Cover courtesy of The Nashville Scene and photographer Michael W. Bunch

What a way to end 2012.



Two teachers in Metro Schools have been named Nashvillians of the Year by the Nashville Scene. Adam Taylor of Overton High School and Christina McDonald of Nashville Prep Charter School represent the teachers who "give Nashville's schoolchildren, no matter what their background, a fighting chance to reach their brightest future."



 In a lengthy and detailed article, reporter Steven Hale lays out the bare - and sometimes forgotten - fact in our city's current debate over education: whether charter school or district school, great teachers are at the center of great education.



It's a great piece, and I strongly recommend you take a few moments to read the full article so you can see how teachers like Christina and Adam can bring the focus of the education discussion back where it belongs.

The Scene would like to refocus the discussion of public education not on differences and squabbles, but on the enormous asset that charter and public schools have in common: the teachers who are the most active, direct agents of hope Nashville's children will face outside the home. As our 2012 Nashvillians of the Year, the Scene honors two such instructors: one from a charter school, Christina McDonald at Nashville Prep, and one from a traditional Metro district school, Adam Taylor at Overton High. They are hardly alone. Space does not permit us to list the many outstanding district and charter teachers who slug it out in Nashville's trenches throughout the school year, fighting the shared enemies of poverty, hunger, troubled home lives, behavioral problems, language barriers, bad outside influences and limited resources. But McDonald and Taylor are sterling examples of what can be accomplished by creative thinking, supportive administrators, and sheer determination. To look inside their classrooms is to see small miracles happen every day — and to see a brighter future for Nashville schoolchildren of all races and backgrounds than statistics sometimes let us hope.

Read the full article here.

Overton alumni keep on giving! The Class of 1975 recently donated nearly $5,000, $4,834.75 to be exact, to their alma mater. The money is earmarked for the school’s library and media center.

Pictured below are (L - R ) Connie Brown Kimbro, Amy Price Garrison, Lynn Stanfield Wilbanks, Cindy Hayden Dickens, Betty Price, JOHS Media Specialists: Gwin Hines and Misti Jenkins, Executive Principal: Dr. Shuler Pelham.

Board Member & Sports Fan Mark North

Alumni Alert – USA Olympic Basketball Coach

Sparkle Cats – Unique Student-Athletes Help Fans Get with the Program

History…Isaac Litton High School

Isaac Litton High School closed forty years ago, but its history of athletic excellence is deep and rich. From Bonnie Sloan, the first deaf player in the NFL, to Bobby Hillman, a major league catcher who caught two no-hitters in his career, to the famous Marching 100+ marching band that performed in the 1964 Tournament of Roses Parade, to John Gordy, Detroit Lions great – the feats of Litton students are legendary. Litton alumnus and war hero Kenneth Duke played college football at SMU, left SMU to join the Navy, and was killed in Korea. The bridge on Briley Parkway over the Cumberland River near Litton is named in his honor. Friends and alumni gathered last week to dedicate the renovated gymnasium and alumni area. If you have any interest in the history of Nashville, Nashville schools, or high school athletics, you must visit the Litton alumni room.

The Isaac Litton Alumni room (The Lion’s Den) includes memorabilia from the marching band’s appearance at The Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California in 1964.

Reflecting on the past: The Litton football jersey of war hero Kenneth Duke hangs in the Lion’s Den at the newly renovated Litton Gymnasium.

Football Starts this Friday…They call it Week Zero

• Hunters Lane Warriors travel to the neighboring Maplewood Panthers in what they call the Dickerson Road Bowl;


• Cane Ridge Ravens host Pearl-Cohn Firebirds;


• Hillwood Hilltoppers travel to face Hillsboro Burros to see which of the Hills is king of the mountain;


• Antioch Bears host LaVergne;


• Glencliff Colts welcome Sycamore;


• McGavock Raiders travel to Tullahoma;


• Overton Bobcats head down the road to take on Father Ryan;


• Stratford Spartans head to Sumner County to challenge JPII; and


• Whites Creek Cobras drive up I 24 to Clarksville to face Rossview

MNPS: The First Choice for the Beauty and Grace of Public Education

Adam Taylor, Biology teacher at Overton High School, has been busy chatting on twitter with other Metro teachers. Taylor has created the "#scistuchat" hashtag on Twitter, where he coordinates a technology conference in the summers to raise awareness for learning technologies. He also leads professional development in his school to help more teachers become comfortable with teaching with technology.



Taylor was recently featured in The Scientific Muse for his work with Twitter in the classroom. Check out his interview here.



Great job, Mr. Taylor!