Faculty

 

Picture Mr. Ridge

 

Justin Ridge

Founder and Principal
 Samuel Everett School of Innovation
Mr. Ridge has been with Blount County Schools since 2013 as a teacher and principal. At WBHS he taught Algebra II and AP Calculus and served as the Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Athletic Director. Before coming to Blount County, he served as a teacher and instructional coach in Loudon County. He has supervised the innovative programs in Blount County since 2017. He is married to Dr. Ashley Ridge and has two children.
Picture Dr. Loud 

Dr. Tom Loud

Director of K-8

Dr. Loud has been with Blount County Schools since 2007 as a teacher at Middlesettlements Elementary where he taught kindergarten, first grade, and fourth grade. At the Samuel Everett School of Innovation, Tom is the Lower and Middle School director. He is married to, Krisha Loud and has two daughters, who both attend Samuel Everett.
Picture Mrs. Hensley 

Shonda Hensley

Director of the Upper School (9-12)

Mrs. Hensley joined Blount County schools as a business education teacher in 2004. She was a Career Technical Education instructor and the first Work-based Learning Coordinator at William Blount High School. Mrs. Hensley joined the team at Samuel Everett School of Innovation in 2018 where she is the Director of the Upper School. She and her husband, Rob Hensley have two adult children.

 

Picture of Mrs. Cottrell

 

Lynnette Cottrell

Dean of Students (6-12)

Ms. Cottrell has been with Blount County Schools since 2008. She is certified to teach math, business, and computer science courses. Ms. Cottrell started her teaching career as a math and Career Technical Education Instructor at Heritage High School. In 2019, she joined the Samuel Everett School of Innovation team where she is the Dean of Students. Lynnette is married to her husband, Philip Cottrell. They have a combined family of eight children and four grandchildren.
Picture of Mrs. Robinett

Jennifer Robinette

Kindergarten teacher
Mrs. Robinette is a highly respected professional with over thirty years of public education experience, most recently teaching first grade at Walland Elementary here in Blount County Schools. Mrs. Robinette is responsible for leading instruction for all kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade enrichment classes and is an additional contact for support to all families. Mrs. Robinette has three daughters, one son, and is the wife of Dr. Jesse Robinette.

Picture of Mrs. Miles

 

Kristen Miles

First & Second-grade teacher
Mrs. Miles began her teaching career with BCS in 2013 at Walland Elementary School. She has taught first and second grades since starting her career. Mrs. Miles is a Blount County native and attended Blount County Schools growing up. She is married to Drew Miles and they have two children.
 Picture of Dr. Astor

Dr. Emily Astor

Third-Fifth grade teacher

Dr. Emily Astor has been with Blount County Schools since 2011 as a classroom teacher at Rockford and Walland Elementary schools. She joined Samuel Everett in 2020 where she is an instructor for students in grades 3-5. She currently serves BCS teachers and administrators as a founding member of the BCS Professional Growth Partners. Dr. Astor has two sons.
Picture of Mrs. Grubbs

 

Leona Grubbs

Third-Fifth grade teacher

Mrs. Grubbs has been part of the BCS family since 1998 when she began teaching at Friendsville Elementary School. During her twenty-three years at Friendsville, she taught Kindergarten, second, third and fourth grades. She is married to Chip and they have two sons.
Picture of Mr. Metcalf 

Greg Metcalf

Middle and High School Science teacher

Mr. Metcalf has been an educator for nearly thirty years. He has a Masters's degree in Curriculum and Instruction and an Educational Specialist degree in Educational Leadership from Lincoln Memorial University. In his own words, "I've taught a variety of science classes - middle school through high school Chemistry, even a little Physics. I've taught STEM and some Math...but in my heart of hearts, I am a Science teacher and I hope I can share a little of my love of science with my students."
Picture of Mrs. Kenner 

Holly Kenner

Middle School Social Studies teacher
Yearbook Coordinator
Mrs. Kenner started her career as a teacher at Eagleton Middle School in 2006 where she taught sixth-grade Science. In 2013, she came to SESI to teach the girls’ class teaching many subjects in grades six through twelve. She was the director of the STAGE Academy from 2018-2020. She is now the learning lab instructor, yearbook coordinator, and middle school social studies instructor. Mrs. Kenner is married to Mark Kenner, and they have one daughter and three sons.
Picture of Mrs. Connell 

Cayllah Connell

Middle School ELA Teacher

Mrs. Connell has been with Blount County Schools since 2019. She taught high school English at WBHS for two years and has been teaching middle school English at Samuel Everett since 2021. Before coming to Blount County Schools, she served as a high school teacher in Knox County schools for two years. She is married to her husband, Michael, and she has one daughter.
Picture of Mrs. Ervin  

Deidre Ervin

Middle School Math, Algebra 1
Deidre has been with Blount County Schools for twenty-eight years and has taught various subjects and grade levels. She currently teaches sixth through ninth grade math at SESI. She is married to David and has three children and three grandchildren. She spends most of her time camping, going to football games, and wrestling matches.
Picture of Mrs. Hayes 

Sarah Hayes

High School English teacher
Ms. Hayes has been with Blount County Schools since 2008. She taught at the William Blount Ninth Grade Academy since its inception until moving to Samuel Everett in 2021. She served as a Teacher Technology Leader from 2016 until 2021, helping teachers effectively incorporate the use of technology in their classrooms. At SESI, she teaches high school English and ACT Prep classes.  She also serves as the high school bowling coach. She and her husband have a pet-loving home.
Picture of Mrs. Carico

 

Pamela Carico

High School Math teacher
Pamela Carico has been with Blount County School since 2004. Prior to SESI, she taught Pre-Algebra and Honors Algebra I at Carpenters Middle School. Joining the SESI team in 2021, she teaches Algebra I, Algebra 2, and Geometry classes. She is married to her wonderful husband of twenty-six years, Steve. They have three children who have all grown up in the Blount County School System.
Picture of Mr. Cottrell 

Philip Cottrell

Environmental Science and Biology Teacher
Mr. Cotttrell was born and raised in Northern Indiana and is proud of his Protestant upbringing. Mr. Cottrell received his bachelor's degree from Purdue University and received his Master's degree from Indiana State University. Mr. Cottrell also completed advanced university-level coursework from three additional institutions. Mr. Cottrell is a veteran and is married, has three children (one deceased), five stepchildren, and five grandchildren. Outside of school Mr. Cottrell enjoys fishing, gardening, athletics, and splitting firewood.

 
Picture of Mrs. Patrick 

Sierra Patrick

Exceptional Innovative Leader

Sierra Patrick joined the SESI family in 2021 following the birth of her daughter. Mrs. Patrick enjoys getting to work with students in a unique setting and often refers to SESI as the Hogwarts of Blount County Schools. You can catch her rolling her cart or toting her blessing basket down the hall and chatting it up (or pumping them up) with students and teachers. She is also our FCA Huddle Leader. When Mrs. Patrick is not at school being a Rockstar (or teacher), she enjoys adventuring with her little family (Matthew and Lennon), taking her dog (Archie Van Buren) for walks, and sipping her tea while watching her favorite shows with her cat (Patty T. Douglas) curled up nearby.