CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (November 1, 2024) – The Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center is thrilled to announce the awarding of the 2024 Katie Fields Bell Teacher Fellow during its recent Celebration of Valor attended by Medal of Honor Recipient Britt Slabinski. Generously supported by the Fields and Bell families, the Heritage Center’s Teacher Fellowship Program included 19 Teacher Fellows from Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama this year. Hamilton County Schools teacher, Brittany Haynes, from Loftis Middle School was recognized as the 2024 Katie Fields Bell Teacher Fellow awardee.
“We believe education is a community effort, and we see it as our duty to support both teachers and students throughout the learning process,” said Maranda Wilkinson, director of education at the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center. “We launched our Teacher Fellowship Program last year as a means of investing in educators, connecting them to the stories of Medal of Honor Recipients, and supporting their efforts to weave Recipient stories and the values associated with the Medal—courage, commitment, integrity, sacrifice, citizenship, and patriotism—into lessons and materials aligned with state standards.”
The Heritage Center’s Teacher Fellowship Program is a year-long commitment, and Fellows are compensated for their time. Fellows participate in book studies, field trips, lesson and activity crafting, and various other professional learning opportunities throughout the year. The program culminates with educator workshops hosted by Fellows at the Heritage Center where they introduce the lessons and activities they have crafted.
Wilkinson continued, “Each year we select an outstanding Teacher Fellow as the Katie Fields Bell Teacher Fellow in honor of Katie Fields Bell—late wife of General B.B. Bell. She was dedicated to supporting children’s education, and when she saw a need, she took action. Naming an awardee this year was far from easy. This cohort is full of passionate educators who care deeply about their students and content, and narrowing this prestigious award to one Fellow took painstaking efforts. Brittany poured herself into this program and crafted a creative lesson based on a 5th grade Trail of Tears standard. She included Medal of Honor Recipient Dwight Birdwell, a member of the Cherokee Nation and attorney, and worked to connect students to a career role—a law clerk.”
Several other awards were presented during the Heritage Center’s Celebration, and educators across the region were recognized:
- Above & Beyond Award | Jessica Holloway and Becky Dubose, Hamilton County Schools
- Big Stories | Linda Moss Mines and Rita Lorainne Hubbard, Hamilton County Historians
- Big Energy | Bailee Cox, Hamilton County Schools, and Scott Saunders, Heritage Center Historical Interpretation
- Big Impact | Annette Johnson, Franklin County School District
“This recognition is not given lightly” stated General B.B. Bell. “These teachers are true professionals, and their passion for educating the next generation of leaders is encouraging. Katie was an advocate for educational opportunities among other worthy causes, and I am proud there are educators like Brittany who share a passion for elevating others akin to Katie’s.”
The Heritage Center aims to inspire all generations, through the stories of Medal of Honor Recipients, to be the best versions of themselves. “Here at the Heritage Center, we share the BIG stories of Medal of Honor Recipients through our BIG energy programming,” said Wilkinson. “Our hope is that all who walk through our Center’s doors to tour our galleries or participate in any of our programs recognize they, too, are capable of making a BIG impact in their spheres of influences just as Medal of Honor Recipients did.”
To learn more about the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, its mission, or its programs, please visit www.MOHHC.org or call (423) 877-2525.
