(UPDATED) DeKalb Schools Closed For Remainder of Spring. DCHS Graduation May Have to be Rescheduled

April 15, 2020
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DeKalb County Schools will remain closed for the remainder of this spring.

Governor Bill Lee on Wednesday called on all public schools in Tennessee to remain closed for the rest of the academic year as the state continues to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

“Due to the Governor’s recommendation, DeKalb County Schools will remain closed for the 2019-2020 school year. In the coming days, we will receive more information from the Tennessee Department of Education. We will provide this information to you as soon as possible. Principals and teachers will continue to communicate educational plans to the students through phone calls, Skyward and emails. Please continue checking for communication from your school. School nutrition will continue to offer breakfast and lunch on Mondays and Thursdays at DCHS/DMS and DWS from 10:30-12:00,” said Director of Schools Patrick Cripps.

Meanwhile a graduation ceremony for the Class of 2020 at DCHS will be held although the scheduled May 15th date for the commencement may have to be changed due the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Many questions have been raised about graduation. Mr. Randy Jennings, DCHS Principal and I will make plans for a graduation ceremony. As soon as the Safer in Place order is lifted, we will set a date to conduct the graduation ceremony. Parents and students will be informed in plenty of time to make arrangements for the 2020 graduation ceremony,” said Director Cripps.

“I am sorry for the inconvenience that COVID-19 has caused for students, guardians, faculty and staff. We will continue to move forward making decisions that are focused on our students’ and stakeholders’ social and emotional well-being, safety and education. I wish you good health and safety,” said Cripps.

Governor Lee announced his recommendation at his statewide afternoon news conference in Nashville. The decision comes two days after the governor extended his stay-at-home order through the end of April and as he looks to formulate a plan to reopen the state’s economy in May.

“We want to make sure there is flexibility” for districts across the state, Lee said. “Students have lost a significant amount of learning time.”

In addition to learning time, Lee said time outside of the classroom has further implications, noting educators play a large role in the wellbeing of students.

Penny Schwinn, the state’s education commissioner, will lead a new COVID-19 Child Wellbeing Task Force. In a statement, Schwinn voiced appreciation for the recommendation to close schools for the remainder of the year.

“Children being out of school for such a long time has significant implications for a child’s wellbeing, and this poses a different kind of challenge for all of us, as communities and as a state,” she said in the statement.

This is the third recommendation from the governor on statewide school closures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He said he expects all districts and schools in the state to follow the recommendation and that the state would communicate with any district that wanted to open again this school year.

April 15, 2020
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The board members of the Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree & Crafts Festival voted last week to suspend the 49th Annual Smithville Jamboree & Crafts Festival in Downtown Smithville, Tennessee on July 3-4th, 2020 due to the effects of COVID-19 across the nation, and the world. An online “virtual competition” is in the planning stages to offer contestants the ability to perform and compete for various awards and national titles. WCTE-PBS is considering a televised special during the fourth of July weekend featuring footage across multiple decades to celebrate the great moments during the festival’s four decade span.

“In lieu of the live two-day festival, the board is pursuing opportunities of hosting an online competition platform that will allow dancers and musicians the opportunity to upload their performances to compete for multiple national bluegrass awards.” said Marketing Director Shan Stout, “We are collaborating with our media partners to see how this can translate into a broadcast or webcast special feature. Due to obvious time constraints, and unknown variables, we do not yet know if this is a real possibility, but are working very hard to make it happen in a very short amount of time. If anyone in the community has expertise in online competition platforms, or would like to help with this special project, please reach out to us via our FaceBook page.’

“It was a very difficult decision that we do not take lightly,” said President & Coordinator Sam Stout, “The health and well-being of our community is our first priority, and this has made next year’s 50th celebration even more important in our eyes. I look forward to coming together again in 2021 to celebrate this wonderful milestone with all of the talented musicians, dancers, crafters, vendors and fans that have kept this festival alive for so long. We hope that people go online in the coming months to see how they can compete and perform. We look forward to seeing all the submissions, even if we can’t all be together on the courthouse square this year.”

For more information, contestant rules, and the most recent updates concerning the “Virtual Jamboree Competition”, follow their FaceBook page: Smithville Fiddlers Jamboree, or visit their website at: www.smithvillejamboree.com.

April 15, 2020
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Tennessee Vols football fans will again have the opportunity to hear legendary broadcaster John Ward’s signature call, “Give him six!”

The Vol Network has announced a weekly radio series called “Vol Network Classics”.

The aim is to give Tennessee fans the chance to relive some of the great moments and games from UT’s history. Each week, a replay of a famous football or basketball game will be broadcast.

The series is planned for a 10-week run starting this week on Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. on WJLE AM 1480/ FM 101.7 and the Vol Network.

It will debut with the 1999 Fiesta Bowl, the site of the first BCS National Championship that pitted the Vols against Florida State. It was also the last on-air call for Ward, who died in 2018.

Other football games include the 1986 Sugar Bowl win over Miami, the 1991 “Miracle at South Bend” against Notre Dame and the 2001 victory against Florida.

On the basketball side, Tennessee’s first game at Kentucky’s Rupp Arena in 1977, a top-ranked matchup vs. Memphis in 2008 and the 2019 SEC Tournament semifinal against Kentucky will all be aired at some point.