Board Grants Tenure to Nine Educators

June 9, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Nine teachers have been granted tenure by the Board of Education.

During Thursday night’s monthly meeting, Director of Schools Patrick Cripps presented the names of Katie Barrett, Lacey Foutch, Justin Nokes, Thomas Cagle, Sarah Jacobs, Kelly Pyburn, Edward Dillard, Jennifer Martin, and Kristen Rowland requesting they be granted tenure.

“These teachers have successfully completed the probationary period of five years and received evaluations demonstrating an overall performance effectiveness level of above or significantly above expectations as required for tenure. It is my recommendation that these teachers be granted tenure,” said Director Cripps.

Meanwhile the following personnel have either resigned or retired:

Erica Birmingham, resigned as Assistant Band Director

Dr. Kathy Bryant, resigned from the central office as Supervisor of Instruction for grades 6-12

Summer Cantrell, resigned as Principal at Smithville Elementary School

Brittany Daniel, resigned as teacher

Beverly Ferrell, retired from DCHS as an educational assistant

Kyrsten Johnson, resigned as teacher

Terrie Kilgore, resigned as DCHS secretary

Jama Martin, retired as teacher

Shirley Ours, retired as SPED secretary

Tammy Payne, retired as teacher

Paris Rabidoux, resigned as teacher

June 8, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

A new industry is coming to Smithville!

Anchor Fabrication has acquired an existing building across from Tenneco Automotive in the Industrial Park on Highway 70 east and will soon open as a metal fabrication operation serving the heavy truck industry.

Gary Parsons, Human Resources Manager for the company told WJLE Wednesday that the building is being prepared for Anchor Fabrication to move in but applications are already being accepted from anyone looking for a job. Although it may take a while, Parsons said the company hopes to eventually have up to 200 employees.

Anchor has another location in Tennessee at Lavergne along with plants in Texas and Mississippi. The Tennessee plant, dating back to the early 1970s, was at that time owned by Quality Industries of Nashville but was purchased by Anchor Fabrication in 2019.

“We have been in the Nashville area since the early 1970s. We started out in the food service and heavy truck industry as a metal fabrication company. We moved to Lavergne in the early 1980s and that is where our present location in Tennessee is now. In 2019 the company (Quality Industries) was bought by Anchor Partners and we have a plant in Fort Worth Texas and Mississippi as well as a plant in Denton Texas along with the one in Lavergne,” said Parsons.

“We are glad to be moving into the Smithville area. Its new business for our company and it is an extension of our Laverge plant to start a new facility here,” Parsons continued.

“It is very much a startup right now. The building is being prepared now with equipment being moved in and we are excited to get moving forward. We are working on hiring now. We offer a full benefits package including medical, dental, vision and 401 K. Over the next couple of years, we plan to maybe have up to 200 employees. We’re having to build up production in stages. Right now, we need welders, MIG and TIG with aluminum and steel. We will later need powder painters, assembly operators, material handling, shipping, quality control, and all the standard needs you find in a manufacturing facility. We will be building this team as we go forward,” said Parsons.

To apply, visit www.anchorfabsmithville.com.

June 7, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Three fishing teams from DCHS competed last weekend in the Tennessee Bass Nation High School & Youth Tournament held at Lake Douglas in Dandridge Tennessee and two of the teams will advance to the Strike King Bassmaster High School National Championship on Lake Hartwell, in Anderson, South Carolina in July. The three-day tournament will take place July 27-29.

“We sent 3 teams to the state championship on June 2nd and 3rd,” said DCHS Fishing Team Coach Jeff Taylor. “Those teams were made up of Mason Taylor and Wesley Kent, Jaxon Humphrey and Hasten Waggoner, and Emma Johnson and Tyler Dunn. The teams fished on Lake Douglas in Dandridge Tennessee. All three teams worked in brutal heat and brought 5 fish limits into the scales on Saturday. We are very excited and proud of our teams. Two teams are going on to the nationals. The Strike King Bassmaster High School tournament will be held on Lake Hartwell in South Carolina in July. The two teams going are partners Mason Taylor and Wesley Kent and partners Jaxon Humphrey and Hasten Waggoner. We are soon going to be actively fundraising for this. If you would like to make a donation, please contact Coach Jeff Taylor at 615-428-6107,” said Taylor.

The State Championship two-day totals for the DCHS teams were:

•Team 1 Emma Johnson & Tyler Dunn 16.09

•Team 2 Mason Taylor & Wesley Kent 14.57

•Team 3 Jaxon Humphrey & Hasten Waggoner 13.85

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