Nathalie Murphy and Whitney Key, two educators from Knoxville, were among the six local recipients of the inaugural Tennessee Early Educator Awards, which honors outstanding early childhood educators across the state. Murphy, a preschool teacher at Fort Sanders Educational Development Center, and Key, a kindergarten teacher at Dogwood Elementary, were surprised with their awards during classroom visits on October 28th and 30th. The awards, launched by Tennesseans for Quality Early Education (TQEE), recognize educators for their significant impact on Tennessee’s youngest learners. Each awardee will receive a $1,000 cash prize, an all-expenses-paid trip to Nashville, and a shopping spree at Lakeshore Learning. Other winners came from various schools outside the KCS system.
