TCAT Oneida/Huntsville names new nursing instructors
Plus: Zaxby's and Casey's coming to Oneida
Good Monday morning! Welcome to a brand new week. This is The Daybreaker, the first of several newsletters that will be published this week by the Independent Herald. The Daybreaker (Monday) and The Weekender (Thursday evening) are our two news-first newsletters. We publish several other newsletters throughout the week, as well as our regular E-Edition on Thursday and our Varsity E-Edition on Sunday (during sports season). If you’d like to adjust your subscription to include (or exclude) this or any of our other newsletters, please do so here. If you need to subscribe, it’s as simple as entering your email address:
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TCAT Oneida/Huntsville names Becky Pike to nursing instructor team
HUNTSVILLE | Becky Ball Pike has joined the Allied Health instructor team at Tennessee College of Applied Technology Oneida/Huntsville, President Dwight Murphy announced this week. She will begin her new career by teaching the first trimester of the Practical Nursing class scheduled to begin Sept. 2 at the Huntsville campus.
Pike brings nearly a quarter of a century of nursing experience to offer to TCAT students, having been a nurse for the past 24 years. In fact, her move to TCAT brings things full circle: she graduated from the college’s Practical Nursing program herself in 2000. She also has an ASN in nursing from Excelsior College in New York.
The Oneida native is no stranger to TCAT. In addition to her time as a student at the school, Pike served as an adjunct clinical instructor in the college’s LPN program from 2019 to 2021. Most recently, she served as a critical care RN at Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge, a position she’s held since 2021.
“Healthcare was an easy decision for me as well as my sisters,” said Pike. “Growing up, my mom was a caregiver in home health. The connections she made with her patients were inspiring. They weren’t just patients to her; they were family. Me and my sisters all went into the medical field thanks to the kindness and compassion she showed.”
Pike acknowledged that healthcare isn’t a field for just anyone, but for those who are called to it — as she and her sisters were — it is rewarding.
“It isn’t for the weak,” she said. “You put in long hours, usually are short-staffed, and have to deal with high stress, just to name a few.”
Making the move from the critical care setting to the classroom is one that Pike said she wants to make to help inspire the next generation of nurses.
“Hopefully I can help inspire new nurses to never lose their compassion,” she said. “No matter how bad your day may be, slow down and take time to connect with your patients. A simple smile and being kind to someone costs nothing but can make a lifelong impact.”
She is married to Jason Pike, a coach in the Oneida Special School District. They have two daughters, Kelsey and Maddie, and attend First Baptist Church of Oneida.
In addition to its Practical Nursing program that is offered at both the Huntsville and Jamestown campuses, TCAT Oneida/Huntsville is launching a new Allied Health and Medical Assisting program that will begin on the Huntsville campus in September, combining Nursing Aide, Phlebotomy Technician, Medical Assisting and EKG Technician. An Allied Health program will be added in Fentress County next year, as well.
Prospective students interested in either the Practical Nursing or Allied Health program can apply online at tcatoneida.edu. For more information about Culinary Arts or any other TCAT program of study, call (423) 663-4900.
Sue Sims moves to TCAT’s Allied Health program
HUNTSVILLE | Sue Sims will serve as the instructor for the new Allied Health and Medical Assisting program that will begin Sept. 2 on Tennessee College of Applied Technology Oneida/Huntsville’s main campus in Huntsville, President Dwight Murphy announced today.
Sims, a registered nurse who has worked in the health care industry since she was 18 years old, has been the Nursing Aide instructor and the Phlebotomy instructor at TCAT Oneida/Huntsville for the past six years. She is making the transition to the Allied Health program, and from the Oneida campus to the Huntsville campus, as the new program prepares to enroll its first students.
“I always wanted to be a nurse. Even when I was a little bitty girl, I wanted to be a nurse. I never wanted to be anything else,” Sims said.
Sims began her career as a nursing aide, then went back to school and got her LPN certification and later graduated as an RN.
After more than 40 years in the nursing profession, she made the move to the classroom, joining TCAT Oneida/Huntsville as the CNA and Phlebotomy instructor.
“I taught some at Lifecare (in Morgan County) when I worked there, and I liked it,” she said. “I thought this would make a good retirement job. Once I started, I loved it. I want to pass it on to the next generation of nurses. I want the people who are going to take care of us to be better nurses.”
Allied Health and Medical Assisting will combine Nursing Aide, Phlebotomy, EKG Technician and Medical Assistant into a single six-month program. Students will report to class four days each week, Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The class will mix classroom instruction with laboratory and clinical experiences.
Through the new program, students who wish to complete only certain components of the program, such as a CNA certification or an EKG certification, will be able to start late or end early, bypassing other components of the program.
Prospective students interested in either the Practical Nursing or Allied Health program can apply online at tcatoneida.edu. For more information about Culinary Arts or any other TCAT program of study, call (423) 663-4900.
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Excavation work begins at site of future Zaxby’s in Oneida
ONEIDA | Excavation work began this week at the apparent future home of Zaxby’s on the Four Lane in Oneida.
The Statesboro, Ga.-based company has been hiring for a general manager in Oneida for the past several weeks. According to its Indeed job listing, the position would pay $55,000 to $65,000, with a training stipend of $1,500 that would be awarded upon completion of a 12-week training course that will be conducted at the Zaxby’s in Jacksboro, Tenn.
Site preparation began this week at a location just north of the Oneida Municipal Services Building. The 4.5-acre tract of property was most recently owned by Huntsville-based Northern Properties Inc.
Once — and if — completed, the Oneida Zaxby’s would join more than 950 other locations of the fast casual restaurant, which is known for its signature “Chicken Fingerz,” sandwiches, wings and salads — or “Zalads.”
Look: ‘Future home of Zaxby’s in Oneida, TN’ Advanced Grading Worx
Zaxby’s is one of several nationally-recognized fast food brands that Scott County is currently in the running for. The others, however, are only in the consideration stages.
Meanwhile, Zaxby’s isn’t the only nationally-recognized brand that may be locating in Oneida in the coming months. According to property records, Iowa-based CGS Stores LLC — the parent company of the Casey’s chain of convenience stores — has closed on property “on the corner” in downtown Oneida. The property is the current home of 4WD Performance. The new deed was filed on July 18.
Casey’s is the nation’s third-largest convenience store chain behind 7-Eleven and Circle K, and is the largest that is wholly American-owned. From its start as a single, leased station in Des Moines, Ia. in 1959, Casey’s has grown to more than 2,500 locations. While it is a convenience store, it is famous for pizza, making it the fifth-largest pizza chain in the U.S.
Oneida’s growing list of regionally- or nationally-recognized fast-food brands includes McDonald’s, Hardee’s, Sonic Drive-In, Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken, KFC, Taco Bell, Subway, Pizza Hut, Little Caesar’s, Arby’s, and most recently, Wendy’s.
The Week Ahead
🌤️ Weather: There’s only a slight chance of an isolated thunderstorm this afternoon, with near normal temperatures. Daily thunderstorm chances will increase for the remainder of the week. Check out our daily Eye to the Sky updates on our Facebook page — published each morning at 7 a.m. on the dot — or always available at indherald.com.
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📅 Community Calendar
Monday: The Scott Appalachian Industries Senior Center in Huntsville will offer its walking program, puzzles and games, and massage chairs from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. today and every weekday this week. There will also be Bingo at 1 p.m. today.
Monday: Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services’ Mobile Health Clinic will be in the Walmart parking lot in Oneida from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering integrated primary care and behavioral health. No insurance is not a problem. Call (866) 599-0466 for more information.
Monday: Huntsville Pool will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and every day this week ($3). The Oneida Splash Pad is also open.
Monday: The Scott County Senior Citizens Center (Main Street, Oneida) will serve lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. The cost is $7 for dine-in or carry-out. Phone: (423) 569-5972.
Monday: The Scott County Solid Waste Board will meet at the Scott County Office Building in Huntsville, beginning at 11:30 a.m.
Monday: The Scott County Finance Committee will meet at the Scott County Mayor’s Office in Huntsville, beginning at 5 p.m.
Tuesday: The Scott County Senior Citizens Center (Main Street, Oneida) will host exercise from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m.
Tuesday: Pinnacle Resource Center’s food pantry (1513 Jeffers Road, Huntsville) will be open beginning at 10 a.m. There are no income guidelines; however, a photo ID and a piece of mail with a Scott County address are required.
Tuesday: The Oneida City Park Farmers & Makers Market will be from 5 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. Call (423) 569-8300 for more information about becoming a vendor.
Tuesday: Boy Scout Troop #333 will meet at the Oneida War Memorial Building on Alberta Street in Oneida beginning at 6 p.m.
Tuesday: Wall Builders will meet from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. at Trinity Baptist Church (1611 Glass House Road, Helenwood) for those struggling with addiction or striving to keep off drugs. There will be preaching, teaching, food, fellowship and personal counseling.
Wednesday: The Scott County Senior Citizens Center (Main Street, Oneida) will serve lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. The cost is $7 for dine-in or carry-out.
Wednesday: The Scott Appalachian Industries Senior Center will offer Silver Stitches from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Thursday: The Gerry McDonald Mission House, located on Church Avenue, directly behind First United Methodist Church, is open from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. You are eligible to receive food once per month. For more information or requirements, call the church office at 569-8828.
Thursday: The Scott County Senior Citizens Center (Main Street, Oneida) will host exercise from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m.
Thursday: The Scott Appalachian Industries Senior Center in Huntsville will offer a Sound Bath at 1 p.m. (you must pre-register).
The Community Calendar is presented by Citizens Gas Utility District. You may recognize a natural gas leak by a rotten egg-like smell or by a hissing sound. If you know of or suspect a leak, leave the area and call your gas supplier or 911. Visit citizensgastn.com.
Thank you for reading. Our next newsletter will be Echoes in Time tomorrow. If you’d like to update your subscription to add or subtract any of our newsletters, do so here. If you haven’t yet subscribed, it’s as simple as adding your email address!
◼️ Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
◼️ Tuesday: Echoes in Time (stories of our history)
◼️ Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
◼️ Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
◼️ Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
◼️ Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)