Wow! We are already halfway through summer break but we’re recognizing some of our spring athletes from Spring Fling in late May while also acknowledging that official practices for fall sports start soon after the TSSAA dead season following the Fourth of July.
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Before we look at sports, let’s recognize some staff changes in our local schools.

Retirements
Best wishes are extended to these staff members who retired at the end of the school year in May: Kay Goodgame and Tracy Haydon from Signal Mountain Middle/High School; Rebecca Clark from Nolan Elementary; and Raquel Newton, Traci Garner, and Pam Johnston from Thrasher Elementary.

Welcomes
Congratulations to Nolan’s former assistant principal Lindie Roden, who has been promoted to principal at Cloud Springs Elementary. And, welcome to Lauren Odum, who is transferring from Normal Park Museum Magnet School, where she also served as assistant principal to serve in the same role at Nolan. Odum is a Signal Mountain resident with children at SMMHS and Nolan, so she is no stranger to our community.
Welcome also to Nick Garofalo as Signal Mountain’s new director of bands.
Summer Honors

Congrats to six SMMHS students and another local student attending the STEM school for earning a spot in a Governor’s School at a Tennessee university. Seven Dapp, Ben Marsden, Ananya Panicker, Arshia Panicker, and Gray Summerlin are focusing on an area of science or engineering at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.  Molly Hampton is studying Tennessee history and environmental studies at East Tennessee State University. Annabeth Burgess is attending the Governors School For The Arts at Middle TN State University to study instrumental music, specifically bassoon.

Congrats to Clayton Lord for selection as a delegate to the 2026 American Legion Boys State of Tennessee held in late May at Tennessee Technological University. This is a participatory program in which students become part of the operation of local, county, and state government with a focus on developing the next generation of leaders. Clayton was also added to the wait list for the Governors School International Studies program at the University of Memphis.

Thanks to all who helped Signal’s sixth grade class once again exceed its goal and raise more than $6,000 for its 10th annual Walk for Water to help schools in the Bikita district of Zimbabwe.

Math Competition
Congratulations to Nolan students who competed and placed in the National Perennial Math Competition.
Nolan’s fifth grade team placed fifth in the nation with Zane Ryder placing 16th individually out of 136 students! His teammates were Cole Trombley, Aubrey Die, Ali Walker, and Chase Davison. 

Nolan’s fourth grade teams also had an outstanding showing, placing 10th and 16th out of more than 60 teams, even while overcoming a computer glitch during the competition. Congrats to Drew Giles for placing 19th individually out of more than 160 students competing.

Some of Signal’s middle school students also competed in this national math competition.

The seventh grade team placed sixth overall with Kallisti Callaghan placing 11th, Max Duncan 16th, and Reed Marsden 21st individually.

The eighth grade team placed 21st overall with Joy Wang placing 17th, Blevin Johnson 20th, and Shivani Iyer 23rd individually.

Now, let’s catch up on recognizing some of our student athletes from post-season competitions that occurred in late May after our June issue was done.

SMMHS Middle School Sports
Congrats to Ellie Strunk who placed eighth in high jump at the Tennessee Middle School State Track and Field Championships!.

Kudos to these other Signal students who also advanced from sectionals to compete in this State competition: Kat Allison, Sophia Bhosale, Kallisti Callaghan, Anna Dowd, Margaret Edmondson, Tate Flenniken, Harris McCormack, Allie Osborne, and Delaney Paxson.

Signal’s middle school boys’ soccer team had a great season with the team recognized as district champs and the following as all-district players: Barrett Ashton, Blevin Johnson, Luke McClain, Patrick McGhee, and Luke Rivers.

SMMHS Varsity Sports
Huge congratulations to Ananya Panicker as TSSAA D1-A Tennis Singles State Champion! This was Ananya’s second state title in three years (she was runner-up last year).

Kudos to Sara Gilbert and Brooke Martin for an amazing season in doubles tennis! They made it to the State semi-finals before falling just short.

Huge congratulations go to Marlee Burkley on her third straight pentathlon State title! This amazing athlete also was champion in 100M hurdles and high jump at the TSSAA Track and Field Championships and runner up in the 300M hurdles.

Hudson Sveadas was crowned State champion in both the boys’ discus and shot put events.
Maxine Richards was State champ for the girls’ 800M and placed third in the 1600M run.
Aiden Haun was State champ for the boys’ 800M and placed seventh in the 1600M run.
Signal’s runners up for track and field were Gavin McKenzie in the boys’ pole vault; Samuel Pittman in the boys’ shot put; and our boys’ 4x800M relay team of Sam Laramore, Murphy Self, Stowe McGann, and Mitch Simmons.

Others placing third at State were our girls’ 4x800 relay team of Paige Hilvers, Eliza Albrechtsen, Natalie McGann, Naomi Malone, and our girls’ 4x400 team of Fiona Cisto, Elle Walker, Paige Hilvers, and Maxine Richards, which also broke a 10-year standing school record with a time of 4:01.82.
Our fourth place finishers were Collette Lynch in girls’ pole vault; Eliza Albrechtsen in the girls’ 3200M race; and the boys’ 4x400M relay team of Stowe McGann, Sam Laramore, Murphy Self, and Aiden Haun, who also broke their previously set school record with a time of 3:24.48.

Naomi Malone placed fifth in the girls’ 3200M race and Murphy Self placed seventh in the boys’ 800M race to round out our Top 10 at State.

Overall, our girls’ track and field team was sectional champ and then runner up at this year’s State championships, with our boys’ team taking third place at both sectionals and State.

Congrats to our boys’ lacrosse team, which had an amazing run that ended in a state semifinal match.

Thanks to Henry Gault, Liam Collier, Cooper Jordan, and Silas Almon for an incredible season and for being named all-state players! Signal’s all-region players were Jordan, Gault, Almon plus Foster Armstrong, Sam Lowe, Vash Balogh, Mac Campbell, Will Campbell, Cooper Lofurno, Liam Collier, and James Bartoo.

Congrats to our boys’ soccer team, which advanced to the State tournament and ended its season in the State quarterfinals as one of the top eight teams in Division 1-AA. All-district players were Graham Rigler, Billy Wooden, Colton Selzer, and Fabian Hoeppnen on the first team, plus Gus Ingham and Malachi Drummond on the second team.

We recognized our girls’ lacrosse team last month for being crowned region champs for the first time in school history. Congrats to these all-region players: Lily Lawson, Mia Griffin, Katie Brennan, Chloe Burkholder, Lily Haynes, Amy Bastone, and Collier Jordan.

Signal’s baseball and softball teams both had great seasons and made a run in the post-season before falling in the region semi-finals.

Signal Mountain High School cheerleaders attended their annual summer cheer camp in Gulf Shores at the first of June learning lots of cheers, sideline, and crowd involvement material and picking up some awards, too.

Those include first place in camp dance and cheer and second in sideline and spirit rally (cheer and sideline combined).

Congrats to these Signal cheerleaders recognized as All American: Emma Pitcaithly, Lulu Lambert, M’Leigh Keene, Reagan Maddox, Elle Stutz, Anna Harper Mueller, and Olivia Atchley. Earning leadership awards were Mueller and Becca Shelton. Seniors who received a UCA staff application were Atchley, Maddox, and Keene.

Summer practice has begun and will soon be in full swing for our fall sports including high school golf, volleyball, football, girls’ soccer, cross country and middle school tennis. Band camp also kicks off in mid July.
First day of school for students in Hamilton County Schools will be Wednesday, August 5.

Many golfers contribute the success of the Signal Mountain Middle High School golf program, including Sam Otwell and May May McGee.
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Sam, a rising senior at SMMHS and member of the golf team, continues to build an impressive resume both locally and statewide.

This past season, Sam helped lead Signal Mountain to the TSSAA Class A Team State Championship while also capturing the TSSAA Class A Individual State Championship. Earlier in the year, he won the Chattanooga City Prep Golf Tournament with a record-setting 65 (-7), one of the lowest rounds in tournament history.

Most recently, Sam was named to the Chattanooga Best of Preps Golf. He then delivered another remarkable performance at the Tennessee Junior PGA Championship Qualifier at Hermitage Golf Club near Nashville, firing a blistering 8-under-par to earn co-medalist honors and secure one of only two qualifying spots from Tennessee for the prestigious Junior PGA Championship at Fields Ranch East and West in Frisco, Texas, July 28-31.

Sam is currently ranked among Tennessee’s top golfers in the Class of 2027 and will be looking to defend his individual state title this fall while helping Signal Mountain pursue another team championship.

Another golfer deserving recognition is May May McGee, a rising junior at SMMHS and fellow Chattanooga Best of Preps honoree. May May has established herself as one of the premier young female golfers in the Chattanooga area and continues to make a name for herself throughout the Southeast through her outstanding tournament performances, work ethic, and dedication to the game.

Signal Mountain High School has quietly become one of Tennessee’s premier golf programs, producing exceptional student-athletes who represent their school and community with excellence both on and off the course.

Hamilton County honored the late Patrick Daverson on February 21 with the inaugural Daverson Memorial Jamboree for Girls Flag Football. Held at the Howard School, the day included 15 teams from Hamilton County and surrounding counties gathering to compete as the season kickoff games for high school varsity girls flag football. Each of the teams played two 24-minute running-clock periods.

Patrick Daverson was a career high school soccer coach who was instrumental in bringing flag football to the county’s high school sports programs. As it happens, the Jamboree was held on what would have been his 53rd  birthday. His family, Signal Mountain Middle/High School, and local community suffered the premature loss of Patrick in November 2025. Thoroughly a coach and “girl dad,” Patrick’s commitment to his family and teams were recognized by the immense crowd at his Celebration of Life. As the inaugural flag football head coach at Signal, he led the team to a winning record in Season One, winning a Titans Coach of the Week honor along the way. The Lady Eagles have dedicated the 2025-26 season to Coach Daverson.

Girls flag football has experienced explosive growth in the past several years. Multiple states are a decade ahead of Tennessee in high school GFF, but the talent level in-state is beginning to show. An increasing number of high school athletes are earning college scholarships for playing flag football.  “One of the reasons we held the Jamboree at Howard was because of its physical placement. Literally thousands of people passed by on the day. It was a billboard for the sport, according to Signal coach Dave Wagner.

The Lady Eagles delivered an impressive performance on the day, scoring on five of six possessions and allowing only one first down against Brainerd and CGLA, two regional opponents. Offensively, the Lady Eagles rushed for a total of 202 yards, had 102 passing yards, and were successful on all conversions. The defense held both teams scoreless, had two interceptions, and six sacks on the day.

The transition from a fall season to a spring season introduced a new group of athletes to the emerging sport, and this year’s team has already shown considerable promise. Coach Wagner said that the players have embraced the opportunity with enthusiasm and grit, noting he is continually impressed by how quickly they are learning the game. Although the team lost several players to other sports following the season change, he said the coaching staff anticipated that each of the first two seasons would be true building years. Even so, he emphasized that momentum is building and that strong internal leadership helped the team bond almost immediately - a factor he believes will significantly influence its success.

Wagner credits the season captains, senior Trinity Springer and sophomore Sophie Santola for the team leadership noting their efforts that have resulted in the team gelling so well. With most of the roster made up of sophomores and younger athletes, Wagner said that while the opportunities for this team don’t have a ceiling, the program is positioned for sustained success. “The potential is off the charts,” he added.

Signal residents can watch as their Signal Mountain girls high school team parallels the sport’s growth with their own ascension. The games are fast-paced, exciting, and fun to watch. Signal’s team has a light schedule in March, but April will see several home dates. Come out and show your support for this team. Game information can be found on Signal Mountain Signal Mountain Middle/High School PTSA or Signal Mountain HS Girls Flag Football Facebook page.
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by Dave Wagner

A Signal Mountain High School senior, Aubrey Lynch, has been nominated by 30 Lions Clubs in Eastern Tennessee as Leo of the Year to the Lions Club International organization. Lynch is president of the Signal Mountain High School Leos Club, which has 335 members. Leos Clubs, which are affiliated with Lions Clubs, perform projects and services for the communities they represent as well as assisting in major events such as Wreaths Across America and the Iron Man Triathlons. There are 2,700 Leos Clubs across the world, with 300,000 members.

Lynch is a member of the SMMHS state champion cross country, track and NICA cycling clubs. She placed 7th in the Ironman 70.3 Florida event and received the 2023 Youth in Government Outstanding Bill Award and 2024 International Baccalaureate Principled Award. She has also been accepted to attend both the US Naval Academy and the US Air Force Academy, with her choice to come later this spring.

Lynch says that being a Leo has taught her time management, organization, critical thinking, decision-making under pressure and spread-sheet skills, as well as being a team player with a “service before self” attitude. She leads from the front, participating in most of the Club’s activities.

The SMMHS Leos Club is one of the largest in the Eastern United States. It participates through member volunteers for Blankets for Ill Children In-Hospital, high school recycling, Kidsight Eye Screening, pop-up eye clinics, three holiday barbecues for fundraisers for charities, blood donors, Lions Shred Days and Meals of Hope for the hungry.

In 2021, the Signal Mountain Lions sponsored Leos president Chase Post for Leo of the Year and he came in 11th in the United States.
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by Lee Prins

Yay, it’s May, and schools are on the home stretch now.

That means lots of activities, including end-of-year exams and concerts, promotions and graduations, tears and cheers. Best wishes to students, teachers, staff, and families during all these transitions.

Graduation for the Signal Mountain High School Senior Class of 2025 will be May 16 at 5:30 p.m. at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium in downtown Chattanooga.

Huge congratulations to Signal’s Valedictorian Carter Downs and Salutatorian Hanna Yang!

Best wishes to all graduating seniors as they pursue the next chapter in their young lives.

Signal’s eighth grade promotion will be during the morning of May 20 in the high school gym.

Thrasher Elementary’s fifth grade promotion ceremony will be at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 19 at SMMHS. Nolan Elementary’s fifth grade promotion ceremony will be Tueday, May 20 at 6 p.m., also in the high school gym.


Academics and STEM
Signal’s Mock Trial teams enjoyed several wins during regular season but couldn’t get past a local home school team in the district tournament so missed advancing to state this year.

However, senior Harper Cowart won first place in the inaugural Artist in the Courtroom contest for the Tennessee High School Mock Trial Competition.

Congrats to some of Signal’s Middle School students who earned awards at the middle school version of Youth in Government:

Those who had bills passed were Nicko Amuntegaigi, Lexi Godden, Alan Strickler, Gisa Nsengiyumva, Shema Nsengiyumva, and Russell Greene.

Best Statesman awards were presented to Klein Boyd, Adelaide Mondy, Gisa Msengiyuma, and Aubrey Lubinski. Those recognized for Best Bills were Helena Sowa, Madelyne Cronk, Ray Greeson  Ava Kartanos, Ioan Davis, and AJ Taylor.

Congratulations to Zara Hossain for her second place finish in the Chattanooga Science and Engineering Fair. Zara and her teams, including Arianna Anthony and Alyssa Hensley, also received first place at the Regional Science Olympiad High School division for astronomy.

Last month, selected students from Nolan were able to showcase things they learned in the school’s new VW elab. The event took place at UTC, where the Nolan Knights focused on block coding and 3D print models and were also presented with an Emerging VW eLab banner.

Kudos to eighth-grader Luke Behar, who has decided to raise money and coordinate building an electric go-kart as his Eagle Scout project. He is partnering with William Greer, a Signal STEM teacher recently recognized as SMHS and MEF Teacher of the Year, and other students to buy an electric vehicle kit to build during the next year for competition in the spring of 2026.

You can help by sending a check payable to Signal Mountain Middle High School Grand Prix Racing Team to the high school or  via credit card through the Givebacks platform accessible on the home page of the Signal Mountain Middle High School website.


Fine Arts
Congrats to Signal’s High School Symphonic Band for earning a score of Superior in every category from every judge at the East Tennessee School Band and Orchestra Concert Performance Assessment, which is like a final exam for our band program.

Hope you didn’t miss the high school band’s Spring Concert on the evening of April 29. The popular percussion Sticks and Tones concert is May 1 at 7 p.m. in the school theater.

The combined seventh and eighth grade bands also earned a Superior score in stage and sight reading at their ETSBOA assessment. The middle school band concert is May 8 at 6:30 p.m. in the high school gym.

Signal Strings also earned an Overall Superior rating at its ETSBOA concert festival! Its spring concert is Monday, May 12 at 6 p.m. in the theater.

Kudos to Signal’s Indoor Winds program, which was revived a few years ago and has gradually grown in both number and scores with each performance. This past season included lots of first place finishes, a new winter show (instead of rehashing the fall marching show), and its first time hosting a big WGI Regional competition.

Signal’s Theatre department also produces top-notch performances. Hope you were able to catch a performance in early April of “Footloose,” the musical presented by the SMHS Theatre Department.

Be sure to look for any year-end performances and other activities at our elementary schools.

Kudos to Nolan third-grader Verenna Lopes, recipient of a “Nolan Proud” award for artwork that showed an amazing connection to “Positive and Negative Spaces” created in Melissa Hogue art classroom.


Wrestling
Before moving to spring sports, let’s extend one last congratulations to Signal wrestlers JoJo and Ethan Uhorchuk, who both are champions at the final premier wrestling tournament in the country, with JoJo winning the 120-pound junior division and Ethan taking the 132-pound senior division title!

JoJo defeated opponents from seven states en-route to his fifth consecutive NHSCA National Championship. (The only season in which he didn’t take home the crown was 2020 when the tournament was canceled due to COVID.)

Ethan capped off his illustrious high school career with victories over opponents from six states to win his weight class. He will graduate Signal Mountain as a five-time Tennessee State Champion and a Senior National Champion!

Fellow senior wrestler Jackson Davis, a two-time state champion, also had an incredible run in the 170-pound senior division at the national competition.


Spring Sports
Signal student athletes at both middle and high school levels were excelling in early May in most all our spring sports: baseball, softball, lacrosse, boys’ soccer, track and field, HS tennis, and MS golf.

Most programs were winding down in late May, so we’ll be able to report next month how far each advance in post-season play, but I want to go ahead and mention a couple of standouts.

Kudos to juniors Marlee Burkley and Hudson Sveadas for qualifying during the indoor track and field season to compete in the New Balance Indoor Nationals in Boston.

Marlee competed in the pentathlon (60M hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump and 800M run) for which she was state champ last year and is now ranked third overall nationally!

Marlee also is national champ in the Pentathlon High Jump! In other pentathlon categories, she placed fourth in that category’s 60-meter hurdles, fifth in both the 800-meter run and long jump, and 15th in shot put.

Hudson competed in both the shot put and weight throw but, unfortunately, had an off day at nationals but is already breaking records in the outdoor track and field.

Look forward to sharing more good news next month!
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Hope many of you attended the MEF’s Dash and Bash, a fun fundraising event that provides extra support for our Signal schools.

The advent of spring brings more good news!

Congratulations to these recipients of the first-ever Educator of the Year Award recognized at the Mountain Education Foundation’s annual Celebration for Education: Jessica Matukewicz from Nolan Elementary; Tammy Burns from Thrasher Elementary; and both Allison Mulloy (MS) and William Greer (HS) from Signal Mountain Middle/High School.

This award is different from the Teacher of the Year recognitions at each school. Those from Nolan and SMMHS were mentioned in a prior column. This month, we want to also recognize Thrasher’s first grade teacher Sally Warm as Thrasher’s Teacher of the Year.

Congrats also to Thrasher Elementary first grade teachers Ashley Gorman and Liz Poynter, who were each awarded a teacher fellowship with the Medal of Honor Heritage Center for 2025.

Huge congrats to SMMHS senior Aoife Davis for being named a U.S. Presidential Scholar candidate!

Kudos are also extended to these SMMHS students for earning a berth in the Governor’s Scholars program: Aidan Castellanet will focus on science and engineering at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville; Isabelle Alpers will study international studies at the University of Memphis; and Clayton Lord is an alternate for the international studies school at Memphis.


Thrasher Elementary
Praise also is extended to Thrasher’s spelling bee winners.
Fifth grade winners were Harper Benefield, first place; Julia Stabler, second; and Marion Spiller, third. Fourth grade winners were Brooklyn Yeager, first; Walker Dowlen, second; and Morgaine Halloran, third.

Kudos to Thrasher’s fifth-graders for raising more than $3,500 for the American Heart Association in their annual jump rope competition! The top three fundraisers were Ayden Sharp, Welles Wingo, and Riggs Stephenson, who got to “pie a teacher” in front of other students.


SMMHS Fine Arts
Congrats to our middle and high school band students who earned a spot in this year’s Hamilton County All-County Clinics and Concerts.

In middle school, both Will Kennedy and Avery Simmons were county champions. In high school, both Fin Dodson and Grey Robertson were county champions. Many others also secured “chairs” in various level bands.

Kudos to the Signal Mountain Bands program for hosting its first WGI (Winter Guard International) competition, which brought more than 1,000 performers (with their box trucks and semi-trailers full of equipment) plus even more spectators to Signal. This was a huge fundraiser for the program and will likely become an annual event.

Applause extended to the SMMHS Theatre program for the middle school production of “The Aristocrats.”


SMMHS Youth in Government
Nearly 100 SMMHS students participated in the annual Capital Youth in Government conference in Nashville.
The following served as officers this year: Hanna Yang, speaker of the Red House; Luke Mueller, speaker pro temp of the Red Senate; Aidan Castellanet, chief clerk of the Red Senate; Campbell Miller, White and Blue Chief Engrossing Clerk; Issac Grant, transportation commissioner; Torin Young, education commissioner; Ben Marsden and Arshia Panicker, both commissioners for health.

Students recognized for outstanding bills were Ella Obringer, Adeline Ross, Andrew Baker, Declan Goff, Jimmy Giannasi, Cora Sawhill, Isabella Zotos, Ben Sapp, Hannah Harris, Rylan Yeager, Naomi Hays, and Darah Ford.

Outstanding statespersons were Aoife Davis, Reed Hampton, Preston Selby, Tyler Wiggins, Isabelle Alpers, Clayton Lord, Ethan Bhosale, Ben Sapp, and Rylan Yeager. Carver Snyder was an outstanding lobbyist.

Elected to the prestigious Conference on National Affairs was Hanna Yang, with Aoife Davis as an alternate.

Elected to serve as officers for the 2026 YIG conference were Clayton Lord, speaker of the Blue House; Ben Marsden, leader of the White Senate; and Hyrum Gee, Blue chief engrossing clerk. Congrats to all!

Signal Mountain’s Legal Eagles enjoyed lots of successes during their Mock Trial competition. The school’s Black Team was going into region finals as the team to beat when this column was submitted. More to come next month.


SMMHS Middle School Athletics
Congrats to the middle school’s baseball and softball teams on starting their season with wins! Golf, lacrosse, and cross country teams are underway now.


SMMHS High School Athletics
First, congrats to members of the Lady Eagles Soccer team who helped the team earn a TSSAA Distinguished Scholastic Achievement Award with a collective 3.8 GPA or greater!

Now, a huge congrats to senior Ethan Uhorchuk for becoming a five-time state champion! He started his high school career by “playing up” in eighth grade. His brother JoJo Uhorchuk became a three-time state champion, and Jackson Davis won his second consecutive state championship.

Signal Mountain wrestling also set a school record, scoring 127.5 points enroute to a second place team finish. Others who helped secure this achievement were Luke Higdon, who became a three-time state placer with a third place finish, and Christian Davis, a two-time state placer with a fifth place finish.

Huge congrats to Chris Kennedy for becoming Signal Mountain’s all-time leading scorer in basketball!

Unfortunately, the boys’ basketball season ended at the district tournament. Kennedy and Christian Thompson made the 6AAA all District team. Our Lady Eagles basketball team made it to region quarterfinals. Callie Cooper and Tessa Roberson were named to the All-District team.

Kudos to student athletes who placed in the Tennessee State Indoor Track and Field Championships.
The highlight was junior Marlee Burkley, who placed first in the high jump with a jump of 5 feet 7 inches, which set a new personal record, new school record, and tied her for 20th in the nation! She also placed third in the 60-meter hurdles.

Other Top 10 placers at this state event were Hudson Sveadas, Lydia Moore, the girls’ relay team (Maxine Richards, MacKenzie Lockery, Naomi Malone, Hannah Laramore), and the boys’ relay team (Mitch Simmons, Aiden Haun, Murphy Self and Sam Laramore).

All these are also strong contenders for the regular Outdoor Track and Field program, which is just starting its season now.

Signal Mountain’s high school swim and dive team placed 30 out of 65 teams at its state meet. Shout-outs to Avery May and Maddox May, who each set a new team record (in the 100-freestyle and 50-freestyle, respectively) and to diver Eliza Hardin, who placed 10th overall!
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Congrats to our Eagles’ baseball, Lady Eagles lacrosse and softball teams for each opening their seasons with wins! Boys’ soccer, track and field, and high school tennis teams were just starting their regular seasons when this column was submitted.

by Melissa Barrett

Yay, our public schools may have been dismissed for summer, but we’ve got lots of student accolades to share.

SMMHS Valedictorian / Salutatorian
First, congratulations to Logan Dapp and Lisa Lin as Valedictorian and Salutatorian, respectively, for Signal Mountain Middle High School! Dapp plans to study artificial intelligence and computer science at the University of Florida, and Lin will study chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where her brother, Jeffrey also attends. Dapp is also a semifinalist for the prestigious U.S. Presidential scholarship.
And, Lisa is recipient of the 2024 Student-Athlete Scholarship presented by the Tennessee Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association. Her application and essay advanced to regional competition, where she will be in the running for the NIAAA National Award.

Retiring Teachers
Thanks and best wishes to these teachers retiring from our Signal Mountain public schools: IB Spanish teacher Denise Stricklin from SMMHS; math teacher Sherry Johnston and music and movement teacher Lana Colvin from Nolan Elementary; RTI coordinator Raquel Newton, RTI interventionist Krista Torrance, school counselor Teresa Rollins and third grade teacher Mary Ferguson, all from Thrasher. We greatly appreciate your dedication to our students and schools!

Shout out to SMMHS student David Heinichen, who was named Tennessee Area 4 Special Olympics Athlete of the Year! He got to light the torch and say the Special Olympics oath at the track and field event at which several Signal students participated.

Bravo to junior Aoife Davis and senior Mark Nashi as the only two awardees from SMMHS in this year’s Young Southern Student Writers contest that is organized by Southern Literary Alliance and UTC.

Nolan News
Congratulations to Nolan’s student council members and kindness ambassadors on Nolan being named 2024 ASCA Student Council School of Excellence! As part of the application process, Nolan highlighted the leadership of its fifth grade student council members and kindness ambassadors by sharing about community service projects and how student leaders foster a culture of kindness within the school.

Thrasher News
Congrats to Addie Robison as the first official “Thrasher 33 Elevated” role model for kindergarten! This new program is an essential list of manners expected by all Thrasher Panthers. Her teacher, Emily Wheeler, said Addie is a complete delight and sets the bar high for being appropriate, safe, and kind.
SMMHS sixth-grader Eric Hutz is one of 25 runners-up in the national “Can You Find Mapman?”  contest sponsored by Junior Scholastic magazine.

SMMHS Theatre Arts
Bravo to Claire Brillhart who was recognized as SMMHS Theatre’s Thespian of the Year!
Others recognized at the program’s Gnomie Awards that followed the Senior Scenes culminating IB project were Blake Buchheit as Best Actor, and Marlo McMillan as Best Actress.

Seniors who received Best Director awards were Mattie McCaffrey, gold; Rinn Laney, silver; Mason Audiss, bronze; and Alexa Quinn for fan favorite.

Other awards presented were: outstanding freshmen, Sam Clark and Darah Ford; outstanding sophomores, Kayla Tucker and Selma Nitschke; outstanding juniors, Cole Alegria and Brooklyn Buchheit; outstanding seniors, Mattie McCaffrey and Angie Taramona. A special “Not my Actual Student” award was also presented to Alexa Quinn since she isn’t an IB Theatre student.

Claire Brillhart and Haven Gee were among actresses and actresses selected from seven local high schools. Local winners will advance to the National High School Musical Theatre Awards® (aka the Jimmy Awards) in New York. Best of luck to Claire and Haven!

SMMHS Chorus Awards
Congrats to all the SMMHS students who earned chorus awards this year!
Sixth grade teacher awards were presented to Nathan Lopez and Chloe Oliver with academic achievement awards earned by Lily Vicknair and Tamsyn Galloway.
Seventh grade teacher awards were presented to Joe Bastone and Brooklyn Helle and academic achievement earned by Katie Beth Woodlief and Murphy Wood.
The eighth grade chorus award was presented to Milli Regrutto.
Underclassmen awards for concert choir were presented to Bella Vest and Clark Shadrick with the ensemble award presented to Reagan Ellis and Hudson Sveadas.

SMMHS Band Awards
Bravo to all SMMHS students who earned an award from the Band program.
Middle School students who received awards for most improved were:
Sixth grade: Patrick McGehee; Owen Stockburger; LaDondria Williams; Morgan Duffey; Charlotte Cabell; and Ben Dunlap. Seventh grade: William Caldwell; Piper Lawson; Jackson Warren; Lucy Stewart; Owen Laseter; Ava Kartanos. Eighth grade: James Hawkins; Presley Smith; Axel Apablaza; Avery LaPorte; Xander Stewart; Paul Corcoran. Middle School students who received awards for Outstanding Musician were: Sixth grade: Karen Davis; Sadie Cabell; Alexis Godden; Mary Katherine Row; Jack Becker; Caleb Conlon. Seventh grade: Mo Betro; Jack Fischer; Collin Cunningham; Ray Greeson; Audrey Cloud; William Kennedy. Eighth grade: Ben Sapp; Hudson Crowder; Rylan Yeagar; Mac McCallen; Jack Sutterfield; Grayson Rock.
Most Improved freshman was Lorraine Davis; sophomore was Reed Hampton; junior was Jackson Kennedy; and senior was Abby Smith. Outstanding freshman musician was Dylan Stone; sophomore was Emily Campbell; junior was Jason Sepulveda; and senior was Wesley Graybeal.
The AR Casavant Award was presented to marching drum majors Carter Livingood and Jennifer Schwartz. The Louis Armstrong Jazz Award was given to Finley Dodson. percussionist of the year was Carter Alley, and Vivian Miller earned the Above and Beyond Award. The Eagle Award was presented to Lee Greeson; Director’s Award for Band to Grey Robertson; National School Marching Award to Brenden Skinner; and the John Philip Sousa Award to Annelise Perez. Color Guard awards were presented to Kayla Tucker for excellence in rifle and Talley Blackman for excellence in flag. Lucy Morrison was CG Rookie of the Year, and the CG Member of the Year was Sara Johnson. The Indoor Winds Musician Award was presented to Brenden Skinner and the IW Member of the Year was Vivian Miller.

SMMHS Strings Awards
Bravo to these SMMHS students who received awards in the Strings program!
Sixth grade: outstanding musician, Cedar Gill; most improved, Erin McClendon; director’s award, Audrey Lubinkski. Seventh grade: outstanding musician, Klein Boyd; most improved, Russell Green; director’s award, Autumn Molenhouse. Eighth grade: outstanding musician, Adalyn Gee; most improved, Sidney Stephenson; director’s award, Lucy Morrison. High school: outstanding musician, Ben Marsden; most improved, Billy Wooden; director’s award, Sophia Chemin.

Reflections Art winners
Congratulations to Nolan second-grader Eliza Spear, whose ballet entry received a State Recognition Award of Merit in the annual PTSA Reflections Arts contest! She received a trophy at a state ceremony in Sevierville.
Other Nolan winners were: Visual Arts primary grades: first, Margot Smith; second, Caleb Faulkner; third, Alanna Walker Visual Arts intermediate grades: first, June Mackay; second, Waverly Smith; third, Mia Garcia-Rosell Literature Primary: first, Wrenn Wilson
Literature intermediate: first, Vivian Wyatt; second, Walker Wilson; third, Elizabeth Faulkner
Dance Choreography - Primary: first, Eliza Spear; second, Piper Setterlund
Photography - Intermediate: first - Anna Kate Zurawick; second, Vivian Wyatt.

SMMHS Middle School Athletics
Congratulations to our middle school softball team for being awarded Hamilton County District and area runner up! Callie Cooper, Berkley Roddy, Avery LaPorte, and Taylor Warren for named to the All-District team. Bravo to Signal’s middle school girls’ golf team, which was undefeated entering post-season play and ended its season as district champions! Violet Garney placed first; Maddy Odell second; and Grace Garney third. The boys’ golf team was also district champs with Luke Schleger placing first and Henry Beasley in second place. These teams also advanced to the Hamilton County Invitational District tournament, where Odell and Beasley placed first. Other medalists there were Violet Garney, Lily Garney, Schleger, and Paul Mahn.

SMMHS High School Athletics
Congratulations to Josh Thompson for being named as one of 12 top senior multi-sports players in Hamilton County! Josh was a dominant and comedic force on the football field and a double-digit rebounder and scorer on the basketball courts.

Congrats also to three Lady Eagles who were among the top 10 senior multi-sports female athletes for Hamilton County: Dilla Lowry, Emily Redman, and Ashlyn Rock!
Bravo to Signal wrestlers JoJo Uhorochuk, Ethan Uhorchuk, Jackson Davis, Luke Higdon for being named to the All-State team!

Kudos to senior Andrew Matukewicz and junior Carlee Lowry for their recognition by the Times Free Press Best of Preps program.

Congrats to Signal’s baseball team, whose amazing season saw them as district and regional champs, heading to State!

Five members earned a place on the 6-AAA All-District team: seniors Ben Timblin, Blake Wolfard, Barrett Anderson; junior Cash Keene; and sophomore Bo Cooper. Kudos to Timblin for also being named the district’s player of the year!

Kudos are also extended to May Collier and Sarah Corn for receiving all-district awards for softball. The team was still playing in a rain-delayed district tournament when this column was submitted.
Our boys’ soccer team was recognized as regular-season district champs and advanced to the regionals.
Congrats to the Lady Eagles’ girls’ tennis team, which had an 8-0 season in the district and clinched its third straight district championship and second straight regional title! They were traveling to Watertown for sectionals in mid-May.

Tennis Eagles who won at regionals were Cheyenne Cummings, Kate Gilbert, Addy Jones, Brooke Martin and Bindi Patel. Ananya Panicker was up in sets when her match was canceled due to rain and the team had already secured the win.

On the boys’ side, Payne Hurst and Joey Webb were doubles champs in the district tournament and advanced to regionals in mid May.
Congratulations to the Signal boys’ lacrosse team as district champions and its advancement to semi-finals in mid-May.

Signal’s track and field athletes were still blazing new personal records and adding victories on their way to State in late May.

Marlee Burkley won the sectional pentathlon in April, which automatically qualified her for the state competition and set a new school record doing it! Dillia Lowry and Ashlyn Rock finished sixth and eighth with a solid chance at getting an at-large bid to the state championship.

​Liam Funk and DiAngelo Cisto competed in their first decathlon and scored some points at the sectional that will be added to the team’s state score.
Looking forward to seeing several Eagles soar to State this year!

Spring is definitely right around the corner! Young students are delighted for the return of nice weather for recess, and older students have started spring sports. All students will enjoy spring break the second week of March, and then they will have an extended four-day weekend surrounding Easter.
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Kindergarten students and teachers had fun celebrating the 100th day of school in early February with dress-up and themed activities.

Elementary News
Thrasher Elementary students also enjoyed celebrating Dolly Parton’s 78th birthday and her Imagination book program with school librarian Pam Johnston, who dressed as Dolly.

Kudos to Thrasher Elementary’s Ricky McEvoy, who was selected as a member of the 2024 Teacher Fellowship Program for the Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center! He is an instructional technology coach and eLab specialist funded by the Mountain Education Foundation.

Congratulations to all super spellers at Thrasher and Nolan elementary, especially the two fifth grade champs advancing from school Spelling Bees.

Nolan’s fifth grade winners were: Henry Darras, first place; Louis Chemin, second; and Winston Summerlin, third. Fourth grade winners were Annalise Hemstreet, first; Waverly Smith, second; and Noah Iverson, third.

Thrasher’s fifth grade winners were: Sawyer Kennedy, first place; Charlotte Methvin, second; and Madeline Barker, third. Fourth grade winners were: Julia Stabler, first; Olivia Ray, second; and Riggs Stephenson, third.

Kudos to a Nolan third grade team for winning first place in the regional Perennial Math Competition at St. Nicholas School. Team members included Cole Trombley, Aubrey Xi, Zane Ryder, and Walker Wilson.


SMMHS Fine Arts
Several Signal Mountain High School student musicians earned a spot in the All East Senior Clinics at Gatlinburg.

Congrats to Strings students Ben Marsden (who also qualified for All State), Aoife Davis, Alden Warner, and Arshia Panicker.

Congrats also to band students Emily Campbell, who also qualified for All State, as well as other freshmen and sophomores: Ellie Bielcik, Hank Stubblefield, Angelica Schwartz, Vivian Miller, Ray Davis, and Jace Wheat.

Junior and senior band students who qualified for All East were: Jason Sepulveda, Wesley Graybeal, Carter Livingood, Fin Dodson, Abby Smith, Carter Downs, Everett Paulson, Annelise Perez, Allen Zheng, Jackson Kennedy, Brenden Skinner, Grey Robertson, Timothy Parsley, Mariana Murillo, Carter Alley, and Carver Snyder.

Kudos also to Wesley Graybeal, Fin Dodson and Brenden Skinner on amazing performances at the East Tennessee School Band and Orchestra Association’s senior jazz clinic!

You can hear the entire Signal Mountain Jazz Band plus a local professional group at the annual Swing, Swang, Swung Dinner and Dance on April 27 at Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church.

SMMHS Athletics
Huge congrats to senior Landyn Sanders, who was selected as this year’s Division 1 recipient of the esteemed Mr. Bowling award at the state TSSAA tournament!

Signal Mountain Wrestling finished its season placing third in the State Duals team tournament with athletes entering the state Individual tournament in mid-February. Unlike past years, this is a young team, so the future is definitely bright for this program.

Both high school basketball teams had a great season and were heading to post-season play when this column was submitted. Congratulations to all senior players: Ben Timblin, Blake Wolfard, Josh Thompson, Malik Davis, Andrew Matukewicz, Emily Redman, Abby Walker, Megan Clark, Ashlynn Rock, and Avery Edwards.

Kudos to senior Blake Wolfard on being selected to the 4-A All State team in football!

Congrats to all our Signal Mountain student athletes who made the Times Free Press’ latest round of Best of Preps recognitions in early February. Ada Boyd, Hannah Laramore, Aubrey Lynch, and Maxine Richards made the Girls’ cross country team, with Coach Dustin Carpenter once again capturing Coach of the Year. For boys’ cross country, Joshua Pote and DiAngelo Cisto were recognized. For volleyball, Carlee Lowry, Emily Redman and Becca Rogers, were named.

Kudos to Signal Mountain’s Unified Bowling team for placing fourth in the TSSAA Unified (Special Olympics) State Bowling Tournament! Members of this team were Sam Goff, Declan Goff, David Heinichen, Isaac Grant, Annie Olds, Siara Ellis, and Kendall Jeppesen.

Look forward to seeing athletes participate in the spring sports of lacrosse, baseball, softball, track, boys’ soccer, high school tennis, and middle school golf.