Sumner County Schools

Gallatin High School Students Learn the Skills to Pay the Bills

GHS students can graduate high school and earn just shy of $43,000 a year thanks to a collaborative program between Sumner County Schools and the Sumner County Sheriff's Office. Eight students finished and received their Basic Corrections Officer Certification. If students pass the civil service test in May, then after they graduate high school, they will be immediately qualified to work for the Sheriff's Office and skip the two-to-three-week onboarding process.

Sumner County Jail Administrator, Jerry Scott, said all the graduating classes are special, but this particular class is extra special because every student wants to go in public service, some as attorneys and some as police officers. Not matter the field students enter after graduation, the corrections class helps students to get their feet wet and understand the process of law enforcement.

During class students learn cell extractions, First Aid/HIPPAA, prisoner transports, mental/health suicide prevention, de-escalation, conflict resolution, ethics, handcuffing, contraband control, cell searches, and much more. Students also tour the jail and job shadow in various positions like booking, releasing, master control and various other locations, so students can get a feel for a career in corrections.

Scott says they are working hard with Gallatin High School and any vocational program they can to meet the Sheriff's initiatives to have a better trained workforce and a better prepared student.

Gallatin High School Criminal Justice Teacher and Retired Law Enforcement Officer, Scott Pascarella, says this class opens doors for students that want to head straight to the workforce after graduation and have a career with advancement opportunities.

"This is a great partnership that we developed about a year ago. In CTE, (career and technical education, formerly known as vocational) our goal is to provide opportunities for our students. This is one of a few classes in the state of Tennessee that affords students the opportunity to go right into the workforce after graduation. It's been a terrific partnership with the Sheriff's office and their willingness to help out and have this take place."

Students must be 18 years old, a high school graduate, and have a clean criminal record to apply for a position with the Sumner County Jail. If students are interested, they can then transition to patrol at 21 years of age. The class is taught by a various instructors including Jail Administrator Jerry Scott and Retired Law Enforcement Officer Scott Pascarella.

Congratulations to the 2022 Basic Corrections Certification Class:

• Hailey Bollenberg, GHS Senior
• Carson Bradley, GHS Senior
• Victor Johnson, GHS Junior
• Daniel Briones Samayoa, GHS Senior
• Journey Scott, GHS Senior
• Alexandria Smith, GHS Senior
• Chloie Smith, GHS Junior
• Madison Tuttle, GHS Senior

For more pictures, click HERE.

Pictured Left to Right: Sumner County Health Committee Chair, Ashley Berry; GHS Teacher, Greta Parker; Sumner County Health Committee Co-Chair, Jaime Muncy

Gallatin High School Teacher Receives Health Leadership Award

Sumner County Schools is pleased to announce that Gallatin High School Teacher, Greta Parker, is the recipient of the 2022 Community Health Leadership Award from the Sumner County Health Committee. Parker won in the educator category because she has worked nonstop to change the lives of her students and instills a lifetime love for health, wellness, and physical activity.

“Coach Parker is the epitome of Green Wave Pride. Greta is a graduate of GHS, and she carries her love of Gallatin and its students into the classroom daily. Her passion and energy are unmatched," Gallatin High School Principal, Dr. Ron Becker said. "Coach Parker pushes and encourages all her students to strive to be their best each and every day. She knows the value of hard work, honesty, and making good decisions. Coach Parker tries to instill these values in her students in order to provide them with better opportunities for success”.

Parker teaches physical education and coaches the girls basketball team. She has been a Green Wave educator since 2017 and calls it her “dream job.” The Lady Wave has been home for Parker since she played in high school from 1994-1998. Though ups and downs are a part of playing and coaching, this past season, the Lady Wave girls basketball team endured so much change, heartbreak, and adversity with the unexpected loss of their head coach in January. Days were a blur; weeks were filled with uncertainty, yet Parker, the coaching staff, and unbelievably strong players forged forward and finished a truly remarkable season. They were crowned district champions for the first time since 1999, then went on to compete in the region semi-finals for the first time in over 20 years. Through all of it, she fearlessly kept pushing forward and was able to get the very best out of those players.

Greta is a blessing to her students, the programs she is a part of, Gallatin High, and her entire community.

Since its founding in 1997, the Sumner County Health Committee has been striving to improve the well-being of our community by addressing the physical, mental, and nutritional concerns that are essential to enhancing all qualities of life while still maintaining strong networks within the county.

Each year, a variety of individuals and organizations are recognized by the Sumner County Health Committee through an annual ceremony for a Health Leadership Award.

Pictured Left to Right: Sumner County Health Committee Chair, Ashley Berry; SCS Safe Schools Supervisor, Jerrica Mayo; BHS Senior, Nahzah Blair; BHS Senior, Ella Paligo; BHS Senior, Niya Angelova; Sumner County Health Committee Co-Chair, Jaime Muncy.

Beech High School Students Receive Health Leadership Award

Sumner County Schools is pleased to announce that Beech High School Seniors Ella Paligo, Hadley Brown, Nahzah Blair, and Niya Angelova have been awarded the 2022 Sumner County Health Leadership Award by the Sumner County Health Committee. These students spearheaded an anti-vaping campaign to educate their classmates about the dangers of vaping. They created a “Be a Hero, Drop Vaping to Zero” campaign and convinced 700 of their peers – as well as U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn and other elected officials to pledge to remain vape-free.

In addition to their community work, they presented a universal substance abuse policy – with a focus on vaping – to the Sumner County Board of Education, which adopted the policy, and convinced the Governor to declare March as Anti-Vaping Month. As a result of their relentless efforts, they gained the sponsorship of America’s largest health insurer, United Healthcare, and their local Sumner Prevention Coalition. All four students are state representatives for the Tennessee Stop Tobacco and Revolutionize Our New Generation (TNSTRONG) Ambassador Program.

"When these students set their mind to something, they accomplish it," Sumner County Schools Safe Schools Supervisor, Jerrica Mayo said. "It's an honor and a privilege to watch as they have stood up to the tobacco industry and persuaded elected officials to take action to safeguard teens against the dangers of vaping. I can't wait to see what the future holds for these outstanding leaders."

All four students were recognized as the 2022 Group Youth Advocates of the Year in Washington D.C. by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. #SumnerAchieves #SumnerCountyStrong

Third Grade Students Receive Free Dictionary

Since 2008, Sumner County Rotarians have bought around 36,000 dictionaries for our third-grade students. The dictionaries are a gift for students to use at school and at home. The dictionaries were obtained from The Dictionary Project and are given to third grade students, so that it can aid in the development of their spelling, pronunciation, and literacy skills. Educators see third grade as the dividing line between learning to read and reading to learn.

The following Sumner County Rotary Clubs generously donated the dictionaries. Thank you for the generous gift!

• Hendersonville Rotary Club
• Portland Rotary Club
• Hendersonville Evening Rotary Club
• Gallatin Noon Rotary Club
• White House Rotary Club