The Bartlett City School board recognized a wide range of student achievements at the Feb. 25 business meeting, including:
- The appointment of Bartlett High senior Jackson Huffsteler to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Huffstetler is ranked in the top 10 percent of his class with a 4.27 weighted grade point average, was named as an AP Scholar, and has shown an intense interest in politics throughout his high school career. He attended the Tennessee Governor’s School for International Studies, attained Eagle Scout rank in the Boy Scouts, and was named an Academic All-Star in The Commercial Appeal for the social studies category. He will report in June for cadet basic training, then begin school for political science in August. Upon graduation, he will be commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army.
- The naming of Bartlett High senior Matthew Scott as a National Merit Finalist, a feat not accomplished by a Bartlett High School student in nearly 10 years. He will now compete for one of 7,400 merit scholarships to be awarded in the spring. Matthew is one of the strongest students at Bartlett, ranking fourth in the Class of 2016 while excelling in Honors and Advanced Placement coursework. He was chosen for the 2015 Tennessee Governor’s School for International Studies, allowing him to immerse himself in foreign language and international affairs, and he scored an outstanding 34 on the ACT. He has also scored in the top 85 percent nationally on the National Spanish Exam for two years. He is the current President of the National Honor Society and a member of the Beta Club, National Spanish Honor Society, CANstruction, and the soccer team.
- State recognization for last year’s writing score by Isaac Taylor, an eighth-grader at Appling Middle School. He was one of few students in Tennessee to earn a perfect score in all categories.
- Student winners in the Bartlett sesquicentennial art competition throughout Bartlett City Schools. The city celebrates its 150th birthday in 2016, and young artists chose to draw different Bartlett scenes in honor of the sesquicentennial. (See the list of winners below.)
- The board also recognized Anne Faulks, seventh-grade art teacher at Appling Middle School. She was Taylor’s teacher and also taught Ellie Gevers, an Appling eighth-grader who will be published in a national publication because of Faulks’ encouragement.
Art contest winners
Winners of the Bartlett City Schools (BCS) district art contest celebrating the city’s sesquicentennial are as follows:
- Grand prize winner: Karston Salsbury of Elmore Park Middle, 7th grade
- High school winners: First place, Jessica Ishak, Bartlett High School, 12th grade; second place, Chasiti Beasley, Bartlett High School, 12th grade; and third place, Jarren Rendon, Bartlett High School, 10th grade
- Middle school winners: First place, Jason Randle, Elmore Park Middle School, 8th grade; second place, Kayla Welker, Elmore Park Middle School, 6th grade; and third place, Alexandre Rivera, Appling Middle School, 8th grade
- Elementary school winners: First place, Megan Ammons, Altruria Elementary School, 5th grade; second place, Emily Segura, Oak Elementary School, 5th grade; and third place, Abigail Dunn, Bartlett Elementary School, 5th grade
Other business
In other business, the board also approved:
- A revised policy about school support organizations (second reading)
- A revised policy about graduation requirements (first reading)
- The school board’s meeting schedule for the next school year, 2016-2017
