Rachel Blanton
Joined Bright faculty in 2018
B.S., Auburn University
M.Ed., University of Virginia
Community Service is an integral part of the curriculum and experience of Bright. Throughout the year, our students and families may donate money or items and volunteer their time for a variety of causes through grade-level projects.
Each grade is assigned one month to complete a community service during the year. Students and teachers in that grade choose the project and organization to help and work during the month. Students present their project to the school during a Monday morning meeting at the end of the month.
The Bright School has been partnering with Destinee's Gift, a non-profit started by the Harris family, to provide gently-used books to children impacted by natural disasters. Families donate books, and Destinee's Gift arranges shipment and delivery of the books.
Each year, the school holds a one-day food drive for the Chattanooga Area Food Bank in conjunction with the annual fifth grade vs. faculty basketball game.
Our youngest students learn and play in the Early Childhood Gardens adjacent to our Early Childhood Center and Enchanted Forest Playground. Throughout the year, children plant and harvest vegetables. They get to sample the bounty and also share it with our community by donating it to the food pantry at Signal Mountain Social Services or the Chattanooga Area Food Bank. The Bright School is proud our garden is the first Katie's Krops Garden in Tennessee. Katie's Krops is a non-profit organization that provides seeds and other support to help school and individuals grow vegetables to donate to community organizations.
Joined Bright faculty in 2018
B.S., Auburn University
M.Ed., University of Virginia