The Nashville Area Chamber, Nashville Metro Public Schools and Greater Nashville Association of Realtors hosted this school year’s third and final Middle Prep VIP Tour to Moses McKissack Middle in February.
More than 60 attendees, including Vice Mayor David Briley; Metro Council members DeCosta Hastings, Scott Davis, Bob Mendes, Dave Rosenberg, Ed Kindall, Erica Gilmore, Jacobia Dowell, Jim Shulman, Mina Johnson and Sharon Hurt; and school board member Mary Pierce, were greeted by student ambassadors as they entered the school auditorium. The program began with an inspirational selection by the school band called “I Am So Glad I Go to McKissack Middle.”
VIP guests reported enthusiastic feedback about the student ambassadors who led the tour groups, as well as the leadership of Executive Principal Darren Kennedy and his team, and the school’s business and community partners. “The building is so clean, and I love the college wall. I’m sure your students appreciate the way their school looks,” one VIP told Kennedy after the tour.
“The academic culture of McKissack is clearly changing. I was so fascinated with the catapults I saw in the STEM classroom,” said another attendee.
McKissack’s student population is 357; the school’s student-teacher ratio is 20 to 1. For the 2015-2016 academic year, McKissack added art, STEM and Spanish classes to their offerings. Students also have several opportunities to get a head start on earning high school credit. McKissack’s mission statement is to provide every student with a safe learning environment that is focused on continual academic growth and gains.
“There are so many things going on in the building,” said another impressed guest. “As I sit here and listen, my first thought is, How are they doing all of this?”
Executive Principal Darren Kennedy welcomes VIP guests to McKissack Middle School in February. For more photos from the tour, click here.
