Tennesseans for Student Success Celebrates 2021 Tristar Reads Winners with Gov. Lee and Legislators

November 3, 2021

Tristar Reads Winners were celebrated by TSS, Atmos Energy, Governor Bill Lee, Sen. Roberts, and Reps. Gillespie, Helton, Littleton, and Thompson in a ceremony at Tennessee’s Executive Residence.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennesseans for Student Success (TSS) this week announced the winners of Tristar Reads, a reading scholarship competition for Tennessee students grades K-12. Students were encouraged to log reading hours during the summer for the opportunity to earn a $1,000 postsecondary scholarship across multiple age divisions.

For the sixth annual scholarship, TSS is proud to award $1,000 college scholarships to the following outstanding Tennessee readers:

Elementary School Division: Jeffrey Stubblefield

3rd Grade, Hamilton County

30,000+ Minutes of Reading

Middle School Division: Mackenzie Hearne

7th Grade, Shelby County

3,200+ Minutes of Reading

High School Division: Sarah Collier

9th Grade, Cheatham County

15,000+ Minutes of Reading

An event to honor Stubblefield, Hearne, and Collier for their reading success was held on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 27th at Tennessee’s Executive Residence. Governor Bill Lee and TSS President & CEO Adam Lister addressed the winners, as well as Christina Christiansen of Atmos Energy. Each was also celebrated with a legislative proclamation presented by their state representative and state senator. Members of the Tennessee General Assembly present included Sen. Kerry Roberts, Rep. John Gillespie, Rep. Esther Helton, Rep. Mary Littleton, and Rep. Dwayne Thompson. A representative from Sen. Brian Kelsey’s office also presented.

“Jeffrey, Mackenzie, and Sarah committed in really impressive ways to reading over the summer,” said Lister. “We are proud to present this award to each of you and are blown away by the amount of reading you were able to do this summer.”

“Tristar Reads celebrates the potential for every student in Tennessee to be a strong reader who is prepared for success in the classroom and beyond,” said Lee. “I commend these students for their hard work this summer and congratulate each scholarship winner.”

A video of the ceremony can be viewed on TSS’s YouTube channel here. Please find more images and descriptions below.

Additionally, TSS partnered with Atmos Energy’s program to provide students with a free 1-year subscription to Vooks – a way to digitally bring hundreds of books into your home. The free Vooks offer has been made possible by a donation from Atmos Energy. Students can continue to claim their free subscription at vooks.com/pages/atmos.