Bridging the digital divide for students (and parents)
When schools closed for in-person classes at the onset of the pandemic, EPB partnered with Hamilton County Schools to ensure every K-12 student in need had high-speed internet access, so they could continue their studies remotely. With funding and support from the City of Chattanooga, Hamilton County, the Enterprise Center and other public and private organizations, the partnership agreed that the goal was to provide a lasting solution—not just a stopgap measure during the pandemic.
The result was HCS EdConnect powered by EPB which is funded to provide home-based internet services to every student who qualifies for federal assistance for at least 10 years. The partners have also committed to raising additional funding as necessary to continue the program indefinitely.
Since the initial announcement, HCS EdConnect has grown to provide connectivity to more than 16,000 students, who with their families represent more than 28,000 people who now have access to high-speed internet for education, telehealth, remote work and more.
Although most students returned to in-person classrooms toward the beginning of the fiscal year, the initial findings of research by Boston College points toward some very lasting positive outcomes. In addition to leveling the playing field for students in terms of having high-speed internet access, HCS EdConnect is positively correlated to increased parental engagement with their children's teachers and educational progress. This allows them to be more supportive of their children's learning through educational technology.
Boston College researchers' findings from a randomized survey of households eligible for HCS EdConnect indicate that 98% of enrolled families used the service to interact with their child's school, 83% used it to get information on their child's academic progress and 82% percent used it to schedule medical appointments or access medical test results for their families.
Reflecting our community with public art
The EPB 10th Street Community Mural art project, located in the MLK community, is an effort to reflect the spirit and diversity of one of Chattanooga's historic areas while better integrating the 10th Street Substation into its surroundings.
By offering the panels on one side of the wall surrounding the substation as a canvas, EPB worked with local community partners and artists to commission 11 new community murals on the second side of its 10th Street Substation in June. Working from the theme, “the Voices of MLK,” several of this year's artists focused their work on people, stories and themes related to Chattanooga history with a particular focus on the surrounding neighborhood. Subjects for this year's murals included Bessie Smith, Booker T. Scruggs and Sandy “The Flower Man” Bell.
For the second year in a row, 100% of the selected submissions were from minority and/or women artists, including some who are first time muralists: Laura Dahlke, Karen Estes, Jerome Foster, Ann Jackson, Mimi McAllister, Madison Myers, Dannita Noble, La-Tesia Poole, Rea Shaw, Nathaniel Stepney, Ty Swint and Sara Tolber.
“Public art that inspires and highlights the vibrance and diversity of our city is a key driver of Chattanooga's quality of life,” said Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly. “The mural dedication was a fitting way to commemorate the Juneteenth holiday in Chattanooga, highlighting the talented artists who help bring our Scenic City to life through their work.”
A number of community partners made this project possible including ArtsBuild, Association of Visual Arts (AVA), Bessie Smith Cultural Center, City of Chattanooga's Public Art Chattanooga, Chattanooga Community Kitchen, MLK Neighborhood Association, RISE Chattanooga, River City Company, The Urban League of Greater Chattanooga and University of Tennessee Chattanooga.
First Tyner Future-Ready students graduate
Four years after EPB partnered with Hamilton County Schools to provide support and learning opportunities to a cohort of 9th grade students at Tyner Academy, the first group of students graduated in May from our EPB Future Ready Institute of Technology and Networking.
Many of the graduates are headed to college on scholarship including Timetrius Lansden, an institute student ambassador who also participated in our EPB summer program with the Urban League. Timetrius received a full ride from Tennessee State University to major in Business Management. “My time in the institute has given me confidence, taught me how to present myself and be prepared for interviews,” said Lansden.
Tyner senior Zia Manghane earned a $10,000 scholarship from Tennessee State and plans to major in Computer Science thanks to her time in our EPB Institute.
“I'm very appreciative of EPB. I got the scholarship because my time in the EPB Institute taught me about information technology,” said Zia. “I encourage Tyner freshmen to enroll in the institute. I tell them 'you don't know if you'll like it until you give it a try'.”
In total, the seniors who graduated in May of 2022 had $6,273,000 in scholarship offers. The students presented at our EPB Board meeting in December to explain how our partnership is helping them meet their college and career goals. 171 students are currently enrolled in the institute which helps open their eyes to the many career opportunities in energy and communications.
