Tomcat Talk

AECC Kindergarten teacher Cindy Currie and HCS Director of Elementary Education Sarah Aitken sit down to discuss what it was like to present the early literacy work in HCS at The Learning Forward Conference in Nashville. The Learning Forward Conference is a national conference where professional educators collaborate to create best practices and learn from one another. Through the partnership with Instruction Partners, HCS has implemented The Reader/Writer Project and the results have been outstanding. 

Wychickia Watkins sits down with us and discusses what it's like to be a First Grade teacher in HCS.

Tomcat Senior Asia Silas has been selected to the Flight Academy as an alternate. The Flight Academy allows JROTC members to receive their private pilot's license for free! Not only was Asia selected for this program, but she is also planning a future in healthcare after her time in the National Guard is up. She has built a strong foundation for post-secondary success while in high school.

AECC Teacher of the Year Jamaica Kirby sits down with us to discuss what it's like teaching pre-k students in the very same building she attended school as a young learner.

We sit down with HHS TOY Allyson Byrum. Allyson is an HHS alum who spent some time in Los Angeles before making her way back east to teach at Haywood High School. 

SOA Teacher of the Year Tanya Harrah sits down and discusses how grateful she is for her role at SOA. She also discusses what led her into teaching and what it was like to move from Southern California to West Tennessee. 

East Side Elementary School Teacher of the Year Rachel Windberry sits down with us to discuss teaching STEAM to elementary school students and how making mistakes in class is encouraged.

Coach Chris Smith previews the Milan game in the state quarterfinal round of the TSSAA playoffs. The Tomcats beat Milan 55-14 earlier in the season, but playing a team for the second time in a season can be more challenging.  Plus, the weather for tonight's game is going to be COLD. Coach Smith discusses how the team prepares for temperatures that are close to freezing. 

Tomcat Basketball Coach Rodney Chatman sits down with us to discuss the upcoming season and reflects on how the end of last season has been motivating his players all offseason.  

Coach Cayla Sheets sits down with us to discuss the upcoming season of Lady Tomcat basketball in Haywood County.

We sit down with Coach Chris Smith and reflect on a dominant season and look ahead to tonight's game against South Gibson.

We sit down with Haywood High School teacher Brandon Leek as he discusses the JTG program that is being piloted at HHS this year. 

We sit down with AV Production teacher Chris McCain and discuss the importance of an AV Class in a high school as well as the opportunities available for students after they graduate.

Coach Chris Smith dives deep into the x's and o's of play design and discusses the intricacies of the Tomcat offense.

HMS Girls Soccer Coach Eliza Ford sits down with us to discus the HMS soccer program and the importance of growing a culture of confidence and empowerment among her girls.  

Coach Chris Smith reflects on the special Homecoming environment in Haywood County and looks ahead to the game against the Covington Chargers.

Haywood High School SRO Isaiah Walker sits down discuss his role in HHS.

Coach Chris Smith sits down to discuss tonight's game against South Gibson.

We continue our series spotlighting SRO's in HCS with a conversation with SHIS SRO Donelda Clayton.

School Resource Officer Charile Miller discusses school safety at Haywood Elementary School.

Coach Chris Smith sits for some discussion about Tomcat Football.  Highlights from the episode:

- The Melrose Victory

- Previewing Northside

- High GPA's for the Tomcat Football Team

- The Challenges of Playing on Nights When School is Not in Session

Tomcat wide receiver Jamari Person sits down and discusses how much he has learned playing the game of football. 

East Side Elementary SRO Ed Robinson sits down to discuss the topic of school safety and how police work within a school is much different than police work in the community. 

Head Coach Chris Smith sits down and discusses the big win over Milan and looks ahead to another matchup against an undefeated team in Memphis.

Coach Smith sits down for his weekly chat and discusses the matchup with the undefeated Milan Bulldogs.

Haywood Tomcat quarterback Cordero Walker sits down with us to discuss what it's like playing quarterback for the Haywood Tomcats.

Haywood Middle School Instructional Facilitator discusses the academic focuses of HMS and how equity in education is vital to student learning.  

Coach Chris Smith sits down with us and discusses the Tomcat's 2-0 start where they've won by a combined score of 98-6 over Oakhaven and Crockett County.  Tonight, the Tomcats battle the Lexington Tigers in a game that promises to be very physical.  

Sharon Clark discusses how a new, school wide positive behavior model will positively impact student learning in the classroom.

We sit down with Haywood Elementary School Instructional Facilitator Chelsea Currie.  

East Side Elementary showed great growth in Literacy last school year.  Instructional Facilitator Andrea Baynes sat down with us to discuss how ESE supports their students on an academic level.

We sit down with Anderson Early Childhood Center Instructional Facilitator Jeanna Lea as she discusses the academic focuses at AECC and how each of those focuses are implemented during a learning day.  AECC saw tremendous learning growth last school year and that growth is a testament to the teachers in the classroom and the leadership in the building.  

Coach Chris Smith sits down with us and discusses the upcoming game against Oakhaven, reflects on the live scrimmage against Henry County, and talks about how he and his staff prepare players for the wave of emotion that comes with the first game of the season.

HCS Director of Equity, Learning Loss, and Stakeholder Engagement Corey Currie sits down to discuss the implementation of PLP's in Haywood County Schools.  There's a lot of information in this half hour episode.

Coach Cuwannia Kent sits down and discusses the upcoming volleyball season at Haywood High School.  

We sit down with Haywood Tomcat football coach, Chris Smith, as he discusses his past success in Haywood and Germantown and looks forward to the upcoming season for Tomcat Football.  

Director of Equity and Learning Loss, Corey Currie, sits down with us to discuss the truancy intervention plan in Haywood County Schools.  This plan seeks to partner with families and provide support in order to reduce chronic absenteeism in the district.  If you have any questions about the program, please email Corey at corey.currie@hcsk12.net

HCVA principal Brittany Pittman reflects on the previous school year and looks ahead to the 2022 year at HCVA.

We sat down with Grover Harwell during his last week in HCS and reflected on his time here and the last school year.  

Haywood High School Principal Brittany Avent reflects on the 2021-2022 school year and discusses some challenges that came with adjusting to full time, in-person learning.  She also talks about the growth of her students over the course of the year and the role advisory groups played in that growth.  

HMS principal Michelle Tillman sits down and discusses the 2021-22 school year and looks forward to implementing new conversations about student learning next year.

SHIS principal Alex Aitken reflects on the 2021-2022 school year and looks forward to the new positive behavior program that will be put in place for the upcoming school year.  

East Side Elementary School principal Tressy Halbrook reflects on the 2021-2022 school year.  She discusses the emotional investment made in her staff and how that investment paid dividends in regards to student learning.  

We sit down with Haywood Elementary School principal Anna Roberts as she reflects on the challenges of transitioning back to a full time school year after two years of interrupted learning due to COVID-19.  She also discusses supports that were put in place to help students with some of the bumps in the road.  

In the first episode of season two of Tomcat Talk, we sit down with Anderson Early Childhood Principal, Chris Haliburton, and reflect on the success of the 2021-2022 school year and also look forward to the beginning of school in August.  

Dual-Enrollment and Work Based Learning Coordinator, Amanda Simpson discusses the new partnership with West Tennessee Healthcare that allows HHS students to be employees of Jackson-Madison County General Hospital while using the skills they learned in their CTE classes.

Last December, Cedric Tyus returned to his hometown and his alma mater and made a life-changing announcement for the Haywood High School Class of 2022.  He announced that Tennessee State University would provide FULL scholarship for any HHS graduate with a 3.0 GPA or higher.  We sat down with Cedric to discuss his time in Haywood County Schools, what inspired him to give back to his community, and how attending and working in an HBCU university has helped him evolve.  

We conclude our Why Haywood series with Haywood County Virtual Academy teacher, LoEva Jackson.  LoEva is an aspiring actress who has appeared in movies and television.  She uses her talents in performance art to engage her students.  We sat down and discussed her acting aspirations, why teaching virtually allows her to connect with her students on a deeper level, and why Haywood County feels like home.

Charles Byrum, Robert Mathis, and Sarah Aitken sit down to discuss the summer learning program in Haywood County Schools.  They provide information about everything you need to know about summer learning in HCS.  The first day of summer learning is Tuesday, May 31, but it's not too late to sign up!  

Julian Stanz is a teacher at the Student Options Academy.  He has been teaching in HCS for over ten years and loves the non-traditional approach to education at SOA.  During our discussion, Julian tells of success stories he's seen at SOA as well as why this particular school is a great fit for him as an educator.