Accomplishments

The 2009 Kingsport City Schools Teachers of the Year were: Josh Davis, PreK-3; Aaron Gourley, Grades 4-8; and Denise Oglesby, Grades 9-12.
Dee Olterman, health science education teacher at Dobyns-Bennett High School, was named the 2007-08 Tennessee Career and Technical Teacher of the Year by the Tennessee Association for Career and Technical Education.
The Kingsport Board of Education was named the Tennessee School Board of the Year by the Tennessee School Boards Association. The Kingsport Board of Education members were School Board President Susan Lodal, Board Vice-President Dr. Randy Montgomery and members Pat Turner, Ron George and Wally Boyd.
Dobyns-Bennett High School student Alice Xiang was one of only 141 high school seniors selected as a 2009 Presidential Scholar by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Students selected to receive the honor have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, artistic excellence, leadership, citizenship and community service.
Six Dobyns-Bennett High School students were named as Finalists for the 2009 National Merit and National Achievement Scholarship program. Emily Ketterling Gall, Jorie Elizabeth Sullivan, Pieter Locke Valk, Kathleen Rachel Voegtli, Jessica Lois Welch and Alice Xiang were named National Merit Finalists. These six students will compete with the top high school students in the nation for some 8,200 Merit Scholarship awards worth more than $33 million. In addition, Kenneth Lloyd Denmark and Edwin Andrew McElroy, III were named 2009 National Merit Commended Students for Dobyns-Bennett.
Kingsport Board of Education President Susan Lodal was one of seven women statewide to receive the Tennessee Economic Excellence and Equity “E” Award. The “E” Award, presented by the Tennessee Economic Council on Women, recognizes individuals from across Tennessee who have distinguished themselves in a specific field or life commitment that has contributed to improving the lives of girls and women.
Kingsport City Schools received a grant award of a $133,000 from the U.S. Department of Education to expand counseling programs in schools. “The Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program” grant has provided funding for student assistance program counselors and one social worker to serve in the eight Kingsport City elementary schools for a three-year term.
The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development awarded the Kingsport/Sullivan County Adult Education program $14,500 to be used to develop a computer lab for students.
Dobyns-Bennett High School was named by Newsweek magazine as one of the top high schools in the country. The rankings, according to the magazine, identify the top 5% of high schools in the country. Dobyns-Bennett High School was ranked 1,338th with a ratio of 1.158 based on the number of students who completed Advanced Placement tests compared to the number of seniors graduating in 2008.
Dobyns-Bennett High School students Kimsey Doyal, David Fantin and Obadiah White were honored by the Columbia College Chicago High School Radio Awards for their work in the Dobyns-Bennett Radio Club. Kimsey Doyal and David Fantin were named the Grand Prize Winners in the Radio Sports casting / Play-by-Play Category. Doyal and Fantin announced several of the home Dobyns-Bennett Football games on 90.3 FM WCSK Radio.Obadiah White was the First Place Winner in the Live On-Air Personality Specialty Format category. Obadiah White, known by his listeners as "DJ Obi", hosted a weekly techno-rock music show on 90.3 FM WCSK Radio.Doyal, Fantin, and White have each earned a scholarship to attend a High School Summer Institute at Columbia College in Chicago and enroll in one 2-credit hour course at Columbia College in Chicago.
Several Dobyns-Bennett High School students received top honors in the National Spanish Exam with student Maria Panozzo placing second overall in the state rankings for the examination.
Dobyns-Bennett High School’s Culinary Arts Program was named as one of the “Hot 100” schools in the nation for culinary arts instruction as determined by Sullivan University. Dobyns-Bennett’s culinary arts program is led by Instructor Aimee Knott. There are three ascending levels of culinary courses offered. The program boasts several nationally award-winning students who received significant scholarships to culinary schools. Sullivan University is home to the renowned National Center for Hospitality Studies, one of the leading Culinary Arts, Professional Catering, Baking & Pastry Arts, Hotel/Restaurant Management, and Hospitality Management programs in the country. The Top 100 List of High school culinary arts program was determined through the general knowledge of Sullivan University admissions staff, including the college’s Regional Chef.
New Horizons Alternative School was selected as a recipient of a 2009 Target Field Trip Grant in the amount of $800. The grant money allowed students at New Horizons to visit the Gray Fossil Site and Museum. Students and participate in a program called “Our Weakening Web: The Story of Extinction.”
Dobyns-Bennett High School Student Amy Oreskovic recently placed as one of the top ten students competing in the University of Tennessee Pro2Serve Math Competition. Oreskovic, a D-B sophomore and the daughter of Richard and Kathleen Oreskovic, competed with 550 students from throughout the state in the math event. As a top ten finisher, Oreskovic was awarded a four-year tuition scholarship to the University of Tennessee worth $4,000 each year.
The Dobyns-Bennett High School Air Force Junior Officer Training Corps placed first overall at the Unicoi County Invitational Drill Meet. The AFJROTC, led by Major Phillip Suydam and SMSgt Angelo Pellitteri, competed with six other high school JROTC programs. The D-B AFJROTC won first place overall in the competition and won individual first place awards in Advanced Color Guard, led by Cadet Staff Sergeant Alex Hargrave; Advanced Armed Squad, led by Cadet Captain Tyler Kennedy; Personnel Inspection led by Cadet Staff Sergeant Thomas Palmer; First Year Unarmed Flight, led by Cadet Airman Elizabeth Whittaker; and First Year Color Guard, led by Cadet Airman Jonathon Carruba. The team also placed second in Armed Flight, led by Cadet Second Lieutenant April Rochester, and Knockout led by Team Member C/Capt Tyler Kennedy.