Melody Buffett Day
Damon Raines
Denia Reese
The Kiwanis Club of Fort Oglethorpe will hold the 9th Annual Distinguished Service Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, April 13, at the Walker County Civic Center from 11:45 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Honorees for 2016 are Chickamauga City Schools Superintendent Melody Day, Walker County Schools Superintendent Damon Raines and Catoosa County Schools Superintendent Denia Reese.
Since 2008 the Kiwanis Club of Fort Oglethorpe has recognized 16 local citizens for their dedication to their profession, their country and northwest Georgia. Club president Alice Holsopple said, “All of us have interacted with our locals schools as parents, volunteers, employers and community leaders. Our schools achieve high standards and educate our future leaders. We have so much to be thankful for and recognizing the superintendents is indeed an honor for our club.”
The luncheon catered by Park Place Restaurant gives the community the opportunity to join with the Kiwanis Club to honor and thank the school superintendents.
A tradition of the event is the silent auction held to benefit the honoree’s favorite charity. Melody Day has selected Love Out Loud, an organization affiliated with Elizabeth Lee United Methodist Church that provides an after school enrichment program for Chickamauga Elementary School students who need extra help. Damon Raines has selected Backpack Blessings that sends nourishing food home with Walker County students. Denia Reese has selected Catoosa County Children’s Fund which helps students be ready to learn by providing assistance to their families with food, glasses, medical care and more.
Tickets are $35 each with corporate tables of eight for $350. Reservations are required in advance by contacting Chris McKeever at chris@6thcavalrymuseum.com or at 706.861-2860.
Distinguished Service Award Honorees
2008 Judy O’Neal, owner of UCTV-3
Dr. Ray Brooks, president of Northwestern Technical College
2009 Catoosa County Sheriff Phil Summers
Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson
2010 Walker Co. Commissioner Bebe Heiskell
Catoosa Literacy Center Executive Director Shirley Smith.
2011 Rossville Mayor Johnny Baker
Ringgold Mayor Joe Barger
Fort Oglethorpe Mayor; the late Ronnie Cobb
2012 Catoosa Co. Community Leader Leonard Fant
Walker Co. Community Leader Doris White
2013 Randall Franks, entertainer/author and Ringgold City Councilman
James Rogers, nationally acclaimed singer/songwriter
2014 Joseph Haskins, MD, CEO Capital Bank
John Culpepper, historian and community volunteer
2015 State Sen. Jeff Mullis
Melody Buffett Day was born and raised in Chattanooga graduating from Central High School. She graduated from Middle TN State University with her bachelors in Health, Physical Education and Recreation with a minor in History and Education. Ms. Day’s first professional position was with Valley Psychiatric Hospital in Chattanooga. She was hired as a special education teacher at Gordon Lee in 1978 and quickly fell in love with the school and town. Ms. Day went on to teach Special Education for the next 16 years. In 1982 she completed her Masters in Education at UTC in the field of Diagnostic Prescriptive Education. In 1997 she earned her Education Specialist’s Degree in Administration from Jacksonville State University.
The positions she held on her way to the Superintendent’s Office includes Gordon Lee High School assistant principal then principal – the first and only female principal the high school has ever had. During her time as principal the school began offering Advanced Placement courses and maintained excellent test scores.
In 2000 she was hired as superintendent of Schools, again the first female to hold that position. During the past 16 years she has overseen numerous construction and expansions at each of the schools. She led the system to District Accreditation in 2007, making Chickamauga City Schools one of the first 50 school districts in the country to gain this distinction. She oversaw improvements and initiated progress in everything from Teaching for Mastery, advanced the curriculums, added Art, Agriculture and Health Science programs and wrote grants to fund 21st century technology classrooms for every grade. Chickamauga City Schools is recognized as one of the top 10 small school districts exhibiting exemplary use of technology.
She’s a member of the Walker County Chamber of Commerce serving as chairman of the Board in 2010. Ms. Day serves on the steering committee for The B.E.A.T., an organization bringing business and education together to support education. Since 2000, Ms. Day has served on the Northwest Georgia Regional Educational Service Agency Board of Directors, and is a past president.
Damon Raines path in education includes: teacher in a self-contained Severe Emotional Behavior Disorder classroom- three years; resource special education teacher-one year; elementary school assistant principal-three years; elementary school principal-one year; director of Operations, Catoosa County Schools-seven years and superintendent, Walker County Schools-four year. Mr. Rainses currently serve in the following capacities: Walker County Board of Health, Walker County Chamber of Commerce, Lookout Mountain Community Services Board, United Way of Greater Chattanooga Board of Directors and United Way of Greater Chattanooga North Georgia Campaign chair-two years.
Denia Reese was born and raised in Catoosa County graduating from Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School and has worked in Catoosa County Public Schools since 1984. She served the students at Graysville Elementary for 22 years, as a teacher, assistant principal and principal. Graysville Elementary was named a National School of Excellence and Ms. Reese was proud to represent Catoosa County Schools at the presidential recognition ceremony in Washington, D.C. Under Ms. Reese’s leadership, Graysville Elementary was one of the first schools in the state to successfully implement a Pay for Performance model and the school was awarded a federal Comprehensive Reform Grant to launch a one-of-a kind IBM technology initiative. Graysville was selected as a stop on the Partnership for Excellence Bus Tour, a program designed to highlight exceptional schools in the state of Georgia. Graysville was also designated as a Georgia Dream School by the Georgia Department of Education.
Ms. Reese became superintendent in 2005. During her 11-year tenure, she led the system in the creation of a third comprehensive high school- Heritage High School, the opening of the Catoosa Online Academy, the passage of three ESPLOST elections and the devastating state funding decreases during the recession in Georgia. She created the graduation task force in 2007 when the graduation rate was 69 percent. Now, in 2015, the graduation rate is 85 percent. With the goal of continuous improvement and a commitment to excellence in public education, Ms. Reese has led the school system through the demanding process to become a Georgia Charter System beginning in the 2016-2017 school year.
Ms. Reese’s most challenging leadership role came in 2011 when the EF4 tornado tore through the city of Ringgold, destroying Ringgold Middle and Ringgold High. The community surrounded the school system and disaster recovery was completed in 2014.
Superintendent Reese has served as chairperson of Northwest Georgia RESA, she is on the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and she is a past president of the Ringgold Rotary Club. She received the Georgia School Superintendent’s Association President’s Award in 2012 for leadership, and the Georgia Music Educators Association Award for Administrative Leadership in 2014. She currently serves as a GSSA coach and mentor to new superintendents.