Semi tractor donated to Gentry charter school

Submitted Photo Standing next to the diesel tractor given to the Gentry School District for its diesel mechanics’ training by McKee Foods on Thursday was James Berry, McKee Foods Gentry fleet maintenance superintendent (left); Randy Barrett, superintendent of Gentry Public Schools; John Williams, McKee Foods Transportation corporate fleet maintenance manager from Collegedale, Tenn.; Tyson Sontag, McKee Foods diesel technician and Gentry High School Conversion Charter diesel instructor; and Judy Winslett, assistant superintendent of Gentry Public Schools.
Submitted Photo Standing next to the diesel tractor given to the Gentry School District for its diesel mechanics’ training by McKee Foods on Thursday was James Berry, McKee Foods Gentry fleet maintenance superintendent (left); Randy Barrett, superintendent of Gentry Public Schools; John Williams, McKee Foods Transportation corporate fleet maintenance manager from Collegedale, Tenn.; Tyson Sontag, McKee Foods diesel technician and Gentry High School Conversion Charter diesel instructor; and Judy Winslett, assistant superintendent of Gentry Public Schools.

GENTRY -- To help the new Gentry Charter School implement a diesel mechanic program, McKee Foods Corporation donated a diesel semi tractor to the school district to be used to teach students to work on the big trucks. The truck, a Volvo tractor, was delivered to the high school on Thursday.

Randy Barrett, superintendent for the Gentry School District, received the truck for the charter school from John Williams, corporate fleet maintenance manager for McKee Foods Transportation. James Berry, of McKee Foods - Gentry fleet maintenance; Tyson Sontag, McKee Foods diesel technician and Gentry High School Conversion Charter School diesel instructor; Judy Winslett, assistant superintendent for Gentry Public Schools; Brae Harper, Gentry High School principal; Larry Cozens, Gentry Middle School principal; and Jason Barrett, transportation and maintenance director for the Gentry Public School district, were also on hand when the truck was delivered.

With voter approval, the district is planning to build a lab building with classrooms and two truck bays to house the diesel mechanic lab and other career-oriented courses. A bond issue on the September ballot, if passed, would provide money for construction of a new classroom building on the intermediate school campus, as well as a diesel mechanic lab.

School district officials expressed their thanks to McKee Foods for partnering with the school's new endeavor to provide students with more job and career training to better prepare them to succeed in the workplace after graduation. McKee Foods has been an important partner with the Gentry School District in its effort to establish a charter school to give students the training needed to embark upon a career path after high school, especially if students choose not to pursue a college education.

General News on 06/01/2016