Joan Lincoln Swingle
Joan Lincoln Swingle served Johnson City Schools as a kindergarten teacher for 38 years. She began her teaching career in 1966 and retired in 2004. Superintendent Herald McCorkle asked Joan to implement the first kindergarten program that began on the first floor of the Columbus Powell building. She also taught at Keystone Elementary School and North Side Elementary School. The overarching principle that guided her teaching was that little children should have fun while learning in school. She loved every one of her students, and she still enjoys it when she gets to reunite with her former students.
Her nomination letter noted that Mrs. Swingle “was and is the embodiment of all the things an educator should be: honest, caring, helpful, inspirational, a community partner, a life-long learner, and a teacher and good friend to all.”