What’s Cooking at DCHS? Ask Teacher Linda Parris (VIEW VIDEO HERE)

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.

February 27, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

The Temperance Hall Fire Station is getting a newer truck thanks largely to USDA Community Facility Grant funding.

During Monday night’s regular monthly meeting, the county commission adopted a $33,800 budget amendment covering the purchase of the truck at $27,655 and the remainder of the grant but all except for $2,800 of it will be reimbursed to the county through the federal grant program.

The truck, a 1996 International Model 4900 with 22,000 miles, is being purchased online through govdeals. It will be stationed at the Temperance Hall Fire Station. The fire hall itself is also undergoing some upgrades including the installation of a new roof, guttering, block repair, etc.

This is the third fire truck the county has been able to purchase through this grant program according to County Mayor Tim Stribling. The first truck, a 1992 model with 17,000 miles, was purchased from the City of Smithville last April for $30,000 and located at the Cookeville Highway Fire Station. The second truck, a 1993 model with less than 25,000 miles was purchased in October for $25,000 from a fire department in Connecticut to be located at the new Four Seasons Fire Hall when it is completed.

“A couple of years ago we received two grants from the USDA amounting to $88,800. The local match on the grants was $57,800. The way this works is we (county) have to spend our local match first ($57,800) and any amount above that up to the full grant amount of $88,800 will be reimbursed to the county ($31,000) through the grant program. To date we have spent $55,000 for the two fire trucks and will be spending another $27,655 for the third truck. We will still have left to spend $6,145 to finish out the grant,” said County Mayor Stribling.

February 27, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

The Dodge Ball Last One Standing Dodge Ball Challenge will be Saturday, March 9 to benefit the DCHS Tigerette Softball program.

The event had been scheduled for this Saturday, March 2 but has been postponed for a week due to the DCHS Lady Tigers’ being in the sub-state on Saturday, March 2.

Games begins at 11 a.m. at the DCHS gymnasium. Registration is at 10 a.m.

Divisions: 6th to 8th grade, 9th to 12th grade, Women (all female teams will play in women’s high school division) Men’s (co-ed teams welcome).

For more information call Renee Walker at 931-808- 0169 or Jamie Cripps at 931-319-1981.
Find/follow this event on facebook-Last One Standing Dodge Ball Challenge-DCHS Tigerette Softball.

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