{"id":70037,"date":"2025-08-06T07:51:17","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T11:51:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=70037"},"modified":"2025-08-06T07:51:27","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T11:51:27","slug":"mentor-teacher-awards-banquet-honors-educators-who-shape-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/08\/mentor-teacher-awards-banquet-honors-educators-who-shape-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Mentor Teacher Awards Banquet honors educators who shape the future"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Sale

Sale Creek High School English teacher Caitlin Brooks (left photo), and Red Bank Elementary teacher Amber Miller and her former student teacher, Mackenzie Longmire, were among the Model Mentor Award recipients at the 2025 Mentor Teacher Awards Banquet. Photos courtesy of Chris Brown.<\/p><\/div>\n

More than 100 educators, school administrators, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga faculty and alumni came together on Thursday, July 31, for the annual Mentor Teacher Awards Banquet, an event recognizing the critical role that pre-K\u201312 mentor teachers play in preparing the next generation of classroom leaders.<\/p>\n

Hosted by the UTC School of Education, the banquet honored 45 teachers from across the area for their outstanding mentorship of UTC teacher candidates during their yearlong or semester-long residency placements. Depending on the program, clinical placements can span 75 to 110 days.<\/p>\n

Teachers selected for recognition were nominated through evaluation feedback from University supervisors and student teachers, along with statements explaining why they deserved the honor.<\/p>\n

Recipients were designated as either Model Mentors\u2014first-time honorees\u2014or Master Mentors, recognized for their continued excellence in mentoring teacher candidates over multiple years.<\/p>\n

Chris Brown, clinical experience coordinator for the School of Education, delivered the keynote address. Speaking to a room filled with teachers he partners with throughout the academic year, Brown offered gratitude and reflection.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you do is more than a job; it\u2019s legacy work,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you mentor a future teacher, you multiply your impact in ways that are hard to track but impossible to deny. You\u2019re not just shaping a future teacher; you\u2019re shaping one who will go on to shape hundreds, if not thousands, of their future students.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown also spoke of the deeply personal connection he feels to the work. His own children attend nearby Battle Academy, where teachers were shaped \u201cby mentors sitting in this very room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs both a parent and an educator, that carries profound meaning,\u201d he said, \u201cand as the person entrusted with overseeing the most formative part of a teacher candidate\u2019s journey\u2014their residency\u2014I feel the weight of that responsibility every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown emphasized that teaching can be complex and often unseen work\u2014and that recognition matters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether your courage roars, whispers or sighs, thank you for showing up the next day,\u201d he said. \u201cFor students. For teacher candidates. For each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"School

School of Education Clinical Experience Coordinator Chris Brown, center, with former students and first-year teachers Claire Brusky (Battle Academy), Carly Akins (Battle Academy), Liz Hertweck (Dupont Elementary) and Reagan Mangavalli (Clifton Hills Elementary). Photo courtesy of Chris Brown.<\/p><\/div>\n

The banquet was created to spotlight the value of mentor teachers and encourage more seasoned educators to take on that role.<\/p>\n

\u201cMentors are extremely important to the profession. They pour into training and preparing our future teachers by spending hours providing on-the-job training and inspiration that will impact thousands of students,\u201d said Dr. Jamelie Johns, principal at Normal Park Museum Magnet.<\/p>\n

Five Normal Park teachers were recognized at the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis celebration was a beautiful way to honor the mentors and thank them for their hard work,\u201d Johns continued. \u201cAs a school leader, I was thrilled to be a part of supporting this work and am so proud of our master mentors and model mentors from Normal Park Museum Magnet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Six educators received the Master Mentor designation, earning a customized UTC School of Education backpack, a door badge and a stipend increase should they mentor again.<\/p>\n

Holly Welch, a first-grade teacher at Battle Academy and Master Mentor Award recipient, called the evening meaningful.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so honored to have been recognized at the UTC Mentor Teacher Banquet. It was a wonderful evening celebrating the dedication and impact of so many educators,\u201d Welch said. \u201cI\u2019m grateful for the opportunity to help guide future teachers and proud to be part of a profession that continues to shape the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, UTC, for the recognition and for investing in meaningful mentorship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her student teacher from last year, Reagan Mangavalli, received her Bachelor of Science: Interdisciplinary Educational Studies from UTC in May. Mangavalli is now a first-grade teacher at Clifton Hills Elementary.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was happy to celebrate my mentor teacher for all she did for me,\u201d said Mangavalli, a native of Collierville, Tennessee. \u201cI will forever be thankful for the time and effort she put into preparing me to be the best teacher I can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Master

Master Mentor Award recipients, from left: Emily Feheley (Wolftever Creek Elementary), Amanda Taylor (Normal Park Museum Magnet), April Wyatt (Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences), Taryn Painter (Apison Elementary) and Holly Welch (Battle Academy). Photo courtesy of Chris Brown.<\/p><\/div>\n

This year, 39 educators were named Model Mentors. Each received a commemorative door badge and a stipend increase if they continue mentoring.<\/p>\n

Among the honorees was East Ridge High School art teacher Kirsten Waldrep.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are incredibly proud that Mrs. Kirsten Waldrep was recognized for her outstanding work and mentorship at the mentor banquet,\u201d East Ridge High School Principal Juan Moreno said. \u201cTeachers like Mrs. Waldrep embody the passion and commitment that make East Ridge High School and our partnership with UTC truly special.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a proud UTC alumnus, I\u2019m thrilled to see the School of Education continue to invest in and celebrate the mentorship aspect of the student teaching tradition. While we pour into our teachers and work to build them up, events like this remind them that their impact is recognized beyond the classroom, by stakeholders, communities and the next generation of educators alike.\u201d<\/p>\n

Master Mentor Award<\/h4>\n