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.

Hooray! School’s out!

We hope all students and families, and especially our teachers and administrators, enjoy a restful break - no matter how long (or short)!

Granted, several students at the high school level don’t get much of a break because they’re taking a summer course or attending one of our state’s colleges as a Governor’s Scholar. High school athletes continue working out as fall sports start official practices in July, when approximately 100 band students will also be putting in 12-hour days at band camp.

Our administrators don’t get much time off, and many teachers will participate in workshops or maybe even work a summer job. A few will be learning and/or traveling through grants, such as Thrasher’s Ricky McEvoy and Keely Dunavin, who are traveling to Ireland for an educational conference thanks to a Fund for Teacher Grant.

We just hope all our teachers take time for some “R and R” along the way and come back refreshed for a new school year in August!

The 2022-23 school year ended with lots of celebrations, with perhaps the biggest being the graduation of 171 seniors from Signal Mountain Middle/High School.

THANKS to all the teachers, counselors, staff, administrators, parents, and community for supporting these and all our students through the years!

Academics
Congratulations to our SMMHS Valedictorian Jeffery Lin, who will attend MIT in the fall, and Salutatorian Lydia Miller, who will attend Durham University in England.

Promotions for our fifth-graders at Nolan and Thrasher elementary schools and eighth-graders at SMMHS also were cause for celebrations. Best wishes to them as they transition to middle and high school!

Congrats to two of Signal’s National Merit Finalists, Jeffery Lin and Jack Gibby, for earning more scholarships in the first two rounds announced at time of printing.

And, we have another ACT Ace to celebrate! SMMHS Junior Logan Dapp received a perfect 36 composite score on the college-entrance exam earlier this year to become the school’s 11th student to achieve that.
Winners from a variety of contests were announced as the school year closed as well.

Juniors Jacob Holmes, Ethan Farr, and Logan Dapp were selected to attend the American Legion Boys State.   Lauren Williams, Ellie Donen, and Ashlyn Rock were selected for the American Legion Auxiliary Volunteer Girls State.

Congratulations to Signal’s high school students who qualified for FBLA National Competition Conference in Atlanta with their placements in the state competition: first place for Job Interview, Kathryn Ditmars; second place for Intro to Business Procedures, Hanna Yang; fourth place for Economics, Erik Fowler; and kudos to Cambria Ginther for placing 10th overall in Tennessee in Political Science!

SMMHS had two winners in the fifth annual civics essay contest sponsored by the Chattanooga Federal Bar Association: sophomore Simon Lewis won first place in the high school division, and eighth-grader Seven Dapp placed second in the middle school division.

Kudos to Thrasher third-grader Leela Bell, who was awarded Hamilton County School’s Rock Point Student of the Month for academics!

Congrats to Nolan fourth-grader Cole Petty as a new recipient of the Carson Scholarship!

Congrats also to Nolan student Belou Anderson on being one of two Hamilton County students who were National level PTA winners in the Reflections Arts contest!

Fine Arts
Bravo to student thespians who won awards of excellence for work with SMMHS theatre arts and in particular the senior-directed short scenes at year-end.

Aaron Nielsen was recognized as Best Thespian. Best Director trophies were awarded to Tess Pope for Gold with Nielson and Ethan Bullock in a tie for Silver. Pope’s scene from “Waitress” also captured the Fan Fave award with its main actor Hyrum Gee recognized as Best Actor. Hanna Yang won Best Actress for her role in Bullock’s scene from “Anastasia.”

Congrats to Junior Collin McIntosh, an Art Honor Society student, who won first place in the Art for Pets contest sponsored by the Humane Educational Society and whose work was auctioned off for $3,200 at the Faux Fur Fest event in mid May.

Thrasher Elementary had 14 student recipients this year of the Young Southern Writer awards: Lucas Knowles, Emilia Day, Ella Splawn, Lina Barisik, Ella Silverman, Mason Wall, Hadley Burgess, Xyla Blizzard, Sam Dunkin, Olive Roach, Josiah Mondy, Trillium Lundy, Hannah Bohman, and Violet Bowen.

Athletics
Huge congrats go to the SMHS boys’ lacrosse team for making it to the state championship round for the first time in program history! The state final was scheduled after this column was submitted, so results will be shared next month, but WOW, what a great season!

Kudos also to our high school track and field athletes with both our girls’ and boys’ team as runners up in the TSSAA East Sectionals and prepping for the State championships in late May.

The high school girls’ tennis team reigned as both district and region champs, with the boys’ team as district runner up. Several individual players were competing in the region individual championships as this column was written.

Signal’s high school baseball team made it to a regional semifinal before ending its season.

Our softball team ended its season in district play. Kudos to All-District players Dillia Lowry, Abby Walker, and Carlee Lowry!

Signal’s middle school teams ended their spring seasons on a high note.

The MS girls’ track and field team members were crowned county champs, with Sara Jane Flowers recognized as girls’ Coach of the Year.

The girls’ and boys’ MS golf both finished as District champs! Tucker Cruise finished as district runner up by one stroke after a sudden death hole for first place. May May McGee finished runner up for the girls, with teammates Allison Horsman and Ella Kelley in third and fourth place, respectively.

Our Hamilton County Invitational medalists for middle school golf were May May McGee- second, Allison Horsman- fourth, Ella Kelley fifth for girls, and Tucker Cruise – third, and Robinson McGee - fifth for boys.
Signal’s middle school baseball team had a great season, making it to the third round of the Final Four in the district tournament.

As mentioned, many of our students will be engaged in summer activities at our school campus prepping for fall seasons. We enjoy seeing them working hard year round and look forward to welcoming all students back to school in August.
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Don’t forget to remind students of their summer reading assignments! ​

A sport that sometimes gets shoved to the sidelines amid football, basketball, soccer, and other such programs, Signal Mountain High School’s bowling program proved to be one of only a few thus far this year to make it to State competition … for the first time ever!

This achievement capped a Cinderella season for this program that has existed since the school opened in 2008 but one that doesn’t usually get much notice.

That changed this year when a small group of seniors joined the teams, which already had players working hard to improve their games. All were thrilled to welcome newcomers to the program.

Coach Mark Bracher, who’s been with the program since inception, noted that two prior teams a decade ago averaged higher than this year’s team, but couldn’t get over that hump of winning the first game in the regions. He’s also had four guys advance to individual state competitions.
So what made this year different?

“It’s hard to narrow it down to just one thing,” Bracher said.

The first thing he noted had to do with the eight seniors (four boys and four girls) who decided to bowl this year. “I rarely get seniors who just decide to bowl their senior season,” he said.

Even better, “All eight showed up with a team spirit and a competitive spirit I had not seen before from such a large group of bowlers,” noted Bracher.

“The senior boys started practicing in June, the senior girls started practicing as soon as they joined the team, and Britton Williams joined after volleyball season ended. Britton exemplified the drive of the seniors - as soon as Britton joined, she practiced almost every day for the first two weeks she was on the team - and this was in the middle of our season!”

Bracher and bowling standout Landyn Sanders said it helped that most of the seniors had also played another sport so had some natural athleticism. “Athletes that throw ‘kinda’ normal” is a big advantage.” Landyn noted.

Another factor was overall improvement from veteran players, including those who advanced from middle school.

“This year, our three freshmen stood out,” Bracher said. “Reed Hampton improved his match average by 27 pins, from 105 to 132; Henry Nord improved 33 pins from 134 to 167; and Carson Gayton improved about 54 pins from a 113 average to a 167!”

Matt Sanders, Landyn’s dad, came aboard as a new coach to provide expertise that Bracher said he and assistant coach Gene Nelson didn’t possess.

“Matt was really good at figuring out different bowling balls to try for different styles and lane conditions,” Bracher said. “This helped the brand new seniors and the freshman improve a lot during the course of the season.”

And, Signal Mountain Bowling had a “really big schedule” compared to other teams in the area.
“I scheduled 32 matches, but more importantly we bowled at eight different bowling centers this season,” Bracher said.

“This provided the bowlers experience with several different lane conditions and opponent ability so they were intimidated by neither by the end of the season.  We won our district matches at Dayton, the region championship at Cleveland, the sectional round at Hixson, and then won a State Tournament match at Smyrna.

“This helped me get their attention in the post season and explain they wouldn’t always have to bowl well,” he said, adding, that, “they just had to bowl better than the other team.”

Lastly, a little bit of luck never hurts.

“Landyn got one of the luckiest strikes I’ve ever seen in the 11th frame of the last Baker game against Blackman (in a state sectional) to clinch the victory and send us to State,” Bracher marveled.

Winning the individual game against Blackman in the sectional round was when Bracher finally realized these boys were going to State.

He thought they might have a chance after pre-season practices in mid September when he knew one of the new seniors (Clay Cooper) would be a starter and that another senior (Noah Riley, who hadn’t bowled since eighth grade) would be good enough to replace another bowler lost to transfer. Those two, in addition to veteran players, gave the team a fighting chance against region kingpins Rhea County and Walker Valley, which they beat in district and region tournaments.

Landyn had bowled as an individual at State before but said the entire team was nervous being there for the first time this year.

Cooper agreed it was “exciting” to go to State (which he’d not done in other sports he’d played) and also “very intimidating” to drive up to the State venue and see the parking lot packed … for bowling.

He described Round 1 in the quarterfinal against Sevier County as “a pretty rough game” but one that Signal Mountain ultimately won.

“They seemed a lot more intimidating by [our team] just knowing that we’d never been to State,” said Cooper, “but once we got going, we really rocked it honestly.”

In a semifinal, Signal was pitted against the state titleholder (and eventual state champ again) to whom they lost, but Landyn was proud that “we had them and their coach worried for a while.”
So, can they do it again next year?

Yes, they just need to backfill those seniors to the fairly young team. And keep the momentum going.
Landyn is one of two juniors, with most other returning bowlers as current sophomores or freshmen. He and others have already been recruiting.

Their main points: Bowling is fun and easy to learn.

Those were the main two reasons that attracted Cooper and Eli Herlevic, who said, “It’s a very fun sport to learn.” Cooper added that it also is “very much an independent sport compared to a team sport, so it can be a very competitive and exciting.”

Nord, who also “played up” as an eight-grader, agreed with others that it really helped to have lots more people on the team, which kept the momentum going. He’s hoping others hop on and join the team for summer and fall practices as they prep for their fall season.

Unlike other programs, Coach Bracher is flexible in allowing students to participate in other sports with parallel seasons as long as they practice bowling when they can. He likes getting other athletes because he said they understand “the value of practice, the value of team, and a drive to win.”

“I’m hoping with the success of this year’s teams that bowling will be more popular at the school,” Bracher said. “I don’t have specific examples, but I know the students are always fighting a stigma with being on the bowling team.”

Hopefully, that won’t happen again after this year’s trip to State.

Girls Team
Not only was this an exciting season for the boys’ bowling team, but also for the girls, who ended their season as district champs for the first time ever!

Signal Mountain’s bowling team didn’t have a female bowler until its third season, when Cayla Knight had to bowl with the boys until she recruited others to help organize the first full girls’ team in 2011-12. That rush lasted until 2016. A couple of girls bowled for the 2018-2019 season, but it wasn’t fun for the two-person team because it meant they had to score zeroes for the missing players.

Georgia Bartlett was one of four freshmen to join last year for the core of this year’s team. She selected bowling as a completely random choice when looking at a list of sports on the school website soon after moving from Baltimore and has never regretted it.

“Bowling is such an easy sport to pick up,” she said, “and the coaches taught me to bowl pretty well. If you just put some effort into it, you’ll learn.” Bartlett improved her average from 100 to 148 in a year.

Bartlett loves the “family atmosphere” among bowlers and their families and said it was so much more fun this year with extra players. She feels confident that the five or six underclass players will return and is confident the team will improve and could go beyond district next year.

Special Olympics
This year also was the first time Signal Mountain had a Special Olympics team to compete in that division at State. Sam Goff and David Heinichen were the main two players supported by top members of both our boys and girls teams in various contests. This unified team earned third place at State in its inaugural run.

While all teams were bowling to win, having fun seemed to be the underlying theme at practices and matches and was reflected in recaps and photos.

“This was a fantastic season, and I had a lot of fun,” said Bracher, who noted that SMMHS Principal Michael Carson “makes fun of me for my rousing pre-match speeches, but the message is ALWAYS ‘Have fun’ and all I want for these kids is to HAVE FUN!”

So, if you’ve got a SMMHS student looking for something to do and just wanting to have fun, tell him or her to contact a member of the bowling teams or email Bracher at [email protected].
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by Melissa Barrett

Spring is just around the corner, with students eager to get outside for recess and classroom instruction (when allowed) and spring sports just starting the last athletic seasons for this school year.

Elementary News
Congratulations to Marah Smith, a first grade teacher at Nolan Elementary, for being selected as one of three grade-level Teachers of the Year for Hamilton County Schools! Best wishes in your nomination for regional award consideration!

Kudos also to Leslie MacPike, a fifth grade teacher recognized as Nolan’s Teacher of the Year for grades 3-5, and Courtney Johnson, a fourth grade math and science teacher recognized as Thrasher Elementary’s Teacher of the Year! We are grateful for all our teachers for their daily dedication to making a positive difference for our students!

Kudos to all spelling bee participants at Nolan and Thrasher elementary schools! Thrasher’s fourth grade winners are Sawyer Kennedy, first place; Devlin Davis, second place; and Phin Walker, third place. Fifth grade winners are Hutton Whatley, first; John McCarthy, second; and Bijal Patel, third.

Nolan’s fourth grade winners are Jace Long, Barrett West, and Arthur Alexander. Fifth grade winners were Emmy Pittman, Joy Wang and Ally Melhorn. Fifth-grade winners were Emmy Pittman, Joy Wang and Ally Melhorn.

Nolan was awarded the Governor’s Civic Seal for schools that prioritize teaching our nation’s history and civic values. Implementing high-quality civic education programs result in readiness for college, career, and civic life.


Middle and High School News
Congratulations to some Signal Mountain High School students on regional awards that qualified them for the FBLA State Leadership Competition! Hanna Yang, Erick Fowler, Cambria Ginther, Mason Howell, and Sophie Jackson will compete at the state event this month.


SMMHS Art Recognitions
Bravo to all involved in the Signal Mountain Middle School production of “The Music Man Jr.” Don’t miss the high school musical “Newsies,” with performances scheduled March 23-26.

Applause is extended to several SMMHS band and strings students for earning a place (from more than 2,000 who auditioned) in an honor band at the All East Tennessee State Band and Orchestra Association regional clinic and concerts in Gatlinburg. Congrats to Alexia Apablaza, Joshua Dulin, Rylan Stone, Carter Downs, Everett Paulson, Carter Livingood, Vivian Miller, Ellie Bielcik, Emily Campbell, Fin Dodson, Lee Greeson, Jason Sepulveda, Carter Alley, Weston Livingood, Gina Shome, Autumn Cadieux, Jake Stubblefield, Andrew Milz, Lindsey Coppel, JJ Massey, Wes Graybeal, Brenden Skinner, and Kaitlyn Castellanet.

Rylan Stone, JJ Massey, Lindsey Coppel, and Emily Campbell also earned the coveted All State recognition, which earns them attendance at a state level clinic and concert in April.

Congratulations to Leah Davis, whose art earned her third place in the 2022 Skate Graphics Contest!
Congratulations to Liv Hamilton, Grayson Holiday, Harrison Ogden, Frankie Millsaps, Hailey Kimsey, Olivia Glover, and Abbey Bevans for their art being selected for display at the Hunter Museum Teen Art Show!

SMMHS Athletic Achievements
Congratulations to the Signal Mountain boys’ bowling team for winning a regional championship for the first time ever, as well as winning the Sectionals, which advanced these guys to State competition!

There, our boys won their quarterfinal match before losing in a semifinal to the state title-holder and eventual state champ. This was a Cinderella season for this group of boys and girls, who had a full team for the first time in a few years and ended their season as district champs.

Congratulations to Landyn Sanders, Georgia Bartlett, and Siara Ellis for recognition as Bowlers of the Year at the program’s awards party! Sawyer Guffey, Henry Nord, and Sanders were on the All-District team, while Sanders, Clay Cooper, Stewart Thibault and Carson Gayton made the All-Region team.
The icing on the cake came when Signal’s Special Olympics bowling team placed third at the TSSAA competition. Kudos to Sam Goff and David Heinichen and their teammates!

Wrestling
Congratulations to Signal Mountain wrestling for being crowned district and regional champs again, and for winning the sectional for a chance to to defend the team’s state title. Unfortunately, a one-point difference in the final match designated them as state runner-up, a great honor despite the boys’ disappointment.

This team finished its year with a 21-3 record, and in a historic two-year run, this program amassed a 42-3 record over the past two years, and made back-to-back state championship appearances. What an incredible run!

At the time this column was being written, several of our bowlers were preparing to compete in individual contests with the goal of returning to State in that category.


Basketball
Congrats to Signal Mountain’s girls’ basketball team for securing 22 wins and receiving recognition as regular-season district champs as the gals prepared for the district tournament!

Golf
Congratulations to Peyton Ogle and Maxine Richards for being named to all-state golf and cross country teams by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association!

Swimming
Signal Mountain brings home a state champion in swimming, from the recent TISCA State Championships! Congratulations to sophomore Avery May for taking the state title and winning 1st place the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:58.67. She also placed 4th overall in the 100-yard breaststroke. May, teamed up with Hannah Laramore, Ella Obringer and Ada Boyd to place 16th in the 200-yard medley relay. Other state qualifiers were Jake Holmes, Maddox May and Madeline Daverson. On the diving side, freshman Valerie Roslin placed 4th overall in the 1-meter diving competition!

Congratulations to eighth-grader Hayden Vicknair for breaking the 100 Butterfly and 200 Individual Medley swimming records at the recent Northwest Georgia Middle School Championships!