Sheila McMillen February Teacher of the Month at DeKalb West School

February 28, 2019
By: Bill Conger

With a megawatt smile and a twinkle in her eyes, DeKalb West School teacher Sheila McMillen walks into the cafeteria to a group of adoring fans. “Mrs. Sheila! Mrs. Sheila!” gush a group of young children as they run up to the second grade teacher and embrace her with hugs.

“I have always loved working with children,” McMillen says. “They may not realize this, but they bring such joy to my life. I think that feeling of joy gets greater each year. They bless my heart every day.”

Her loving nurturing spirit is one of the reasons peers selected the 26-year teaching veteran for February Teacher of the Month.

“My children and I both love her very much,” says Coach/P.E. teacher Kelly Pyburn. “She is so kind and thoughtful. She always puts in extra time to make our students feel loved, cared for and pushed to be their best. Mrs. Sheila is the best!”

“She always has a smile on her face and genuinely loves her students,” says 5th grade teacher Nadina Martel. “She is always on the list when students are talking about their favorite teachers.”

“Mrs. Sheila’s love for her students and her job shows each and every day!” adds Librarian Amanda Mullinax.

Born in Smithville, Mrs. McMillen graduated from D.C.H.S, but she waited before going to college.

“I have always wanted to be a teacher,” McMillen said. “I can’t remember a time that I didn’t. When I graduated from high school, I didn’t go straight to college to be a teacher though. I got a good job right before graduation and went to work while taking a few classes at night. God kept opening doors though and kept that desire burning in my heart. I finally finished college, and I am so glad that I did.”

“Mrs. Sheila is one of those teachers that you can honestly say is living her calling,” 3rd grade teacher Rachel Desimone said. “She is not only a natural educator, but so much more to her students. She goes above and beyond to make each student feel special and loved. Mrs. Sheila was one of the first friends I made professionally here at DWS and one of my daughter’s first teachers here that made a lasting impact. She is so deserving of this February’s Teacher of the Month.”

McMillen graduated from MTSU in 1993 and earned her Masters from TTU three years later. A resident of Alexandria, Mrs. McMillen has taught one year in 4th grade and 14 years in 1st grade before switching to 2nd grade where she has remained for 11 years.

“I love 2nd grade the best,” McMillen said. “This is the year their little personalities start to blossom. They make me laugh so much! They are eager to learn, and they are so loving!”

While Mrs. McMillen has devoted time tirelessly to helping children learn the foundations of education, she knows she’s left a mark in their lives outside academics too.

“When you see students that you had a long time ago, and they take the time to talk to you and give you hugs, that’s when you know that you have made a difference,” she says. “People may not always remember your name, but they do remember how you made them feel.”

February 27, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

The DCHS Lady Tigers could not tame the Macon County Tigerettes and lost 51 to 27 in the Region 4AA Championship Game at Crossville Wednesday night.

With the loss, the Lady Tigers (22-11) will travel to McMinn Central (20-13) Saturday night, March 2 for a sub-state game starting at 7:00 p.m. (eastern standard time) which is 6:00 p.m. (central standard time). WJLE will have LIVE coverage of the game with the Voice of the Lady Tigers John Pryor.

After the game three Lady Tigers, Lydia Brown, Emme Colwell, and Kadee Ferrell were named to the 1st Team-All Region.

Macon County led 17 to 4 after the 1st period, 27 to 13 at halftime, and 43 to 18 after the 3rd period before going on to beat the Lady Tigers 51 to 27.

Lydia Brown and Kadee Ferrell each scored 5 points, Emme Colwell. Megan Cantrell, and Joni Robinson each with 3, and Mya Ruch, Leah Davis, Mallori Hart, and Gracie Griffin each with 2 points.

February 27, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Third in series of five stories. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

What’s cooking at DeKalb County High School?

Ask Linda Parris!

IMG_4428 from dwayne page on Vimeo.

As the Family and Consumer Science/Culinary Arts teacher, Parris oversees a program at DCHS in which students engage in lab-based, hands-on training in the art of cooking and hospitality management. They create new recipes, cater events in the local area, and bridge the gap between high school and postsecondary education by completing industry certifications.

Parris, this year’s DCHS Teacher of the Year, started her journey there as an educator 22 years ago. “This is my 22nd year at DCHS. The first 15 years I was a Home Economics/Family and Consumer Science Teacher. When former Family and Consumer Science teacher Harriett Cantrell retired she said I needed to get busy and obtain my culinary endorsement for those classes at the high school. I added that endorsement within a year and we moved to her room and we have transformed her room from a home kitchen to a commercial kitchen. That was seven years ago,” said Parris.

Under Parris’ leadership, the culinary arts and hospitality program at DCHS earned the school a “2016 Elite 50 Award” from Sullivan University, one of only three Tennessee schools to receive the honor that year. The Elite 50 list each year includes high schools and tech centers that excel in the areas of culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, and/or hospitality management.

So what’s a typical day like in Linda Parris’ classroom?

“It depends on what day it is,” said Parris. “Today (Monday) we did uniform alterations for the basketball game. We may clean a tower garden or add water to a tower garden. We are excited because we have three or four peppers on our tower garden ready to be harvested. I may be testing students on the chrome books. We may be in the lab preparing meals for different events at the school or in the community. We take their skills learning in other classes and we’re connecting them to the real world showing them where they are going to be using those skills. Each day is a new day. We never know what it will bring,” said Parris.

Although a resident of Warren County, Parris is quick to add that her home is only a stone’s throw from DeKalb County.

She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Tennessee Tech University and she has a Master’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi. Parris also added her culinary arts endorsement from MTSU.

In addition to her teaching duties at DCHS, she serves as advisor for the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) Club.

Parris said she counts it an honor to be the DCHS Teacher of the Year. “I was shocked and very fortunate that my peers voted this honor upon me. I have many peers who are just as deserving of this award as I am”.

Asked how she would feel if she were named DeKalb County Teacher of the Year, Parris said “It would be exciting and amazing. I would feel honored to represent my career in technical education,” she added.

In addition to Parris, this year’s honorees are Justin Nokes, seventh grade World History teacher at DeKalb Middle School; first grade teacher Vicky Hawker at Smithville Elementary School;  fifth grade teacher Cheryl Vandagriff at Northside Elementary School; and Jessica Antoniak, a sixth grade math and science teacher at DeKalb West School.

WJLE will be featuring each of the five Teachers of the Year at the school level through next Tuesday. Features on Justin Nokes and Vicky Hawker already appear further down this page under local news.

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