis on STEM education. One change that has been made as a result of the STEM focus is changing the “science fair” model to a Science Alliance. The community works with the school district to provide career education in STEM fields to elementary and middle school students. GHS students take a leadership role by coordinating with K-8 students for Science Alliance and providing input for the many programs offered by Science Alliance.
Digital Transformation Technology plays a critical role in helping Greeneville’s students master the 21st century skills relevant to both present and future success. In January 2016, all students in grades 3-8 were given their own laptops to use in the classroom. GCS has purchased over 2,000 student devices through the Reach4IT campaign and other grants. These devices are being utilized and incorporated into curriculum in a variety of ways by enthusiastic GCS educators. GCS is committed to meeting students needs in a student-centered, engaging learning environment. The Greeneville City School District scored ninth in the nation by the Center for Digital Education in 2016 for innova-
tive uses of technology, and the district received an Honorable Mention by the Consortium for School Networking in 2016 for using technology to improve student learning. Also, the Information Technology Team was recognized as the Information Technology Team of the Year Award by the Tennessee Educational Technology Association in November 2015. Greeneville City School District received the Dr. Sylvia Charp Award designation for Most Technologically Innovative School System in the Nation in 2008.
Microsoft IT Academy Greeneville High School and Greeneville Middle School students had the opportunity to enroll in the cutting-edge Microsoft Student IT Academy for the first time in the 2015-2016 school year. This academy allowed students to work toward industry-level certifications in a vast array of technological areas including programming, application suite specialization and network administration. Forty-five students and educators finalized their certifications through the academy in the 2015-2016 school year.
LEGO Robotics Teams The Greeneville City School District has competitive elementary, middle and high school FIRST LEGO League Robotics teams located at Hal Henard Elementary, Highland Elementary, Tusculum View Elementary and Greeneville Middle School. They competed in the regional tournament at East Tennessee State University for the first time in December 2015.
Preschool and ESP The school system provides a full-day preschool program for 3- and 4-year-old children from families who meet the eligibility requirements of Head Start or are educationally at-risk. Priority is given to children of Families First parents. The Extended School Program offers before-and-after school care for children enrolled at each of the four elementary schools and offers care during times when school is not in session, including the summer months. Parents pay for these services on a sliding-fee scale based on family income. All schools in the system also offer SEE SCHOOLS ON PAGE 32