March 23, 2026
By CORY ANN MICHEL
Rutherford County Schools
More than 20 high school students from Rutherford County Schools recently got the opportunity to debate education issues at the state level.
Earlier this month, the Tennessee School Board Association hosted the 2026 Student Congress on Policies in Education conference at Belmont University.
SCOPE offers students grades 9-12 a space to come together from all over the state of Tennessee to discuss current educational topics and to participate in a mock school board meeting and policy debate session.
High school principals select two students, referred to as delegates, from each of their schools to participate. This year a total of 24 RCS students attended the conference.
This year’s meeting topic was on district funding being diverted from related arts to CTE courses. The mock meeting is designed to give students an experiential understanding of school board procedures as well as to encourage them to vocalize their opinions by voting on position statements.
Rutherford County 2026 SCOPE students will be recognized at the school board meeting on Thursday, March 26, at 5:30 p.m.
The RCS SCOPE delegates were:
Monica Andrade, Stewarts Creek High
Emily Byrd, Eagleville
Gerardo Torres Caberea, LaVergne High
Caraline Cole, Rutherford County Virtual
Isabella Fiore, Oakland High
Brittany Franks, Rockvale High
John Kenneth Gamble, Central Magnet
Kaylee Herndon, Smyrna High
Josiah Holder, Holloway High
Danny Howse, Siegel High
Isabella Kever, Holloway High
Jett Murphy, Eagleville
Ibunkuade Osinloye, Rockvale High
Zuriel Perry, Rutherford County Virtual
Alexa Reeves, Riverdale High
Hailey Redoy, LaVergne High
Adeline Scott, Central Magnet
Fallon Slabaugh, Smyrna High
Mohammed Tabish, Stewarts Creek High
Blake Walters, Oakland High
Jayden White, Riverdale High
Sophia Williams, Blackman High
Josie Yant, Siegel High
Averi Yates, Blackman High