Mrs. Brown-Curry
Mrs. Jil Brown-Curry teaches 6th grade Science. This is her 13th year teaching and her 11th teaching here at Mabry. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Florida A & M University and completed teacher certification requirements at the University of Central Florida. She holds certificates in middle grades science and Biology (6-12) in Georgia and Florida with concentrations in math and social science.

Mrs. Brown-Curry taught all grade levels and all branches of middle school science at least once in her career. She also has a strong math background. One can tell that Mrs. Brown-Curry is passionate about her field by simply stepping into her classroom or joining one of her class discussions. She is an energetic, optimistic and enthusiastic instructor with the gift of extrinsic motivation. She respects and values her students' input and opinions. She believes that all children can and will learn and has made it her personal mission to help each child strive to reach his/her maximum potential.

Mrs. Carroll
Mrs. Leslie Carroll comes from a family of educators and in her over twenty-seven year career has taught most of the sciences in middle and high school. Moving a few times with her husband Rob has provided her with experiences in teaching in diverse environments in Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina. Mrs. Carroll is the Science Department Coordinator and teaches 8th grade advanced content physical science. She is beginning her fifth year at Mabry and has also taught seventh grade advanced content Life Science.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Science Education from the University of Georgia and a Master of Education (Secondary Science) from the State University of West Georgia. Mrs. Carroll is also gifted certified. She has continued her education throughout her career with interesting coursework: aeronautics through NASA in Houston, learning about sea turtles as an intern on St. Catherines Island, learning about the advancing field of biotechnology at GSU, and lichen ecology at UGA- just to name a few.

She has presented in Los Angeles, with other Mabry educators, to present at the NSTA National Conference on science education. It was a thrill to share how Mabry students are using their research and techno-skills to create awesome wildlife documentaries.

In defining her philosophy of science education, Mrs. Carroll states, "To best comprehend science, students need to learn how to think like a scientist and participate in the scientific process. I am very lab based and think that the most memorable learning experiences are hands-on, both in the classroom and in the environment in which we live. Learning styles are different and by offering diverse learning opportunities, hopefully each student can find the spark that will generate a lifelong appreciation and quest for scientific understanding."

Mrs. Carroll was honored as the system-wide Teacher of the Year in Floyd County Schools in 1998-99. While living in Rome, she earned recognition from the community and state (Georgia Department of Natural Resources Outstanding Educator Award) for her work in programs that involve students in environmental education. Mrs. Carroll has since worked to involve Mabry students in environmental activities through her classes and the science club. She is proud of the recognition that Mabry students earned in 2005 as statewide winners at the Youth Environmental Symposium sponsored by the Georgia Conservancy. Their project to educate others about issues in Sweat Mountain Park was creative and fun. This past year the Mabry Rivers Alive event was recognized as best in the state in the largest event category!

Mrs. Carroll's hobbies include "anything science", tennis, and her new passion, golf. This summer she has been working on her golf game, traveling, and enjoying playing on many interesting and challenging courses. Mrs. Carroll and her husband Rob have two wonderful sons, Robert and William. William is in graduate school studying chemistry and Robert is working in Atlanta.

Mrs. Castro
Mrs. Anne Castro, a certified teacher, is one of our dedicated special education paraprofessionals. She has been with Cobb County for 15 years; this being her 6th year at Mabry. She lived in California most of her life. During those years in beautiful Southern California, she taught Special Education (21 years) including Orthopedically Handicapped, Autism, and Deaf/Blind.

She loves traveling, gardening, tennis, volleyball, and reading. In California, she played competitive tennis for years and won many tournaments. One of her favorite wins was the time the celebration was on the Queen Mary in Long Beach Harbor. Her picture was even in the paper the next morning!!

She has been married for 40 years to her high school sweetheart, and has 3 grown children. The true pride and joy of her life are her 5 grandchildren, Tyler, Morgan Anne, Madison, Peyton, and Hannah Grace. Keeping up with them keeps her young!!

Mrs. Castro feels that working in special education is a privilege, and she states that she is blessed to be able to do this at a great school like Mabry, with such a dedicated staff. She says that, "Meeting the challenges of a special education student makes me a better person."

Mrs. Chouinard-Jahant
Mrs. Chouinard-Jahant or Mrs. CJ was born in California but has lived many places. She spent her childhood in Hawaii, Utah, and Colorado before returning to Laguna Beach, California. She attended high school at Laguna Beach High School and then moved to Westwood to attend the University of California Los Angeles. Her last year at UCLA, she studied abroad in Norwich England, where she traveled and experienced life in Europe. After graduating with a BA in Anthropology, she traveled extensively while she worked as a travel agent. She visited Asia, Africa, and South America. After five years of traveling, she settled down in Boston and met her husband.

She moved to Atlanta ten years ago. She returned to college and received a BS in Education from Kennesaw State University, a Master's in Education from the University of Phoenix, and is currently completing her doctoral degree in Educational Psychology from Walden University. She holds teaching certificates in middle grades gifted education, science, social studies and language arts. She has been teaching in Cobb County for four years at Tapp Middle School in AC science, and this will be her first year at Mabry teaching 7th grade science and AC social studies.

Mrs. CJ has three children Gabrial 9, Zachary 8, and Elijah 5, and they all attend Davis Elementary School. She loves to travel, read, and spend time with her family. She loves to collect snow globes, teapots, and masks on her travels and has many from around the world. She loves her morning Starbucks and starting the day teaching and sharing ideas. She loves being able to share her experiences and discuss world issues with her students whether they are science or social studies based. She also loves to mentor students and was science club coordinator at her last school. At Mabry she will co-sponsor the Georgia BEST Robotics competition and Future City Competition with Mrs. Carroll and Mr. Watterson.

Mr. Connelly

Mr. Connelly is our new Assistant Principal. He was born and raised in Berea, KY graduating from Berea College with a degree in Industrial Technology with a minor emphasis in Agriculture. During college he worked as a blacksmith, butcher and barn builder as part of the tuition deferment plan. He worked as an architectural designer for eight years before moving to Memphis, TN where he completed his Master’s degree in Education. He taught for five years before becoming an administrator at a K-8 school in Shelby County, TN. Upon moving to East Cobb last year, Mr. Connelly worked at J. J. Daniell Middle school as an Assistant Principal.

Mr. Connelly enjoys working in his yard and on home improvement projects around the house. He sings in the choral group “The Michael O’Neal Singers” along with his church choir. He is married with three children aged 24, 21, and 18.

Mrs. Cushman
Mrs. Cushman is one of our 6th grade LA teachers. A veteran teacher with a rich 23 year history, she is passionate about teaching children the arts of language. She has been on the Mabry staff for four years and a Cobb County teacher for 17 years.

Mrs. Cushman has 25 years of experience and has taught at Mabry for 9 years. Her two children attended Mabry and graduated from Lassiter High School. Her son is a Georgia Tech graduate and her daughter recently graduated, chemistry major, at Kennesaw State and is beginning her teaching career this year.

As the daughter of a Navy Captain, she spent two years in Pearl Harbor and learned to swim with the dolphins at Waikiki Beach. Her family was there to celebrate Hawaii becoming the 50th state in our union.

After her father's retirement, the family settled in New Bern, North Carolina, where she enjoyed New Bern's rich, colonial history. Her family participated in water sports of all kinds-she even had her own sailboat!

Mrs. Cushman received an Associate of Arts degree from Peace College in Raleigh, North Carolina, and a Bachelor of Science degree from East Caroline University in Greenville, North Carolina.

Mrs. Cushman enjoys working in her yard and loves curling up with her cat to read a good book.

Mrs. Davis
Mrs. Elizabeth Davis is a 6th grade science teacher. She has been teaching for 11 years, all of them at Mabry. She also serves as Mabry's Performing Arts Coordinator and mentors KSU students for future teaching positions. Mrs. Davis loves technology and hands-on learning experiences for her students in science. She even has produced an iMovie for parents and students that presents an overview of her curriculum.

Mrs. Davis loves to show students a picture she had taken with Bill Nye, the Science Guy, at the NSTA conference that was held in Atlanta. Having the picture taken made her feel like a real science geek! Mrs. Davis has taken students to the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Park. Students have enjoyed hiking, seeing wildlife such as wolves, bears, bison, coyotes, elks, and moose. Students experienced geysers, the Continental Divide, and the Grand Teton mountains. They also enjoyed Las Vegas for the Grand Canyon trip and Old Faithful and Jackson Hole, Wyoming for Yellowstone.

Mrs. Davis volunteers as the awards coordinator for the Strong Legs Run, for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. One of her hobbies is scuba diving, and she have been diving in Negril, Jamaica, Panama City, Florida, and in the Living Seas Tank in the Epcot Center of Walt Disney World, which was so exciting because she was in the tank with many different species of fish, stingrays, and even a shark. More of her hobbies include scrapbooking and funk aerobics.

Her father was in the Marines, so Mrs. Davis lived in South Carolina, Virginia, California, and Tennessee. After graduating from Middle Tennessee State University with a BS in Aerospace Administration, she was commissioned into the U.S. Army as an officer. She attended Officer Basic Course and Helicopter Flight Training at Fort Rucker, Alabama, where she learned to fly the UH-1 (Huey) and the OH-58A (which are like the traffic helicopters that fly over Atlanta) with over 500 flying hours. After completing flight school, she was sent to Bad Kreuznach, Germany near Frankfurt and was part of the 8th Infantry Division.

While in Germany, she and her husband traveled all over Germany, France, England, Austria, Switzerland, and Berlin. The Mabry students love to hear about the helicopters that Mrs. Davis flew, weapons that she shot, and the many places to which she has traveled. Mrs. Davis loves her second career, teaching, and loves to do lots of hands-on experiments. Her students don’t just read about science, they do science! She has her Master’s Degree in Middle Grades Education from Mercer University in Atlanta, is married to a teacher, and is the mother of two boys.

Mrs. Decker
Mrs. Beth Decker is our Pupil Personnel Clerk.

She is responsible for keeping our attendance records.

If you have a question about your (or your child's) attendance, feel free to contact her.

Mr. Doemel
Mr. Chris Doemel is the Orchestra teacher at Mabry. He does an excellent job of preparing our students to participate in the Lassiter Orchestra Program. It just so happens that Mr. Doemel's wife is the orchestra director for Lassister High School.

Mr. Doemel was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and earned his Bachelor of Music degree from Southeast Missouri State University and his Master of Music degree from Florida State University. He spent 4 years in the US Army and was stationed at Ft. McPherson in the Forces Command (3rd Army) band.

Mr. Doemel has been a professional musician for 27 years now, playing french horn for his 20th season with the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra. He has taught a total of 15 years, all in Cobb County, at Nash, Campbell, Dodgen, and Mabry middle schools. This is his 7th year at Mabry.

Under his leadership, the Mabry Symphony performed at the 2006 Georgia Music Educators Conference, which is a notable honor. He has arranged for the commission of a new work for full orchestra to be premiered at the Georgia Music Educators' Association Conference this year.

Outside of the school day Mr. Doemel stays busy with family activities including traveling and sports. Other interests include coaching youth baseball, teaching religion classes and playing in a community band. When asked for a little-known fact about himself, Mr. Doemel responded, "I used to have really killer hair."

Mrs. Earl
Mrs. Janell Earl, a native of North Carolina, is one of our hard-working and dedicated paraprofessionals. She attended Appalachian State University where she earned a B.S. in Elementary Ed. (1-8). Mrs. Earl taught in the Shelby and Charlotte-Mecklenburg school systems (6th and 8th grades) before her two children were born. She was active in their schools as they moved from Charlotte to Atlanta, then to Greenville, S.C., and then back to Atlanta. She worked in the Cobb County system as an supply teacher and a substitute for many years before she began working as a paraprofessional. She loves working with her students and helping them to be successful in school. She says that she especially enjoys seeing their faces when they perform above even their own expectations.

Mrs. Earl enjoys gardening and going to the beach with family during the summer. She has given up tennis, but loves to walk in her neighborhood. She is active in her church and has especially enjoyed and benefited from a program in the women's ministry. Mrs. Earl was able to go to China with other volunteer teachers and teach English to Chinese middle school teachers in a Chinese middle school. During her three trips to China, she was also able to visit the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and many other places that she said she never dreamed she would ever see. Mrs. Earl has gone with the group to Thailand twice- to teach and work at orphanages. She even rode an elephant in the countryside on one of her trips.

Mrs. Earl states that her greatest joy is her grandchildren. She has a six year old granddaughter and a grandson who is four. They live in Andover, MA, so she doesn't get to see them as much as she would like. She said, "I love what I do, and I love my life. I look forward to a great year working with the teachers and students at Mabry this year." Her kindness and dedication to our students make her an invaluable part of our staff.

Mrs. Judy Evans
Mrs. Judy Evans is the art teacher at Mabry Middle School. This is her fourth year at Mabry. She was born in Bethesda, Maryland and says that she was raised as a military brat (her father was a Rear Admiral in the Navy). One of the highlights of her youth was living in Athens, Greece (courtesy of the Navy).

Mrs. Evans received her Bachelors degree at Penn State University. She majored in art education. She taught for three years in Doylestown, Pa. after college, then moved to Marietta, Ga. where she became a stay-at-home mom and taught private art lessons. After three years in Marietta she and her family moved to Washington D.C. From D.C. it was on to Sarasota, Florida, for 10 years.

In Sarasota Mrs. Evans taught pre-school for nine years and was a volunteer art mom at the local elementary school. From Sarasota it was back to Marietta, Georgia. She has lived in Marietta longer than any other place, so it is considered her home. She worked at a Montessori school for two years and was a parapro at Teasley Elementary for ten years. During this time Mrs. Evans was an ASP director, taught summer camps at the YMCA and The Marietta Cobb art museum. She was the art teacher at Powers Ferry Elementary for three years and was voted Teacher of the Year. From Powers Ferry she went to Adairsville Middle School for three years and is glad to no longer be making that commute.

Mrs. Evans' husband is a P.E. teacher in Cobb, and she has two children and two step children. Her daughter is an 8th grade science teacher. She loves animals and hiking in the mountains, going to art exhibits and creating art. She has been a volunteer at Kennestone Hospital and Cobb Animal Shelter. Her goal is that every student understands and appreciates the importance of art and creativity in our world. Her passion is to see a student enjoy creating an art work and being proud of his/her accomplishment. We always look forward to seeing what incredible work her students will post around the school next!

Mrs. Glenn
Mrs. Glenda Glenn teaches 7th grade advanced content social studies. She has served in a variety of capacities, including working for eight years as an Instructional Lead Teacher before coming to Mabry a second time.

Mrs. Glenn builds her course content delivery around a CIA theme that she calls the Glenn Intelligence Agency (GIA) where students conduct global investigations using higher level thinking skills.

After years of taking students on European tours, Mrs. Glenn embarked on several international educational exchanges of her own including Australia, Russia, Germany, and a Fulbright Memorial Teacher excursion to Japan. During these exchanges she lived in the country for a month- visiting the schools, touring, and enjoying cultural experiences.

Her passion is teaching and developing challenging, differentiated lessons for students. She's been nationally recognized several times for innovative curriculum development including the Sidney P. Marland Award from Johns Hopkins University and the prestigious Leavey Award for Excellence in Private Enterprise Education. She has also been recognized as a Georgia Outstanding Social Studies Educator.

Mrs. Glenn has carefully crafted her career so that she could teach children and adults. Intech, Models of Integrating Technology, Tech Connect Online, and Hone Your Presentation Skills are a few of the staff development classes she has taught to teachers. She is an instructor for the CCSD Gifted Endorsement classes and has developed an online portion in Blackboard. She has also worked as an adjunct professor at Kennesaw State, Brenau and Mercer universities and is currently on the Middle Grades Advisory Board at KSU.

The field of gifted education is most meaningful to her as she was one of the first teachers in the state of Georgia to receive gifted endorsement in the 70s, thus giving her three decades of experience with the gifted learner.

Mr. Graber
Mr. Tim Graber is one of Mabry's Physical Education coaches. He also teaches Health. He has been a teacher in Cobb County for 11 years, all of them at Mabry. Coach Graber, who grew up in Opelika, Alabama, had two loves in High School: playing offensive tackle for the Opelika Bulldogs and playing lead trumpet in the Opelika High School Jazz and concert bands. He says that it was a blast being able to do music and sports.

Coach Graber attended Auburn University and earned two education degrees: a Bachelors Degree in 1994, and a Masters in 1997. As an undergraduate he was a member of The Auburn University Marching Band where, as a freshman in 1989, he got to march in the Inaugural Parade for President George H. Bush. Mr. Graber's wife is Trellys Graber, one of our 7th grade math teachers. They are the proud parents of twin sons born November 5, 2004 and had another son in June 2007! Naturally they spend most of their spare time with them. Coach Graber is very active with our Intramurals program. He loves team sports.

Mrs. Hansard
Mrs. Deana Hansard is our In School Suspension teacher. She is also in charge of our morning Study Hall, which begins at 8:15AM this year. She is one of a few: she was born here in Marietta at Kennestone Hospital and remains in Cobb County today. She graduated from Sprayberry High School, a Lassiter rival. She earned her Bachelor's Degree at Kennesaw College in Middle Grades Education, with a major in math and a minor in language arts (which her students will verify since she is consistent in helping them with their correct grammar).

Ms. Hansard is following in the footsteps of her grandmother, mother, 2 aunts and 1 uncle by entering the classroom. This is her 24th year; her first 14 years were at Tapp Middle, and this is her 10th year as a Mabry Charger. Her dedication to the profession has been blessed, often, but being named to Who's Who Among America's Teachers three times by former students makes it even more rewarding.

Her spare time involves a love of football; as her classroom displays, she is an avid fan of the UGA "Dawgs." She, also, enjoys singing in the church choir, working in the yard and country music. [She went to SHS w/ Travis Tritt.] Ms. Hansard's free-time does not involve as much travel as she'd like, but when able, she "does it up well." In the last few years, she enjoyed a week in Hawaii and a cruise to Alaska, which evolved from the generosity of a former student who played professional football.

Her time at Mabry involves the Charger Club and assisting in fund-raising. In one fund-raiser, she was fortunate enough to "win" the opportunity to kiss Wilbur, a live pig!

Mrs. Hartnett
Mrs. Carmen Hartnett teaches 8th grade Language Arts. She moved to Atlanta 8 years ago from St. Louis, Mo., and she and her family have never looked back (though they are still avid fans of the Cardinals and Rams!). She received her Master's Degree in Education from the University of Missouri with special certification in remedial reading. She has been a teacher since 1975 and is beginning her eighth year at Mabry. Her three children have attended Cobb schools since then.

Mrs. Hartnett enjoys reading, walking, being at the beach (any beach, at any time), and spending time with her friends and family. Born in Havana, Cuba, she is fluent in Spanish AND "Spanglish" ! She is often heard around Mabry indulging in her first language with the Spanish teacher .

Mrs. Hartnett was Mabry's Teacher of the Year in 2005-2006 and still feels thankful and honored for the privilege of representing her colleagues. She teaches eighth grade language arts, a position she feels is the perfect fit for her. She believes strongly in the importance of teaching writing to her students, a skill that she is convinced has become paramount to success in one's academic and professional goals. "The challenge that comes with this position is exciting and unique. Eighth graders are creative, funny, and impassioned, themselves, about every aspect of their lives. How can one not thrive being around them every day?"

Mrs. Heflin
Mrs. Merrilee Heflin is proud to be Mabry's Principal and begins her second year at Mabry Middle School. She comes to us with an impressive professional background spanning 33 years, with school leadership experience in Georgia, Indiana, and Illinois.  Most recently Mrs. Heflin enjoyed four years of success as Principal of J. J. Daniell Middle School.  Within Cobb County School District she has also served as Assistant Administrator, both at Daniell and McCleskey Middle School.  She has lived in Georgia for the past 15 years.

Mrs. Heflin began her career as a high school special education teacher in rural Southern Illinois.  Having grown up as a city girl in Chicago, she found the change in culture both interesting and exciting.  She has been fortunate throughout her career to work for innovative districts which offered rich opportunities for learning and leadership.  Previous leadership roles in Illinois and Indiana include:  Curriculum Coordinator, Assistant Director for Special Education, Assistant Principal, and Principal of a Catholic school.  She has earned a Bachelors of Science and Masters of Science degree from Southern Illinois University.  Her most recent participation in the Principal’s Institute at Harvard University this summer is reflective of her continued priority on lifelong learning. 

Mrs. Heflin has always had a passion for success, and strives to meet varied goals reflecting a balance in life.  She is a caring professional who is exceptionally proud of her personal accomplishments as a wife, mother, sister, and friend to many.  She has been happily married for twenty-seven years, and has two adult daughters.  Her oldest daughter Rachel is a special education teacher at Rocky Mount Elementary, while her youngest daughter Lauren is enrolled at Georgia Southern University.  Both girls are products of the Cobb County School District, having attended Blackwell Elementary, McCleskey Middle, and Sprayberry High School. 

This year Mrs. Heflin’s theme for Mabry is:  “Exploring Faces of Success”.  Students have followed her lead by researching and sharing daily quotes with her.  A quote she lives by in leading middle school students is: 
            “If you treat an individual as he is, he will stay as he is, but if you treat him
            as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought
            to be and what he could be.”                            Goethe

Mrs. Hendrix
Mrs. Gail Hendrix was born in Athens, Georgia, and was raised in Jacksonville, Florida. She completed her B.S. degree in English Education from UGA in 3 years, and has been married for 35 years to a Georgia Tech graduate. When her children were 5, 8, and 11 years old, she completed her Masters of Library Science from the State University of New York at Albany in 1 year.

Mrs. Hendrix's 3 children have all now completed college; both red-headed daughters have Masters Degrees. Katie teaches French and Spanish in Rochester, New York (her husband is a direct descendant of Sir Francis Drake), and her daughter Beth is 4. Julie is a registered dietician (her husband works for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers). Joseph has a Computer Information Systems degree from Kennesaw State, and referees high school basketball.

Mrs. Hendrix's other interests include music, sports, crafts, and travel. She sang her first solo when she was 4 years old, and has sung in school choruses, church choirs, been a church accompanist, children's choir director, and children's musical director. She plays piano (for pleasure only), and has maracas, castanets, and cats paws (musical rhythm instrument). Mrs. Hendrix has also been involved in swim meets - setting up, coordinating, and running meets, and also serving as a swim meet official. She is now learning to play golf, and her number one goal is to get a birdie. Mrs. Hendrix also enjoys cross-stitch and creating scrap books. She has traveled to Bermuda, London, France, and Canada, and lived in Georgia, Florida, California, Maryland, and New York.

After spending almost 20 years in upstate New York, Mrs. Hendrix is enjoying the warmer climate of Georgia, especially after surviving a rollover accident (the day after a snowstorm) caused by black ice, and landing upside down hanging by her seat belt. Ask her about the limerick she wrote describing the accident.

A life-long learner, and voracious reader, Mrs. Hendrix completed an online course in Information Literacy last summer, and read 28 books! She loves Middle School students' enthusiasm, creativity, and inquisitiveness, sharing books with students, and discovering the world of information with them. This is where life happens, and it is never boring!

Mrs. Hieber
Born in Cuba, Mrs. Terri Hieber, one of our outstanding special education teachers at Mabry Middle School, speaks Spanish fluently. She attended Georgia Military College in Milledgeville, Georgia, from the eighth grade until she graduated from high school. Later, she attended Georgia State University, where she earned a B.S. degree in Biology and a masters degree in Special Education. She has been in education for 27 years, 21 of which have been at Mabry.

When asked about her professional passion Mrs. Hieber said, "I enjoy making a positive impact in student's lives. It's especially rewarding to be able to change students' false belief systems, and turn them around so that they can achieve academic success and feel good about themselves."

Mrs. Hieber's personal hobbies include water sports, interior design, and bargain shopping. She loves driving her new sporty car as well. Mrs. Hieber is involved with various church activities, and she sponsors a child from Sri Lanka.

Mr. Howard
Mr. David Howard has taught 30 years in Cobb County with 7 of those at Mabry. He presently teaches 7th grade Social Studies on team 72. He believes that the world is the true classroom for learning and bringing technology into his Social Studies classes allows exploration into all corners of the world. With both parents in education and great teachers in his life, Mr. Howard became a life long learner at an early age. His wife, Angela, is also a middle school educator in Cobb County and he has two sons. Matt recently graduated from North Georgia Military College, while Peter is at N. Metro Tech . Mr. Howard loves working with the Boy Scouts (ask him if you need help) and both of his sons have earned their Eagle Scout Award.

His undergraduate degree is from Troy State University and he began his teaching career thirty years ago in Cobb County. Mr. Howard has earned his Master's in Middle Grades Education from West Georgia College and his Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Georgia. He is a member in the Phi Delta Kappa Educational Fraternity and was the past president of the Kennesaw Mountain Chapter. Mr. Howard is an active member of the Presbyterian Coalition for Habitat for Humanity and has just completed helping build their 20th house in Cobb Co. All of the homes have been for families that have children that attend Cobb County Schools and Marietta City Schools. He really enjoys seeing the families move into a home that provides a safe and stable environment for the children.

He loves to travel, read biographies , and do wood working. He has a thirst to learn new teaching strategies, new uses of technology, and collaborating with the wonderful Mabry teachers. Mr. Howard has a large collection of ties that the students find interesting. He is eager to lend a helping hand at Mabry with anything that is needed to assist students and staff. He enjoys being part of the school community at Mabry and is proud to be a Charger.

Mrs. Ingram
Mrs. Sandy Ingram is the School Nurse at Mabry. Mrs. Ingram was born in El Paso, Texas, and grew up primarily in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Lander University and her Nursing Degree from The University of South Carolina.

Mrs. Ingram has been a nurse for 10 years. She has worked in Critical Care for over 4 yrs. She has been a part of the Cobb County School District for 5 years now supporting nursing clinics as an Itinerant Nurse and working directly in the school clinics. This is Mrs. Ingram's second tour of duty at Mabry and she is delighted to be back. She truly enjoys getting to know the kids and helping them get well and stay healthy!

Outside of school - Mrs. Ingram stays busy with her family, friends, and the community. She has a husband and a son who is 13. She is "team mom" for her son's football team and supports his classroom at his school as room mom. She also enjoys traveling with her family and has enjoyed trips to Maui, Hawaii and a cruise in the Caribbean.

Mrs. Israel-Hiles
Mrs. Eve Israel-Hiles teaches 8th grade French and reading at Mabry. She has taught for 10 years in Cobb County and years at Mabry. Mrs. Israel-Hiles also has a love for the study of and instruction in Latin, which she has taught as part of Cobb County's extended-day foreign language program. Mrs. Israel-Hiles has a degree in Sociology from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. After staying home with her daughter, Jessica, until she entered grade school, Mrs. Israel-Hiles attended Kennesaw State University, where she received a degree in Foreign Language Education.

In the classroom, Mrs. Israel-Hiles likes to make learning interesting, fun and challenging. A gifted-certified teacher, Mrs. Israel-Hiles shares the subjects she teaches in creative and engaging ways. She believes in guiding students to discover their own answers to the questions they ask. Teaching languages (including English) is much more to Mrs. Israel-Hiles than instructing students to converse, read and write well. Studying the cultures of Europe and the United States offers students the opportunity to understand many diverse societies. Mrs. Israel-Hiles' goal is to foster in her students a deeper understanding of and appreciation for other people.

Outside of school, Mrs. Israel-Hiles' passions are her family and friends, reading, animals, cooking, sports, and surfing (the Net!). She can often be found reading a book while curled up with one or more of her four pets. When she's not reading or at the computer, she may be in the kitchen or on the tennis court.

Over the past few years, Mrs. Israel-Hiles has caught the travel bug. She has led groups of students to Quebec, Italy, Switzerland, Monaco, and France! These trips have been the highlight of her life as she shares with others the cultures of the countries she loves, studies, and teaches.

Mrs. Israel-Hiles' inspiration is her mother, herself an educator for over 30 years. Her mother's zest for life, cooking prowess, love of learning, and enthusiasm in the classroom are models that Mrs. Israel-Hiles aspires to create in her own life.

Little known about Mrs. Israel-Hiles is that she is a relative of the late Larry Fine of the Three Stooges!

Mrs. Jackson
Mrs. Cindy Jackson is our 8th grade counselor. She also serves as the counselor for half of our 7th grade students. Mrs. Jackson has worked at Mabry for 11 years and is always extremely helpful. If you need to "bend her ear," she is eager to help you. Living in our community, with two children who attended Mabry and Lassister, she will certainly understand your concerns. Her children currently attend the University of Georgia.

Prior to working at Mabry Mrs. Jackson taught social studies at every age level from 6th grade through adult education. She has her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Florida State University and the University of South Florida.

When she's not reading, redecorating the house, or watching old movies, Mrs. Jackson is having fun remodeling her home.

Mrs. Jackson works with students to help them build their self-esteem while discovering themselves, their strengths, talents, and uniqueness. Her professional passions include helping children see that learning is just a whole lot of fun.

Mr. Johnson
Mr. Lamar Johnson teaches Business Education and is a graduate of Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, where he earned his B.S. in Accounting and a teaching certificate in Business Education. Before teaching at Mabry he taught at Alpharetta High School in Fulton County where he taught EXCEL and Computer Applications.

The Computer Applications course introduced keyboarding techniques, Internet activities, basic computer applications, and skill-building in the areas of word processing, spreadsheet, database, and graphics and technology integration.

Before going to Fulton County, Mr. Johnson taught at Woodstock Middle School, and was the head coach of the Woodstock High School Cross Country team. He even formerly taught middle school Business Education in Cobb County. When he's not running long distances, or running a marathon (he's completed 12 already), he enjoys spending time with friends, family, and his wife of two years, Sabrina.

Mrs. Johnson
Mrs. Nancy Johnson was born and raised in New Mexico. After high school in Clovis, she attended New Mexico State University in Las Cruces where she planned to earn her degree in education. Life and circumstances led her in another direction, and she eventually went to work in the business world. Later she earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from the University of New Mexico (UNM) in Albuquerque.

Mrs. Johnson worked in the business field for several years, but after her children were born she quit work to stay home with them. When they entered preschool, Mrs. Johnson went with them as a volunteer. She immediately knew that she wanted to work with children, and she returned to school to become a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP).

Mrs. Johnson earned a Master's Degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences from the University of New Mexico and after a clinical fellowship year, where she worked under supervision, she earned the Certificate of Clinical Competence, a national certification awarded by ASHA, the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association.

Her experience in her field includes two summers at UNM as a clinician in the summer literacy program. This program was designed as an intensive literacy experience for students who use augmentative communication devices. Mrs. Johnson has worked in preschool with the Child Find program and in kindergarten through twelfth grades. She has been at Mabry for 6 years and truly enjoy the students here. One of the things she really enjoys about her job is that her students stay with her all three years. She says, "It's fun to watch them come to Mabry as anxious 6th graders and develop into confident 8th graders ready to take on high school."

Mrs. Johnson is married to Jesse and has two daughters, Amy and Tessa, who both attend the University of Georgia, Amy as a graduate student, and Tessa as a senior. She has a dog, Shadow, and a cat, Thomas. Moving to Georgia was an adjustment for her family, but they are beginning to think of it as home. They especially love the green and the flowers! Mrs. Johnson enjoys cooking, sewing, gardening, and reading, but has not had much time to do many of those things over the last few years. With her girls at college she is looking forward to some free time to rediscover old interests.

Mrs. Johnson's office is in the Media Center. Please stop by if you have questions, concerns, or need information.

She is the South East Regional Museum Educator supporting ten states for the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Mrs. Kaplan has been honored as:

* Honor Teacher Nominee of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, 1999 and 2002
* Martin Luther King Jr. Nominee for Academic Excellence from Emory University, 2002
* Spirit of Anne Frank Award, Educator 2004, from Anne Frank Center USA
* Distinguished Holocaust Educator of the Year 2005, sponsored by the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust and the Georgia Department of Education.

As a young girl, Mrs. Kirshner, tutored her brother who had a learning disability. Naturally she focused her own education in special needs, starting with hearing impaired but later settled into learning disabilities when she attended the University of South Florida. Mrs. Kirshner juggled a combination of jobs to put herself through college. Not surprising, one of those positions was a teacher of pre-school children.

After graduating from USF, Mrs. Kirshner worked "flipping hamburgers" with special education high school graduates in the BKapable Program for Burger King. "Working at Burger King is more difficult than you think. It is important to match auditory learners with auditory positions like drive thru, and make sure visual learners are reading the screens to fill orders. Otherwise the entire "fast" food system can break down" she explains.

Mrs. Kirshner later began teaching special education at the elementary level, K-5. She relocated to Marietta with her husband and 3 children in 1992. She has been an educator at Mabry Middle School for 16 years. "The first year at the middle school level was tough. In fact, there were days when I didn't think I would survive middle school. But I quickly learned to love it, and couldn't imagine living without it!" she states.

Besides education, Mrs. Kirshner is passionate about softball! She has been the pitcher for her 1st place co-ed softball team the past 5 years. Her hobbies include collecting snowmen & mini-teapots, along with interior decorating. "I am an HGTV junkie" she proudly proclaims."

Mrs. Kirshner is proud to proclaim that, in their rookie year, her 6th grade students participated in the 05/06 Mabry Film Festival and walked away WINNERS! The i-Movie titled, From Fantasy 2 Fact, won first place for the category of Best Dramatic Comedy.

Mrs. Klucsarits received her Masters Degree in Special Education from Florida State University. After teaching at a private school in Thomasville, Georgia, for three years, she relocated to the Atlanta area where she continued to pursue her educational endeavors. She completed her add-on certificate in Educational Leadership at the University of Georgia, and received a Specialist Degree in December 2005.

Mrs. Klucsarits married in 2002, and she and her husband have a beautiful daughter, Kate. Besides work, school, and family, Donna enjoys caring for her two cats, Sherman and Callie. She also enjoys reading, baking, tennis, and following her beloved Florida State Seminoles.

Mr. Kornegay
Mr. Charlie Kornegay is one of the outstanding special education teachers at Mabry Middle School. He has been a teacher at Mabry for over 15 years. Mr. Kornegay works with students who have difficulties successfully meeting school expectations or progressing as expected academically. He is adept at matching school requirements with student abilities to assure adequate student learning. Mr. Kornegay also works collaboratively within the faculty to develop and implement individualized student behavior management plans.

Before joining the Mabry faculty, Mr. Kornegay was a career Air Force Officer. During his Air Force career, he was primarily involved with intercontinental ballistic missile operations, providing technical instruction to other officers, and managing major aircraft procurements. Mr. Kornegay has a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Illinois State University with concentrations in secondary education, political science, and economics. He holds graduate degrees in Public Administration and Special Education from the University of Northern Colorado and the State University of West Georgia. He is also a graduate of the Air Force's Air Command and Staff College and Air War College.

Mrs. Kulkarni emphasizes hands on activities in her classroom and believes students learn best by experimenting and investigating. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Education in addition to her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Science. She came to the United States from India in 1996. We are delighted she is a member of the Mabry family.

Mrs. Lambert is originally from Florida where she was a stay-at-home mom of 2 boys: James and Joe. When her husband's career moved them to Georgia she looked for part-time work that would allow for maximum family time. Becoming a "lunch-lady" at her children's elementary school was the answer. After 4 years at Baker Elementary, Mrs. Lambert loved her job so much that she decided managing a cafeteria of her own was the perfect next step. She landed here at Mabry in August of 2004 and plans on being here a very long time.

Mrs. Lambert seems to know exactly what the kids are looking for when they come to lunch, after all she's feeding two growing teenage boys at home. In her spare time she feeds and educates the North Cobb Football team about sports nutrition. She is also the secretary of the Touchdown Club. Along with the boys and husband Jim, Mrs. Lambert shares her home with 2 dogs, 2 cats and lots of fish!

Mrs. Larkin has been a lifeguard for 11 years, and is now a Red Cross Instructor for lifeguarding, first aid, and CPR. Her best childhood memories, aside from the beach, are of National Wildlife Camp, a wilderness survival summer camp sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation. The camp is located in North Carolina. She was a camper for 8 years. Her experiences with plants and animals at this camp are what lead her to become a science teacher.

In her spare time she is a counselor at Camp Greystone in North Carolina, teaching swim lessons and working with the children and youth at her church. Her community passion is working in homeless shelters and tutoring homeless children. Ms. Larkin's best friend is her Pug, Chica.

She likes Life Science because it is gross, fun, interactive, and relevant to the real world all at the same time. Plus, the kids are really into gross and fun! This school year she says that she is looking most forward to iMovie (her team took home a coveted statue), Jekyll Island, and Piggy Week!

Ms. Lemmick
Kimberly Lemmick is a 1998 alumnus of Lassiter High School. While in high school she was a member of the Georgia All-State Band, District 12 Honor Band and served as Drum Major for the marching band during her senior year. A flute player, she received her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Kennesaw State University. While in college she performed with the Wind Ensemble, Flute Ensemble, and various chamber ensembles. She has also performed with the Atlanta Wind Symphony, Cobb Wind Symphony, the Georgia All-College Band, and the College Band Directors National Association Intercollegiate Band. Additionally. She has performed at Carnegie Hall with the National Wind Ensemble and at The Midwest Clinic in Chicago on two separate occasions. While working with the flute section and drum majors, Ms. Lemmick has been an instructor with the Lassiter H.S. Marching Band since 1999.

Ms. Lemmick is very excited be at Mabry Middle School for her second year. Before coming to Mabry Middle School, she spent three years as Associate Director of Bands at Floyd Middle School in Cobb County. In addition to assisting with the school's concert bands at all grade levels, she was the yearbook advisor for the school. Ms. Lemmick resides in Woodstock, Georgia.

Mrs. Lippincott was awarded the Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year, which means a lot to her because it is awarded based on student nomination. Her family really believes in education. Her mother is a retired teacher. Her two older sisters are teachers in South Carolina (one is an elementary school teacher and the other teaches preschool). Her brother is a high school teacher, teaching drivers education and PE. He also coaches two sports: football and baseball.

Mrs. Lippincott spends most of her free time with her 3 wonderful children and her husband! The boys are very involved with baseball, and her daughter enjoys softball. Mrs. Lippincott's hobbies include playing tennis, and she loves to watch just about any sport (except golf, and soccer). She enjoys swimming and going to the beach.

She states, "I love teaching math and enjoy showing students that everyone can learn math."

Mrs Maloney has been a regular volunteer at Mabry and a PTSA chairperson for the past few years. Her background is 20 years in the Research & Development industry for Medical Devices and Ophthalmic drugs. She and her husband, Tim, love to travel and look forward to retirement!

Mrs. Manderano
Mrs. Romaine Manderano grew up near the South Carolina coast in Dillon, South Carolina. She graduated from the College of Charleston with a degree specializing in specific learning disabilities and behavior disorders k-12. The irony of her major is that she began her career as a pre-med major and was turned onto education by none other than, you guessed it, a dynamic educator!! She has taught for 21 years in the special education field in a variety of settings...rural Georgia and South Carolina, inner-city Dekalb County, and at Mabry for 9 years.

Her professional passions include writing and character education. She states, "In developing a student ready to face the challenges of this new millennium, a student must be well-rounded not only academically, but be able to communicate and develop a positive social conscience. We often underestimate the capacity for change that our students can exert upon our world, and I am forever fascinated by the untapped gifts that our students bring to the classroom. It is my job to tap these valuable resources and make the students aware of their strengths at a tender age when they are unsure of what their contribution may be to our school and world."

When not in the classroom, Mrs. Manderano enjoys playing tennis on both her USTA and ALTA teams. She also enjoys playing the piano and spending time with her friends and two girls, Mim and Jada, and her husband, Jim. Her family is the light of her life!

Professionally, Mrs. Manderano states that she has been blessed to have been chosen by her colleagues as Mabry's Teacher of the Year for 2004-05. However, her most meaningful accolades were to be selected by former Mabry students for the Who's Who Among America's Teachers for the years 2001 and 2005, 2006, and 2007. Such recognition proves to her that a positive educator can have a tremendous impact on a student's life, and it continues to be not only her job but, as she says, "an honor" each year.

Ms. McCall

Coach McCall is a third generation teacher. Her grandfather taught history and was a basketball coach. Her mother was also a PE coach. Before coming to Mabry, Ms. McCall was the Teacher of the Year at 2 different schools in Florida: Gifford Middle in Indian River County, and Westwood Middle in Alachua County.

Most people don't know that notaries in the state of Florida can perform marriage ceremonies. Ms. McCall, once a notary in that state, performed 5 weddings to couples who remain married to this day. Of the five weddings, she performed one on a sandbar, and another on a barge, both at sunset!

Mrs. Miceli received her AA at Maimi Dade Community College and her BA at the University of West Florida. She earned her Masters Degree from the State University of West Georgia in 1996 and actually moved to the state of Georgia to teach here.

Mrs. Miceli began her teaching career as a Behavior Disorders teacher in Dekalb County before moving to Cobb County to work as a Learning Disabilities teacher. After 12 years as a special education teacher, she started teaching in the regular education classroom, teaching 8th grade reading, 7th grade social studies, 6th grade social studies, and now 6th grade gifted social studies. Mrs. Miceli started teaching in 1980, and in 1983 she began teaching at Mabry Middle School. She just completed her 28th year as a teacher, and has been in the Mabry family now for 26 years.

She is married and has a 18 year old son who is a senoir at Lassiter and plays the tuba in the Lassiter band. Mrs. Miceli loves to travel and has been to Alaska, 7 Western European countries, Mexico, and several Caribbean Islands, as well as the Southeastern and Western United States. One of her favorite vacations was when she and her son (with 2 of her sisters) went snowmobiling in Yellowstone National park. It was cold, but so much fun.

Mrs. Miceli loves working with 6th graders and is looking forward to another great year at Mabry!

Ms. Miller
Mrs. Patricia Miller is teaching Seventh Grade Language Arts this year at Mabry. She earned her undergraduate degree at Western Michigan University. After attending Graduate School at San Diego State, Cornell University and Sam Houston University, she received her Masters in Education from Kennesaw State University. After completing another 36 hours of Graduate work, Mrs. Miller completed the requirements for certification in Educational Leadership in Texas. She is definitely a life-long learner!

The last few years she has worked at the Intermediate level in The Woodlands, Texas, and recently returned to the Atlanta area.

Mrs. Miller has been employed in the field of education for over 22 years and still looks forward to the beginning of school each year. She enjoys teaching as much as she does learning. She believes that her job is more than teaching a subject area, but to make a difference in student's lives. Students will not remember what they learned, as much as they will remember the connections they made during middle school.

Mrs. Miller is married and has two daughters in college. Jessica is at the University of Houston and Sarah is attending the University of North Texas. Outside of school, Mrs. Miller stays busy volunteering and supporting numerous charities, cooking, watching football and planning her next beach vacation.

Mrs. Kim Morton
Mrs. Kim Morton is a special education teacher. She was born in Marietta, Georgia and has always lived in the South. Mrs. Morton has a B.S. in Secondary Social Science from Kennesaw University and is also certified in Middle Grade Reading and Interrelated Special Education. This will be her 12th year in education. She taught for three years in Paulding County, seven years at Mabry, and spent last year teaching fifth graders at Chalker Elementary. She is very excited about returning to the faculty of Mabry.

Mrs. Morton has been married to her husband, Tom for nine years. She has three children. Briana ,24, attends the Cherokee Training Center in Canton.  Garrett, 21, is a private in the U.S. Army and is a member of the 82nd Airborne Infantry Unit at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.  Lilly, 2, attends a local preschool and enjoys singing songs from the Sound of Music.  She has a 12 year old Boston Terrier named Hershey and a fluffy cat named Duchess. Mrs. Morton enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, and reading. 

Ms. Osterfeld

Ms. Diane Osterfeld is the new Bookkeeper. She can assist you with questions about payments to the school for such things as yearbooks, lost and damaged textbooks, etc.

Prior to joining Mabry, she worked 18 years for a software company in various positions supporting, designing, and testing financial and investment accounting systems. She graduated from Jacksonville University with a degree in Economics.

In her spare time she volunteers with Children's Restoration Network, which helps children that are homeless or are in group homes. She also enjoys gardening, reading, and walking her shelter-adopted dog, Molly. You can reach Ms. Osterfeld at 770-928-5546, extension 227.

Mrs. Parades was born and raised in New York. She comes from a large and loving family with 3 sisters and a brother. She received her bachelors degree from the University of South Florida in Tampa, and she has been a beach girl ever since! A life long learner, she also holds a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Lesley University. Prior to Mabry, she spent 6 years at Daniell Middle School teaching 7th grade language arts. This year she will teach the Avid Program and will work with students to increase their organizational skills. Before moving to Georgia, she taught 6th, 7th, and 8th grade at Hillel School, a private school in upstate New York for a total of 11 years in education teaching language arts.

Married to a wonderful man, Michael, for 12 years they have two really cool kids: Michael, age 11 and Aviana, age 7. Both of their children attend Cobb County Schools, even though they currently live in Cherokee because she values the system and sense of community that Cobb offers.

Mrs. Parades loves teaching and she understands that real learning takes place when students are engaged and challenged.