First Grade Teacher, Mrs. Deane Sprague

The following is excerpted from the Signal Mountain Mirror, April, 2003, Bob Anderson

...Deane grew up on Signal Mountain, attended Signal Mountain Elementary, Thrasher Elementary, Signal Mountain Junior High School, and graduated from City High School. She has a B.S. degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a Masters Degree in Elementary Education (Majoring in Child Development from the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga.

While Dean's children (Laura, John and Dave) were young, she taught pre-school at Signal Crest Methodist. Deane was later Director of preschool classes at Northside Presbyterian Church, having started their preschool program. She also was involved for three years in training teachers for Hamilton County, and spent one year at Mowbray Mountain teaching K through 6. One of her assignments was teaching reading to small groups of students.

For ten years, Deane taught first grade students at Bachman Elementary School. She is a "charter member" of Nolan Elementary, having taught first grade at Nolan since they opened their doors in 1999. Deane says that her college major in child development has been a big help to her all through her teaching career.

...Nolan Elementary Principal Ken Barker had nothing but praise for Teacher of the Year Deane Sprague, along with the rest of his staff at Nolan. He said, "We have a quality staff of people at Nolan who tend to work together to form an even greater quality of joint effort results, which makes Nolan a great teaching school... Deane Sprague is a fantastic teacher, dedicated and devoted to her teaching career and her students, and is a great representative serving on the staff at Nolan. I recently had the pleasure of sharing a limo ride with Mrs. Sprague to the luncheon where she was officially recognized as Hamilton County Elementary Teacher of the Year., What most people haven't heard yet is that Mrs. Sprague is one of six finalists representing the Southeast Tennessee Region to run for Tennessee State Elementary Teacher of the Year!"