Score an Excellent Education in Rutherford County

Murfreesboro City Schools

With a rigorous academic curriculum, robust career and technical education, dual enrollment programs and diverse arts and sports options, you can find a top-notch education in Rutherford County. Murfreesboro City Schools and Rutherford County Schools not only offer students a well-rounded educational experience but also prepare them for successful careers in the region.

Broadcasting Success 

Anna Waggoner is the administrative coordinator for Middle Tennessee State University’s Center for Innovation in Media, WMOT on-air host and the creator and host of the SongTellers show. She says the fine arts programs in Rutherford County Schools are what inspired her to pursue a career in radio. 

“My favorite part of the public schools that I went to was they had really good arts programs. At McFadden School of Excellence, I was exposed to painting and fine art. Then, I started getting involved in theater, both at McFadden and then heavily at Central Magnet School,” Waggoner says. 

Waggoner fondly remembers her “wonderful theater directors,” whose lessons have proven helpful well beyond the classroom. 

“That experience in theater gives you the confidence to give a presentation in class or later at your job. We also learned to speak up for ourselves in our personal lives and in our careers,” she says. “Even if you don’t want to be creative or want to do that for a living, it still teaches you so many valuable life skills and helps you come into your own.” 

Waggoner says Rutherford County Schools also taught her soft skills that helped her excel both as a student studying the music business at MTSU and later in her role with the Center for Innovation in Media. 

“At McFadden, they taught us professionalism from a really young age. I remember in fifth grade, they had us doing mock job interviews and making resumes. By the time we started interviewing for jobs, even as a teenager, it wasn’t such a foreign concept,” she says. “Plus, the English classes and the amount of emphasis that was put on writing skills helped me be able to write reports and more professional emails to bosses and clients, and it’s because I had that training at Central.” 

Inspired by Great Teachers 

The education system in the region is backed by some of the best teachers in the state, and many of them teach at schools with a Tennessee STEM School Designation. It’s this combination of passionate educators and innovative programming that enables public schools to teach students, who will continue to put what they’ve learned into practice and pursue meaningful careers. 

Quinena Bell, principal of Hobgood Elementary School, says her public school education within Murfreesboro City Schools also inspired her career choice. In fact, she says it was a favorite teacher at Hobgood who inspired her to become a teacher, and eventually, principal – at Hobgood. 

“My fourth-grade teacher, Diane Johnson, made a huge impact,” Bell says. “It was the way that she made me feel from day to day. Even when I had those moments when I felt like, ‘This is hard or I can’t do it,’ she gave me that feeling that I could do anything, and even if I couldn’t do it, she was there to help me. She made me feel empowered and accomplished. She instilled that in all her students.” 

It’s this connection that prompted Bell to become a teacher and adopt her former teacher as a mentor early in her career. While education has evolved since she was a student, Bell says the impact Murfreesboro City Schools aims to have on students’ lives has not changed. 

“The impact that the peers, adults and administration had on me is the same impact that I want to have on others,” she says. “Murfreesboro City Schools is unique in that it is one of few school districts that offers K-6 only. The ability to provide that foundation in those early years of education is rare but rewarding.” 

Preparing for a High-tech Future

Rutherford County Schools is pioneering the use of new technologies at Thurman Francis Arts Academy, where students can engage with virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven platforms that personalize learning experiences and prepare students for a technology-driven world. 

Teresa Wise, who teaches K-8 computer science at Thurman Francis, integrates VR, AI and AR into instruction and activities at all grade levels. For example, third graders use VR to explore the solar system. 

“They use a Merge Cube and the app Merge Explorer to see, touch, interact and learn about the solar system. The students can click on links while interacting with the hologram, and the links take the students to information about each planet,” Wise says. “What is neat about it is that the students can see how planets orbit the sun and how moons orbit their planets. This app also gives the students quizzes about what they learned while exploring the holographic image.” 

Students can also go on virtual field trips to places, such as the White House, the Statue of Liberty and even the Nashville Zoo, which ties into lessons on animals and biology. 

“Using an app called Animal Safari, the students can pick an animal to project in the room, feed it and learn about its diet and habitat. The animals make noises, eat the food and walk around. Students can even take their pictures with the animals,” Wise says. 

Her fifth-grade students take the lesson further and use computer simulators to model possible real-world scenarios, such as what would happen if an asteroid were to hit Earth. Students are also learning how to use digital tools to make 3D designs. 

Wise says her older students in grades 6-8 learn about careers in new technologies as well as some of the issues facing these industries, such as ethics, privacy and cybersecurity.