Despite the challenges they have faced over the past two years, Lookout Mountain School students, faculty, and staff have remained resolutely dedicated to learning. Students have thrived in this environment, steadily making gains academically and socially in a school community that nurtures them and prepares them for successful next steps. In September, LMS was honored to learn that this hard work was being recognized in the form of two significant awards.

First, the U.S. Secretary of Education, Miguel A. Cardona, Ed.D., notified Principal Ruth White that LMS had been named a 2022 Exemplary High Performing National Blue Ribbon School. Lookout Mountain School was one of only 295 schools in the entire country - and one of just six schools in Tennessee - to receive this honor.  In recognizing the school’s overall academic performance, Secretary Cardona wrote to Mrs. White, “The U.S. Department of Education acknowledges your unwavering commitment to the well-being of every child and the possibilities that you create for the next generation.” He goes on to say, “Congratulations on your accomplishments. Your school is truly an inspiring example of students, teachers, staff, administrators, parents, families, and community leaders all working together through challenging circumstances to prepare our nation’s students to succeed.” Mrs. White has been invited to attend a ceremony held next month in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the National Blue Ribbon schools and receive the award for LMS.

The second recognition comes from the Tennessee Department of Education, as LMS was once again named a Level 5 Reward School this year. Reward School acknowledgement is based on a school’s Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) and Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) performance. Level 5 status is conferred upon schools that earn the top rating for academic growth and show “significant evidence that their students exceeded the state growth standard” in several vital subjects including literacy and numeracy. Representatives from the Hamilton County Department of Education visited LMS in mid-September to present the award banner and take a school-wide photo with students, faculty, and staff. Recognizing the Hamilton County Reward Schools, HCS Superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson said, “We are pleased to see the continued growth of students … Level 5 recognition is a testament to the hard work of our students and teachers throughout the 2021-2022 school year. We are honored to be able to celebrate this achievement of students’ success.”

Clearly, there is much to praise at LMS! The faculty, staff, parents, PTA, and entire Lookout Mountain community should feel very proud of the school for these accomplishments, and the LMS students should feel exceedingly proud of themselves for the time, effort, and determination that went into these successes. Principal Ruth White shares, “Lookout Mountain School’s mission is to create a learning community that allows all students to achieve success by providing them with research-based instruction in the areas of scholarship, leadership, citizenship, and integrity.” She says that at LMS, “we believe the foundation of lifelong learning for all students should be enhanced through the teaching of related arts, integration of enrichment resources, and development of a strong academic core.” Mrs. White feels like this recognition is “a feather in the cap for all of our community and will last for generations to come” and she “applauds everyone for your part in supporting our school!”
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by Meredith Brown

Each year, the middle of October marks the end of fall break, the start of cool weather, and the return of the annual LMS Carnival! This beloved event is one of the top highlights of the entire school year and is enjoyed by students, teachers, families, and community members alike! The weather this year was particularly cold, but it did nothing to chill the spirits of the LMS students parading from school to the Commons for an afternoon of fun.

At the front of this parade were LMS Principal Ruth White and the Carnival King and Queen George Monroe and Zoe Lusk. Kindergartener George and second-grader Zoe had earned their titles by being the top-selling boy and girl during the Hamilton County Kids First Coupon Book sales campaign this year. All of the LMS students worked hard to reach and exceed their sales goal, totaling over 1,000 books sold in all. The funds they raised will support technology needs throughout the school, and they earned a school-wide pajama day as a reward!

Heading up this year’s Carnival efforts were co-chairs May Burke and Anna Williams with wonderful support from assistant chairs April Goebeler, Hannah Harrell, and Kari Pollard. Their team began planning many weeks in advance to make sure that everything was ready to go once the students arrived, filing in behind their class banners starting with the fifth grade Carnival veterans and ending with the kindergarten first-timers. May commented, “As a child, it is a magical day, and you are unaware of all the work it entails. Now, as a parent and a member of the Carnival planning committee, you experience first-hand the efforts from all facets of the community - Lookout Mountain School, parents, volunteers, and local businesses.”

A festive balloon arrangement designed by PepperPot Party adorned the Commons gates, and booth after booth covered the field inside. Returning favorites like the Carnival Jail, bouncy houses, costume corner, jamboree jars, face painting, stuffed animals, hair-color spray, fake casts, and silly string tents were as popular as always, and there were several fun new additions to the booths, including a huge inflatable basketball game, as well as a Halloween-inspired bean bag toss designed by Greer Campbell of Cheers with Greer. Carnival goers feasted on Chick-fil-A, Mr. T’s pizza, Good Dog hotdogs, and Clumpies ice cream. May said she was surprised to see that despite the cold, the kids consumed just as much ice cream as always! And for future feasting, families took home selections of casseroles, soups, and baked goods from the Carnival Kitchen tent. Lynn Brown was in charge of it this year, and she spent weeks securing amazing food donations from parents and community members to ensure the success of this vital part of the Carnival fundraising!

There were pops of color throughout the Carnival, none more so than at the Marketplace and Spirit Wear tent. In the Marketplace, parents could buy mugs featuring beautiful murals created by each of their children’s classes under the direction of LMS art teacher Ryan Patterson. These mugs are highly sought after each year, as many parents add to their growing collection! This year’s Spirit Wear featured beautiful new designs from Tickled Ink’s Emily Johnson. You have probably already seen mountain goers sporting these stylish LMS shirts, hoodies, and hats - and if you look closely, you will see her new LMS stickers adorning laptops and water bottles around the community!

As Carnival day came to a close, freezing parents and somehow-unfazed-by-the-cold kids shuffled home tired, happy, and with new treasures in hand. Behind the scenes, the organizers were happy to see their efforts had panned out so successfully, knowing that the funds they had raised would help LMS continue to be the wonderful place it is for our children. As Burke puts it, “The Carnival is such a testament to our extraordinary community.” She and the whole Carnival team are thankful for the sponsors, volunteers, and the entire LMS community that made Carnival such a wonderful day.
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by Meredith Brown