Lewis County Herald - Serving Hohenwald, Lewis County Tennessee Since 1898

Senior Centers can increase the quality of life for many citizens

$80,000 in state grants going to senior centers in Senate District 28

As a physician and senator, I know firsthand that senior citizens who are engaged in their communities and lead an active lifestyle tend to have a higher quality of life. Senior Centers offer great services that can lead to better health outcomes for aging citizens. They are a tremendous place for seniors to connect with their communities and provide opportunities to participate in activities such as bingo and exercise classes. Additionally, senior centers offer important information on Medicare, health, fitness, nutrition and can even provide training on computers and other technology.

A quality senior center can strengthen a community and change the lives of its citizens. And most programs and activities are free or offered at a relatively low-cost. That is why I encourage all seniors to become active in their senior centers.

This year, the Tennessee General Assembly appropriated $1 million for senior centers across the state, and I was very pleased to support that initiative. As a direct result of these funds, the Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability (TCAD) recently announced that ten senior centers in my district are receiving grants of $8,000 each. The funds will allow many senior centers to accomplish capital projects for the upkeep and operations of their facilities and equipment.

TCAD awarded 125 grants in 89 counties through a competitive application process, and I am glad that so many senior citizens in my district are being awarded grants. Below are the senior centers receiving grants in my district.

Maury County Senior Center (Columbia)

Maury County Senior Center (Mt Pleasant)

Perry County Senior Center

Wayne County Senior Citizens, Inc

Lawrence County Senior Citizens Club, Inc.

Lewis County Senior Center

Giles County Senior Citizens Center, Inc.

Clifton Area Senior Citizen Inc

St. Joseph Senior Center

Loretto Senior Citizens Club

From exercise classes to card games the activities offered at senior centers are varied. There is something for everyone to enjoy and learn. I encourage all senior citizens in our area to find their closest senior center and become engaged today.

New third-grade retention law goes into effect

Tennessee’s toughened third-grade retention law, passed in early 2021, goes into effect this month. Third graders in public schools who “flunk” next spring’s TNReady reading test — and generally two-thirds of them in Tennessee do — are eligible to be retained in third grade next year. What does it mean to be “retained?” It’s what most people call being held back a grade. While much focus is put on the test results of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools, the problem is not unique to Memphis. Fully two-thirds of Tennessee’s third graders — about 50,000 children — flunk the TNReady reading test. Third grade will be more complicated this year. The new law is raising the pressure on students, teachers, schools and districts to improve Tennessee’s low reading scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The NAEP, given every other year to fourth- and eighth-grade students, is the standard by which all states are compared on the Nation’s Report Card. About 65% of Tennessee’s fourth graders are reading below “proficient” levels on the NAEP. Tennessee’s score hasn’t improved since 2013. “We are proposing a third-grade reading gate, which means that we make sure students are prepared before we pass them through to the fourth grade,” Gov. Bill Lee told legislators when he introduced the tougher retention proposal in January 2021.

The new law helps struggling students recover learning losses by providing after-school learning mini-camps, learning loss bridge camps and summer learning camps. The summer learning camps will offer a full day of instruction with a focus on English Language Arts and mathematics. The after school mini-camps, which will focus on STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading Engineering, Arts and Mathematics), will also be available to students. Both of these programs are targeted for students in grades K-4 and will only be provided for summer 2021 and summer 2022.

The legislation also creates the Tennessee Accelerated Literacy and Learning Corps to provide high-quality tutoring throughout the school year. In addition, it strengthens the state’s 3rd grade reading retention policy by ensuring that students are on grade-level before being promoted to the 4th grade and provides rigorous, well-funded interventions for students who are behind.