Students in Mrs. Stephanie Jenkins-Inyart’s 4th grade class at Union Heights Elementary School hosted a very special guest in their classroom on Tuesday: Governor of Tennessee Bill Lee.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Governor shared pictures of his visit on social media. Lee tweeted, “Back in the classroom this afternoon to chat state government with Mrs. Inyart’s 4th grade class at Union Heights Elementary. Always great to see our young students interested in civics education.”
Mrs. Inyart expressed her excitement about the visit and praised her students for asking thoughtful questions.
She provided the following statement to Smith County Insider:
“Teaching fourth grade Social Studies, we always study the foundations of America. I decided this year that I would love for my students to experience more than just words in the textbook. I found on the state website that you could request an appearance with Governor Bill Lee. I filled all the information and sent in the request. That night, I received an email from Alex Martin, Deputy Director of External Affairs-Office of the Governor. He stated that Governor Lee would love to come and speak with my class. However, they had to work on his schedule. After two months of waiting and working on schedules together, I received an email from him asking if Governor Lee could come to Union Heights on December 3rd. I had a conference call with Mr. Martin, who told me that Governor Lee wanted to visit all 95 counties and this was his only stop in Smith County. I was asked to provide information about our little community and our wonderful school.I was in constant contact with the Governor’s team preparing for his visit.The Office of the Governor made notifications of other dignitaries, including State Representative Terri Lynn Weaver, State Senator Mark Pody, among others. I made notifications to Smith County Board of Education Central Office staff, School Board, and County Mayor Jeff Mason.
Leading up to the day, my students and I continued completing our standards on how our government runs and operates. I wanted my students to truly comprehend the differences in each level of government. I also wanted them to have an experience they would never forget. They worked together and came up with questions to ask Governor Lee. Some examples that were asked during his visit were, “Is it hard to separate your personal life and being the Governor?”, “How do you decide what bills are important to pass?”, “How are you going to help Title I schools?”. I always want my students to know more than just dates on a timeline or boring pictures in a book. I wanted them to be a part of Tennessee History. All 29 of them have told me how exciting Governor Lee’s visit was and it was something that they would never forget.
I want to personally all those that helped me obtain this goal for my students- Governor Bill Lee, Alex Martin, Deputy Director of External Affairs-Office of the Governor, Wendolyn Kittrell, UHS Principal, Joe Taylor, School Board District 4, Barry Smith, Director of Schools, Judge Michael Collins, Sheriff Steve Hopper, SCSD Deputy Chief Eugene Roberts, County Mayor Jeff Mason, Angel Williams, Supervisor of Federal Programs- Smith County Schools, my teaching team Jessica Baird and Susan Reeder and all the faculty and staff at Union Heights.”
See the gallery below for pictures of Bill Lee’s visit to Union Heights Elementary School.
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