Clifton Hills Elementary teacher and UTC alum Meghan McDougall was recognized as a Model Mentor Teacher at the 2026 Mentor Teacher Awards Banquet. Photo courtesy of Chris Brown.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga School of Education honored 41 pre-K-12 teachers during its third annual Mentor Teacher Awards Banquet on Thursday, July 30, recognizing the educators who guide UTC teacher candidates through classroom residencies.
More than 100 mentor teachers, school principals, district administrators, UTC alums, University administrators, faculty and staff attended the banquet, hosted by Chattanooga Coca-Cola Bottling Co. and Darren Hodges, vice president of the company’s Tennessee Valley Division.
The School of Education recognized 33 Model Mentors and eight Master Mentors. Mentor teachers open their classrooms to UTC teacher candidates during residencies that can last from 75 to 110 days, providing day-to-day guidance as future educators learn the profession.
“Some of the most important work is also the least visible,” said Chris Brown, UTC School of Education field placement coordinator, in his keynote address. “It’s not always the loud moments or the headline achievements. It’s the daily decisions, the extra conversations, the quiet adjustments, done over and over again, that change lives.”
The Model Mentor Award recognizes first-time recipients rated “highly effective” by both a University supervisor and a teacher candidate. Recipients receive a classroom door badge and an increased stipend if they host a UTC teacher candidate again.
The Master Mentor Award is reserved for educators who have received Model Mentor recognition at least twice. They receive a UTC-branded backpack, a door badge and an increased stipend for future mentorships.
Award selections are based on evaluations from University supervisors and teacher candidates, along with statements explaining why each mentor deserves recognition.
Brown told the honorees that their work reaches beyond the students currently in their classrooms.
“You’re not only teaching students,” he said. “You’re shaping future educators in real time. You open your classrooms, your thinking and your practice to someone learning how to do this critical work.
“Your impact doesn’t stay in your classroom; it multiplies across every classroom your teacher candidates will one day lead.”
UTC School of Education Field Placement Coordinator Chris Brown, center, with former student teachers.
The annual banquet allows the School of Education to recognize classroom teachers who take on the added responsibility of mentoring teacher candidates, Brown said. Those mentors work most closely with teacher candidates during their final undergraduate year or student-teaching semester in graduate school.
“Effective mentoring is one of the most powerful investments we can make in education,” said Dr. MaryBeth Sanders, Hamilton County Schools Grow Your Own Program facilitator. “These mentors serve as guides, coaches and role models, helping new teachers build confidence, refine their instructional practices and navigate the challenges of the profession.”
Sanders said the evening also brought together UTC School of Education faculty, school leaders and mentors, reinforcing their shared work to support early-career educators. Those relationships strengthen the teacher pipeline and create opportunities for continued collaboration.
For Meghan McDougall, a Model Mentor recipient and UTC alum, working with her student teacher, Brooke Jones, was “one of the highlights of my career.”
“Working alongside her for a year gave helpful insight in the growth that college seniors and future educators make in such a small time,” said McDougall, who graduated from UTC in 2015. “I feel confident that she’ll thrive in her position at New Hope Elementary.”
Brown said the banquet also recognized the principals and school leaders who make room for teacher candidates and support the mentor teachers working alongside them. He thanked Chattanooga Coca-Cola Bottling Co. for hosting the event, along with Hamilton County Schools, School of Education faculty and staff, and the many partner schools involved in preparing future teachers.
The School of Education’s 2025-26 award recipients included the following:
Master Mentor Award
- Keeley Auffarth, East Lake Elementary
- Courtney Baker, Battle Academy
- Rebekah Broman, Battle Academy
- Jessica Gravitt, Battle Academy
- Caitlyn Morgan, Middle Valley Elementary
- Tonya Till, East Lake Elementary
- Holly Welch, Battle Academy
- Hailee Young, Red Bank High
Model Mentor Award
- Lindsay Alsobrook, Thrasher Elementary
- Hannah Basha, Farragut High
- Sean Brown, Central High
- Carla Clark, Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences Lower School
- Stacy Dillefeld, Red Bank Elementary
- Regina Edds, Waterville Community Elementary
- Shannon Efiom, Brown Academy
- Jordan Ellenburg, East Side Elementary
- Madyson Gibbins, Battle Academy
- Haley Goodridge, Red Bank Elementary
- Ashley Hall, Bess T. Shepherd Elementary
- Mackenzie Hammond, Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences Upper School
- Brittany Harris, Grace Academy
- Bertha Hensley, Big Ridge Elementary
- Jessica James, Normal Park Lower
- Taylor Lamunyon, Battle Academy
- Davis Lane, Brainerd High
- Reagan Lively, East Lake Elementary
- Sarah Mason, Clifton Hills Elementary
- Meghan McDougall, Clifton Hills Elementary
- Michelle McElheney, Black Fox Elementary
- Heather Modrow, Normal Park Lower School
- Marissa Murray, Arnold Academy
- Bre Myers, Battle Academy
- Taylor Nails, Ringgold Middle School
- Haley Popp, Red Bank Middle School
- Anna Rawlston, Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences Lower School
- Sarah Tortora, Battle Academy
- Haleigh Van Allen, Normal Park Upper School
- April White, East Side Elementary
- Kiersten Wilkins, Red Bank Elementary
- Jillian Young, Clifton Hills Elementary
- Jennifer Zeigler, Normal Park Lower School
Learn more
Model Mentor Award recipients (photos courtesy of Chris Brown)
