KYLE MURPHYStaff Writer

Fischer Flowers had one goal for when it was time to walk the line at Tullahoma High School: to be the valedictorian of his graduating class. Not only did he accomplish his goal, but when he receives his diploma he will be 15-years-old.

Fischer’s academic journey began when he was homeschooled for preschool and kindergarten. It was not until he was in second grade in public school where he, his family and Tullahoma City Schools officials took note that he was different among his peers.

“I just caught on to things a bit quicker,” Fischer said. “At first we decided to just have me skip a grade so I skipped the third grade and went into the fourth grade. I did well there.”

He then went into the fifth grade for one quarter of the school year before it was determined that he needed to advance more. So much so that he went from the fifth grade to the seventh grade.

“I’ve been with the class I am graduating with since the seventh grade,” he said.

From her perspective as both an educator and as his mother, Renee Flowers said Fischer picked up on his foundational skills and concepts very quickly, so by the time he went into second grade he was already ahead.

“That’s just a part of who he is,” Renee said. “We were blessed to have a school system that recognized that and is really focused on individual student needs and the support of admin teams, teachers and his gifted teachers to say ‘This is what this child needs to continue to be learning and growing at a pace that is appropriate for him.’”

By the time he entered high school as a freshman, Fischer decided he wanted be the valedictorian, but knew it would not be easy. So, he began taking dual enrollment classes during his sophomore and junior summers at Motlow State Community College, as well as taking as many Advanced Placement (AP) classes and dual enrollment classes he could during this last summer and fall semesters.

“I knew it was going to be really tight so I had to keep pushing myself to get more 5.0 credits which are available through the dual enrollment classes so that was my rationale.”

Fischer said from his perspective, other than taking dual enrollment and AP classes he feels that his experience at Tullahoma High School is not that much different than everybody else.  

It wasn’t until mid-January until Fischer was called into THS Principal Jason Quick’s office to be told that he achieved his goal of being named the Class of 2023’s valedictorian.

“He gave me a little bit of a hard time about it before he told me I was valedictorian,” he said. “I was relived and I was very glad that I reached my goal, especially considering last summer was the hardest semester of my high school year.”

When he wasn’t putting his time into his classes, Fischer was collecting the statistics for the THS Wildcats football team as their statistician since his freshman year, where he got to be a part of the team.

“I would go to every game and for each play I would record everybody involved in the play who touched the ball at some point, the yards they gained or lost, what kind of play it was, any points we got on the play, where we started and where we went. At the end I would compile each players’ stats into one sheet and give it to the coach.”

According to Renee, then Head Football Coach John Olive reached out to her to ask if Fischer would be interested in the role, as Olive heard of Fischer’s situation, and she said she would ask him, which he would accept.

“I think that was a lot of foresight and thinking about individual kids,” she said, “for Coach Olive to think outside the box and think ‘Okay, we have this 11-year-old entering high school. We got a spot for him on the football team that he can be a part of something where he wouldn’t have been able to compete physically but he can still be part of a team and he’ll be on our team.’ It was a huge blessing for Fischer’s journey.”

Fischer said it was a great experience and he was thankful to be a part of the team, especially during the 2021 season where the Wildcats became the TSSAA Class 4A State Football champions.

“It was a wonderful experience for everybody but everybody was nervous before the game,” Fischer said as he recalled that day in Chattanooga. “But then having the entire town rally around the team and drive out to Chattanooga and fill the stadium was awesome.”

Along with being the statistician, Fischer was a member of the track team for his freshman year but the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He is also a member of the NHS Mu Alpha Theta and the National English Honor Society. During his time in these clubs he participated in various donation drives which he said was nice to give back to the community. As for some of his fondest memories at THS, he said it was simply interactions with his peers and friends and being able to hang out with them during their downtime.

As for what’s next for Fischer, he said right now he’s hoping to go to either Sewanee: the University of the South or the University of Tennessee. No matter what school he ends up going to, Fischer said he plans to major in neuroscience, with a minor in business, before enrolling in medical school where he wants to have his own practice for surgeries. He hasn’t determined which specialty yet. His motivation to enter the medical field was watching a friend’s journey from surviving an accident where he sustained serious head and brain injuries. 

“He went to the hospital at Vanderbilt and they basically saved his life,” Fischer said. “I want to be able to do that with other people.”

Given his academic career was unique, Fischer said he has been lucky have his support system from his mom, who works at the high school as an assistant principal, to all of his teachers, including English teacher Sandy Klonaris and Economics teacher Shawn Martin, who he called “amazing.”

“I am lucky to have all my friends because putting up with an 11-year-old your first of high school must not be the most fun thing.”

Renee said she and her family are proud of Fischer for all the work he’s put in and for the Tullahoma City School system for looking at his unique situation and being opened to help him thrive and grow.

“It’s not about what you’ve been given at birth, what you were born with and what God has gifted you but it’s what you do with it,” she said. “I’m super proud of him for pushing himself and always wanting to learn and grow.”

Fischer said what he is most thankful for during his academic journey is how accepting everybody was and how supportive the community is at THS with the students, faculty and teachers.