Yesterday’s big scoop about Ravenwood High’s average ACT score – an amazing 24.6 average for its Class of 2009 – was great news to share.

Then Brentwood High’s principal Kevin Keidel called. Seems the Brentwood score was 25.4. “We were very excited when we got the scores yesterday,” he told me. He added that 87% of last spring’s grads were eligible for the Hope Scholarship by scoring at least a 21.

BHS’s score was up a full point from 2008’s average of 24.4. At Ravenwood, the 24.6 is up from 24.1 the year before.

Congratulations to both schools, and to all those who helped make those scores a reality.  As Ravenwood’s principal, Dr. Pam Vaden, said yesterday, “I’m so proud of the efforts of the entire Ravenwood community. The students, staff and parents have helped raise our scores again. Our goal is to continue the pattern of increasing our composite ACT score with each graduating class.”

Keidel’s quote to me about Brentwood was almost verbatim.
Tennessee’s statewide average for 2009 was 20.6, while the national average is 21.1 according to ACT, Inc.

 

Mayor Betsy Crossley had surgery last week to fix a whole lot of shakin’ going on in one of her lovely knees. A list of what wasn’t wrong would probably be shorter than a list of what got fixed.

I doubt her doctors would be happy to know, however, that she hasn’t been using her crutches, nor has she slowed her schedule one bit this week. In fact, she strode up to the rostrum at today’s Brentwood Cool Springs Chamber of Commerce meeting to lead the Pledge and offer a blessing without missing a stride.

Tonight she’s speaking to the Brentwood Business Women's Group and tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m. she expects to be at a business roundtable event. Rumor has it she may show up at Leadership Brentwood’s kickoff retreat in Fairview later in the day.
But though she’s putting a good public face on her recovery, I have it on good authority that she’s not feeling 100 percent. Which may account for the “feel better gift” she proudly showed off at the chamber meeting – a new htc Touch Pro “communication device.” I don’t even know why she was at the meeting. I think she could have beamed in from her couch with this thing and broadcast the blessing too.

I’m not kidding.

In the matter of about 60 seconds, she received an email from her son at college asking for ca$h (for “book$,” of cour$e.). She signed on to her bank, transferred the money, checked the city’s webpage, and deleted about a thousand emails without missing a beat.

Wonder what will make her feel better if she needs more surgery? Maybe something low tech – like a $on out of college.

 

Other local media have had several interesting Brentwood-related stories in the past few days. Here are links in case you missed them in print or online at other sites:

Brentwood, Metro Nashville compromise on sewer treatment: tinyurl.com/BWsewer

Williamson A.M. reporter Bonnie Burch has a great story on new RHS teacher and former soldier, Alan Campbell: tinyurl.com/BWRHSsoldier

W-AM education reporter Maria Giordano’s online report on WCS Director of Schools’ finalist Barry Carroll’s second interview: tinyurl.com/BWcarroll (and see my related stories in our Schools section).

Speaking of other media, there were six pages of foreclosures in today’s Williamson A.M. The tough times aren’t over yet, folks.