Founder of first underwater robotics team in Tenn. gets Teacher Spotlight – Johnson City Press (subscription)

Editors note: This is part of a series of Teacher Spotlight articles about educators nominated by principals and assistant principals in and around Kingsport.

KINGSPORT A local STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and chemistry teacher is the latest educator to be the focus of the Kingsport Times News Teacher Spotlight.

D-B EXCEL Principal Shanna Hensley nominated Antonia Adinolfi, who graduated from East Tennessee State University. She joined the DBE faculty in January 2016, the Spring semester, and two years later started the first underwater robotics team in the Volunteer State.

"She enjoys anything related to math, science, health or medicine," Hensley said, quoting from the DBE website section on Adinolfi. " The thing Ms. A enjoys most about DBE is her "kids" a.k.a. her students."

Hensley said Adinolfi "helped DBE develop into the school it is today, including receiving the STEM Designation from TSIN (Tennessee STEM Innovation Network) and the Tennessee Department of Education in 2019-2019."

In 2018, Adinolif started the first underwater robotics team in the state, the R'Matey's.

"That year they won the regional competition along with receiving the Engineering Award and Mission Award. The R'Matey's ended up making it to the international competition where they won the Sharkpedo Award, an award for innovation," Hensley said. "Only 11 teams received an award at the International competition."

In addition, Adinolif she also has helped develop the STEM Career and Technical Pathway, which received an Advanced score from the state Department of Education in 2019.

For the past two years, TSIN and the state Department of Education have held a statewide design challenge for all students. "Both years, Ms. Adinolfi's students have won 1st place," Hensley said.

Adinolfi also is the Lead Mentor teacher at DBE and assists in running the school's social media accounts.

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Founder of first underwater robotics team in Tenn. gets Teacher Spotlight - Johnson City Press (subscription)