The Daily Times

Twelve Maryville High School students recently shared the intellectual bounty of their semester-long independent projects and six-week internships.

Students in Maria Greene’s junior/senior independent project class are required to complete an internship or project. They presented the results last week to family, faculty and businesses in Maryville High School’s library.

Students completed a variety of projects this semester.

Troy Galyon completed 23 out of 40 required hours for a private pilot’s license. He will earn his license by the year’s end.

The senior’s parents, Everett Learning Opportunity Center Principal Danny Galyon and Maryville High School Assistant Principal Maelea Galyon, required him to pay for half of the pilot training program.

“I exhausted my savings, but it was definitely worth it,” he said. “It’s a big investment in my future.”

Galyon plans to join the University of Tennessee’s Air Force ROTC and enlist in the Air Force upon graduation. “Flying is the best thing that I’ve done with my life, and this class has helped me to do it,” he said. “I’m indebted to this class, and I’m very pleased that this is a part of Maryville High School.”

The senior said that he wouldn’t have been able to take flying lessons without the class. “Without the extra time in this class, I couldn’t have found the time to fly. It’s been a big help, because I have school and run cross country and track.”

Ethan Cunningham, who plans to become a pastor, interned at Fellowship Baptist Church. In addition to visitation, the senior helped with the church’s clerical and maintenance duties.

“I gained a lot of knowledge and insight from this internship,” Cunningham said. “I’ve felt called to preach for the last year or two, and I thought being a church pastor was showing up one day each week. I’ve really learned what to expect.”

During the internship, the senior also made his first step toward becoming a pastor. He became a licensed minister and officiated a wedding in September.

“I was really nervous in the beginning, but this class has been a blessing,” Cunningham said. “People always say that something is a blessing, but I’ve been truly blessed. The congregation placed a great deal of trust in me when they voted to make me a minister, and I’m not going to let them down.”

Dynamic Discovery Days

Christy Spitler created the curriculum for a 3D (Dynamic Discovery Days) class at Coulter Grove Intermediate School. She worked with Coulter Grove Intermediate School Assistant Principal Justin Cook and Flight Camp Director Bonnie Lowery to create and implement a roller coaster project.

The junior scoured the Internet for student curricula and bounced ideas off family members, including brother Scotty, who is a Montgomery Ridge Intermediate School principal. She later tweaked lesson plans based upon input.

Spitler also led several Flight Camp lessons, which was a unique experience for the high-schooler. “I hadn’t really thought about high-schoolers acting as teachers. I honestly didn’t think that I could have that sort of authority. For me, it felt like I was giving an in-class presentation because I’m only five years older than them. However, they were very interested in what I was saying.”

The junior, who wants to be a mechanical engineer, was also grateful for the opportunity to create a school curriculum because it afforded her the opportunity work with math and science. “I wanted to make learning fun for them. When I was at Fort Craig, I didn’t like to just hear about things. I liked to be engaged, and I wanted them to have that same feeling.”

Spitler also plans to take the course next year and obtain her private pilot’s license. The high-schooler had planned to get her license this year, but she didn’t have the money to pay for half of it.

“I’m going to be working this entire summer to pay for it,” Spitler said.

Educators were pleased with the student projects.

“The students have been wonderful to work this semester,” Greene said. “These projects and internships will prove to be valuable experiences, as they go to college and start future careers.”