Middle School Sports – Fantastic

The North Sports Report attended a middle school football game last week.  The discipline, team structure, positive peer and adult relationships, school spirit, and parental support make middle school athletics a top-notch after-school program.  The crowd of students, parents, teachers, administrators and community members all join together to cheer for their school and boost their student-athletes.  Priceless!

Alumni Alert – Center of Attention

Maplewood graduate James Stone will be the national center of attention when ESPN College GameDay broadcasts from Knoxville this Saturday.  James is the starting center for the Tennessee Vols and will anchor the offensive line in the national game of the week.  Don’t forget Hillsboro graduate and Tennessee defensive back Eric Gordon and Pearl-Cohn alumnus Antonio Richardson.  Look for MNPS graduates in the spotlight on Saturday.

Football Friday

Wow! Last week’s game at Hillsboro was tremendous!  First of all, MNPS football games provide the most entertaining public address announcers in America.  Every first down was announced as a “Smoothie King First Down.  Smoooooth!” and every hard tackle was followed by an exclamatory “Dang Dude!”  Entertaining… to say the least.

The large, enthusiastic crowd witnessed another great game of the week.  Hillsboro’s Robert Kelley scored four touchdowns, and Hillsboro kicker Joseph Occhipinti is as advertised.  The North Sports Report could not believe its eyes when Occhipinti, kicking off from the 40 yard line, put the ball over the cross bar and through the uprights.  He kicked the ball over 70 yards – an almost unimaginable super-human feat.  Unbelievable?…yes. But I saw it with my own eyes.  Dang Dude!

Game of the Week: September 14, 2012

The North Sports Report is heading to Homecoming at Hunters Lane as the Hunters Lane Warriors welcome the Hillwood Hilltoppers.  The lights will shine bright on Jerry Pigue Stadium as the Warriors hope to stem the momentum of the surging Hilltoppers. 

Other action this week includes big district games and intraMNPS rivalries:

• McGavock Raiders travel to Antioch Bears;


• Cane Ridge Ravens host Overton Bobcats;


• Pearl-Cohn Firebirds head to the TPS campus (also the site for Nashville School of the Arts) to face the home-standing East Nashville Eagles;


• Whites Creek Cobras welcome Glencliff Colts;


• Hillsboro Burros travel to Franklin;


• Maplewood Panthers play at Lipscomb; and


• Stratford Spartans host CPA;

The MNPS home games are at Hunter Lane; at Antioch; at Cane Ridge; at East Nashville (TPS campus); at Whites Creek; and at Stratford.

This is the perfect week to go to a game near you!  Enjoy the beauty of MNPS athletics.

MNPS: The First Choice for Discipline, School Spirit, and Parental Support

Bailey STEM Magnet Middle Bulldogs…Ready to take the field	Haynes Middle Design Center’s sideline during its game with Bailey STEM Magnet Middle
Middle School Football action…Fantastic!

Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools is now a three-time winner of the Meritorious Budget Award (MBA) presented by the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) for excellence in budget presentation. This award is conferred only to school districts that have met or exceeded the Meritorious Budget Award criteria. In 2010, Metro Nashville Public Schools made history when it became the first Tennessee school district to earn the Meritorious Budget Award from the Association.



To earn this award, Metro Schools submitted its 2011-2012 budget for a rigorous review based on demanding criteria. Developed by ASBO for school districts, the MBA criteria guide school business officials toward a quality school budget presentation by enhancing the school business officials’ skills in developing, analyzing, and presenting a school system budget.



The award recognizes excellence in school system budget presentation and is given to districts with budgets that



• use sound fiscal management practices,

• promote effective use of educational resources,

• provide clear budget presentations,

• use up-to-date budget practices and

• meet several other criteria.



Congratulations to Chief Financial Officer Chris Henson, Director of Business Services Glenda Gregory, Communications Specialist Noelle Mashburn, and the Metro Office of Management and Budget for their award-winning work on the district’s budget.



Featured in photograph (l to r) is Chris Henson, Chief Financial Officer; Gracie Porter, Metro School Board Chair; Glenda Gregory, Director of Business Services and Dr. Jesse Register, Superintendent of Metro Schools.

Metro Schools has appointed Dr. Cecilia Arbuckle the Lead iTeacher in the district’s Innovation Cluster to turnaround struggling schools. In this role, she will assure iTeachers receive the support, training and professional development needed to educate students in the Innovation Cluster. iTeachers are expected to meet rigorous student achievement goals.



Dr. Arbuckle earned a Ph. D. and M. A. from George Peabody College for Teachers, now part of Vanderbilt University, and a B. A. from Brescia College in Owensboro, Kentucky. She has worked with Metro Nashville Public Schools for more than 30 years as a teacher, assistant principal and principal. Previously, she served as a division chair of the Teacher Education Program at Brescia College; held adjunct professorships at Murray State University and Western Kentucky University; worked in the extended learning master's degree program at Cumberland University and served as executive director of KARC, Kentucky’s organization for intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Hundreds of Comcast volunteers and their families rolled up their sleeves and showed their support for Metro Nashville Public Schools Saturday, April 21 in the annual Comcast Cares Day. This year, some 500 volunteers built rolling carts and bookshelves for each Metro Schools Teacher of the Year while about 500 others donated stuffed shoeboxes for resource centers.

Board Member & Sports Fan Mark North

Antioch Lady Bears – Region 6-AAA Champs

The Lady Bears from Antioch High School took home the championship trophy in Region 6-AAA with an impressive run through the bracket. I like to say they “Bear-ly” won the tournament. The North Sports Report dictionary of sports terms defines Bear-ly in this context as: “in a bear-like manner; totally dominating; awesome. See Antioch Lady Bears’ performance in the 2012 Region 6-AAA championship game.” Congratulations to Coach White and the Antioch Lady Bears!

Antioch Principal Brian Mast has called a Code Blue for the Lady Bears’ Sub-state game Saturday night March 3 at 7:00pm at the Antioch High School gymnasium. Be there dressed in blue.

Hunters Lane Warriors – Advance to the Sub-State Round

The Hunters Lane Warriors are primed and ready for a sub-state match-up with Clarksville High School on Monday night March 5 in Clarksville. The highly ranked Warriors –led by Coach Anthony Sewell and point guard Billy Hughes – put together one of the best seasons in school history and are one win away from a trip to the state tournament. Everybody’s a Warrior fan Monday night!

Regional Tournament Hosts – Stratford and Hillwood Representin’

Photo Credit: Mike Straginger

Hosting a Regional Tournament requires the coordinated efforts of coaches, administrators, teachers, staff and students. Hillwood welcomed the 16 participating teams in Region 6-AAA, and Stratford hosted Region 5-AA. Fans of high school basketball from across the mid-state enjoyed the hospitality and great environment provided by their MNPS hosts. Congratulations to the Principals – Dr. Chauncy of Hillwood and Mr. Steele of Stratford – and everyone who worked on the tournaments for a job well done. The photo shows the Hilltopper ambassadors who helped me find my seat.

Middle School Basketball Champions

MNPS crowned the Middle School boys and girls basketball champions last week at Pearl-Cohn High Schools’ gym. Congratulations for a great season to Smithson-Craighead boys basketball team (Eastern Division Champions and City Champions), McKissack Middle School boys basketball team (Western Division Champions), Kennedy Middle School girls basketball team (Western Division Champions and City Champions) and Haynes Middle Design Center girls basketball team (Eastern Division Champions).

Brush with Fame

The North Sports Report rubbed shoulders with some of the greatest athletes and coaches in MNPS history this week at basketball tournaments. Stratford basketball great Ray Maddox was back in his old stomping grounds at the Region 5-AA tournament at Stratford. In the Hillwood gym on the same night were: Pearl High great and MNPS Sports Hall of Fame member Walter Overton (he was officiating the game); Glencliff High hoopster and leader of Metro Schools’ athletic department Roosevelt Sanders; Donelson High star Mike Tribue; Madison High baseball legend (also the most popular player in Nashville Sounds’ history) Gene Menees; MNPS Sports Hall of Famer Joanne Arnold Tribue (Antioch High school legend and presently the Coach of the Cane Ridge Lady Ravens); and last but not least Coach Carlton Collier, longtime Madison High and Hunters Lane basketball and softball coach. Wow… that is a lot of fame in one gym.

Vanderbilt Sports Medicine – Athletic Trainers…keeping it healthy

I witnessed an extraordinary burst of quickness from Hunters Lane Athletic Trainer Emily Carter when a Warrior hoopster took a tremendous fall last week. Emily was on the court, providing care almost instantly and showed exemplary skill and compassion in her treatment of the injured player and his family. MNPS student-athletes have the best athletic trainers in the country on the sideline for every game. A big healthy thank you to Vanderbilt Sports Medicine for providing the athletic trainers and for the care each provides our students.

MNPS: The First Choice for Extraordinary Bursts of Quickness

Wednesday, Oct. 5, thousands of students, staff and community members participated in Walk to School Day and helped shine a light on the importance of healthy living. See photos of the crowds, Mayor Dean, Associate Superintendent of Middle Schools Dr. Lora Hall, Dr. Bill Paul of Metro Health Department, the McGavock High Show Choir and AFJROTC, and much more!
View photos for Walk to School.

The next day, Oct. 6, students in many of our elementary schools set out toRead for the Record. Some enjoyed the likes of Curious George, while others visited with a real life llama. See it all here.