Shopper Blog: Central High School’s new principal feels at home
HALLS
Central High School’s new principal feels at home
Ali James, Shopper News
Rutig said she had been “actively seeking a principalship,” adding that KCS “considers many factors when selecting the best fit for a community.” She reiterated “how blessed I am to be chosen for a school I enjoyed working in before my appointment.”
And her appointment was greeted with a big sigh of relief from her colleagues at the school. “I think that they heard from a lot of the staff and community, and the staff expressed an interest that they would like one of us (to be appointed principal),” said Rutig, who is starting her fifth year at Central.
“I know it sounds cliché, but one of our strengths is our ‘Pride and Tradition’,” said Rutig. “There are fourth-generation students and there are newcomers, but they are all Central students together. I love the diversity; it reminds me of my own experience growing up in Florida.”
Rutig joined Knox County Schools in 2019 as an assistant principal at Central. Prior to that, she was a teacher in Florida and Anderson counties. In 2015, she embarked on her career in administration. In 2016, Rutig participated in the Leadership Academy.
Her three years as assistant principal of Clinton Middle College and Career Academy are certainly beneficial as Central High continues the transition into a career-themed 865 Academy.
“This year will definitely be a big growth year. Last year was only freshmen,” said Rutig. “Now 100% of our teachers will be involved and we will make sure we support one another as we do our work.”
Rutig plans on continuing to be an active part of the process. “Ultimately we want them to feel prepared when they move on from here; that is our main goal,” she said.
“Being here for the last four years has been to my advantage; that day-to-day practice helps me have a lens on where we need to go and things that are great and the things that we need to strengthen.”
Not much else will change. The front office is getting a fresh coat of paint and some programs' classrooms are being moved to best support the needs of all students.
A nursing education program is being introduced. It will allow students to work through a pathway to graduate high school as a certified nursing assistant. “It is an in-demand role, and we have hired a registered nurse for the program,” Rutig said.
“We are also working on upgrading our health sciences classroom into a small, simulated hospital area,” said Rutig. “(We are) offering hands-on experiences with a simulation dummy that replicates medical situations from handwashing to care. That is in partnership with NHC, and we hope to have it wrapped up in January.”
That is one health sciences pathway being offered at Central; the other is medical therapeutic services.
“We as a team want to be invested in our kids, and we could easily be here every day of the week,” Rutig said of the administrators’ responsibilities when it comes to team sports and extracurriculars. “It is my personal goal to support every sport or activity, showing up to see the choir or band perform, or watching the bowling team compete.”
When it comes to school safety and discipline, Rutig said she feels that they have done a good job of defining clear expectations of behavior. “We want the kids to feel that they are coming to a safe school, so we are continuing to have those conversations and do our due diligence, and even do better as we discover new things that we can do.”
Rutig has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Florida State University, a master’s in Education Administration and Policy and an Education Specialist degree in Education Administration and Policy, both from the University of Tennessee. In addition to Rutig’s role as assistant principal, she managed to finish her doctorate in Educational Leadership from East Tennessee State University this summer.
NORTH KNOXVILLE
Newest wellness center offers primary care at Love Towers
Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News
Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation (KCDC) has again partnered with Matter Health to provide high-quality, on-site primary care for residents at the Guy B. Love Towers property. The wellness center also includes a patient lounge, consultation and virtual health room and an exam room.
Love Towers is the fourth KCDC community to have a Matter Health wellness center, which provides convenient access to primary care and lifestyle support. The first was Isabella Towers, in August 2022. Since then, KCDC has opened similar centers at Cagle Terrace and Northgate Terrace.
Ben Bentley, KCDC executive director and CEO, has spoken with residents over the past year in informal conversations about the difference the wellness centers have made in their lives.
“I think anecdotal feedback tells a story,” he said. “We really think that telling the story from the people we serve is the best way we can measure our success. I had a great conversation with a lady who said, ‘I’ve enjoyed my old health care provider and received good care, but the time it took to get to the doctor was too much.’” Many of the residents that KCDC serves use public transport. “The time savings, the convenience is a huge deal,” said Bentley.
Residents are also impressed with the level of involvement from the Matter Health caregivers. “It’s easier to build relationships and to know that the nurse practitioner you’re going to see is just downstairs,” said Bentley.
As is typical of all such centers, the staff schedules appointments ahead of time and keeps a full calendar. But, said Bentley, there’s comfort for the residents in knowing that “if you need to say something to someone they’re just a few steps away. Obviously, Matter Health knows what they’re doing; logistically the quality of life goes up big time if you can get easy access to primary care.”
“As we continue to open wellness centers in partnership with KCDC in affordable housing communities, we have seen the strong response and appreciation for readily available health care,” said Austin Sohr, president and co-founder of Matter Health. “On-site and high-quality medical care at residential communities has become of model of how to deliver services where people need them and when they need them most.”
Matter Health’s new wellness center at Love Towers will be the company’s 16th in the state and the sixth in East Tennessee. It is staffed with a full-time provider and a medical assistant, and amenities and services are available to all residents of Love Towers, a high-rise property with two seven-story apartment buildings for seniors, disabled and near-elderly individuals. Located at 1171 Armstrong Ave. in North Knoxville, the property underwent an extensive renovation in 2022.
“Being able to place wellness centers on-site has provided a tremendous benefit to residents,” said Bentley. “We will do as many of these as Matter Health will partner on. We want to get this direct service to as many residents in their neighborhoods as possible.”
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BEARDEN
For Knoxville fencing champ, age does have its privileges
John Shearer, Shopper News
Now in his 70s, competitive fencer Mike Szathmary has still not lost his touch − or apparently his ability to touch or hit his opponents in competition more than they hit him.
The former University of Tennessee fencing club member, who recently moved back to Knoxville, won the Veteran 70 and Older division at the USA Fencing national championships this month in Phoenix.
“It was my first year in the 70s category and I ended up winning the national championship,” he said with excitement over the phone a few days after the competition ended. “The best I had done was in the 50s when I finished third in 2004.”
With the win, he also qualified to compete in the world fencing championships in Daytona Beach, Florida, in October, the first time since 2005 that they have been in the United States.
Fencing is a sport in which scoring is done by hits or touches to the allowed parts of the body and is measured electronically, with the first one to get a certain number of points the winner. Also, three sword-like weapons or apparatuses are used – foil, epee and sabre. Szathmary competed in the sabre, which is based on a cavalry sword and allows scoring on hits from the bend of the hip to the top of the head.
“I believe the sabre is the prettiest weapon to watch,” he said in explaining why he enjoys competing with it. “It is by far the fastest weapon to work with. You have a whole lot more range of weapon to use.”
Father was a 1936 Olympian
For Szathmary, competing in the sabre discipline has a familial reason as well a visual one. His father, Kamillo Szathmary, was born to Hungarian parents but settled in Transylvania and became a Romanian citizen on his way to representing Romania in the famous 1936 Olympics in Berlin. The 1940 national champion’s primary weapon was the sabre, his son said.
He also found he had to fight for his survival during the traumatic World War II years, when he was wounded. He met his Hungarian wife, Edith, after the war at a displaced persons camp in Germany. They were married and in 1951, after an arduous process, were able to come to Knoxville under the sponsorship of Graystone Presbyterian Church in South Knoxville.
Edith later worked at UT and helped co-author a state bill recognizing secretaries as an official professional organization. She also helped secure Hungary as the only Iron Curtain country from Eastern Europe to participate in the 1982 World’s Fair. She died in 2019 at the age of 95.
Kamillo Szathmary before his death in 2000 became an accountant but also tried to draw attention here to the sport of fencing, which is one of only a handful of sports that have been offered at every Olympics since the modern games began in 1896.
Among other activities, he taught a class at the Y for several years and started a fencing club at UT in which son Mike was later involved. Mike enjoyed the daily practices and hanging out with other fencers, and that grew the love for the sport.
Fencing is a sport for life
The younger Szathmary had a chance to possibly follow in his father’s footsteps by competing in the 1976 Olympics when he was 23. But after what he described as an officiating error that caused him to lose the match – and his cool – he was unable to continue advancing.
After that, he had to put the heavy focus on fencing aside but continued to enjoy it for fun and some competition while going on to work in sales. He lived in such places as Ohio and Gallatin, Tennessee, before he and his wife, Pam, recently moved into his former South Knoxville home.
Although he said Knoxville is not as big a fencing community as some areas, and clubs often tend to focus on only one of the three weapons these days, he plans to continue this sport he has enjoyed much of his life.
“It’s a sport you can still do when you are older,” he said with a chuckle. “I’m a competitive person and I enjoy competition.”
KARNS
Good times and smiles at Karns Community Fair
Nancy Anderson, Shopper News
It’s year 70 for the Karns Fair. If anything, folks look more and more forward to it every year. This year’s fair brought a couple thousand people to Karns High School on July 15.
It harks back to yesteryear when neighbors reconnect over the goods at the country store.
Many booths were populated by students vying for Homecoming Queen, selling delicious goodies; the boys soccer team sold funnel cakes and fried Oreos.
Beaver Creek Kayak Club was on hand with a brand-new kayak, which was won by lifelong Karns resident Colleen Luckey.
“My family and I are very excited. Despite my last name, we never win anything,” Luckey said. “We plan to take the kayak on as many adventures as possible and as many creeks, rivers, and lakes as feasible. Our family LOVES to be outdoors. Having been born and raised in Karns, I am excited that Beaver Creek is being cleaned up and we have the opportunity to enjoy floating it.”
Community leader Charlie Austin volunteered for the dunking booth, as did Knox County Commissioner Terry Hill. Austin drew a crowd and spent most of his time in the cold water.
It was all excitement when a helicopter from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office landed on the front lawn. Kiddos got the opportunity for an up-close look at the helicopter.
The Country Store harked back to a simpler time when the fair was all about what was made in the kitchen and grown in the garden. The tables at the Country Store were filled with goodies at 10 a.m., but most were gone by 11:30 a.m.
“We wanted to bring back the feeling of yesteryear,” said fair President Julie Muse. “The fair has always been popular, a staple of the community. It’s about community and being together for an afternoon. The Country Store is a real draw today. It features homemade goodies and garden grown veggies.”
Most of the 104 booths in the school commons and gym area carried goods from home. Artisans offered everything from clothing to candy to stunning wood-crafted gun safes.
Each year, the rib eating contest always draws a big crowd. This year, Lee Warren, the new head football coach, won the contest hands down during a popup heavy rainstorm that did not seem dishearten about 20 contestants.
Another big draw for young men and women alike were the tank simulators brought by Sgt. Jason Benoit of the Tennessee Army National Guard, who happily gave tours.
Thousands of community members seem to love the Karns Community Fair. It breathes new life every year thanks to Julie Muse, Charlie Austin and the whole Fair Board.
Info: www.Karnsfair.org
POWELL
Lonsdale is 'dream school' for new principal
Al Lesar, Shopper News
Leaving Lonsdale Elementary School after teaching there four years was a difficult decision for Will Smith.
But it ended up paying dividends.
Smith taught third grade at Lonsdale from 2013-16, and was selected Knox County Schools Elementary Teacher of the Year in ’16. The next year, he moved to second grade before choosing to go into the corporation’s Leadership Academy.
“Lonsdale had a passionate staff that loved the community,” Smith said. “I loved my time there. I loved the relationships I was able to make. Lonsdale was always my dream school.”
After serving his apprenticeship in the Leadership Academy at Hardin Valley Elementary and Green Magnet, Smith will now be living his dream by serving as principal at the school he loves.
“When I left (Lonsdale), people asked me if I’d ever come back,” Smith said. “It was something I was always hoping for. It’s a great place to be.”
Creating a STEM school
Five years as assistant principal at Green have given Smith the confidence that he was ready to take command of a school.
While working under Green principal Jessica Holman, he got a taste of what leadership was really like.
“We operated under the idea of shared leadership,” Smith said of his time with Holman. “She invested in her assistant principals. I got a lot of opportunities.”
One of Smith’s primary responsibilities was as a member of the team that got Green designated as a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) school.
“It was a huge application process,” Smith recalled. “First, we had to document what the process looks like for us. We worked on that for months. Then, (state inspectors) visited us to see that we actually did what we said.”
Smith said the first challenge was to design what the program should look like, from the educational process to extracurriculars. Then, it was a matter of training the teachers and providing support before everything could be implemented.
“We had to incorporate that process into our daily practice,” Smith said. “That was a large undertaking.”
But Green’s not done. As it carries on without Smith, it will try to add a letter (A − for Arts) to its designation, making it a STEAM school.
Behavior expectations are key
Besides the academic project at Green, Smith played a primary role in the behavior structure of the school.
Knox County Schools has implemented Positive Behavior Intervention and Support. It not only deals with challenging behavior, but reinforces good behavior.
“We’ve worked on clear expectations schoolwide,” Smith said. “We focus on how we correct and how we teach expectations. A lot of the time, students may not be aware of the expectations.”
Dealing with his staff and students is only part of the challenge for Smith. Developing relationships with families is essential at a community school like Lonsdale. Smith said a working knowledge of Spanish can help him.
“My job is to make families feel comfortable at school,” he said. “Some may have had a negative experience at a time in their lives. I need to be able to break down barriers.
“I want to help them find a niche, to be involved. We want the school to serve as a hub for the community.”
Leigh Anna McCann will serve as assistant principal under Smith, and Wendy Romanowski is administrative assistant.
OPINION
A frenzied mind needs rest
Nancy Anderson, Shopper News
It was the kind of haircut I normally prepare for, the kind that involves conversations with Jordan and internet searches for the best short haircuts for women over 50.
But I didn’t talk to anyone or get help from Google. Instead, I plopped down in the salon chair and said, “I need a change. Just cut it any way you want.”
Lucky for me I left the salon with a haircut I love, but I should have taken notice. I should have realized that the unplanned removal of 3 inches of hair was a sign. Something was amiss. That night, I went to bed a relatively normal person with shorter hair, and when I woke up, I hated all my furniture.
I didn’t just casually think about freshening up my bedroom or replacing my living room rug. I woke up hating everything I own. And for some reason, I felt a deep antipathy for the writing desk and chair that have been welcoming visitors to my home for the past 25 years.
I didn’t know what to make of it.
I spent a couple of hours frantically searching online for the perfect console table, something more modern than farmhouse, something rustic but with clean lines. But when all my favorite internet stores failed to deliver, I got into my car and drove.
That’s when I called my sister Shelley.
“You know that desk and chair in my entryway? The one you’ve always liked? It’s yours if you can get it out of my house this afternoon.”
She thought I was kidding. “I’m serious,” I stated matter-of-factly. “I have to get it out of the house today. I can’t live with it anymore.”
But even as the words were coming out of my mouth, I knew they were strange. I knew I was being compulsive and rash. I knew that the sudden urge to be rid of perfectly good furniture wasn’t normal. Then I thought back to my unexpected haircut and I realized the truth. I was spinning.
I shopped all afternoon and came home with a beautiful new console table I found at a great price. I bought a lamp and a picture at a discount store then dragged my old desk and chair out on my front porch. When it was done, I heaved a sigh of relief. I felt better. But I needed to figure out what it all meant.
That night, while my husband was asleep beside me, I thought about my strange day. I wanted to make sense of my odd behavior. I thought back to the conversation I’d had with Cheri when we were walking at Lakeshore Park. “I can’t seem to unwind,” I’d told her. “I need to regroup and recalibrate.”
I thought about all the changes I’ve faced the past few months; the death of my father, trying to provide more support for my mother, all the family moving to town, getting my mother-in-law’s house ready for her move here in a few weeks. It was a long list. Something had to give. For some reason, it was a desk, a chair, and my hair that made me stop and take notice.
When my kids were little, I used to tell them to “listen to their bodies.” It’s good advice and I need to learn how to take it. I need to find a way to ease my frenzied mind and restore my emotional energy. I need to slow down. If not, I’ll need to figure out how to pay for all new furniture. And a hat.
Leslie Snow may be reached at snow column@aol.com.
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