​We made it to winter break! Yay! Hopefully, our students were able to participate in some fun holiday activities, as well as takesemester exams!
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COVID-19 has definitely dampened the holidays, but gratitude and generosity have been plentiful.
A huge thanks to all families that donated items during various drives at our schools to fill Christmas baskets for families assisted by Signal Mountain Social Services!

Thanks to our Thrasher Elementary School students who made fall placemats again for Alexian Village residents! COVID-19 prevented hand-delivery this year, but residents appreciated those mats in their dining rooms.

Hats off to the 40-plus volunteers who came to Thrasher on a Saturday morning over Thanksgiving break to work on the school grounds! They finished the work on the outdoor tree stump classrooms by spreading mulch and adding landscape timbers as a boundary. These hardworking volunteers also repaired a gravel path near the vegetable garden by adding new landscape timbers and new gravel, built white boards in two outdoor pavilion classrooms, and cleaned the Rain Garden.

Thanks also to our parents and local businesses that provided outdoor holiday decorations at our public schools! We have a great community!

Academic Recognitions
Several Signal Mountain High School students participated in a virtual Model UN conference with a different group of schools than normal since the big regional conference that is usually held downtown was postponed until spring.

Congratulations to Kaitlyn Castellanet for recognition as Outstanding Security Council Member. Kudos also go to Cambria Ginther, Emma Wu, Grace Elliott, Grace Farrimond, and Mark Nashi as Outstanding Delegates; Emma Wu, Hannah Morton, and Grace Elliott for Outstanding Resolution; and to Will Crowder, who was elected as the 2021 Digital Press Social Media Director for this conference.

Hats off to SMMHS eighth-grader Aoife Davis, who competed and earned top awards in the National Science Bee and the U.S. Academic Bee! She finished first in Tennessee and in the top 13 in the Eastern Region, qualifying her for the National Science Bee to be held in December. Aoife finished second in Tennessee and also qualified for the National U.S. Academic Bee in December.

Kudos to SMMHS seventh-graders Reed Hampton and Lee Greeson for their accomplishments in the National History Bee, for which they qualified in February! Reed was the top finisher from Tennessee in their age group and placed in the Top 50 nationally. Lee was second in Tennessee and placed 55th overall in their age group.

Athletics
Congrats to Signal Mountain’s Middle School soccer boys’ and girls’ teams as regular season and district champions!

Signal Mountain’s high school basketball season kicked off with pre-season games during Thanksgiving week, with both our boys’ and girls’ teams scoring wins. Our boys’ team was sidelined due to COVID-19 at the time, but it was looking forward to more games at press time.

Signal Mountain’s high school wrestling season experienced a delayed start due to COVID-19 on opponents’ teams, and most competitions were cancelled starting out. The boys appreciated finally hitting the mats and won their first matches, and hope to complete the season.

Congrats to Signal’s high school bowling team, which finished the season as District Champs!  This is the first time since the 2013-2014 season that Signal Mountain Bowlers finished with an undefeated regular season district record, 10-0, and only the second time in the school’s bowling history to be undefeated in the district schedule.

Hats off to all who assisted with the installation of Pixellot cameras in the high school gym and football stadium so that home games can now be streamed on the NFHS network. This is especially helpful during the pandemic when attendance has been restricted, and some people prefer not to join crowds of any size.
Looking forward to a new year in so many ways! Enjoy the holidays and stay safe!

by Melissa Barrett

Three tries were all it took for Chase Post to earn a perfect composite score of 36 on the ACT college entrance exam. With each attempt, he changed his focus.
Post scored a composite 25 when he first took the ACT as a seventh grade Gifted student at Signal Mountain Middle/High School. His score in science then was high enough to earn him recognition in Duke University’s Talent Identification Program.

In 10th grade, Post achieved a composite score of 34, with his highest scores in reading and English, which he thought misrepresented him. “I’ve always been a math and science type of person,” Post said.

So, when preparing to take the ACT again this past September, Post focused more on math because he wanted to score really well in that section to be competitive when applying to colleges for an engineering degree. He also studied reading a lot because he said, “I’ve never been really comfortable with it and didn’t want it to lower my grade.”

Post, who also is a National Merit Semi-Finalist, found online practice tests to be really helpful when studying for academic tests. He mainly practiced through Kahn Academy, which many math teachers use for homework assignments at all grade levels.

“Different people learn differently,” he said, so find what works best for you.

One tip he offered so others don’t get discouraged is rather than jumping right into timed practice tests, “Take one practice test, go through it completely and don’t time yourself. Go slow and make sure you understand the material well and know what you did wrong.”

“Be sure you understand how they’re asking the questions and the tricks they throw at you,” Post advised. “Then, once you’re comfortable with it, start adding the time pressure.”

The future engineer narrowed all that down to “quality over quantity.”

Teacher Influences
Post credits two SMMHS teachers for the greatest help preparing him for the ACT. He said math teacher Kathy McCormack made ACT practice a priority in her class. “She’s just a really great teacher,” he added, “and she makes math fun.”

McCormack said Post has “an excellent math mind and seeks to connect math to physics and business. He is a student who thinks outside the box. When Chase raises his hand, he often asks questions that challenge me to make more connections.”

English teacher Amanda Pettit-Shaheen was a huge help teaching basic mechanics and writing intricacies during AP Literature. He mentioned that writing essays and learning how to use semi colons to combine complex sentences was especially helpful.

“She really nailed down those basic mechanics,” he said, “and taught us how to read critically and how to write effectively.”

Pettit-Shaheen called Post “an amazing student.”

“Chase is thoughtful, inquisitive, and motivated, and he has a true desire to learn new things,” she said. “I look forward to seeing what great things he will accomplish in his future.”

Extracurriculars
Two extracurricular activities of which Post is proud are involvement in the school’s swimming and Leo clubs.
He started swimming at age 6 and has spent 10 years swimming competitively with the Signal Mountain Green Giants, Baylor Swim Club and Signal Mountain Swim and Dive Club.

After starting his freshman year of high school at the Baylor School because of its swimming program, Post transferred back to SMMHS.

Post says swimming requires a lot of focus because it’s not a sport that involves a lot of talking with others but instead mainly staring down at the bottom of a pool.

“It taught me how to focus and work really hard, even when you’re not really talented at something,” he said.

That paid off when Post qualified for Junior Nationals and made finals at State in the 100-yard breaststroke earlier in the year. He now serves as team captain of the Signal Mountain Swim Club and has received several awards relating to swimming talent, team spirit, and leadership.

In the Leo Club, Post is best known for leading the recycling program at home football games and organizing blood drives.

Post also helped program an Augmented Reality Sandbox for Nolan Elementary during fall break in 2019, continues to tutor other students in math, helped organize a talent show to raise money for the Mountain Education Foundation, he also has participated in the YMCA Youth in Government program, where he served as the white senate chief clerk and ran for governor back in the spring. He was also involved in TEAMS (Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science), Academic Quiz Bowl, the National Honor Society and Beta Club.

Leadership
Chase has two siblings. James attends UTC, and his sister, Hailey, is a junior at SMMHS. They are the children of Larry and Kathy Post, who are proud of their middle child’s recent achievement.
“It’s exciting to have all his hard work pay off,” mom said, “and especially to have it honored.”

SMMHS Principal Shane Harwood agreed. “Chase’s hard work and dedication have been instrumental in his recent ACT accomplishment and being recognized as a National Merit Semi-Finalist,” he said. “Chase serves as an example for other students in regards to academics, service, and character, and we are excited to see what his future holds!”

Post has explored several areas of interest in his quest for leadership skills to supplement studies in engineering.

Although he isn’t sure yet what specific area he plans to study, the top two contenders are electrical or industrial engineering.

Considering himself a natural leader, Post said he doesn’t want to just study design basics but wants to continue learning skills that he could apply to managing a factory or project team one day.

When interviewed after announcement as a National Merit Semifinalist, Post said, “I think the most important thing to remember is that it’s okay to make mistakes.

“When we make mistakes, we learn valuable lessons that may otherwise go unlearned,” he noted. “All you can do, no matter what happens, is keep working hard, pursue what makes you happy, and give to others whenever you can.”

by Melissa Barrett