Byron Young, Dylan Sampson return to graduate

Vols for Life Byron Young and Dylan Sampson finished what they started by graduating from the University of Tennessee. Young and Sampson returned to Knoxville to participate in the spring commencement ceremony with the College of Communication and Information at Food City Center.

While playing in the NFL, the men finished their courses via online classes. Young plays for the Rams; Sampson for the Browns.

Head coach Josh Heupel called them “tremendous ambassadors for Tennessee,” and said he is proud of all football graduates.

Young is the first in his family to graduate from college. He acknowledged that a lot of guys don’t come back, but said, “I had to keep my word and follow through. I am grateful for the opportunity.”

Sampson’s 2024 campaign solidified him as one of the greatest running backs in program history. He broke five single-season records, and he was named an All-American and the SEC Offensive Player of the Year in leading Tennessee to its first College Football Playoff. He opted for the NFL draft following his junior year.

Academically, he was a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll recipient, while majoring in information sciences. His family came to see him graduate.

Additional football Vols who participated in commencement ceremonies this spring included Hunter Barnes, Deon Hardin, Wendell Moe Jr., Carson Whitehead, Montrell Bandy, Joshua Helsdon, Gus Hill, Seamus Meagher, Nathan Robinson, Jackson Ross and Jourdan Thomas. Earlier this spring, Thomas was awarded as a Torchbearer, representing the university’s highest undergraduate honor.

Bill Martin provided information for this report

Two more Knox school principals

Kristen Jackson

Brickey-McCloud Elementary School: will welcome Kristen Jackson as principal, effective July 2026. She replaces Dr. Susan Hutton who has been assigned as principal at Bearden Middle School. Hutton has headed Brickey-McCloud since 2022.

Dr. Jackson began her career in Knox County Schools in 2008 as a substitute teacher. She worked as a classroom teacher at Christenberry Elementary School for five years before being named assistant principal of West Hills Elementary in 2017. She has served as principal of West Hills Elementary since 2022.

Dr. Jackson holds a bachelor’s degree in human services/ counseling from Carson-Newman College, a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction and an educational specialist degree in instructional leadership, both from Lincoln Memorial University, as well as a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of the Cumberlands.

Karri Hobby

West Hills Elementary School: Karri Hobby has been appointed principal of West Hills Elementary School effective July 2026. She replaces Kristen Jackson who was reassigned to Brickey-McCloud.

Hobby joined Knox County Schools in 2001 as a teacher at Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Academy. She also taught at Northwest Middle.

She began her career in administration in 2009 when she was named vice principal of Oak Ridge High School. In 2011, she became principal of Norwood Elementary School in Anderson County and later principal of Cumberland County High School. In 2022, she was named director of voluntary pre-K and elementary supervisor for Cumberland County Schools. She is currently a strategic improvement specialist for Knox County Schools.

Hobby received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Wesleyan College and a master’s degree in instructional leadership from LMU.

Katherine Bike talks accountability

Katherine Bike represents Knox County District 4 on the school board. Finishing her first term, she is seeking reelection. Her opponent on Thursday, August 6, 2026, is Republican Ashley Sartelle.

Today’s note is not about that race. It’s about Bike’s blog post on Accountability. Bike uses her blog to update folks on happenings at the school board; she also delves into specific issues, often by defining words. On June 2, 2026, she looked at Accountability in the context of school vouchers. Her full blog post is: Katherine Bike_Accountability

She writes, “In contemporary education policy, accountability sounds like scrutiny of power. It sounds like oversight — the mechanism by which institutions answer for their decisions, their spending, their outcomes. … In practice, it mostly travels downward.

“Accountability in education policy is applied to teachers — through evaluation systems, value-added measures, performance ratings. It is applied to students — through standardized tests, promotion requirements, graduation benchmarks. It is applied to schools — through letter grades, report cards, improvement plans, state takeovers.”

In Memoriam

Jo Ellen Backus

Jo Ellen Backus, 91, of Louisville, Tennessee, passed away on May 19, 2026. She taught at Alcoa schools for 18 years after earning the bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Tennessee.

Mrs. Backus was a charter member of Partnership Christian Church. She and husband William are survived by four children, 12 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. A Celebration of Life will be held at Partnership Christian Church on Sunday, June 14, 2026, at 3 p.m. The full obituary is here.

Notes & quotes

Halls Elementary PTO officers for the upcoming school year are: Christin Daniels, president; Kelli Cates, vice president, Kori Tillett Bennett, treasurer; and Sandra Seal, secretary.

2026 Annual MLK Parade/March Juneteenth Celebration, parade lineup 8:30 a.m. Friday, June 19, step off 10 a.m. Chilhowee Park, Gate 13; Juneteenth Celebration, Dr. Walter Hardy Park, 2089 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.

The Knoxville Area Urban League’s largest community event – Shoes for School on Saturday, August 8, 2026, at Covenant Health Park – will be bigger than ever and in a new location. Talk with a representative about how the event supports local students and involves a lot of community groups. Info here. Donate here. 

Quote: “Fairy tales do not give a child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon.” – G.K. Chesterton, Tremendous Trifles, 1909

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