By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–The efforts of Tornado RISE students at Union City High School earned a ‘Fair’ haul.
Nine CDC students from Regina Turner’s class received more than $200 in prize money from their entries at the recently held Obion County Fair.
The students also received a $200 donation from the Obion County Fair Association to help with expenses incurred from those entries.
Students entered competitions in cooking, crafts and drawing, finishing projects in class under the guidance of Ms. Turner and her educational assistant Mrs. Pam Barber.
In addition to their cooking entries, they crafted key chains and earrings, among other things, and received direction from UCHS art teacher Hilary Webb with their drawing submissions.
It marked the third consecutive year that RISE students showcased their talents and efforts at the Fair.
The widely acclaimed Tornado RISE (Reaching Independence through Structured Environment) program addresses communication skills and special needs students’ abilities to function in our society.
“Seeing the growth of our students – in their abilities and their confidence – is a wonderful thing,” said Turner, a veteran teacher at UC Schools. “Our purpose and our challenge is prepping them for the real world, and they are all accepting of direction to learn the skills they need to do so.
“Things like cooking and working on crafts are survival skills that many take for granted. They learn those things in our program, and it’s wonderful to have our school system and administration behind us as we teach them, watch them grow and celebrate their successes.”
Vice Principal John Graham chauffeured the students to the fairgrounds, where they toured the exhibit building and joyfully discovered their winning entries.