PIE Consulting

2025 East Tennessee STEM EXPO Set for March 6, in Pigeon Forge

What Previous STEM EXPO Attendees Have to Say About the Event:

"Thank you so much for an amazing conference. We loved our time presenting and learning from other presenters. We look forward to next year." -Jessica Chambers, Northview Intermediate, Sevier County Schools
"Thank you for such a great day! I am thankful for all of the opportunities given to East Tennessee STEM teachers. It was a great day of learning, networking, and presenting." - Amy Haney, Integrated Technology & STEM Specialist, Anderson County Schools
"Loved to see the STEM EXPO in back-to-back years and see its growth!" I can't wait to see it again next year!" - Andy Hebert, STEM/IT Teacher, Maryville Junior HIgh, Maryville City Schools

3rd Annual Event for K-12 STEM Educators Approved for TASL Credit

PIE Consulting is working with K-12 STEM educators across East Tennessee to hold the 3rd Annual East Tennessee STEM EXPO on Thursday, March 6, at The Ramsey Hotel & Convention Center in Pigeon Forge, TN. The 2025 East Tennessee STEM EXPO has been approved for 7 hours of TASL Credit!

This one-day event is about STEM educators having a forum to share what is working within STEM programming in their K-12 classrooms throughout Tennessee. There are 5 blocks of sessions throughout the day that will feature presentations for elementary, middle, and high school STEM educators. These sessions are conducted by STEM educators from schools in East Tennessee where they provide best practices that engage students throughout the K-12 spectrum in STEM Education.

We are pleased to have Oak RIdge Associated Universities, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union, and the Titanic Museum Attraction as sponsors of the 2025 STEM EXPO. Each of these sponsors will have a presence at the STEM EXPO as exhibitors, and in some cases, as presenters. They all provide resources to STEM programming throughout the region and are key partners in growing STEM Education throughout our region.

We are continuing to finalize a few breakout sessions for the conference, but here are a few highlights:

Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) will present on Teaching About and With Artificial Intelligience
ORAU will present about Harnessing the Power of Makerspaces in K-8 STEM classrooms
A Panel of STEM School Administrators will present about Building a STEM Culture and Spirit of Collaboration
Anderson County Schools - Elementary Robotics Competition with Clinton High Robotics Mentoring Elementary Students through the First Robotics Competition Model
PIE Consulting - Engaging Business & Industry in K-12 STEM Programming
TVA will share at lunch about a new initiative to support STEM Education in K-12 Schools across the Tennessee Valley
Titanic Museum Attraction will share about FREE Science, Math, and Technology Resources availble to K-12 Schools
Career Days Programming at Catlettsburg Elementary in Sevier County Schools
Family STEM Nights presentation from Northview Primary School in Sevier County Schools
Tennessee Wildlife Trout Release Program in East Tennessee Middle Schools
Clinton City Schools will share about their Drones programming and the launch of a student-run Television Studio
Walker Valley High School will share about Fablab & PBL + a session on Station Rotation in High Schools in Small Group Instruction
Plus many more!

The 2025 East Tennessee STEM EXPO hopes to build on the 160 STEM educators who attended the 2024 event. Registration is open until March 4. The registration rate is $90 per person and includes lunch. To reserve seats or to have your questions answered about the event, contact Scott Bacon at tnpieconsulting@gmail.com.

The Ramsey Hotel & Convention Center is the host hotel for the 2025 STEM EXPO. If you are coming to Pigeon Forge for the event and need to reserve a room, you can use the code "2025 East Tennessee STEM EXPO" as the code, or if phoning to make reservations, use the number 667340 as your code to the event.

ORAU Sponsors the 2025 East Tennessee STEM EXPO!

Did you know?

Did you know that Oak Ridge Associated Universities holds STEM Camps during the Summer months?

DId you know that Oak Ridge Associated Universities employs former public school educators who provide support for STEM Education and Science-specific programming?

Did you know that ORAU has a conference center in Oak Ridge that school districts can rent for use for retreats or Central Office meetings?

Go to orau.org to explore how your school can engage the ORAU team in your STEM projects!

Look for an Expanded Presence at the 2025 Event

Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) is a huge supporter of STEM Education in East Tennessee. ORAU's team of educators make great things happen for schools regularly through special events at schools, STEM Camps during the SUmmer months, and conference events like the STEM EXPO where they can interact with educators about opportunities for support.

ORAU will have a strong presence at the 2025 East Tennessee STEM EXPO. Members of the ORAU STEM team will be presenting multiple sessions throughout the day to highlight working with Artificial Intelligiance, how to harness the power of makerspaces in K-8 classrooms, and another on the various ways the organization provides resources in support of STEM Education.

ORAU will also have a booth as an exhibitor, so STEM EXPO attendees need to make sure to get by the ORAU booth to meet representatives and learn more about how your school can work with this great resource for schools!

The Partners In Education effort in Union County Schools will provide opportunities for businesses, churches, government offices, individuals, and other community organizations to invest time, talent, and resources in classrooms across the county.

Welcome on Board Union County Schools!

PIE Consulting welcomes Union County Schools as a new client in 2025! We look forward to working with Director of Schools Greg Clay and his leadership team in Union County.

Titanic Museum Attraction at the 2025 East Tennessee STEM EXPO

Titanic Museum Attraction

Pigeon Forge

to Sponsor the

2025 East Tennessee STEM EXPO

The Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge is going to be a major participant in the 2025 East Tennessee STEM EXPO on March 6th at the Ramsey Hotel & Convention Center in Pigeon Forge.

Not only will the Titanic Museum be a sponsor, their Pigeon Forge Education Executive, Jodi Justus, and the Education Executive will be making a presentation during the Conference. She will be sharing how the story of the Titanic can be used by educators in support of STEM programming in K-12 classrooms.

One of the outcomes of the pandemic was the growth of virtual tours and other presentations with schools across the state, nation and internally. Titanic Museum Education Program staff members have reached over 100,000 students virtually during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years. Regardless of whether or not your school is within traveling distance of Pigeon Forge or Branson, educational programming is still an option with the Titanic Museum Attraction!

TVA Sponsors the 2025 East Tennessee STEM EXPO

TVA Online Resources...

TVA's website includes several good resources for educators and students. Go check out the TVA Kids and TVA STEM pages to get information on how to access these resources for you classroom!

TVA Support of STEM Education is Strong!

The Tennessee Valley Authority has been a long-time supporter of K-12 schoolc across the Tennessee Valley. As part of this continued commitment to developing our future workforce throughout the region, TVA is once again sponsoring the 2025 East Tennessee STEM EXPO on March 6, 2025, at The Ramsey Hotel & Convention Center in Pigeon Forge.

TVA has invested millions of dollars in STEM programming over the past few years through STEM Grants to K-12 schools throughout the Tennessee Valley. These Grants have provided significant support to schools as STEM Education shows tremendous growth in schools in the region. The STEM Grants Program has provided funding for the purchase of equipment, supplies, and other items needed to enhance STEM instruction. Simply put, STEM Education in East Tennessee would not be where we are without our friends at the Tennessee Valley Authority!

Support Educators on Tax Free Weekend

Stuff the Bus at the Clinton Walmart to Benefit the Teacher Supply Depot in Anderson County/Clinton City Schools

Friday, July 29, 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Saturday, July 30, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Thanks to the good folks at Walmart in Clinton and their loyal customers, we are bringing back the Stuff the Bus promotion to support the Teacher Supply Depot for Anderson County & Clinton City Schools. The Teacher Supply Depot is a FREE store for educators in the two school districts.

The Stuff the Bus event will allow Walmart customers to purchase heavily discounted school supplies during Tax Free Weekend and donate them for the Teacher Supply Depot. The donated items will be used by educators in Anderson County & Clinton City Schools to meet the needs of students.

Customers may also make financial contributions that will allow the Education Foundation for Clinton City & Anderson County Schools to purchase basic education supplies for use in classrooms. The Education Foundation is a 501c3 organization. Supporters of Anderson County & Clinton City Schools may also make a donation online through the Education Foundation's website at www.theeducationfoundation.info.

Thank you for your commitment to East Tennessee Schools!

Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union is Major Sponsor of the 2025 East Tennessee STEM EXPO!

The Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union has been a long-time partner with schools across their service area in East Tennessee. Not only are they helping make the 2025 East TN STEM EXPO a reality, they also will be sharing how their branches partner with local schools to help meet the needs of students and staff members.

Thanks Trane!

2022 PIE Conference Sponsor Announcement

We are pleased to announce that Trane of Knoxville has come on board as a sponsor for the 2022 East Tennessee Partners In Education Conference. Trane will be the sponsor of the CTE Session Room throughout the day. Thanks to Nancy McBee and Trane for this commitment to supporting partnerships across East Tennessee.

PIE Consulting Supports Virtual STEM Project in Roane County Schools & Anderson County Schools
Live Zoom Interviews at Schools!

PIE Consulting and Midway Middle School in Roane County Schools have collaborated on a special STEM project from October 2020 through the 2021-2022 school year to bring STEM at Work to the school's classrooms during their monthly STEM Days. Midway Middle received special STEM School designation from the Tennessee Department of Education in Spring 2020. This partnership was the catalyst to launch similar STEM efforts at additional Roane County middle schools, as well as Claxton Elementary School and Clinton Middle School in Anderson County Schools

As part of the monthly STEM Day activities, each of the three grade levels has a live interview with a business representative from a specific industry. The interviews last 30-35 minutes and include a presentation from the rep about their industry and how STEM disciplines are used. They also cover soft skill development, relationship building, and speak about their personal career paths.

Industries and businesses that have participated include WVLT-TV's Chief Meteorologist Heather Haley (pictured), Aries Theofanopolous from Tennessee Smokies Baseball (pictured on the student's laptop screen), as well as representatives from Roane Medical Center, Discovery Networks, Oak Ridge National Lab, Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union, Richard Childress Racing, Pyro Shows, Ripley's Aquarium ot the Smokies, TItanic Museum Attraction, and many more. Recent developments have brought resources virtually from the University of Tennessee and other higher education insitutions into classrooms to share about unique STEM topics related to space, geology & engineering.

During the 2021-2022 school year, PIE Consulting worked with two additional Roane County middle schools to expand this STEM project into Harriman Middle School & Rockwood Middle School. These two schools held STEM Days once per grading period using the same format as those at Midway Middle School. Claxton Elementary School in Anderson County Schools used the virtual presnetations with their 5th grade students, while CLinton Middle School brought in professionals virtually to speak with small groups of students who had shown interest in specific career areas.

PIE Consulting makes the connections for schools as they are scheduled to take this burden off the plate of school staff. It also gives schools access to the growing network of STEM support available through PIE Consulting. Additional schools will be coming on board in the 2022-2023 school year. Contact Scott Bacon at tnpieconsulting@gmail.com if you would like to discuss how your school can participate in the coming school year.

Anderson County Schools Classified Staff Members Receive Community Engagement & Customer Service Training

Plan A Session For Your Schools

Does your school or school district need to focus on how you can better engage your local community, or better serve the community members who enter your doors?

PIE Consulting can work with you to build a Professional Development event to invest in skill development of your staff. We can develop a session for an individual school, school feeder zone, or school district. Contact Scott Bacon at tnpieconsulting@gmail.com to begin the planning process.

Who Cares About Customer Service In Schools? We All Better Care About This Issue.

PIE Consulting worked with Anderson County Schools to develop a professional development session for the school district's classified staff members at the school level, as well as in the administrative offices. Held in late July just before teachers arrived for the 2017-2018 school year, the session included over 40 of Anderson County's stars who wear multiple hats in keeping the administrative functions flowing within the school system.

The PD opportunity focused on how these administrative professionals can improve skills related to three key areas:

Engaging the community at your school through building relationships with neighborhood organizations.
Telling your school or department's story utilizing multiple tools.
Taking a stronger customer service approach to how they deal with a long list of customers.

Administrative staff members in schools are asked to execute various plans and functions around schools that include being the face of the school to the public. However, school districts rarely invest in professional development with these key staff members to improve their skill set in these critical community relations areas. Thanks Anderson County Schools for allowing us to work with your staff!

Need Free School Supplies?

PIE Consulting works with Anderson County & Clinton City Schools to stock shelves at the Teacher Supply Depot.

Educators are doing more than ever to provide resources to help meet the needs of students in their classrooms. Whether purchasing basic education supplies to have extras or for those students who simply don't have them, or picking up items for that special project coming up, teachers are spending hundreds out of their pockets to meet these needs.

PIE Consulting works with Anderson County and Clinton City Schools in Tennessee to stock the shelves of the Teacher Supply Depot developed by PIE Consulting. We solicit donated items, donations, and help with special events to raise funds to purchase new supplies. The shelves are full of a variety of supplies and materials educators can take for FREE to meet needs of students. Approximately $100,000 in supplies and materials have gone into classrooms in the five years of the program in the two partner school districts. The Education Foundation for Clinton City & Anderson County Schools acts as the fiscal agent for all financial contributions to the Teacher Supply Depot.

PIE Consulting owner Scott Bacon, was part of the team that developed the successful Teacher Supply Depot in Knox County Schools in 2001. It is now a model program that has been recognized for bringing donated supplies and materials into classrooms to support meeting student needs. If your school district has a desire to create a customized approach to meet the needs of educators in your district, contact Scott Bacon at tnpieconsulting@gmail.com.

PIE Consulting Makes Move Into Higher Education Athletics Support

PIE Consulting has partnered with the Roane State Foundation to assist with growing the Athletic Fund within the Foundation. The Athletics Fund is in place to support the needs of the Roane State Community College Athletics Department.

PIE Consulting is collaborating with Roane State Foundation and RSCC Athletics officials to develop relationships with donors and create specific donor recognition packages that allow for the recognition of donors at athletics events. In addition, donors are receiving recognition through digital ads on the RSCC campuses serving the East Tennessee region in the Knoxville area.

As Roane State Athletics continue to add teams in Cross Country in the 2022-2023 school year, and Soccer down the road, these donor partnerships are going to be critical to having the facilities to recruit student-athletes who can build and sustain championship programs. PIE Consulting is also working on special events within the Roane State Foundation to generate financial support and introduce the public to the story of Raiders Athletics.

PIE Consulting can work with high school or other post-secondary institutions to provide support. In this case it is athletics, but it could just as easily be CTE programs, STEM programs, or another program area that desires to create a revenue stream and build piblic awareness.

Partnership with the Titanic Museum Focuses on Resilience, Hope & Courage

Titanic Museum Attraction Supports East Tennessee Schools

The Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee has tremendous resources to enhance classroom instruction. The "Voices" presentation featured below is a powerful 30-40 minute event that is ideal for 5th grade through high school. Audience members hear the stories of three survivors of the Titanic tragedy. In addition, the Titanic Museum Attraction has a separate "ABC's of the Titanic" for grades K-4 that covers topics about the ship in a fun alphabetic sequence.

Schools Can Now Have Live Virtual Tours & Presentations with Titanic Museum Crew!

Is your school looking for a fun, interactive and entertaining presentation about one of the biggest stories of the early 20th century? If so, then the Titanic Musuem Attraction is a partner you need to contact!

As the world of education changed during the pandemic, our friends at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge began retooling their programs to be able to reach out to teachers and students in their classrooms rather than at the ship. What began as just a handful of virtual tours & presentations in early 2020, as grown to number nearly 200 virtual events with schools literally around the globe in the 2021-2022 school year.

Education Executive Jodi Justus and the Titanic Museum Attraction crew are constantly presenting a message of "Hope, Courage & Resilience" to students of all ages as they present the ABC's of the Titanic to younger students, or the Voices presentation to older students. The Voices presentation is a powerful message from three survivors of the tragedy performed in a Broadway Read style. Students learn about how the events of April 15, 1912, shaped the lives of these survivors.

In addition to these performances, the Titanic Museum Education team offers free resources for educators on their website, www.titanicpigeonforge.com. Several of these resources are from classroom teachers who shared them with the Education team. They also work with schools to help with unique projects where crew members can connect virtually either from the Pigeon Forge or Branson, Missouri ship locations.

Contact Jodi Justus, Education Executive, at jodi.justus@titanicattraction.com if you would like to learn more about how your school can take advantage of this incredible resource that provides quality programming about the story and legacy of the Titanic.

Classroom Mental Health Guide Produced for Anderson County Educators

Mental Health Guide Disclaimers

The Mental Health Guide includes two disclaimers for Anderson County's educators. The first reminds them that the publication is intended to provide general information about mental health disorders. Classroom educators are advised to consult with school counselors for support when they see evidence of a potential mental health disorder.

The second disclaimer is from the county's Special Education Department reminding them about students who receive services through an Individualized Education Plan. They are instructed to work through case managers if they notice changes in behavior.

Classroom Strategies Featured

PIE Consulting has worked with School Counselors in Anderson County Schools in Tennessee to develop a Mental Health Guide for educators across the school district. The publication is designed to inform the county's educators about mental health disorders. It includes:

A brief description of mental health disorders
How these disorders may impact a student in their classroom
Suggested classroom strategies educators can employ to create better learning environments for students with mental health disorders

School counselors across the PK-12 spectrum in Anderson County assisted in providing information about mental health disorders and possible strategies for use by those providing direct services to students. Counselors also assisted in the rollout of the Mental Health Guide to their school staff members.

Anderson County educators have praised the effort to provide mental health information along with practical strategies for use in their classrooms. School counselors have appreciated the opportunity to bring the valuable resource to their colleagues and build relationships with them, particularly with young educators on the school staff. The project has provided an opportunity to emphasize the role school counselors can play in supporting classroom instruction when it comes to mental health disorders.

Cocke County Schools Launch New Website and School District Logo

Moving Mountains. Achieving Success.

PIE Consulting and Cocke County Schools have collaborated on the development of a new website for the school district. The new site is at www.cockecountyschools.org and provides a new look and greater functionality for the district and website users. PIE Consulting partnered with T2 Graphic Design in designing the new look. The website was a valuable tool in communicating information as the COVID-19 crisis touched the Cocke County Community.

In addition, PIE Consulting worked with Cocke County Schools representatives in developing a new logo for the district and improving the branding of the school district and its services to the community. A fresh look online, on print materials, social media, and on collateral items have connected the dots across multiple platforms for the district.

PIE Consulting worked closely with the AWARE Cocke County Schools office to build awareness of mental health resources available within the school district. Use of social media campaigns to push monthly themes, the production of a Mental Health Guide for Cocke County Schools educators, messaging on school buses, and a stronger presence on the new website, have raised the banner for the mental health support needed by students.

Schools Help Promote Shopping Local in Anderson County

Shopping locally not only supports businesses that make up the fabric of our individual communities, it also keeps tax revenues closer to home that support neighborhood schools.

The Anderson County School System and Clinton City School System are both working with the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce to help promote the Shop Local Campaign. Coming out of the COVID-19 period, it has never been more important to support our local businesses. Signs like the one in the photo are appearing on school campuses along with messages on social media encouraging the public to Shop Local. Every school district should promote this message to help area businesses and protect tax revenues for community schools.