The Cheatham County School District will continue to offer its successful Cheatham Achievers after-school program during the 2017-2018 school year.
 
The district offers the program in the three middle schools through a 21st Century Community Learning Center grant. 
 
In 2014, the district was awarded the three-year, $600,000 grant to implement the program at Cheatham, Harpeth and Sycamore middle schools.
 
The district was recently notified that it has received a grant extension of $202,000 to continue the program in the new school year.
 
Emily Staggs, who supervises the program, said, “We are looking forward to another productive and exciting year with this great program. The district has enjoyed much success since we started the program, and many students have benefitted from the academic, artistic and cultural enrichment activities that are provided.”
 
The program offers opportunities for students to explore, develop and strengthen their academic skills.
 
In addition, students participate in art, music and recreation programs, character education programs and field trips to reinforce and complement the regular academic program. Guest speakers are also invited to speak to the students on a wide range of subjects.
 
Students receive a daily snack and are provided with transportation home each day. 
 
The district is working on the details for the new year and plans to start the program in September.
 
Families who are interested in participating in the program can contact your zoned middle school (CMS at 792-2334; HMS at 952-2293 and SMS at 746-8852). Applications will also be available at each school’s open house.

The Cheatham County School District has named Joy Bauman as the new assistant principal at Sycamore Middle School.
 
Bauman, who is currently the principal of Kingston Springs Elementary School, will replace Robyn Miller, who is taking over as SMS principal following the retirement of Lisa Young.
 
She will begin her new duties July 1.
 
Bauman, a 2000 graduate of Hendersonville High School, received her bachelor’s degree from Appalachian State University in 2005 and her master's degree in school counseling from Tennessee State University in 2010. 
 
She earned her Education Specialist in Administration and Supervision from Middle Tennessee State University in 2013.
 
Bauman served as the school counselor at KSES from 2009 to 2013. During that time, she was the Harpeth Middle School assistant girls basketball coach in 2011 and the Harpeth High School assistant girls basketball coach in 2012.
 
She led KSES as principal for four years from 2013 to 2017.
 
She has served on the Ark Community Resource Center's Board of Directors since 2010 and was a co-facilitator of the district's Aspiring Administration Academy for the 2016-2017 school year.
 
“Leaving the Kingston Springs Elementary family and community will be incredibly difficult. Over the last eight years, I have grown so much personally and professionally in my time at Kingston Springs and it is due to the fantastic team of people with whom I have been fortunate to work," Bauman said.
 
She added: "In the spirit of lifelong learning, I am looking forward to continuing my professional career on an administrative team with Robyn Miller and Sycamore Middle School. Both KSES and SMS have great traditions of academic success and wonderful school climates. I am honored and humbled to continue serving the Cheatham County School District.”
 
A new principal at KSES has not yet been named.

Sycamore Middle School has had a long history of having a high-quality band.

While many educators have helped maintain the band through the years, the person who built the program was Morris Stevens.

The Cheatham County School Board voted Monday, June 5 to name the SMS Band Room as the “Morris and Diane Stevens Band Room” in honor of Mr. Stevens and his late wife.

Mr. Stevens has committed his life to music education in Middle Tennessee, teaching in Columbia, Clarksville, Trevecca University, Vanderbilt University and ending his career at SMS.

He served on the Executive Committee of the Middle Tennessee School Band and Orchestra Association, where he provided opportunities for students across the state to participate in a festival environment and to get feedback from some of the nation’s most renowned music educators.

With his help, the events continue today, including the MTSBOA Concert Performance Assessment, where there are more than 10 full days of performances by the bands of Middle Tennessee.
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He was also essential in the creation of the Austin Peay State University Concert Festival, where students have the opportunity to meet and work with prominent conductors.

​The Cheatham County School District has named Robyn Miller as the new principal of Sycamore Middle School.
 
Miller, the school’s current assistant principal, will replace Lisa Young, who is retiring.
 
She will begin her new duties July 1.
 
Miller, a 1990 graduate of Jo Byrns High School, received her bachelor’s degree in education from Austin Peay State University in 1994 and her master’s degree in educational leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University in 1994.
 
Miller has been in the education field for 22 years – all at SMS.
 
While at SMS, she has taught fifth and eighth grades and served as an instructional assistant principal and an academic coach. She has been the school’s assistant principal since 2009.
 
Miller said, “I am looking forward to this opportunity. I hope to pick up where Mrs. Young is leaving and continue the tradition of success we have at Sycamore.  My hope is for a seamless transition and to keep our momentum moving forward in all aspects of school life. I appreciate the opportunity and trust being placed on me in this position, and I look forward to working with our parents, teachers, students and community in this new role. "
 
She is married to Keith Miller, the principal at Pleasant View Elementary School. They have three children, Hayden, Sam and Sara.
 
Interim Director of Schools Stacy Brinkley said Miller will be an asset to SMS.
 
“Robyn’s entire career has been at Sycamore Middle School so she already has a strong connection to the community. Under her leadership, the school will continue to succeed,” she said. “Robyn is committed to supporting the positive culture that already exists at Sycamore.”
 
A new assistant principal at SMS has not yet been named.

Sycamore Middle School teacher Billie McBride has been selected to attend the George Washington Teacher Institute Summer Residential Program in July.

The five-day program will be held July 18-22 at Mount Vernon, George Washington’s home in Mount Vernon, Va.

McBride received a full scholarship, which covers a travel stipend, meals, room, board and all program fees.

The program is designed to support K-12 educators who teach about the life, leadership and legacy of George Washington and the 18th-century world in which he lived.

McBride teaches eighth-grade Social Studies at SMS, where she has been since 2000.

She leads the eighth-grade trip each year to Washington D.C., and she is the sponsor of the National History Day Club at SMS. 

“I am extremely excited about having the opportunity to get to participate in the Mount Vernon Teaching Seminar. When I applied, I was unsure of my chances of getting selected since they only choose 15 teachers for each week-long seminar from across the country,” she said.

McBride participated in a Gilder Lehrman Seminar at the University of Colorado last summer on Westward Expansion.
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“It was phenomenal, and I believe that this one will be as well,” she said.

The Cheatham County School District introduced its first mobile interactive robot for students on long-term homebound on Tuesday to an excited group of Sycamore Middle School students.
 
The students initially approached the Cheatham County School Board in December about their idea to help a fellow student, who was homebound.
 
At the time, the students said the robot would allow the student to navigate the halls of SMS and participate in class via video without leaving their home.
 
At Tuesday’s workshop, the School Board surprised Stokes and the SMS students with the Double 2 robot.
 
“We appreciate the students’ initiative to present this amazing project. The School Board supported this project 100 percent from the beginning, and we are so excited to present our first mobile student,” said Interim Director of Schools Stacy Brinkley.
 
Brinkley thanked the students for bringing the idea to the School Board.
 
“This project shows that the students at SMS are striving to make experiences for all students better. We are so fortunate to have teachers like Mrs. Stokes that give students project-based learning experiences,” she said.
 
Stokes said she is proud of her students’ effort, and she thanked SMS administrators and the School Board for listening to and believing in her students.
 
“They worked for it and initiated change for our county,” she said.
 
The new robot will be named Alpha, representing the district's first robot and project that was student-inspired. 

​The Congressional Medal of Honor Society has named Sycamore Middle School counselor Molly Hudgens as one of the 2017 Citizen Honors Award winners.
 
Hudgens is one of six heroes chosen by the recipients of the Medal of Honor from a field of 20 finalists in the nationwide program.
 
Hudgens was selected for her courageous act on Sept. 28, 2016, when she persuaded a 14-year-old student to give up a loaded gun at the school. She spoke with the student for 45 minutes until he agreed to surrender.
 
She will be recognized at a ceremony on Saturday, March 25 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., on National Medal of Honor Day.
 
“To say that I am honored to receive this award is an understatement. There are no words to express how humbled I am at the thought of visiting Arlington National Cemetery and receiving this award from the men and women of the United States military who have received the Congressional Medal of Honor. They represent the bravest of the American people, and I will be forever grateful to have the opportunity to meet them and hear their stories,” Hudgens said.
 
Hudgens said she continues to appreciate the love and support of the people of Cheatham County not only for herself, but also for SMS.
 
“It is my hope that this story will inspire others who are struggling to seek help when they are in need. True bravery is best displayed not only when you stand in the gap for others but when you are willing to stand in the gap for yourself,” she said.
 
Each year, a nationwide search is organized by The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, which selects U.S. citizens to receive the Citizen Honors Award.
 
Since 2008, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society has selected U.S. citizens for their acts of courage and selfless service which epitomize the American spirit.
 
The honorees receive this award from a group of Americans whose actions have defined the words courage and selfless service — the recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. These brave Americans have received the Medal of Honor for their acts of valor performed during wartime.
 
Those selected to receive the Citizen Honors Award demonstrate a willingness to place his or her own life at risk for others or has dedicated themselves to the service of others.
 
In all cases, the actions being honored must epitomize the concept of “service above self” and must be performed “above and beyond” one’s professional or vocational area of responsibility or conduct.
 
Hudgens has been with the Cheatham County School District for 18 years – all at SMS. She taught for 11 years before becoming a counselor nine years ago.
 
She regularly conducts school violence workshops, and she has served as a trainer for the Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office and Juvenile Court for her “Recognizing Red Flags: Understanding Your Role in Preventing Teen Violence” program.
 
In January, Hudgens was named the district’s Middle School Teacher of the Year – her second time to receive that honor.