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Please take a moment to complete the brief survey below by Friday, August 18th:

https://forms.office.com/r/8r6wD27sCX

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Coach Puckett is married to Erin Puckett and has two sons, Campbell and Cayden.

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Children attending the Haywood County Schools Summer Learning Camps at Haywood Elementary or Haywood High Schools are ineligible to receive these delivered meals.  

Registration for the HCS Summer Meals program closed June 7, 2023. 

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Cameron will continue his academic journey this fall at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University where he will be studying Aerospace Engineering. He was awarded an $80,000 scholarship from Embry-Riddle, the Margaret Ann Welch Memorial Scholarship ($1,000), the First United Methodist Church James Sumner Sharpe Memorial Scholarship ($500), and the INSOUTH Bank Scholarship ($5,000). 

 Congratulations Cameron and best wishes on your new journey! 

The post Meet the HHS Valedictorian: Cameron Barr appeared first on Haywood County Schools.

Please note the following:

• Only attendees with purple tickets will be allowed entry into the ceremony beginning at 8:45 a.m. and doors will close promptly at 9:50 a.m. Doors will reopen after the graduation processional has ended. White tickets will not be accepted.
• Attendees will be granted access to the facility through the main office entrance and the bus rider entrance.
• All attendees will be subject to security protocols.
• Due to limited seating capacity, small clutches are preferred (oversized bags will not be permitted).
• Once attendees exit the building, no re-entry will be allowed.

The post Graduation Update appeared first on Haywood County Schools.

At the WTSBOA Concert Festival, a band performs two prepared numbers in front of three judges, and in the sight-reading room, they are given an opportunity to play a number that they have never seen before in front of a fourth judge.  This type of event has the bands competing against their toughest competition – themselves.  The judges assess participants with a rating from 1 to 5 on 29 separate sub-categories with a 1 (Superior Rating) being the highest.  The Sunny Hill 6^th grade Band earned 3 ratings of “Good” in concert and a rating of “Excellent” in sight-reading.  The Haywood High School Band earned 3 ratings of “Excellent” in concert and a rating of “Excellent” in sight-reading.

The Sunny Hill Beginner Band, The Sunny Hill 6^th Grade Band, and the Haywood High School Band also traveled to the University of Tennessee at Martin to participate in the WTSBOA Concert Solo & Ensemble.  A total of 49 students from Haywood County Schools participated in 34 small ensemble events.  The results are as follows:

Sunny Hill Beginner Band

• 21 – Superior ratings
• 14 – Excellent ratings
• 9 – Good ratings

Sunny Hill 6^th Grade Band

• 10 – Superior ratings
• 1 – Excellent rating
• 2 – Good ratings

Haywood High School

• 16 – Superior ratings
• 5 – Good ratings

Medals were awarded to all participants earning a rating of Superior or Excellent. In total, the three bands brought home 62 medals!

The Sunny Hill and Haywood High School bands will be finishing up their 2022-23 performances with separate Spring Concerts. The Haywood High Spring Concert will be Sunday, April 30^th at 2:30 p.m. in the Haywood High School Gymnasium and the Sunny Hill Spring Concert will be held on Thursday, May 11^th at 6:00 p.m. in the Sunny Hill Gymnasium. Kudos to Band Director – Van Wadley and the band members from Sunny Hill and Haywood High for an outstanding year!

The post Spotlight on the Arts: WTSBOA Spring Performances appeared first on Haywood County Schools.

• The Haywood High School Awards Ceremony will be held in the Haywood HS Gymnasium on Thursday, May 18, 2023, from 1:30-3:00 p.m.
• The Haywood High School Graduation will be held in L.Z. Hurley Memorial Stadium on Saturday, May 20, 2023, at 10:00 a.m.

Additionally, attendees should be aware of the following:

The post District Update: 2023 Haywood High School Graduation appeared first on Haywood County Schools.

The closest thing we have to a pause button for life is a camera.  Cameras are everywhere now, and while we can debate whether that’s good or bad, one of the clear advantages of that easy access is that we’re able to capture more of these moments that we hope to always remember.  Unfortunately, the photos of the memories we capture often don’t do justice to the event itself.  Amateur photography doesn’t quite frame a moment in the most accurate way or truly reflect what we were feeling during that time.  Thankfully, there are people who know just how to do that.

Haywood High School Sophomore, Trenton Evans, is one of those people.  Trenton is a burgeoning photographer who has been honing his craft for the last few years.  He captures the moments that students experience at Haywood High School on the dance floor, athletic fields, and any other place where student activity is happening.  He is able to frame those moments in a way that communicates the emotion of what is taking place.  He can not only freeze that moment from a visual perspective, but transfer the emotion and beauty of it, as well.

Trenton got his start in photography a couple of years ago with support and encouragement from his family.

“I got into photography two and half years ago.  My brother really encouraged me to start taking pictures,” Trenton explained.  “My parents surprised me with a camera on Christmas Day, and I was so excited and proud.  That really changed everything for me.”

Once Trenton got his camera, he started developing a personal style when it came to the pictures he would take.  Like anything that’s new, there was a learning curve and when he looks back at those early pictures he made, he can tell quite a difference compared to the pictures he makes today.

“There’s a big difference in the photos I’m making now and the ones I was making when I first started,” he said.  “I’ve really learned a lot about different types of photography and what styles work well in certain situations.”

At Haywood High School, Trenton will photograph sporting events, social events, and capture other moments that occur at the school.  Most of those pictures would be considered action shots that frame a person in the middle of a physical movement.  And, while Trenton enjoys taking those types of photos, his preference is more of a portrait style of photography,

“Portrait styles really show emotions.  When I take the pictures, I can immediately tell if it has emotion or not; I want it to give something back to the person who views it,” he said.  

As Trenton evolves as a photographer, his style is evolving as well.  He is discovering the connection between his eye and the camera and how that relationship is growing and allowing him to focus on different aspects of shooting.

“When I hold the camera up to my eye, I can normally tell what’s going to be a great shot or an amazing image.  But even with those really good ones, there’s room for improvement,” he explained.

Once the shots are taken, the next step of the process begins: editing.  In any mode of the creative world, editing is the least glamorized but most important aspect of the creative process.  Editing is where the fine details of an image or a piece of art or writing emerge and calcify to make the finished product whole.

“I spend a lot of time editing; it takes a long time.  I want my images to be perfect in my eyes and really match my style,” he said.  “When I’m editing, sometimes I have to pull back from the computer and kind of reframe what I want the image to look like.  Plus, my eyes need to rest in order to see the true colors of a photo.”

As far as his evolving style is concerned, Trenton definitely has one that he’s perfecting – bright and bold.

“My style is bright and bold.  The picture is natural, but still is able to tell a story,” he explained.  “It lends itself to shooting in natural light, and I love shooting in natural light, so that involves a lot of outdoor work which I like.”

As Trenton continues to see growth in his work and his business, he’s thinking about next steps.  He knows that he wants to continue to improve and grow his photography brand, but he’s realizing that he’s seeing a lot of options on the horizon.

“One of my plans after I graduate is to find a college that focuses on photography, but also builds my skills in other areas,” he said.

Any creative artist has inspiration from artists who came before them.  Trenton is no different.  His biggest influence is an African-American photographer based in Atlanta.  

“A photographer that definitely inspires me is Mark Clennon.  He’s a black photographer who lives in Atlanta and is very inspirational,” Trenton said.

Looking at Clennon’s photography, it’s easy to see why he is a big influence to Trenton.  Most of Clennon’s photos are striking portraits that convey emotion against a backdrop of strong colors that allow the subject of the photo to stand out even more.  

For Trenton, the love of photography was immediate and only continues to grow.  

“As soon as I got into photography, I loved it.  I knew it was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” he said.

Haywood High School and Haywood County Schools are both lucky that Trenton found this passion a few years ago.  His work benefits the district and the school, and his creativity is something to behold.  

The post Through the Lens – Trenton Evans appeared first on Haywood County Schools.

Any successful organization has a core set of goals and values that guide the decision making process. For Haywood County Schools and Haywood High School, a top priority is ensuring that students have access to various post-secondary opportunities while still in high school. Whether that’s AP access for all, multiple dual-credit and dual-enrollment options, numerous Career/Technical pathways, or the JROTC program, students at HHS have a plethora of opportunities to choose from when it comes to pursuing post-secondary success.

It’s one thing to see those options displayed on a PowerPoint or a brochure, but when a student is able to take advantage of those opportunities and personify how those opportunities can give that students a head start in their post-secondary life, well, that’s the best kind of story to tell.

Asia Silas is nearing the finish line of her high school career. While many people can reasonably see high school graduation as the conclusion of a chapter, it’s actually the opening of a door that can lead to endless possibilities. That’s how Asia views it at least.

“This year went by so fast; I only have a little bit of time left until I graduate,” she said. “I’m excited and nervous, but I’m not sad because there’s more to come afterwards.”

In Asia’s case, there’s A LOT more to come after graduation.

As Asia looks beyond her May graduation date, she sees a future that was beginning to be built four years ago during her freshman year at HHS.

“I’ve been in Air Force Junior ROTC since I was a freshman,” she recalled. “Starting out, I honestly took ROTC as a way of not having to take as many classes. My brother – who was also in ROTC – encouraged me to take it, too. I ended up falling in love with the program because of the mentors I’ve had in it.”

The JROTC program is a military-themed character development program offered to help high school students develop their capacity for citizenship, leadership, character building and service to the community. Through this program, Asia also gained unique insight into the workings of the military and was also able to earn Early PostSecondary Credits (EPSO’s) that helped her land a higher pay grade when she enlisted in the military.

“Because I was in JROTC for four years, I earned EPSO credits – the longer you’re in the program, the higher ranking you’ll have when you start in the military. A higher ranking also means higher pay,” she said. “I just enlisted in the military recently and entered as a Private First Class at an E-3 pay grade.”

More importantly, enlisting in the National Guard will allow Asia to attend the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for free once she completes her training.  Not only will Asia complete the basic training aspect of the National Guard, but she will also earn her EMT certification during the process which will lead to her program of study at UTC.

“I’ll graduate in May, and eleven days after that I’ll start my National Guard training in Oklahoma.  I’ll be there for three months and then move to Fort Sam Houston in Texas and complete my job training there. I’ll be finished December 7, 2023 with basic training and have my certifications. More importantly, I’ll have my college paid for by the military,” she said. “In January of 2024, I plan to enroll in the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and major in Nursing and eventually become an Anesthesiologist.”

Along with being enrolled in the JROTC program since her freshman year, Asia has also taken advantage of the Health Science pathway at HHS. Through this pathway, she has been able to earn her Certified Nursing Assistant certification and will be taking Phlebotomy her last semester of high school. Being able to earn EPSO’s in Health Science classes directly connects to her future goals beyond college.

“I’ve been taking Health Science courses at HHS since my freshman year. My classes got switched up a little bit, but right now I’m taking my CNA course and have the certification test this week. Next semester, I’ll take Phlebotomy and hopefully earn my Phlebotomist certification ,too,” she explained.

As if Asia’s future plans and high school career weren’t enough to celebrate, she recently was chosen as an alternate to participate in the Flight Academy. 

The Flight Academy is a Chief of Staff of the Air Force scholarship and was created to address the national pilot shortage and allows students selected to the program to earn their private pilot’s license for free.  

The purpose of the Flight Academy is to provide an opportunity for selected cadets to earn their Private Pilot Certification (PPC) while simultaneously increasing an interest in aviation. In addition to earning their PPC, cadets will also earn college credit. 

Because Asia found so much success in high school and the JROTC program, her JROTC instructor, Major Delores Dailey, recommended Asia for the program.

“I had to fill out an application and have my fitness score in a certain range. The process was tedious, but being accepted is a tremendous honor,” Asia said. “Major Dailey really wanted me to apply for it, so I checked it out. She sent a recommendation letter on my behalf.”

The acceptance into the Flight Academy is the icing on the cake of a high school career that has been filled with Asia taking every advantage of the opportunities presented to her at Haywood High School. Along with being on the sidelines as a cheerleader for Tomcat football and basketball, she can also be found running on the Track and Field team. Pairing her athletic accomplishments with her experience in JROTC and dual-credit Health Science pathway along with being a Ready Graduate, Asia is truly the personification of what Opportunity Haywood looks like at Haywood High School.

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Press Release – Flight Academy

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