PSCC to bring back Young Creative Writer’s Workshop

Kickstart your college career and learn a lot about writing. Young Creative Writer’s Workshop will return to Pellissippi State Community College on Saturday, October 25, at the Strawberry Plains campus, 7201 Strawberry Plains Pike, Knoxville.

Robert Gipe

Robert Gipe, award-winning writer and author of three illustrated novels, is the keynote speaker and featured workshop leader. Gipe won the 2015 Weatherford Award and the Judy Gaines Young Book Award.

Morning coffee, pastries/ fruit and lunch will be provided, along with a packet for each attendee and door prizes given during lunch. There is no fee attached, but participants must register.

Musical entertainment will be provided by JAM (Junior Appalachia Musicians)

Workshops include fiction, songwriting/spoken-word poetry, traditional poetry, publication, memoir/poetry and a specialty generative workshop.

Spoken-word poetry workshop will again be taught by Joseph Woods, aka “Black Atticus,” hailed as “one of the most intelligent and heartfelt voices of the new southern hip hop movement” and the previous Poet Laureate of Knoxville.

In a “Writer’s Room” segment, attendees may interact one-on-one with workshop leaders and other professional writers from the community.

“Appalachian Arts” space will feature a “Create Your Own Zine” station and a “Putting Words to Appalachia” station where attendees may create their own small books to take home.

The ever-popular “Quilting Bee” will return, this time with a focus on creating “story squares.” Attendees can perform their original work as part of our YouTube videos, too.

At day’s end, leaders will host a “Showcase” where attendees may read/perform original works live before an audience of peers, instructors and family members.

“In short, we are going to have a wonderful time together! Here is that registration link,” said Patty Ireland, workshop director.

Note: I’ve attended this event and agree that it’s hard work but great fun and a chance for high school youth to interact with older students and professors from Pellissippi State.

BOE tackles surplus sales tax

Katherine Bike

It’s a good problem to have. Knox County Schools must decide how to spend some $9.4 million in surplus sales tax revenue from FY25, Katherine Bike reported in her “Strong Public Schools” newsletter for October.

The Board of Education’s workshop was September 30, 2025, while the voting meeting will be Thursday, October 2, 5 p.m. at the Summer Place board room. Find the agenda here.

Bike said most of Monday’s time was spent reviewing how to designate $9.4 million in surplus sales tax revenue from FY25. The proposal included:

  • Technology ($6.75M) – To continue student and staff device replacement cycles and fund interactive panels.
  • KAEC Roof Repairs ($382K) – I asked whether this covered the entire roof or just storm-damaged areas; the answer was that only the damaged section will be replaced.
  • Bus Contractors ($360K) – I asked how this would be allocated. Staff explained each contractor would receive $1,000 per route, with flexibility in use so long as it aligns with their contracts.
  • Work-Based Learning Construction ($136K) – To wrap up costs tied to ESSER 3.0 deadlines.
  • UT Tower Construction ($1.8M) – To address safety and egress concerns in the Student & Family Supports suite. I raised questions about safety, but staff noted those details must remain confidential. An executive session is scheduled before Thursday’s voting meeting and the board will be briefed but with no discussion available.

Albert Liu, student board representative, shared that the Student Advisory Council is working on something exciting they hope to present soon.

You can watch the recording of last night’s Work Session on the KCS TV YouTube channel.

Caris Conner organizes to improve Powell Elementary
Photo by S. Clark

Caris Conner

Caris Conner, a parent of Powell Elementary students and expansion committee chair for the Powell Elementary PTA, convened a meeting on Monday, September 25, at the Powell Branch Library. The small room was full with folks standing around the walls.

First, Conner outlined the need for a new school. “We can get it done,” she said.

Overcrowded: The school is landlocked with limited parking. When the Belltown subdivision on Emory Road builds out, look for another couple hundred kids heading for Powell Elementary.

Portable classrooms: The portables were installed in 1985, 40 years ago, she said. The students are brought into the main building during storms, disrupting their studies and those of the kids already at work in the main building.

Traffic: There are a handful of parking spaces by the office door, yet all visitors must report in there. The Spring Street at Emory Road intersection is a mess. Knox County did preliminary design work on a roundabout there when Tim Burchett was mayor, but that project disappeared when Glenn Jacobs was elected.

“We are getting great work from our teachers, but they deserve better,” Conner added.

Larsen Jay, Knox County commissioner at-large, was the only elected official present. He said Powell residents should collect data and then speak with one voice. Officials start working on the budget in late fall/early winter. Have a plan and in January, start showing up at the school board.

“You need a new school at a new location. It will take 20-30 acres.”

Conner said Knox County projects 3-9 percent population growth in the next five years – that’s 1.5 million residents by 2030. She is putting together a contact list and I plan to stay involved with regular reports in this column.

Notes & Quotes

Alisa Bryantseva

Alisa Bryantseva, Farragut High School, was one of 161 high school seniors named a 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholar. She plans to study biomedical/medical engineering at The Johns Hopkins University. At Farragut, Alisa was president of Mu Alpha Theta and a member of the math team, science Olympiad, coding club, ethics bowl, National Spanish Honor Society and National Honor Society.
Holston Middle School has received the STEM designation, which recognizes excellence in delivering high-quality, integrated education related to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Holston was one of 19 schools across the state to receive a STEM or STEAM designation for the first time this year. Only three other KCS schools – Farragut High, L&N STEM Academy and Green Magnet Academy – have ever received this designation, and Holston is the first middle school within the district to be recognized.
Farragut High School became a two-time recipient of the STEM designation. Farragut High is one of nine schools across the state to receive the STEM or STEAM designation this year for a second time. In earning the distinction, Holston Middle and Farragut High serve as models for other TN schools, as they create a comprehensive, student-centered learning environment that emphasizes problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration and real-world application.
Quote: “Train up a child in the way they should go; and when they are old, they will not depart from it.”   – Proverbs 22:6 KJV
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