​Ashland City Elementary School students proudly showed off the robots they recently created.
 
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) teacher Kristin McQueen received a $1,459 grant in the fall through a cooperative effort between the Cheatham County Chamber of Commerce and A. O. Smith to start a Robotics Club at the school.
 
Students have had a lot of fun building the robots over the past several months.
 
Lisa Williams, the human resources manager at A.O. Smith in Ashland City, and Dr. Melinda Broyles, the assistant principal at ACES, visited McQueen’s classroom on Thursday to see the robots in action and even had a little fun competing in a race.
 
The district was fortunate to be awarded 11 grants, totaling $16,122.47, through A.O. Smith and the Chamber.
 
As always, the district is thankful for the support it receives from Cheatham County businesses.

The Cheatham County School District has named Sarah Spain as the new academic specialist at Ashland City Elementary School.

This is Spain’s second stint working for the district, having previously taught at West Cheatham Elementary School.

“I am fortunate to once again be a part of the Cheatham County School District. I look forward to working with my new school family at Ashland City Elementary,” she said.

Spain graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in education.  She moved from Missouri to Nashville after graduating college.

She began her education career at West Cheatham Elementary School, teaching transition first grade for two years and first grade for one year.

After getting married, her husband’s job took the couple back to Missouri. In Missouri, Spain taught first grade for three years, third grade for three years and was a middle school principal for three years.

Spain has a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction and a second master’s degree in Administration. 
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She lives in Bellevue with her husband, Steven, and their dog, Charley.

​Three Cheatham County School District educators have been selected as members of the first Tennessee Rural STEM Collaborative.
 
Kristin McQueen of Ashland City Elementary School and Brittany Crouch and Emily Wong of East Cheatham Elementary School will participate in the yearlong cohort, which is designed for rural educators to share promising practices in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education, seek solutions to local education challenges and develop capacity to promote lasting change within their own communities.
 
Forty-five educators representing 24 counties across Tennessee were competitively selected for the Collaborative.
 
The Tennessee STEM Innovation Network, a public/private partnership between the Tennessee Department of Education and Battelle Education, recently announced the launch of the first Collaborative.
 
Within the Collaborative, there are three regional cohorts that will map the STEM resources and potential partners unique to the educational landscapes in West, Middle and East Tennessee.
 
The Collaborative provides a stipend for teachers to engage with the program and implement their proposed solution within their own communities.
 
“The Rural STEM Collaborative brings together a geographically diverse group of educators passionate about providing the highest quality STEM instruction for their students and exposing them to career opportunities,” said Wes Hall, director of the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network.

​Cheatham County residents are invited to attend the Cheatham Strong Community Health Fair on Thursday, March 16 at Ashland City Elementary School.
 
The family-friendly fair will feature fun and information for all ages.
 
The fair will be held from 6-8 p.m., and a number of Cheatham County groups, organizations and businesses will be on hand to promote the Healthier Tennessee program.
 
The program strives to increase the number of Tennesseans who are physically active for at least 30 minutes five times a week, promote a healthy diet and reduce the number of people who use tobacco.
 
“The fair will showcase the various health and nutrition opportunities that are already planned in Cheatham County in 2017,” said Claudette Fizer, the Cheatham County School District’s parent involvement coordinator. "Participants will receive a beautiful 12-month calendar as they enter. I know families are going to want to mark dates throughout this event as they begin to plan their spring, summer and fall activities."
 
Fizer said the come-and-go event will also help families to gather information on all that the county has to offer for them to get out and play, have fun and enjoy the beauty and resources available here.
 
There will be demonstrations, giveaways, games, activities and tasting stations for the whole family to enjoy.
 
Representatives from the Parks and Recreation Departments, U.S. Corps of Engineers, Harpeth River State Park, Adventureworks and more are scheduled to attend.
 
The Cheatham County Health Department, Cheatham County Master Gardeners, Cheatham County UT/TSU Extension Office, Cheatham County Community Enhancement Coalition and Cheatham County Public Library will have booths.
 
Members of the Senior Center at Ashland City will demonstrate Tai Chi, yoga, and S.A.I.L. and ACES students will also participate with special demonstrations, including the Cha Cha Slide.
 
The fair is being sponsored by Cheatham County School District-Title I Department, the Cheatham County Health Department and Cheatham County Community Enhancement Coalition.
 
For more information, contact Fizer at 615-792-5664 or e-mail [email protected].
 
Additional information can be found on the “Healthier TN Cheatham Strong” Facebook page.

​Ashland City Elementary School second-grade teacher Tamara Williams Retchless recently received the Tennessee Reading Association's Reading Teacher of the Year award.
 
Retchless was presented the award by retired Cheatham County educator and Cheatham County Reading Council president Mallory Lemley.
 
Lemley said Retchless was very deserving of the award.
 
“I have known and worked with Tamara for several years. She has always gone above and beyond to instill a love of reading in her students. Even though she is a very busy full-time teacher, she takes the time to work with me through the Cheatham County Reading Council to help teachers encourage a love of reading in their students by planning and presenting professional development workshops that offer a variety of strategies and methods for teaching reading skills," she said.
 
Lemley said if there is a grant available or a reading project that needs assistance, Retchless is always supportive.
 
“Tamara is probably the most dedicated reading teacher that I've ever seen. That's why I nominated her for the TRA Reading Teacher of the Year award. I'm very glad that she won because she truly deserves the recognition that goes along with the award,” she said.