More than 30 community and business leaders turned out this morning for the Academy VIP Tour at Antioch High School. The Academies of Nashville are Metro Schools’ innovative approach to redesigning its 12 zoned high schools, impacting 15,000 students with the goal of preparing every graduate for college and an eventual career. School districts across the country are coming to Nashville to see this approach, so we are hosting these VIP tours in partnership with Metro Schools so our city leaders see the transformation of our high schools firsthand.
Director of Schools Dr. Jesse Register talked about the difficult, but necessary, goal of improving instruction across the district’s 5,000 classrooms. Teacher team leader Mary Beth White told the group this was happening at Antioch, where teachers plan together in teams, invite business partners into the classroom, and show students how the state’s academic standards relate to skills in the “real world.”
Antioch’s academy partners -- Deloitte, Tennessee Credit Union, Nissan North America, Just Cruisin’ Plus, and Trevecca Nazarene University -- were represented at the tour, and were able to share the different ways business and postsecondary partners support their academies.
A highlight of the tour was visiting the Tennessee Credit Union branch that operates inside the school during the lunch periods. Run by fully trained students in the Tennessee Credit Union Academy of Business & Finance, they open accounts and process deposits and withdrawals every day. The group also made visits to the Academy of Teaching & Service, the Academy of Hospitality, and the Academy of Technology & Communication. The student ambassadors conducting the tour enjoyed interacting with state leaders (Dr. Gary Nixon, director of the state board of education); local business leaders (Ric Pennisi, Ben Freeland, David Swett); and clergy with Nashville’s faith community (Rev. Bruce Maxwell and Rev. Harold Frelix).
We’d like to especially recognize and thank the 10 state and local elected officials who took time out of their day today to see firsthand the progress in Nashville’s public high schools:
State Representative Jim Gotto
State Representative Sherry Jones
Metro Council member Fabian Bedne
Metro Council member Brady Banks
Metro Council member Duane Dominy
Metro Council member Jacobia Dowell
Metro Council member Karen Johnson
Metro Council member Jason Potts
School Board member JoAnn Brannon
School Board member Cheryl Mayes
We’re gearing up for another big crowd at the next Academies VIP Tour at Stratford High School on October 25!
Click here for more photos from the VIP Tour of Antioch High School.
Gina Hatchett, a student in the Academy of Teaching & Service, talks about the advanced placement courses she is taking, her paid summer internship, and her desire to pursue a career as an attorney. 
Antioch academy partner Sherry Funk, with Just Cruisin’ Plus, shares with the touring group how she supports students and teachers in the Academy of Hospitality (listening, L-R: Rashonda Harris with Nissan North America, Rep. Sherry Jones, Councilmember Brady Banks, Councilmember Jacobia Dowell, Councilmember Fabian Bedne). 
Rep. Jim Gotto and Chamber Report Card Co-Chair Ron Corbin interact with the students inside Antioch High School’s Tennessee Credit Union branch.