Sale Creek High School English teacher Caitlin Brooks (left photo), and Red Bank Elementary teacher Amber Miller and her former student teacher, Mackenzie Longmire, were among the Model Mentor Award recipients at the 2025 Mentor Teacher Awards Banquet. Photos courtesy of Chris Brown.
More than 100 educators, school administrators, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga faculty and alumni came together on Thursday, July 31, for the annual Mentor Teacher Awards Banquet, an event recognizing the critical role that pre-K–12 mentor teachers play in preparing the next generation of classroom leaders.
Hosted by the UTC School of Education, the banquet honored 45 teachers from across the area for their outstanding mentorship of UTC teacher candidates during their yearlong or semester-long residency placements. Depending on the program, clinical placements can span 75 to 110 days.
Teachers selected for recognition were nominated through evaluation feedback from University supervisors and student teachers, along with statements explaining why they deserved the honor.
Recipients were designated as either Model Mentors—first-time honorees—or Master Mentors, recognized for their continued excellence in mentoring teacher candidates over multiple years.
Chris Brown, clinical experience coordinator for the School of Education, delivered the keynote address. Speaking to a room filled with teachers he partners with throughout the academic year, Brown offered gratitude and reflection.
“What you do is more than a job; it’s legacy work,” he said. “When you mentor a future teacher, you multiply your impact in ways that are hard to track but impossible to deny. You’re not just shaping a future teacher; you’re shaping one who will go on to shape hundreds, if not thousands, of their future students.”
Brown also spoke of the deeply personal connection he feels to the work. His own children attend nearby Battle Academy, where teachers were shaped “by mentors sitting in this very room.”
“As both a parent and an educator, that carries profound meaning,” he said, “and as the person entrusted with overseeing the most formative part of a teacher candidate’s journey—their residency—I feel the weight of that responsibility every day.”
Brown emphasized that teaching can be complex and often unseen work—and that recognition matters.
“Whether your courage roars, whispers or sighs, thank you for showing up the next day,” he said. “For students. For teacher candidates. For each other.”
School of Education Clinical Experience Coordinator Chris Brown, center, with former students and first-year teachers Claire Brusky (Battle Academy), Carly Akins (Battle Academy), Liz Hertweck (Dupont Elementary) and Reagan Mangavalli (Clifton Hills Elementary). Photo courtesy of Chris Brown.
The banquet was created to spotlight the value of mentor teachers and encourage more seasoned educators to take on that role.
“Mentors are extremely important to the profession. They pour into training and preparing our future teachers by spending hours providing on-the-job training and inspiration that will impact thousands of students,” said Dr. Jamelie Johns, principal at Normal Park Museum Magnet.
Five Normal Park teachers were recognized at the event.
“This celebration was a beautiful way to honor the mentors and thank them for their hard work,” Johns continued. “As a school leader, I was thrilled to be a part of supporting this work and am so proud of our master mentors and model mentors from Normal Park Museum Magnet.”
Six educators received the Master Mentor designation, earning a customized UTC School of Education backpack, a door badge and a stipend increase should they mentor again.
Holly Welch, a first-grade teacher at Battle Academy and Master Mentor Award recipient, called the evening meaningful.
“I’m so honored to have been recognized at the UTC Mentor Teacher Banquet. It was a wonderful evening celebrating the dedication and impact of so many educators,” Welch said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to help guide future teachers and proud to be part of a profession that continues to shape the future.
“Thank you, UTC, for the recognition and for investing in meaningful mentorship.”
Her student teacher from last year, Reagan Mangavalli, received her Bachelor of Science: Interdisciplinary Educational Studies from UTC in May. Mangavalli is now a first-grade teacher at Clifton Hills Elementary.
“I was happy to celebrate my mentor teacher for all she did for me,” said Mangavalli, a native of Collierville, Tennessee. “I will forever be thankful for the time and effort she put into preparing me to be the best teacher I can be.”
Master Mentor Award recipients, from left: Emily Feheley (Wolftever Creek Elementary), Amanda Taylor (Normal Park Museum Magnet), April Wyatt (Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences), Taryn Painter (Apison Elementary) and Holly Welch (Battle Academy). Photo courtesy of Chris Brown.
This year, 39 educators were named Model Mentors. Each received a commemorative door badge and a stipend increase if they continue mentoring.
Among the honorees was East Ridge High School art teacher Kirsten Waldrep.
“We are incredibly proud that Mrs. Kirsten Waldrep was recognized for her outstanding work and mentorship at the mentor banquet,” East Ridge High School Principal Juan Moreno said. “Teachers like Mrs. Waldrep embody the passion and commitment that make East Ridge High School and our partnership with UTC truly special.
“As a proud UTC alumnus, I’m thrilled to see the School of Education continue to invest in and celebrate the mentorship aspect of the student teaching tradition. While we pour into our teachers and work to build them up, events like this remind them that their impact is recognized beyond the classroom, by stakeholders, communities and the next generation of educators alike.”
Master Mentor Award
- Emily Feheley, Wolftever Creek Elementary
- Holland Johns, Lookout Valley Middle/High
- Taryn Painter, Apison Elementary
- Amanda Taylor, Normal Park
- Holly Welch, Battle Academy
- April Wyatt, Chattanooga School for Arts and Sciences
Model Mentor Award
- Holly Akins, Westview Elementary
- Haley Ashley, Normal Park
- Courtney Baker, Battle Academy
- Rebekah Broman, Battle Academy
- Caitlin Brooks, Sale Creek High
- Katie Claiborne, Hixson High
- Dina Couch, Battle Academy
- Sara Damron, East Brainerd Elementary
- Drew Daniels, Loftis Middle
- Deana Deller, Normal Park
- Burt Finley, East Hamilton Middle
- Jessica Gravitt, Battle Academy
- Brandy Grun, Rivermont Elementary
- Kendall Guinn, Dupont Elementary
- Angela Heisig, Chattanooga School for Liberal Arts
- Shaina Johnson, Wolftever Creek Elementary
- Jamie Jorgensen, Normal Park
- Jehann Kazem, East Lake Elementary
- Marie Kesley, Hunter Middle
- Madeline Krafka, Red Bank Middle
- Lakhyia Lee-Williams, Tyner Middle
- Katie Mara, Red Bank Middle
- Amber Miller, Red Bank Elementary
- Michael Mitchell, Barger Academy
- Kaitlyn Mizell, Red Bank High
- Phoebe Mount, Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy
- Miranda Murnin, Red Bank Middle
- Kathryn Nelson, Hixson Middle
- Kerri Porter, Normal Park
- Wendy Pritchett, Battle Academy
- Kelsey Roberson, Apison Elementary
- Junichia Rock, Wolftever Creek Elementary
- Emilie Sloan, Hixson High
- Amanda Thomason, Apison Elementary
- Catherine Thurman, Clifton Hills Elementary
- Tonya Till, East Lake Elementary
- Nicole Vitali-Templeton, McConnell Elementary
- Kirsten Waldrep, East Ridge High
- Hailee Young, Red Bank High
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Model Mentor Award recipients (photos courtesy of Chris Brown)
