Knox County Schools honors employees who are also military veterans
District also raised $9,100 for JROTC programs with Veterans Day shirts
What This Story Is About
- Knox County Schools honored veterans, including its 135 employees who served in the military, at a Veterans Day event at the Sarah Simpson Center.
Why It Matters
- Many of the district’s veteran employees continue to serve their community by working with students in Knox County classrooms.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Knox County Schools honored all veterans, including the 135 district employees who are military veterans, on Veterans Day at the Sarah Simpson Center in South Knoxville.
The district recognized each veteran at the center. Many of them now serve students in Knox County classrooms.
Dr. Stephanie Taylor-Harmon, an Army veteran and assistant principal at Sunnyview Primary School, served in the Army for three years at Fort Benning, Georgia.
She said being thanked for her service brings a particular feeling.
“It’s hard to explain. It’s just an inner thing that makes you feel welcomed,” Taylor-Harmon said.
Taylor-Harmon has worked for Knox County Schools for 26 years.
“When I think of Veterans Day, I think of serving our country and serving the people today,” she said. “It kind of correlates with my position as an assistant principal. I am a server. I like to serve. I’m a servant leader as is.”
She said her focus at work is on students.
“When I walk into the building, it is about the kids and they know it. They’re hanging on my coat tails, they’re smiling, laughing and it’s about them and making them become what they want to be,” Taylor-Harmon said.
Sgt. Gary Petko, an Army veteran, is the Knox County Schools supervisor of military enlistment.
“They can do that everyday and they don’t have to do that because of the men and women we have out here in the audience that provided that freedom,” Petko said.
Knox County Schools made shirts for Veterans Day to raise money for JROTC. Some veterans wore the shirts at the event.
The district raised $9,100. It split the money among 11 JROTC programs in Knox County Schools.
The nine high school programs received $900 each. The two middle school programs received $500 each.
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