ETSU offering summer online courses related to the COVID-19 pandemic

JOHNSON CITY – In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, East Tennessee State University is offering several online summer courses across multiple disciplines that are related to the pandemic and its effects on society.

“The COVID-19 crisis has affected every person and every class at ETSU,” said Dr. Wilsie Bishop, interim provost and senior vice president for academics. “I am proud of the way ETSU has responded to the crisis and how quickly our faculty have adapted courses and used their expertise to create new courses that address subject matter and challenges associated with the pandemic.

“This summer, our students have the opportunity to navigate issues like telehealth, disaster preparedness and other important topics related to COVID-19 alongside faculty members who are experts in these areas.”

Unless otherwise noted, these summer course offerings do not require any prerequisites and are open to current ETSU students and to the public. Current ETSU students and non-degree seeking students who are interested in taking a summer course at ETSU can learn more and request additional information at www.etsu.edu/summer or by emailing cssummersessions@etsu.edu.

• ANTH 4957 Culture, Health & the COVID-19 Pandemic: Students enrolled in this course, which is offered during the pre-summer session, will use interviews and photographs to create an ethnographic project that will document the sociocultural aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This course is offered by permit only.
• COBH 1020 Introduction to Public Health: Offered during the first summer session, this course familiarizes students with the field of public health, including the history and current practices, especially those practices involved with the current pandemic. Major cultural, social, economic, organizational, and environmental factors influencing public health issues and practices at the local, state, national and international levels will be presented.
• COBH 2950 Emergency and Disaster Preparedness for Home and Community: Offered during the first summer session, this course exposes students to essential components of emergency and disaster preparedness for individual homes and communities. Students are introduced to various preparedness activities and operations necessary in anticipation of emergency situations which includes pandemics (e.g. COVID-19), tornadoes, earthquakes, and other disasters. Emphasis is placed on customizing preparation activities to the home and community environments. The unique issues of special needs individuals and at-risk populations are explored.
• COBH 3950 Emergency and Disaster Preparedness for Organizations and Systems: Offered during the second summer session, this class exposes students to essential components of emergency/disaster preparedness operations and activities on an organizational and systems level. Students are introduced to various preparedness operations for a variety of settings in anticipation of emergency/disaster events including pandemics (e.g. COVID-19), tornadoes, radiologic events and other disasters. Emphasis is placed on developing students’ leadership abilities and abilities to serve as a preparedness resource person for organizations and various systems within the community.
• COUN 5956 Telemental Health: As COVID-19 has brought the importance of telehealth services to the forefront, this full-summer, graduate-level course is designed for professional personnel to gain competency and develop skills providing telemental and telebehavioral health services to reach more clients, ethically expand scope of practice and provide culturally responsive mental health care in technologically-based service formats. The course targets current counseling, social work, or other mental/behavior health related fields or those who are graduate level practitioners in the field if interested. Students must be enrolled in an ETSU graduate program to take this course.
• EPID 3080 Principles of Epidemiology: This full-summer course introduces the principles of epidemiology, which is the method used to find the causes of health outcomes, diseases and pandemics (e.g. COVID-19) in populations. It will cover their application to the investigation, prevention and control of illness, injury and disease including infectious diseases, environmental exposures, injuries, natural disasters and non-infectious diseases.

In addition to these summer course offerings, ETSU Health students are currently enrolled in an elective course that was quickly developed to address the issues faced by health care teams in their responses in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new course is titled COVID-19 Preparedness, Prevention, and Management for an Interprofessional Team. It was developed by faculty from Quillen College of Medicine, Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy and the College of Public Health.

“Faculty addressed a need for a course that would identify and explore the needs of interprofessional health care teams during COVID, and in just four weeks’ time, they brought that idea to fruition and introduced an elective course that we will offer again to our students in June,” said Dr. Bill Block, vice president for clinical affairs and dean of Quillen College of Medicine.

ETSU percussion students to perform on Facebook Live Friday

JOHNSON CITY – The Percussion Studio in East Tennessee State University’s Department of Music will present a live virtual concert on Facebook on Friday, May 8, at 5 p.m.

This concert will feature material that students have been working on in their homes this spring since classes went online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Conducting classes online since spring break has been difficult, and there have been some challenges with all of the craziness that’s gone on,” said Dr. Matthew Geiger, assistant professor of percussion in the ETSU Department of Music. “But with the students staying safe, we’ve been able to accomplish a lot, and we wanted to share some of that. Even though it’s not ideal, I feel it’s really important that the students can show off all the hard work they’ve done this semester.”

To view the concert, visit the ETSU Percussion Studies (@ETSUpercussion) Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pg/ETSUpercussion.

For more information, email Geiger at geigerm@etsu.edu.

ETSU education students offer ‘Homework Hotline’ for local schools

JOHNSON CITY – Future teachers in the Clemmer College at East Tennessee State University are staffing a “Homework Hotline” for school districts across the Northeast Tennessee region, from Sevierville to Mountain City.

Nearly 50 current undergraduates enrolled in one of ETSU’s teacher preparation programs have volunteered to be available to assist local K-12 students who are now learning from home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ETSU’s Dr. Karin Keith says her students are available to assist in all grade levels and subject areas, such as math, science and language areas, as well as in early childhood and special education.  The ETSU students are available to meet with those needing assistance via Zoom, Skype, or by email or phone.

Assistance is provided at no charge to the student or family.

“We recognized the many challenges that have emerged during this crisis, particularly as students had to transition to an online learning environment in a matter of days,” said Keith, who chairs the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the Clemmer College.  “Our students are preparing for careers in education and they want to help facilitate a successful learning experience for everyone.”

Keith said parents who are wanting to seek help from the “Homework Hotline” should contact the principal’s office where their child currently attends school.  All ETSU students participating in the program have completed a background check.

Library Cards for All

KINGSPORT, TN – The Kingsport Public Library has a wide variety of digital resources available to library card holders during this time. If you do not have a library card, you can now register for an Ecard in order to access their online resources.

An Ecard provides access to ebooks, audiobooks and digital magazines available through READs, RB Digital and other ebook platforms. You can also find craft tutorials, patterns and more with Creativebug, the number one inspirational resource for crafters and makers. If you’d like to learn about genealogy while spending time at home, you can access Ancestry and the Newspaper Archives to find out more. Other digital resources can be found on the Kingsport Public Library website.

To request an Ecard, all you have to do is complete a short form on the library website and an email with the Library card number will be sent. Applications submitted outside of normal library hours (Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.) will have a longer response time.

If you have any questions, you can call 423-229-9465 during normal library hours. For more information, please visit kingsportlibrary.org.

ETSU offering another day to donate medical supplies at no-contact, drive-through site

Students partnering with Washington County EMA

JOHNSON CITY – The community will have another opportunity to donate medical supplies and thank you cards to health care workers and first responders at a drive-through, no-contact collection drive at East Tennessee State University on Saturday, April 18, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The drive-through collection site will be open on the first floor of the ETSU parking garage, located at 1043 Jack Vest Drive. This is the second drive-through collection drive that the ETSU students have sponsored in partnership with the Washington County Emergency Management Agency.

The collection drive is a continuation of Quillen students’ ongoing efforts to gather much-needed supplies for local health care workers. If anyone has supplies to donate and is unable to attend the collection dates, contact Victoria Stabile at stabile@etsu.edu or 423-212-1290 to make other arrangements.

City Service Update: New Customer Service Location

KINGSPORT, TN – Starting today, customers who wish to pay their water bill in person will now have to visit the old KATS transit center building, located at 109 Clay Street. Payments will no longer be accepted at the Justice Center. If customers need to speak with Customer Service, they can be contacted at (423) 343-9860.

Archives of Appalachia inviting people to document their experience during COVID-19 crisis

JOHNSON CITY – The Archives of Appalachia at East Tennessee State University is asking local residents to document their personal experiences of living through the COVID-19 pandemic here in the region.

The Center for Appalachian Studies and Services, which includes the Archives of Appalachia, will collect materials during the duration of the COVID-19 crisis and permanently house them within the center.

“Our project, ‘Telling Your Story: Documenting COVID-19 in East Tennessee,’ will chronicle how the people of our region journeyed through these unprecedented times,” said Dr. Jeremy Smith, director of the Archives of Appalachia.  “We want to hear from our community how they spent their days, how their lives, families, and businesses were affected and how they experienced loss and hardship, as well as how they stood in solidarity and the lessons they learned.”

Smith said interested persons are invited to share materials such as diaries, writings, photographs, videos, social media posts and business correspondences that represent their experience during this time.

More information about the project, including a submission form, is available here.  Questions about the project can be directed to archives@etsu.edu or 423-439-4338.

Road Closure: Mitchell Road

KINGSPORT, TN – The City of Kingsport will be performing sewer line installation on Monday, April 13, and Tuesday, April 14, on Mitchell Road. Due to the focused area of this work, Mitchell Road, from the intersection of Pickens Road and Mitchell Road to Eastern Star Road, will be closed intermittently from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 

Baker’s Construction Services will be the contractor performing this work for the city. 

The construction zone will be marked by signs and detour signs will be posted. Drivers are asked to use caution in the area during this time. 

For more information, please visit www.kingsporttn.gov.

The Kingsport Public Library wants your COVID-19 stories!

KINGSPORT, TN – We are living through a historic moment in time and the Kingsport Public Library and Archives wants to capture, document and preserve your stories and memories about life during the COVID-19 Pandemic. History is normally associated with the past but we are making and living history right now! Let’s document life in Kingsport and add our story to this global historic event.

“This project provides us with the unique opportunity to document how the Kingsport Community experienced this unprecedented and extraordinary time,” said City Archivist Brianne Wright. “The information collected will be an invaluable resource for future generations by providing firsthand accounts of everyday life during the pandemic.”

Become a part of history tomorrow by sharing your story today.

Visit kingsportlibrary.org to find the form where you can share your COVID-19 stories.

Visit www.kingsportlibrary.org for more information. 

Local Flavors, Familiar Faces
Kingsport Farmers Market Applications for 2020 Vendors Now Open

Kingsport, TN – The Kingsport Farmers Market is now accepting online and paper applications for vendors for its 2020 season.

Every vendor must reapply for the market each new season. The application is available online by going to kingsportfarmersmarket.org and clicking on “Become a Vendor.” Anyone who prefers a paper application can visit Kingsport City Hall or the Kingsport Carousel to pick one up, or request one by phone at (423)392-8414.

Returning to this year’s season is the Evening at the Market series. On the 2020 application, vendors can indicate whether they are interested in participating in Evening at the Market.

Vendor acceptance, placement and dates granted are at the discretion of the Kingsport Farmers Market staff. All accepted vendors will be notified on or before April 1, 2020.

Thru April 17, 2020

Applications to attend the Washington County Department of Education Prekindergarten program for the 2020-2021 school year will be available at these participating schools as well as the Washington County Department of Education Central Office between March 9 – April 17. Children who will be 4 years old on or before August 15, 2020 are eligible. Simply complete the application and submit it to one of the three participating schools no later than April 17.  Upon submission, you will be given an appointment to bring the child to the school for an educational screening in May.  

A screening process of applicants will follow in May and a lottery drawing will determine if your child is accepted into the program.  An income eligibility application must be completed with verification being a 2019 tax return. Also, verification of home address MUST be provided (i.e. monthly utility bill).  Pre-K hours will be 8:15 am – 2:00 pm, Monday – Friday and parents are responsible for providing transportation to and from school.

For more information, feel free to contact (423) 434-4923 or email teachercenter@wcde.org 

Thru April 25, 2020

Bristol TN to offer lifeguard certification courses

 Community members interested in gaining lifeguard certification are invited to register for either of two upcoming American Red Cross courses that will be offered by the Bristol, Tennessee Department of Parks and Recreation.

The first session will be held Friday, Feb. 28; Saturday, Feb. 29; Friday, March 6; and Saturday, March 7. The second will be held Friday, April 17; Saturday, April 18; Friday, April 24; and Saturday, April 25. The class will meet Fridays from 4-9 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Viking Hall pool. The cost of the course is $50.

Participants must be 15 or older before the final class session and must complete all online assignments and attend all class sessions to gain certification. The certification is valid for two years.

To register, please go to bristoltn.recdesk.com. If you have questions or need additional information, please email Karen McCook at kmccook@bristoltn.org.

Thru April 30, 2020

Applications to attend the tuition-based Boones Creek Elementary Pre-kindergarten program for the 2020-2021 school year will be available beginning March 9, 2020 at the office of Boones Creek Elementary School, the Washington County Department of Education Central Office, 405 West College Street, Jonesborough, Tennessee or download from the website at www.wcde.org.  A completed “hard copy” of the application must be returned to the Central Office in Jonesborough (405 West College Street) by April 30th, 2020.

• Children must be 4 years old on or before August 15, 2020
• Documents required:  Child’s official birth certificate     Child’s Social Security card

    Tennessee Immunization Certificate/physical form

    Proof of address (e.g, utility bill)

• Pre-K hours will be 8:00 am – 1:30 pm with extended child care available until 6:00 pm for an additional cost
• Pre-K will follow the Washington County school calendar
• Parents are responsible for providing transportation to and from school daily
• Pre-K classroom capacity: 20        Number of classrooms: 1
• Students will be selected based on order of applications received
• Cost: $125 per week
• All applicants will be notified of their status once applications have been verified and processed.  A screening date will then be scheduled in May.

 For more information contact Hannah Duncan (423) 753-1100 or email duncanh@wcde.org.

Thru April 30, 2020

Explore the Stars This Spring at Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium

Kingsport, TN – Calling all dinosaur lovers and star enthusiasts! Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium has two new planetarium shows this spring that explore the planet’s reptiles of old and the stars in the sky above us. Plus, “SunWatch” and “StarWatch” are back to get you discovering the Sun and stars for yourself.

“Did an Asteroid Really Kill the Dinosaurs?” is the planetarium’s main feature for March through August. Did a space rock six miles wide really slam into the Earth 66 million years ago and wipe out 75 percent of all living species at that time, including the dinosaurs? Explore these impacts and cosmic collisions across the Solar System in this dynamic show produced by the Milwaukee Public Museum. The show includes footage from the first iridium layer found in Gubbio, Italy.

The alternate show for April is “Discover the Stars.” On a clear, dark night, most of us, at one time or another, have gazed upon the stars and wondered about all those tiny points of light. Many of us are able to identify different patterns and constellations in the stars. But, what are those tiny points of light? This exciting program takes viewers beyond a simple observation of the night sky and delves into the fascinating lives of stars. When we look up at the night sky, we can see that stars vary in brightness and have many different colors. The program reveals what is similar to all stars and what makes them unique. In “Discover the Stars,” we explore the many facets of a star’s life.

Beginning on March 7, “Discover the Stars” will play Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. “Did an Asteroid Really Kill the Dinosaurs?” premiers March 14 and will play Tuesday through Friday at 4 p.m. and weekends at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Both shows last approximately 40 minutes and feature a tour of the current night sky.

For those that prefer a more hands-on experience, Bays Mountain Park’s free outdoor observing sessions return this spring. “SunWatch” and “StarWatch” are great opportunities to learn about stars both near to and far from our planet.

Witness the Sun in close detail at “SunWatch” every clear Saturday and Sunday from 3 to 3:30 p.m. at the dam, March through October. A member of the planetarium staff or the Bays Mountain Astronomy club will help guests look safely through a telescope at the Sun. Keep an eye out for dark patches—those may be Sunspots larger than the Earth!

On Saturday evenings in March and April, the Bays Mountain Astronomy Club hosts “StarWatch.” This free program gives guests the chance to observe the night sky in all its splendor from the top of the mountain. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, an alternate activity will be held in the planetarium theater. “StarWatch” dates for this spring are March 7 at 7 p.m.; March 14, 21 & 28 at 8 p.m.; and every Saturday in April as well as May 2 at 8:30 p.m.

All observing sessions are free, though Park entrance fees apply. Planetarium tickets are $5 per person. Children ages five and younger receive free admission with a paying adult, and Park Association members also receive free admission. For more information on Bays Mountain’s planetarium shows or group ticket costs, please visit baysmountain.com or call (423) 229-9447.

Invitations to the 2020 Census are being sent! You can respond to the 2020 Census now!

Visit the 2020 Census website to see more information about the 2020 Census and for direct access to completing your survey via internet. Click here for video guides that will introduce you to the 2020 Census, present a quick overview of the online questionnaire, and help you answer the questions. 

Other information

Faith Communities Census Weekend of Action will be held March 27-29, 2020

Faith Based organizations across the state and nation are participating in Census Faith Weekend. There are FAQs for faith based partners, as well as a Faith Communities Action Guide designed for faith based organizations. 

Statistics in Schools Program

With many schools closing, we want our community to know that there are FREE resources that parents can access to make learning about the Census fun! 

Statistics in Schools is a Census Bureau program that uses census statistics to create classroom materials for grades pre-K through 12. Teachers and subject matter experts nationwide helped develop each SIS activity to make sure it is valuable and engaging. The SIS program is available now and includes more than 200 activities and resources in a variety of subjects.

Why is the census important to schools? Learn more here.