COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Two Smith County natives will help lead Tennessee Tech University’s annual Student Orientation Advisement and Registration (SOAR) sessions this summer as part of the new class of student orientation assistants.

Kensea Skelton, a senior elementary education major from Carthage, and Lexie Western, a junior exercise science major from Brush Creek, are among the 17 student leaders, known as “SOAs,” who will guide incoming freshmen through the two-day SOAR sessions, which are underway now and continuing through July 30.

During SOAR, admitted freshmen can learn about student life on campus, finalize information for their academic major, set a class schedule for the fall semester and forge connections with new classmates.

“SOAs truly make Tennessee Tech’s SOAR program what it is. Not only does their role include being a welcoming and friendly face for our new students and parents, but they also help facilitate the orientation experience,” said Courtney Brehm, director of New Student & Family Programs at Tech. “It’s an important, competitive student leadership position on campus and we are proud to have Kensea and Lexie as part of this year’s group.”

Skelton said that, as an SOA, she enjoys, “the opportunity to meet people from all over the state of Tennessee and the United States and share my excitement and love for Tech with them.”

Western added that she appreciates “knowing that our team has a long-lasting impact on the students coming to Tennessee Tech in the fall.”

Recalling her own journey to campus, Skelton said “Once I visited and met the faculty and staff within the College of Education, I immediately knew I was home.”

“The kindness and immediate love and support I received blew me away, and I am extremely honored to be a Golden Eagle!” Skelton added.

Likewise, Western said she was persuaded by Tech’s deep sense of community, both on and off campus.

“Everyone who comes to Tech will find the community to be one of the best parts about being a student,” Western explained.

As incoming students and their parents make plans to attend SOAR this summer, Skelton and Western encourage incoming students to have fun and be open to new opportunities.

“There are a lot of opportunities before and during the semester to try new things and meet new people both in your major and not in your major,” said Western.

“I think students attending SOAR should come ready to have fun and take in lots of information about the benefits and resources available to them!” added Skelton.

Following their anticipated graduations, Western plans to continue her education in athletic training with hopes of eventually working for the NFL, while Skelton aims to pursue a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction before becoming an elementary school teacher in Putnam or Smith County.

A limited number of spaces are still available at remaining SOAR sessions this summer. Incoming Tech freshmen can register for SOAR at www.tntech.edu/soar.

Tennessee Tech is ranked as a “Best National University” by U.S. News & Report. The university offers more than 200 programs of study and Tech graduates leave with the least debt of all public universities in the state. In fact, based on total cost and alumni earnings, Tech provides students with the highest return on investment for any public university in Tennessee, according to PayScale.

The Carthage City Council held its monthly meeting on June 6th at 6:00 pm. Several items were discussed. Watch the full meeting below.

Thanks to Teresa’s Gifts for sponsoring Smith County Insider’s live broadcast of this meeting.

Subscribe to Smith County Insider’s YouTube channel to stay up-to-date on meeting coverage, business spotlights, video features, and more!

The Carthage City Council meets at 6:00 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at Carthage City Hall, located at 314 Spring Street in Carthage, Tennessee – 37030.

All meetings are open to the public and streamed live at https://www.facebook.com/smithcountyinsider/.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – High school students looking to expand their horizons, satisfy a foreign language requirement and get a jump-start on college credit hours can do so this fall through Tennessee Tech University’s new American Sign Language dual enrollment course offerings.

The program, open to all high school students across Tennessee, provides a unique opportunity to learn sign language through online courses, including American Sign Language I, beginning this fall, and American Sign Language II, set to be offered in the spring.

Courses are taught by Tech instructors and meet online asynchronously, allowing students to complete assignments at their own pace. Tech’s program is also designed to eliminate the need for textbook costs, with all necessary course materials provided directly to students.

“We wanted to offer something that was unique but would also be relevant and meet a practical need,” said Ted McWilliams, assistant director for admissions at Tech. “In our conversations with high school guidance counselors across the state, we saw there was significant interest in American Sign Language among their students.”

McWilliams continued, “We’re excited to do this in a way that brings the quality and reputation of Tennessee Tech directly to high school students; helping them earn college credit hours while still in high school and develop a valuable skill to better communicate with deaf or hard of hearing individuals – typically at zero cost to them.”

Funding from the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) covers the full cost of up to five dual enrollment courses for Tennessee high school students. Between six and 10 courses can be taken at a discounted cost, with TSAC covering $100 per credit hour.

McWilliams adds that, in the state of Tennessee, American Sign Language meets the criteria to satisfy public high schools and college admissions departments’ foreign language requirements.

Dual enrollment students at Tech enjoy multiple benefits beyond the early exposure to a college-level education, including access to university resources such as the Marc L. Burnett Student Recreation and Fitness Center, the Angelo & Jennette Volpe Library and discounts through the Golden Eagles Perk Program. They are also exempt from the $25 application fee when they apply to Tech after their courses.

Beyond American Sign Language, Tech offers a variety of other dual enrollment options including English, French, engineering, cybersecurity, history, social sciences and others.

For more information on this program or to apply, visit the Tennessee Tech Dual Enrollment site at www.tntech.edu/dualenrollment.

Interested students and parents can also contact McWilliams directly at (931) 372-6820 or dualenrollment@tntech.edu.

Tennessee Tech University is ranked as a “Best National University” by U.S. News & World Report. With over 200 academic programs, Tech provides its graduates with the lowest debt burden among all public universities in the state. In fact, based on a combination of total cost and alumni earnings, Tech offers students the highest return on investment of any public university in Tennessee, according to PayScale.

The Fair on the River is right around the corner! Any Smith County resident over the age of 18 or current member of a Family and Community Education (FCE) Club may enter items for the Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) exhibits. This year, the FCS exhibits will be taken on Friday, June 28th between 7:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. with the exception of cooking and floriculture. Cooking and floriculture entries will be taken on Monday, July 1st from 7:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.

There are ten divisions this year: sewing, needlecraft, quilts, crafts, fine arts, photography, canning, cooking, floriculture, and heirlooms. For a complete list of entries, refer to the fair book, which can be picked up at the UT Extension office at 67 Cookeville Highway, Suite 102 Carthage, TN 37030 or various other locations around the county. Only one entry will be judged from any person under the same lot in any division. There is no entry fee.

In each division, first place will receive five dollars, second place will receive four dollars, and third place will receive three dollars. Best of Show in each Division will receive $10, as well as a prize. Premium checks will not be ready until Sunday, July 7th. At that time, entries, checks, and ribbons may be picked up from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. Cooking entries will not be returned. We are not responsible for items not picked up after 2:00 p.m.

The Smith County Fair on the River will take place July 1st through July 6th at the Smith County Ag Center, so come out, have a great time, and be sure to enter your cultural art exhibits in the fair! The fair is a fun and exciting time for all ages. See you there!

Old Fashioned Corn Pudding

3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

15 ¼ oz can of corn

5 oz can evaporated milk

Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Pour into a greased 2-quart casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Makes 4-6 servings.

Submitted by: Anna Rossington, Defeated FCE Club.

Four of our Senior High 4-H’ers spent June 5th & 6th at the Catoosa Wildlife Management Area in Crossville, Tennessee, as they participated in the 2024 State 4-H Wildlife Judging Contest.

Smith County was represented by Easton Bibbings, Emmy Bibbings, Gabe Harville, and Owen Meeks. They faced some tough competition from Knox, Shelby, Grundy, and Carter counties.

Our team, which the students nicknamed “Quail Candy”, came away with a big 2nd place win in the statewide competition. We are so proud of them!

In addition to Smith County’s 2nd place team win, Gabe Harville placed 3rd overall and Easton Bibbings placed 2nd.

These 4-H’ers qualified to compete at the state level by placing 1st at the Central Region Wildlife Judging Contest held in Murfreesboro in May.

The State Wildlife Judging Contest festivities kicked off with an Education Day on Wednesday afternoon, where students got to explore different areas throughout the Catoosa WMA and learn from experts and TWRA staff about the management practices being implemented there.

At the contest on Thursday, 4-H’ers had to individually be able to identify birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and fish common in our area and also know about their food and habitat needs for the Wildlife Challenge section of the competition. Then, they worked together as a team to create a management plan to improve a specific area for wildlife habitat based on a given scenario. Additionally, 4-H’ers had to defend their Wildlife Management Plan with a set of oral reasons given to an expert in the field.

Special thanks to Dr. Craig Harper, Chris Graves, and Daniel Sarver from the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture as well as the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency staff who made this event possible!

Thanks also to 4-H Alumni and volunteers Carson Meeks and Spencer Meeks for coaching our crew and getting them ready for the contest.

With this 4-H Wildlife Judging contest behind them, Easton, Emmy, Gabe, and Owen are now gearing up for a road trip to Weston, West Virginia, next month as they compete in the National 4-H Forestry Invitational! They never fail to represent themselves and Smith County exceptionally well!

For more information about the many activities available to our local young people through the 4-H program, please call 615-735-2900 or email rpetty@utk.edu.

Magnolia Health and Wellness recently celebrated their Grand Opening with a ribbon cutting provided by the Smith County Chamber of Commerce.  Magnolia Health & Wellness is a boutique medical clinic born out of the idea of bringing  big city healthcare services to our small hometown. Smith County resident Stephanie Ruckman DNP, FNP-BC has been in healthcare for over 20 years.  She and her family moved to Smith County 7 years ago.

She has always wanted to own her own business. One day driving back from Lebanon where she had paid for services not available in Smith County, she decided now is the time.  She is excited to offer her neighbors and friends local access to healthcare services that can help you feel better, look better and possibly even prevent sickness.

Magnolia Health & Wellness provides IV Vitamin hydration, hormone replacement for both men and women, medically supervised weight loss, Botox, Filler and Massage Therapy.  They offer early morning and evening appointments as well as weekend appointments and telehealth.

Stephanie said her favorite thing about being a business owner is meeting the people and feeling like she is adding value to the community. Magnolia Health & Wellness plans to continue to add services not being offered in the community. With many needed or desired services not being covered by insurance, they hope to fill the gap and find ways to offer those services at a reasonable cost.

Magnolia Health and Wellness is located at 516A Main Street North, Carthage, TN. Appointments are available 6:30 a.m. – 8 p.m. during the week and on Saturdays 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. They can be scheduled directly on the website or by calling/texting 615-437-0227. Check out their website https://magnoliahealthtn.com/ or Facebook page for more information.

Heartland Real Estate will host an online absolute auction 154 Church Avenue, Watertown. Viewing date June 20, 2024. Bidding ends on Thursday, June 27th, 10 a.m. Pick up date is June 28th, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The online auction will feature a 2 bedroom, 1 bath brick home and .3 acre building lot and personal property including storage building, John Deere mower, ammunition, tools, baseball cards, fishing poles, household items, antiques, appliance, furniture, kitchenware and much more.

Bid on the website HeartlandREandAuctions.com or call 615-735-9001.

On Monday, June 10, 2024, the Smith County Board of Education held a special meeting to discuss the budget, county legal representation and other agenda items.

You can watch the meeting below:

Thanks to Teresa Gifts or sponsoring the live broadcast of this meeting.

Subscribe to Smith County Insider’s YouTube channel to stay up-to-date on meeting coverage, business spotlights, video features, and more!

The Smith County School Board meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 5:00 p.m. at the Smith County Board of Education, located at 126 Smith County Middle School Lane in Carthage, Tennessee.

All meetings are open to the public and streamed live at https://www.facebook.com/smithcountyinsider/.

The Gordonsville City Council held its monthly meeting on Monday, June 10, 2024

You can watch the full council meeting below.

Thanks to Teresa’s Gifts for sponsoring Smith County Insider’s live broadcast of this meeting.

Subscribe to Smith County Insider’s YouTube channel to stay up-to-date on meeting coverage, business spotlights, video features, and more!

The Gordonsville City Council meets at 6:15 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at Gordonsville City Hall, located at 63 Main Street in Gordonsville.

All meetings are open to the public and streamed live at https://www.facebook.com/smithcountyinsider/.

The 2024 Smith County Youth Soccer Skills Camp took place on June 4, 6 & 7. This was the biggest and best camp to date with 113 campers in attendance. The high school soccer coaching staff: Nicholus Bussell, Wesley Kemp, Lisa Reece, Shyenne Newton and Mallory Hunt put on a very well orchestrated camp.

The high school players for both the Owls and Lady Owls came out to coach, run concession, and anything else that was asked of them. The camp players were taught skills, drills, how to be part of a team and maybe most of all to have fun. This camp is something the high school program looks forward to every year.

Thank you to everyone who brought their kids, that showed support, and helped in any way to make this the best week for the program and for each of the kids. We look forward to seeing everyone back for next year’s camp. Keep reaching for your goals.

Article and photo submitted by Vivian Schaffers