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Alumni

We love sharing news about our Alumni!  Read more below for some of our alumni who have been featured across the country.


Please click on the links below for access to our alumni newsletters, which we usually issue three times a year: Spring, Summer, and Fall.

May 2020 alumni newsletter

February 2020 alumni newsletter

September 2019 alumni newsletter

April 2019 alumni newsletter

January 2019 alumni newsletter


Select Alumni News – 2019

Alumnus Sara Demoiny is featured in TPTE’s Spring 2019 Highlights and Happenings departmental newsletter. Demoiny graduated in 2018 with her PhD in social science education. Read more about Sara here.

Congratulations to alumnus Allison Varnes on the publication of her first young adult novel Property of the Rebel Librarian (Random House Children’s Books, 2017). Read more about Allison and how her PhD work with chair Susan Groenke, professor of English education, in children and young adult literature, helped launch her literary career here.

Congratulations to alumnus Robin F. Schell on being named 2019 Teacher of the Year at Vine Middle Magnet School, in Knoxville, TN, where she is an ESL teacher. Robin is a doctoral candidate in Literacy Studies with a specialization in English as a Second Language. Her classroom plays an important role in her research, which is evidenced in a recent Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy article she co-authored with Clara Lee Brown and Mei Ni, “Powerful Participatory Literacy for English Learners.”

Select Alumni News – 2018

Congratulations to alumnus Lori A. Farley. Farley was named the 2018 Tennessee Teacher of the Year, Grand Division winner for East Tennessee. Farley graduated in 2004 with her MS in Elementary Education and is a media specialist at North City Elementary School in Athens, Tennessee.

Congratulations to alumnus Cathy Stubbs, TPTE’s 2018 Outstanding Alumna.

Sherilyn Dawson has received the 2018 National Air Force Association Teacher of the Year 3rd place award. Ms. Dawson, who is a K-5 Computer and STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts & Math) Teacher at Concord Christian School in Knoxville, is a graduate of the 2017 Aviation Outreach and Education: Basic Aerospace Workshop for Teachers. This workshop, co-sponsored by the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences’ Theory and Practice in Teacher Education department and the Tennessee Wing Civil Air Patrol, is held annually at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Campus. The workshop is funded by a generous grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportation, Office of Aeronautics. Congratulations Sherilyn on this prestigious recognition. To read the full article on Sherilyn Dawson’s accomplishments click here.


Select Alumni News – 2016-2017

Congratulations to alumnus August Askins and to one of TPTE’s mentoring teachers (Shannon Tufts) from Lenoir City on being recognized as 2016–17 SCORE fellows! SCORE Selects 49 Teachers for the 2016–17 Tennessee Educator Fellowship.

Jessica Stewart, art education alumna has been named one of the 2016 Knox County Schools Teachers of the Year! Jessica is a fourth-year art teacher at Christenberry Elementary School. We hope you enjoy this article and video from the Knoxville News Sentinal about how Jessica encourages her students to explore and create art that is personal. Christenberry Principal Melissa Johnson calls her an exceptional educator.

The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) honored PhD graduate Monica T. Billen, assistant professor in the Kremen School of Education at California State University, Fresno, with the 2016 AACTE Outstanding Dissertation Award for her study #Learningtoteach: Using Instagram to Elicit Pre-service Teacher Reflection. Billen’s study investigated how using participant-driven images on Instagram influenced reflective expression among preservice teachers during a yearlong internship. Read more about her study in this EdPrepMatters blog.

Alumnus and Western Carolina University faculty member Patricia Bricker was honored for her contributions to the practice of service-learning by North Carolina Campus Compact, a coalition of 35 public and private colleges and universities in the state. Bricker, an associate professor of science education and associate director of WCU’s School of Teaching and Learning, was presented the Robert L. Sigmon Service-Learning Award for 2016 during a ceremony at High Point University. The presentation was part of activities at Campus Compact’s annual Pathways to Achieving Civic Engagement Conference. Read more about Bricker’s contributions to community engaged teaching.

Rachael Gabriel, literacy studies PhD graduate, was named an Early Career Scholar at the University of Connecticut. This award is given to a faculty member(s) in the Neag School of Education within the first eight years (at least two years at UConn) of his or her academic career following the completion of the doctoral degree and recognizes outstanding early-career contributions to his or her field of study, along with a demonstrated potential for continued research success and achievements.