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"Celebrate Chattanooga...Chattanooga Choo Choo Me Home!

About

Born out of a passion for "celebrating life through song and story", Tekelia Kelly created "Celebrate Chattanooga"!  In commemorating Chattanooga's 175th Anniversary, Tekelia used this site, her song, stories, shows, shout-outs, special events and a soundstage. Today, the site is also a "A Celebration Station for Student Education" that 

showcases the kind of multimedia and technology Tekelia teaches students in creating their own digital works, like e-portfolios for school, work or fun!  To learn more, read our story below or click here.  

TN Arts Commission Teaching Artist and BMI singer/songwriter/recording artist Tekelia Kelly with Sounds of Memphis Studios Bill Lucchesi in Memphis, TN in the 1980's

Our Story

PART I

 

In Nov. 2014, site host and STEAM Teaching Artist Tekelia Kelly commemorated the 175th Anniversary of Chattanooga with the site's song, stories, shows, shout-outs and special tribute pages.  The debut of new commemorative song, "It's Really Been Nice", aka, "Chattanooga Choo Choo Me Home" made it Chattanooga's newest originally written classic 1940's big band jazz sounding song since Glenn Miller's "Chattanooga Choo Choo".   The website project was under development for roughly two years on and off and, ironically, launched right in time for Chattanooga's 175th anniversary.  This completed the first phase of the Celebrate Chattanooga  project.

 

In celebration of Chattanooga's 175th Anniversary, Celebrate Chattanooga invited Chattanoogans to participate in a week-long host of online activities Nov. 8-15.  The activities were designed to celebrate, engage and interact with the community.  Fun snackable content and an immersion of rich, dynamic social media made celebrating Chattanooga "virtually" like having an online party.  The initiative also was connected with  Chattanooga's CHA175.org as one of its community-sourcing events in celebration of the city's 175th Anniversary.

 

Citizens were welcomed to send shout-outs and share history stories at  www.celebratechattanooga.com, and posts of historic and unique pictures of the city at www.facebook.com/CelebrateChattanooga. Along with celebrating the city's 175th year of incorporation, Celebrate Chattanooga also celebrated its grand opening, with the debut of its new commemorative song--"It's Really Been Nice", also known as "Chattanooga ChooChoo Me Home"  Lyrics of the song spotlight the city, its 175th anniversary and Tekelia Kelly's homecoming back to Chattanooga from Memphis, Tennessee.

 

As a Special Tribute to the city on November 15, 2014 Celebrate Chattanoga presented a special program and ceremony featuring the Historic St. Elmo Missionary Baptist Church, with Pastor Billy Church, Choir Director Dorothea Johnetta Johnson and Minister of Music Lyndon Carriger.  For over 150 years St. Elmo has served the Chattanooga community with God's love and Word.  The program also featured special guest artists Roland Gresham who is a gospel jazz guitarist and recording artist.

 

Celebrate Chattanooga is a social enterprise created, owned and hosted by Tekelia Kelly, to celebrate, educate, communicate with and connect the city of Chattanooga.   Celebrate Chattanooga celebrates the people, places, pleasures and projects of Chattanooga, capturing the heartbeat of the city.  For more information and to stay up to date about latest news and happenings, please also explore Celebrate Chattanooga's  Facebook and Twitter pages.

 

 

PART 2

 

Celebrate Chattanooga is also "Tekelia Kelly's Celebration STEAM Train Station for CHIPS Student Education", a fun platform for training students on 21st century skills and the related four C's, which are Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity.  Tekelia Kelly's CHIPS students engage in STEM/STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) project-based learning that includes academic enrichment of STEAM subjects, as well as social studies, music, history, folk art and storytelling; multimedia, digital technology, technology education and artificial intelligence (AI), design thinking, invention literacy and making; and career-prep skills, including innovative and creative communication projects like e-portfolios and dynamic multimedia presentations that integrate both hard skills and soft skills to help students go from school to work more successfully.  To learn more about Tekelia C. Kelly's CHIPS Learning Services click here or contact us

About "It's Really Been Nice (Chattanooga ChooChoo Me Home)"

Chattanooga Choo Choo Me Home Music Lyric Video by Tekelia Kelly Copyright 2012, BMI,  All rights reserved. No copy/use without permission.

 

Celebrate Chattanooga is a history project designed to capture the stories and glories of Chattanooga, Tennnessee and its people.  Site host Tekelia Kelly believes that when people share their story as a celebration and appreciation of life , they not only share their history, but also tell history and His-story-- of God's love for them and others. (John 3:16) (Rev. 12:11)  The song "It's Really Been Nice Chattanooga ChooChoo Me Home" is a song about such a story.

 

The classic-sounding 1940's style tune is about Tekelia's journey back home to Chattanooga, after living in Memphis, Tennessee for seventeen years. Tekelia's love for God permeates her enjoyment of classic jazz and passion for American history, circa 1930s, 40s and 50s, resulting in the song.  The song was written in praise and worship to God, Tekelia's Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

 

The "you" in the lyrics is ultimately God.  In reference to how God showed her that even when life plans get changed, Tekelia wrote:   "Life has a way of changing things that we do.  But that's okay as long as I still have You! So, here's a song, I sing it all the day because of You (God), it's really been nice".   In other words, all things work together for good to them who love the Lord and who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28).

 

Having relocated back home, the song goes on to tell about how Tekelia appreciates the pleasures of living in a city so rich in natural beauty, and with "so many wonderful attractions and fun things to do, and plenty of opportunity just waiting for you...Chattanooga...live, work, learn and play here!"  . 

 

"Celebrating life through song and story", Tekelia debuted "It's Really Been Nice (aka Chattanooga ChooChoo Me Home) on her new website www.Celebrate Chattanooga.com.  The song is considered to be Chattanooga's newest originally written classic 1940's big band jazz sounding song since Glenn Miller's renowned "Chattanooga Choo Choo".

Tekelia C. Kelly

STEAM Teaching Artist

Entreprenuer, Engineer, Educator, Editor, Entertainer

www.tekeliakelly.com

Tennessee Arts Commission

 

 

Tekelia C. Kelly is the founder and host of Celebrate Chattanooga, a "celebration station for student education" and communication channel for community relations.  Tekelia is an entrepreneur, engineer, educator, editor and entertainer, and profound advocate for integrating art and technology into education. 

 

She was featured in the Teaching Artist Showcase for "Create2014: Creativity in Education Institute--Full STEAM Ahead", a renowned arts integration conference that recognizes the significance of the arts in building 21st century learning skills while shaping whole school reform through project-based learning. 

 

Tekelia is a STEAM Teaching Artist registered with the Tennesse Arts Commission.  She is a Holmberg Arts Leadership Institute alumun and was spotlighted for her support of the arts in ArtsBuild's "To Me, the arts build...Education" campaign.  Tekelia is a recording artist registerd with BMI and performing artist with Tennessee Arts & Business Council of Nashville.

 

Tekelia performs special shows, dramas, workshops and presentations, including ticket subsidy and resident artist programs for schools and community organizations.  For more information, please click here or contact us.

 

 

 

Bio

 

Tekelia's formal career includes professional work as an Industrial Engineer, Instructional Designer and Business and Information Technology Consultant, with over 15 years experience in corporate business. She has worked as a Business Systems Technology Instructor for colleges including adjunct facultiy as business and information technology instructor at Chattanooga State Technical College; project manager for UTC's Lupton Project: State of the Art Classroom and Podium Technology; and Computer Technology Teacher and IT Coordinator for Memphis and Chattanooga public and private schools. Her formal education includes a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Technology, and Masters-level coursework in Instructional Design and Technology.

 

Tekelia's business ventures include parent company For Your Information (FYI), Education & Information Technology Solutions, CHIPS Learning Enrichment Services, Sisters In Business.Net (SIB) Network Marketing and AYES Youth In Business Career Development. Since 1995, FYI has provided Business Consulting; IT Project Management, Infrastructure and Construction Management; Workforce, Career, Life Skills Development; Computer Technology Training, Tech-Ed Curriculum and Classroom Management; K-12 School and College Curriculum and Instruction; and E-learning to clients in businesses, schools, colleges, learning centers, non-profits, churches and homes in Memphis, Nashville, and Chattanooga, Tennessee.

 

In 2009, "celebrating life through song" and after discovering a life-changing event, the former Miss

Black Chattanooga and 1st runner-up to Miss Black

Tennesse launched the rebrith of her performing arts careeer with the debut of TekeliaKelly.com.  The site included her presentation service Precious Memories with booking services for singing.  In November 2014, Tekelia created CelebrateChattanooga.com to 

celebrate Chattanooga, TN's 175th Anniversary, and to offer her multimedia technology services as platform for communications as well as provide training for students. 

 

In 2012, Tekelia was selected to participate in the Holmberg Arts Leadership Institute, where she integrated her arts, education and business skills to better serve the community.  As a alumnus of the institute she now serves as community liason in connection with ArtsBuild, formerly Allied Arts.  Presenting as one of eight selected to showcase their "big idea", with the theme of "education and workforce development", Tekelia later launched InternChips.com at "48 Hour Launch-The Education Edition", March 28-30, 2014, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

 

As a performing, teaching and tribute artist, Tekelia enjoys keeping alive the rich ancestral history and traditions of her heritage, including both African and American history music and storytelling. She enjoys performing the sacred songs of Negro Spirituals and Gospel taught to her by her mother, and classic American music standards from

yesteryear, like God Bless The Child by Billie Holiday and other classic songs by great singers of jazz, circa 1930s, 40s and 50.  Tekelia writes music, poems, news stories and editorials using her SistersInBusiness.Net platform, and performs special events shows, including

student ticket-subsidy and special ceremonies.

 

Today, Tekelia is a freelance STEAM Teaching Aritst, Business Technology Educator and Education Technology Consultant.  For booking and more information about Tekelia, please contact us or visit www.tekeliakelly.com.

 

Tekelia C. Kelly

Entrepreneur, Engineer, Educator, Editor, Entertainer

 

"Celebrating life through song and story"


www.celebratechattanooga.com

www.tekeliakelly.com

www.sistersinbusiness.net

www.chipslearning.com

www.internchips.com

Tennessee Arts Commission Teaching Artist

www.facebook.com/TekeliaCKelly

www.twitter.com/tekeliakelly

www.linkedin.com/tekeliakelly

Mysterious Detours

By Dave Branon

 

 

Our Daily Bread

Read: Genesis 12:1-10; 13:1

Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them. —Psalm 22:4

Bible in a Year:
Isaiah 47-49; 1 Thessalonians 4

 

Before my wife and I embarked on a 400-mile road trip, I set up the GPS with our daughter’s home in Missouri as the destination. As we traveled through Illinois, the GPS instructed us to get off the Interstate, resulting in a detour through the city of Harvey. After the GPS directed us back to
I-80, I was baffled by this mysterious detour. Why were we directed off a perfectly good highway?

I’ll never know the answer. We continued on our way, and we trusted the GPS to get us there and home again.

That got me to thinking about detours in life. We may seem to be traveling on a smooth pathway. Then for some reason, God redirects us into an unfamiliar area. Perhaps it is an illness, or a crisis at work or school, or an unexpected tragedy occurs. We don’t understand what God is doing.

Abraham faced a mysterious detour when God told him, “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house” (Gen. 12:1). Surely Abraham must have wondered why God was routing him to the Negev desert. But he trusted God and His good purposes.

A GPS may make mistakes, but we can trust our unfailing God (Ps. 22:4). He will guide us through all our mysterious detours and lead us where He wants us to go.

 

 

We seek Your guidance, Lord, but we understand
that our path won’t always be without challenges.
Help us to trust You through the detours—knowing
that You have our best interests and Your honor at heart.

We don’t need to see the way when we stay close to the One who does.

"After roughtly two years in the making  on and off "It's Really Been Nice" aka "Chattanooga ChooChoo Me Home" and "Celebrate Chattanooga" have come into fruition!  How amazing it was for me to ironically discover over a year ago that Chattanooga would also be celebrating its 175th Anniversary in 2014.  Praise God!

 

                         -Tekelia C. Kelly, Nov. 2014

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