This year, Morristown-West welcomed a new assistant principal: Carrie Chambers-Clowney. Before working at West, Clowney taught at Seymour(Sevier County), Sarah Moore(Knox County), and Alpha Elementary(Hamblen County). Clowney was also an administrator for Greenwood Magnet Schools in Greenwood, SC before becoming an assistant principal at Morristown-West. She has taught all subjects for grades second through fifth and has also taught writing for grades sixth and seventh.
Clowney attended Seymour High School in Sevier County, Tennessee. After graduation, she attended The University of Tennessee, Carson-Newman University, as well as Lincoln Memorial University. During high school, Clowney played basketball and also ran Cross Country and Track. In her free time, Clowney loves to exercise, read, and spend time outside. Clowney also enjoys watching basketball and says that basketball has always been her favorite sport. She also mentions, “Since having my son, I have grown to enjoy golf, too,” and, “Football is part of our family, since my husband coaches football at Carson Newman.” Clowney also describes that her favorite foods are fruity salads, grilled salmon, and “personal pan cheese pizza from Pizza Hut.” Clowney talked a little about her family, stating, “My son, Preston, just started West View Middle School,” and “My husband, Mike, coaches football at Carson-Newman University. I grew up not far from here in Sevier County. My mother still lives in Seymour. I have my stepsisters here in Morristown. I was very thrilled to move back to the area and be closer to all my family several years ago.”
Clowney describes her favorite subjects in school and explains, “Naturally my favorite subject was math because I felt more confident in it. I had a wonderful math teacher, who was also a coach, and who always made math engaging. I was able to spend three years with him in different classes. Coach Greg Clark always put his students first. He protected us, connected with us, and made us believe we could do anything.” She also shares how she developed her enthusiasm with reading and writing and explains, “Even though I loved math, I developed a new love in high school, Reading and English. I never would have imagined that. I had Mrs. Susan Dunlap two different years, and she was dynamite. She held all her students to the highest of expectations all the time! She pushed us all past our points of comfort. I still remember sitting in her classroom thinking, ‘I can’t ever produce what she was asking for.’ However, with her excellent teaching, persistent pushing, and highest of highest expectations I finally fell in love with reading and writing.”
During college, Clowney originally started out majoring in nursing. Clowney’s interest in the teaching field sparked while working for a college mission group, Campus Crusade, in California during the summer of her Junior year in college. She describes, in detail, “I originally started out in nursing during my first few years of college. However, during the summer before my junior year, I spent it doing missions in South Los Angeles. I spent a month of that time in Compton working at a church. While on this adventure, we were preparing the youth for a camping trip to the San Bernardino Mountains. The youth were super excited to get out of the city because many, to my shock, had never been outside of the city nor seen stars in the sky at night. So, during this preparation, I discovered some of the youth could not read a map, calculate distances, or read fluently. I remember the day like it just happened, and I knew at that moment that teaching was where I wanted to be!”
Shortly after starting her teaching career, Clowney bought a Jeep Wrangler and said that she would often drive around in it with her Black Lab named, Samson. She describes, “He was 107 pounds and a great joy. I would lean the passenger seat back a bit, buckle him in, and just enjoy the outing!”
Clowney shares that she is extremely excited to be involved with the community and West High. She shares, “I am excited to share and assist with the goals and visions for West High. I am also looking forward to getting to know the teachers and students. Seeing familiar faces has definitely been a joy. I fell in love with the Morristown community many years ago when I worked ‘Teen Night’ at the Boys and Girls Club, so I am thrilled to not only be in the school system but to also be back involved with West High!”
Mrs. Carrie Chambers-Clowney has two quotes that she always goes by, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved,” from Hellen Keller, and the other, “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away,” by Maya Angelou.
Clowney credits her academic growth to her teachers, “I am so blessed to have had what most students would consider tough teachers. Between Coach Clark and Mrs. Dunlap, I grew more than I thought possible. I am so thankful for them both.”
Lastly, some advice from our new assistant principal, Carrie Chambers Clowney, “NEVER let ANYONE limit your dreams- no matter how big or small those dreams may be.”
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away"
- Maya Angelou
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