2023 Inductees

KCS Hall of Fame Class of 2023

9th Annual Kingsport City Schools Hall of Fame Ceremony: August 1, 2023

Kingsport City Schools recognized and inducted two members of the ninth class of the Kingsport City Schools Hall of Fame, during the back to school teacher Convocation event on August 1, 2023.

Established as the keystone award for former employees, the KCS Hall of Fame recognizes those individuals that have most impacted the Kingsport educational community during their careers with KCS.

NEWS RELEASE

The class of 2023 elected to the KCS Hall of Fame includes:

Mrs. Nancy Bovender

MODERN ERA CATEGORY (RETIRED less than 25 years from induction)

Mrs. Nancy Bovender retired in 2007 with 32 years of service (1975-2007) as a teacher for Kingsport City Schools. During Mrs. Bovender’s tenure with KCS, she served as a science teacher at Ross N. Robinson Middle School and a chemistry teacher at Dobyns-Bennett High School. She was named the Dobyns-Bennett High School Teacher of the Year in 2006. In addition, Mrs. Bovender taught chemistry and physics for two years at Orange High School in Hillsborough, NC. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is an enormous Tar Heels fan. Mrs. Bovender is noted for her enthusiasm for chemistry, for teaching, and for her students’ minds and lives. Retirement has not slowed Mrs. Bovender's involvement in education. She still spends time mentoring chemistry teachers who have come after her and tutoring individual students after school. Mrs. Bovender is recognized for not only mastering her subject matter, but also for having the unique ability to interpret and instruct her students in ways that were engaging, stimulating, and memorable. Nancy Bovender was elected to the KCS Hall of Fame in the Modern Era category (Retired less than 25 years from induction).

Mrs. Cheryl Rice

MODERN ERA CATEGORY (RETIRED less than 25 years from induction)

Mrs. Cheryl Breeding Rice retired in 2014 with 27 years of service (1987-2014) as a teacher for Kingsport City Schools. As a proud Dobyns-Bennett High School graduate, Mrs. Rice was honored to spend the majority of her career as a Spanish teacher at Dobyns-Bennett. In addition, she was a reading specialist, interim teacher, substitute teacher, and served as the Kingsport City Schools Historian. She is remembered for being committed to excellence and for teaching the whole child. Mrs. Rice was affectionately known by her students as someone that had the presence to command a room while being a light in every life she touched. She was noted for her high expectations, but also for providing the support needed to help students achieve their goals. Mrs. Rice is recognized as being a dedicated and talented Spanish teacher, a strong pillar in the community, and a generous woman with an unwavering commitment to Kingsport City Schools mission and to the success of its students. Cheryl Rice was elected to the KCS Hall of Fame in the Modern Era category (Retired less than 25 years from induction).