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James Robbins was nervous when he walked up to the podium, but he spoke passionately about what it meant for him and other freshmen to have a sneak peek at Lenoir City High School before classes started. And the ninth grade class president talked about how important it was to have staff focused on helping him and other freshmen adjust to the turmoil of high school.
 
That freshman initiative, created to combat the high number of freshman dropouts and discipline issues at the school, earned Lenoir City High a $10,000 grant from AARP this year. That Ethel Percy Andrus Legacy Award for Innovation, in the form of a giant check, was presented to school officials during a ceremony that kicked off Tennessee’s celebration of AARP’s 50th anniversary.

More than 500 students, teachers, AARP members and state and local officials participated, including state Rep. Jimmy Matlock, a graduate of the high school. Many of the students had their pictures taken with the check or just wanted to touch it. Afterward, there was a reception in the school library—complete with a cake that bore the AARP 50th anniversary logo.

Soon thereafter at the State Capitol in Nashville, Sen. Randy McNally and Rep. Dennis Ferguson presented a resolution honoring Lenoir City High School and AARP to Robbins and other high school officials as dozens of AARP volunteers cheered from the gallery above.

Lenoir City was among 16 public Tennessee high schools that submitted applications for the one-time grant. A committee comprised of AARP volunteers and members of the Tennessee Retired Teachers Association unanimously chose the East Tennessee school in a blind selection process as the winner of the $10,000 grant. Four others—Holloway High School in Murfreesboro, Morristown-Hamblen High School East in Morristown, Northeast High School in Clarksville, and Tennessee High School in Bristol—received certificates honoring the pioneering programs they have implemented.

Schools around the country are sharing in more than $1 million in grants honoring the legacy of Dr. Andrus, who was the first woman appointed to lead a public secondary high school in California, where she developed and implemented a variety of ground-breaking programs.

Tennessee’s 50th anniversary celebration isn’t limited to one event. There are parties going on throughout the state, as chapters and regional impact teams mark the anniversary in grand style. In Carroll County, for example, both the county mayor and the Huntingdon city mayor proclaimed it AARP Day, complete with proclamations, during an open house event in northwest Tennessee.

Meanwhile, the Tennessee Legislature recognized AARP’s anniversary with a resolution celebrating the association for all its hard work over the years. “AARP has a fifty-year tradition of harnessing the collective and individual power of its members to make life better for all Tennesseans and of pursuing and leading positive social change,’’ read the resolution, which was sponsored by the House Speaker Pro Tempore, approved unanimously and signed by Gov. Phil Bredesen.

AARP returned the favor by doling out 385 cupcakes topped with 50th anniversary food flags during Administrative Professionals Day to thank legislative staff.

Let the celebrations continue!

WBIR-TV article:
http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=55289

Senate Joint Resolution 720:
http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/bills/currentga/BILL/SJR0720.pdf

House Joint Resolution 1035:
http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/bills/currentga/BILL/HJR1035.pdf