Principal Page

From the desk of Dr. Travis Sutton:

Welcome to Forge Ridge School.  It is my intention to provide you with some information about myself, and an overview of our school.  I encourage you to contact us personally if you have questions or would like more specific information.

I am proud to have been a student of Forge Ridge Consolidated School throughout my elementary and high school years.  I went on to attain my Bachelor of Arts in History from Lincoln Memorial University.  From there, I began my professional career working in Claiborne County, where I taught seventh and eighth grade Social Studies and high school History/Social Studies.  I also coached championship teams in girls and boys elementary basketball. While coaching and teaching, I earned a Master’s degree in Administration and Supervision from Lincoln Memorial University.  Then, as an Assistant Principal for twelve years, I earned an Educational Specialist’s degree at Lincoln Memorial University and later, a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from East Tennessee State University. Now, I am proud to return and serve as the principal of Forge Ridge School.  I have over 20 years of experience working in education

At Forge Ridge School, we realize that our greatest asset is our school culture which is defined by our interactions with our families, students, community members and each other. We, at Forge Ridge School, believe the model of collaboration and continuous improvement, in ourselves and our students, is essential to our school’s success.  The actual learning process is the key component of what makes our school a great place to safely learn and grow.  We encourage our students to see themselves as the biggest part of our school legacy. A child’s learning process can take many different forms, and it is our goal to help each child to recognize and act upon his/her potential.  Forge Ridge School is a Pre K-8 rural school with a safe close-knit family atmosphere. 

Forge Ridge School has an enrollment of less than 200 students in grades PK-8, with an average of 15 students per classroom.  Our faculty and staff consist of nearly 40 faculty and support staff that make it their mission to positively impact the lives of children.  In most cases, Forge Ridge has 2 classroom teachers at each grade level,  with specialists in intervention, after-school, library, music, and physical education.  Support services include a school guidance counselor, special education teachers, a speech therapist, and a resource officer.  Our faculty is supported by a generous staff of instructional assistants, school nutrition workers, nurse, maintenance, and custodians, with whom we could not make it through the day without!

The support and involvement of families are critically important to a child’s success in school.  We value our families as our partners and encourage participation in their child’s, our student’s education.  As a parent, I have learned parenting is the toughest, but most rewarding job in the world.  You can count on the faculty and staff of this great school to partner with you on this journey.  Thank you for entrusting us with that which is most precious to you on earth…..your children.  We will work hard to keep our students safe and prove ourselves worthy of your trust.

Again, WELCOME. We hope you will find this to be a memorable and exciting school year.  We are glad that you are part of Forge Ridge School and once a dragon, always a dragon!