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CHATTANOOGA — ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ Tennessee — a nonprofit, online university that is part of Gov. Bill Haslam’s Drive to 55 effort – surprised a Chattanooga Charter School of Excellence (CCSE) teacher with a $10,000 scholarship Monday afternoon.

CCSE English teacher Cassandra Peters learned that she had won ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ Tennessee’s Tenn-K Scholarship during a special ceremony held at the school. Peters was surprised with a commemorative check from ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ Tennessee Chancellor Kimberly K. Estep, Ph.D.

“It’s always special to award a hardworking teacher with our annual Tenn-K Scholarship,� Estep said. “Cassandra’s hard work and academic achievement are just another great example of the quality of teachers in this state, and I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of the ceremony today.�

Peters is pursuing her master’s degree in English language learning. She hopes to use her degree to help a growing number of students who are new to the country and learning English as a second language.

Peters is one of only seven Tennesseans to earn ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ Tennessee’s 2018 Tenn-K Scholarship this year, but is the second Chattanooga-area teacher to earn the scholarship as part of this year’s campaign.

The scholarship — which covers more than 80 percent of ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ Tennessee’s already-low tuition of $3,500 per term for most programs — is awarded based on students’ academic records, readiness for online study, and demonstrated financial need.