Margrett Hunt was a passionate advocate for reading, and that legacy will be carried on at Adrian Burnett Elementary School. This month, the school unveiled a rocking chair in honor of Hunt, who retired in 2017 and passed away in July after a struggle with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.
Teachers and former teachers from ABES raised money for the “reader rocker,” which will be part of the school library.
Dottie McComas, who retired from the school in 2016, said Hunt would often decorate the school library for reading celebrations, with themes including a medieval castle and a spaceship.
For the annual Read Across America Day, Hunt would dress as a book character, donning a Mary Poppins costume one year and another year appearing as “Thing 1” from “The Cat in the Hat.”
“She loved reading and a lot of her children excelled in reading because of the enthusiasm that she inspired in them,” McComas said.
At a ceremony on Sept. 9, members of Hunt’s family came to celebrate the new rocking chair, including her husband, daughter, a niece and a grandson.
McComas said a group of retired ABES teachers meets once a month, and helped to raise money for the chair. They also helped raise money for the CJD Foundation, which supports patients and families affected by Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and helps fund research.
Stephanie Prince, the principal of ABES, said Hunt had a passion for teaching that was contagious, and always kept the school staff on their toes: “Having this rocking chair in our library is the perfect way to honor her, and we are looking forward to taking it to our new building next year.”
WWE superstar Bianca Belair visits Austin-East
Students from Austin-East Magnet High School enjoyed a celebrity visit to kick off Homecoming weekend.
At a school pep rally last Thursday, WWE Superstar and A-E graduate Bianca Belair made a surprise visit, in advance of her appearance at the Friday Night Smackdown event at Thompson-Boling Arena on Sept. 17.
Belair graduated from Austin-East in 2007 and went on to a standout career as a track athlete at the University of Tennessee before joining WWE in 2016. She has emerged as a star this year, winning WWE’s Royal Rumble event in January and the Smackdown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 37 in April.
Bianca Belair at Austin East High School.
Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, who performed with WWE as Kane, also made an appearance at Thursday’s pep rally, wearing blue-and-red socks in honor of the Roadrunners.
Belair told students that she loved being a student at Austin-East, and wouldn’t have achieved her success without the school.
In an interview, Belair said the thing she remembers most about her alma mater was the camaraderie, adding that “I always say I’m 2800 made” – a reference to the school’s address at 2800 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.
“I’m really just pushing the message for (students), don’t forget where you come from, be proud of where you come from, but strive for greatness,” she said. “Because if you come from Austin-East, greatness lives inside of you.”
Josh Flory is a multi-media specialist with Knox County Schools and writes the blog Hall Pass for the KCS website.