Students hear the sound of Rocky Top and saw flashes of orange and white through the halls of the lower north Friday morning during second block.
As a diligent reporter who also happens to be in need of a new story for Journalism, I grabbed my phone and dashed down the hallway to Mr. Smith’s AP calculus class.
I walked into the room behind Mr. Brown and saw a huge group of representatives from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. They included members of the cheer team, top students, Smoky himself, and even new Chancellor, Donde Plowman, and Provost, David Manderscheid.
There was a larger purpose for the conundrum: to accept new students in the class of 2024. The five Central students surprised with their acceptance were Brett Rogers, Alec Nance, Joe Brown, Rachel French, and
Kaitlyn Wilkerson. Each student applied to UTK during the school’s early admissions. They all received a gift bag from UT along with their acceptance letters. Teachers and faculty also participated, holding orange and white signs saying “UT [hearts] Central,” “UTK24,” and “#NewVols.”
The Vols also surprised new students at surrounding schools like West and Fulton High Schools.
After congratulating accepted students, Chancellor Donde Plowman told the rest of the classroom why they surprised their peers: because they applied early, received good grades, high test scores, and involved themselves in many extracurricular activities. She encouraged their classmates that each of them could be accepted as well if they followed their fellow classmates’ leads.
The Vols left many students inspired and excited about the future after Friday’s eventful second block. I’m sure those five will only be the beginning to a long list of Central graduates going to further their education at the University of Tennessee Knoxville and making everyone in Fountain City proud while doing so.
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