2017 has certainly been a monumental year in the history of Kingsport, Tennessee.  Marking the community’s Centennial, Kingsport City Schools has been excited to be an important part of our city’s 100th birthday celebration.  Throughout the course of the year, KCS has held or participated in multiple events to recognize a century of education in the Model City.

In this week’s Saturday Six, let’s take a look at a few of the events from 2017 where KCS has celebrated the Kingsport Centennial!

1. On January 19th, the 100th day of the 2016-17 school year was recognized as “Show Your 100 Day” across the district.  Students and teachers celebrated the many ways that the number 100 can be utilized, in both historical and mathematical ways.  The day was on display all across social media, using the #Kingsport100 hashtag.  It was a fantastic way to introduce the centennial to students, both young and old!
2. A student-led event took place at Robinson Middle School on March 22nd, as a balloon launch served to recognize this history of KCS.  100 historical facts about our community were released, providing an opportunity for a great history lesson regarding Kingsport.
3. May 18th was the 100th anniversary of the first Kingsport Board of Education meeting, and featured the largest-ever gathering of current and former KCS Board members and Superintendents.  A special reception and gathering was held in the KCS Administrative Support Center to bring together many giants in Kingsport’s educational history!
4. The following day, May 19th, KCS schools opened to community members for the Kingsport City Schools “Centennial Stroll.”  Guided tours were offered to community members and alumni of KCS schools, providing a chance to catch up and revisit those important buildings and facilities that have meant so much in the past.  It was a great opportunity for former students to re-live old memories and see where they spent so much of their childhood!
5. KCS was also a part of FunFest 2017!  The KCS Centennial Selfie Scavenger Hunt took place during the week of FunFest, as participants traveled to KCS schools and took selfies at important school locations.  The hunt concluded on July 20th at BucFest at Allendale, a celebration of Kingsport Education by ETSU Allendale and KCS.  Individuals snapping selfies at at least 10 KCS schools were entered into a drawing for Dobyns-Bennett football and basketball season tickets.  Quite a prize for spending part of the summer visiting KCS schools!
6. You are invited to the next big Centennial event in Kingsport, which takes place next Saturday, August 26th and will involve MANY hours of work and dedication by talented KCS students and teachers.  The new Kingsport Centennial Park (245 East Main Street) will feature a display of tilework crafted by KCS students, recognizing the history of transportation in our community.  This gift of artwork by KCS students will be recognized during the park’s opening ceremony, which will take place at 11 a.m.  Please come out and share in this community celebration, as we dedicate this new Kingsport treasure!

And as a special bonus treat, the Saturday Six is pleased to release, for the first time, the Kingsport Centennial Coloring Book!  This special publication is a collaboration of Kingsport City Schools, Sullivan County Schools, and St. Dominic School.  Featuring the artwork of many talented students, this free gift to our community celebrates many of the significant landmarks from across Kingsport.

Please download, share, and enjoy this free publication by clicking here!  It is a gift to you from all of the students and schools of Kingsport!

Next week in the Saturday Six:  New members have been inducted in the KCS Hall of Fame.  We’ll meet them next week!