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Deb Hatch

Meet our 2017 Educators Hall of Honor Inductee: Debora Hatch

Each year, the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences celebrates and honors professionals who already have established themselves in the field of education and who help students who one day will follow in their footsteps. These Educators are inducted into the Educators Hall of Honor. This wall is located in the front entrance hall of the Claxton Education Building and stands as a proud reminder of their impact and legacy that inspires the next generation of Educators.

This year, we have inducted seven new members including: Alice Bratten, Amos Hatch, Debora Hatch, Walter Mencer, John Peters, Steve Reddick, and Robert Webb. We will be highlighting each one. Today, we would like to introduce you to Debora Hatch.

In a very rare occurrence, we are pleased to induct a wife and husband together into the Hall of Honor. Deb Hatch was not only an outstanding educator but is also happily married to Dr. Amos Hatch who we featured earlier this week. Born and raised in Marion, Ohio, Deb earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Eastern Kentucky University. Her first professional position was as a physical education instructor and coach at Hanover College in Indiana. She later worked in a similar discipline at Maryville College and Pellissippi State. Deb also worked as a middle school physical education teacher and coach in Ohio and as an elementary physical education teacher in Florida and Tennessee. She proudly retired from the Knox County School system in 2012 after forty years of faithful service.

During Deb’s distinguished career, she received numerous recognitions for her dedication and creative approach to physical education. She was awarded prestigious grants while in Florida and Knox County that honored her innovative programs such as providing stationary bikes for individual classrooms so students could exercise when time permitted. Deb worked long past the ringing of the last bell as she was responsible for creating many extra-curricular programs and after school exercise clubs to encourage physical activity among her students. She also invited parents to popular school performances which featured physical activities choreographed to music.

Deb often served as a curriculum developer and was asked to lead in-service sessions for other physical education teachers. She made presentations at national and state physical education conferences and she won teacher of the year honors at schools in Florida and Tennessee. In 2006, she was awarded the Tennessee PTA Life Achievement Award which is the highest honor bestowed on individuals by the Tennessee Congress of Parents and Teachers. Deb may be most proud of this last accomplishment as it demonstrates her contribution and advocacy efforts on behalf of the children of the state of Tennessee.

Thank you Deb, for your dedication to healthier children.