Tate’s School Media Gallery

🎖️ History came to life at Tate’s School recently! We were honored to welcome a living World War II experience to campus and give our 5th grade students a meaningful, hands-on connection to the past. Thank you to WVLT for highlighting this special day at Tate’s!

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Thank you to WBIR Channel 10 for their Cool School coverage yesterday! Whether you're already a part of the Tate's School family or not, take a few moments to scroll through this full coverage of their visit and as always, please feel free to share with others!

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Tate’s School in Knoxville blends adventure and academics through its beloved annual tradition, Bike Week, which has been running for over 40 years. Created by school founder LouL Tate, the program invites 1st–5th grade students to bring their bikes to school for two weeks of riding, skill-building, and fun physical education. Designed for all ability levels, the event helps students develop motor skills, balance, and confidence. LouL Tate highlights the developmental benefits and joy of biking, proudly noting that several students have shed their training wheels this year.

Bike safety and inspiration are also part of the program—Howard Horn, a senior Olympian and bike shop owner, visits to share his experience and encourage young riders. His son, Andrew Horn, now the school’s athletic director, emphasizes how Bike Week promotes independence, resilience, and the idea that exercise can be empowering and enjoyable.

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Tate’s School in Knoxville blends adventure and academics through its beloved annual tradition, Bike Week, which has been running for over 40 years. Created by school founder LouL Tate, the program invites 1st–5th grade students to bring their bikes to school for two weeks of riding, skill-building, and fun physical education. Designed for all ability levels, the event helps students develop motor skills, balance, and confidence. LouL Tate highlights the developmental benefits and joy of biking, proudly noting that several students have shed their training wheels this year.

Bike safety and inspiration are also part of the program—Howard Horn, a senior Olympian and bike shop owner, visits to share his experience and encourage young riders. His son, Andrew Horn, now the school’s athletic director, emphasizes how Bike Week promotes independence, resilience, and the idea that exercise can be empowering and enjoyable.

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Thank you to our friends at @WVLTTV for their coverage of our Open House and a newly built classroom, which replaces one destroyed by the August 2023 EF-2 tornado that touched down on our campus.

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​The Violins of Hope project has brought a collection of restored violins, once played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust, to Knoxville, Tennessee. These instruments, silent for decades, are now being used to educate students about history and resilience.​

In a recent initiative, the violins were showcased at Tate's School, allowing students to connect with the personal stories of Holocaust victims and survivors. This hands-on experience aims to teach tolerance and the importance of remembrance. ​

Additionally, the Violins of Hope are on display at the Digital Motif building on South Gay Street, offering the public a chance to witness these historical instruments firsthand. The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra is also involved, with musicians testing the violins in preparation for upcoming concerts that honor the victims and survivors of the Holocaust. ​

This project not only preserves the legacy of those who suffered but also uses music as a powerful tool for education and healing in the community.

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Last week, Tate’s School fifth graders took a deep dive into World War II history with a hands-on learning experience led by Jeff Swanson and The Five Oh First Group (TFOFG). Swanson, who founded TFOFG two decades ago, and his team of WWII re-enactors visited the campus to bring history to life for students.

Dressed in authentic WWII uniforms, the group set up interactive stations showcasing different aspects of a soldier’s life. Students had the opportunity to try on helmets and parachutes used by paratroopers and explore wartime equipment, including German and American rifles (without live ammunition), demolition boxes, ammunition belts, and communication devices like walkie-talkies and field phones.

"World War II was a defining time in our nation’s history. Getting to tell these stories in front of young people is a hands-on way to help them understand the hardships during that era,” said Swanson.

Tate’s School Principal Kaye Simmons emphasized the impact of the experience, saying, “When students can experience a historically accurate soldier’s story and can see and touch the soldiers' field gear, history comes to life for them.”

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Middle School students decided it was too cold last week NOT to have snow! So... they worked together to engineer their own. Thanks to our friends at WATE 6 On Your Side for the coverage of their hard work!

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A damaged tree has been carved and repurposed to celebrate the United States, knowledge and family at a school in West Knox County.

Last year in August 2023, a tornado swept through parts of West Knox County and impacted the Tate’s School campus. While it took some time to recover and rebuild, the staff and students now have something beautiful that emerged from the disaster – a patriotic tree sculpture.

The image of a bald eagle perched atop an American flag, with a family of owls gazing from below is what has been carved into a cedar tree trunk that remained after the impact of the rare August tornado.

Tate’s School leaders say the tree is the oldest on the property and is the last to survive from the three cedars that stood near the old home which once occupied the property.

The sculpture is ready just in time to celebrate Flag Day on June 14.

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Thanks to our friends at @WVLTTV for their recent coverage of our students who raised more than $3,000 to replace trees lost to the EF2 tornado that hit the school in the fall of 2023.

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Thank you to our friends at WVLT Channel 8 for their coverage of our Arbor Day "Grow the Grove" initiative. "Grow the Grove" is a parent-directed plan to help replant part of the campus that sustained significant damage during the 2023 tornado. Thank you to the parents and students who have raised more than $3,000 for the initiative to-date!

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A west Knoxville middle school is being rebuilt after a category two tornado touched down on their property last summer.

William Patterson graduated from Tate’s Middle School last year, and after seeing the state this tornado left his once beautiful campus, he wanted to give back by re-planting their trees.

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