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Mrs. Ilene Abrams
Mrs. Ilene Abrams teaches 7th grade language arts and has been at Mabry for 4 years. We affectionately call her the Reading Diva for the state of Georgia. Mrs. Abrams has been nominated by teaching colleagues and and has therefore served on:
* National Faculty to CNN News
* National Faculty to USA Today
* Atlanta Journal Constitution Honor Teachers
She was presented to the Cobb County Board of Education for each of the above honors. Mrs. Abrams presented at the International Reading conference in Toronto and has spoken at numerous national and international conferences.
Mrs. Abrams says, "Teaching has always been a passion for me, even at the tea parties I had with my dolls when I was a little girl. And today, making a difference with our future leaders and productive citizens (both students and teachers) is paramount in my professional life." And she certainly brings her passionate commitment to achieving that goal to her classes every day.
Her hobbies include spending time with family and friends, traveling, reading (naturally), and cooking and entertaining her friends and family. We are delighted that Mrs. Abrams has been a part of the Mabry family for 3 years. |
Mrs. Albertson
Mrs. Krissie Albertson teaches 8th grade math. She was born in Bronx, New York, and came to Atlanta at the age of two. Not only was she raised in Cobb County, but she also attended Mabry Middle School, and Lassiter High School, even though she graduated from Pope High School.
Mrs. Albertson has a B.S. in Secondary Math Education from Auburn University and a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from West Georgia. This will be her 13th year in education. She taught eight years at Dickerson Middle School, two years at Mabry Middle School, went back to Dickerson for one year (because of teacher allotment reductions at Mabry), and now has been back at Mabry for two years!! Not only is she thrilled to be coming back to Mabry, but everyone in the Mabry family is equally delighted to have her back home where she belongs!
Mrs. Albertson just celebrated her 11 year wedding anniversary with her husband, Michael. They have two children: Katie, who is 6 and will be in first grade at Davis Elementary this year; and Max, who is 3. The Albertson's also have "Pete the Dog," their 10 year old Jack Russell Terrier!
Mrs. Albertson says, "I am all about math and logic! I love to do logic puzzles!! I also enjoy sewing, smocking, and reading!!"
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Mrs. Armijo
Mrs. Jill Armijo is one of our hard-working and dedicated paraprofessionals.
She is a certified teacher and even attended the summer institute hosted by Cobb County for administrators and teachers all around the county.
She is always smiling and eager to help. She assists our teachers and students to help them maximize their academic achievement. |
Mrs. Aycock
Mrs. Aycock is one of our outstanding special education teachers. Georgia born and raised, she followed family tradition and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia in the area of special education. She began teaching immediately after graduating from college and furthered her education by obtaining a masters degree from Georgia State University. Mrs. Aycock taught for several years in Cobb County, at Daniell Middle School and at Mabry Middle School, before moving to Germantown, Tennessee. She was happy to move back to Georgia and to begin teaching again in Cobb County in the year of 2004.
Mrs. Aycock is currently certified in special education and middle school reading. She has always taught in middle schools, valued her students, and she still enjoys seeing students grow both academically and emotionally.
Her immediate family consist of her husband of 23 years, her son, her daughter, and the family dog, Mattie. Mrs. Aycock enjoys working on house projects, with her church functions, and spending time with close friends.
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Mrs. Baylor
Mrs. Baylor Mrs. Baylor is beginning her 23nd year at Mabry. She began her twenty-seven year devotion to the education of our youth, teaching 3rd grade in Washington County, Maryland, after receiving her Bachelor of Science from Towson State University, University of Maryland System. Few people know that during her first year of teaching, she was asked to mentor a student teacher from her alma mater and that her county supervisor at that time had been her Mrs. Baylor's first grade teacher! She taught for four years in Maryland before moving to Georgia with her husband and 18 month old daughter, Jennifer. Once in Atlanta, she took time off for the joyous rigors of raising her 2 children, Jennifer and newborn, Adam.
Once her youngest had reached pre-school age, she re-entered the workforce in the spring of 1984 at Mabry teaching 7th grade Math. During her rich tenure at Mabry, she has had the joy and courage to teach all subjects: 6th and 7th grade Language Arts/ Reading, and 6th and 7th grade Social Studies, and she could even teach Science if needed. A veteran teacher with an extensive career at Mabry and a passion for learning, she has participated in or spear-headed the School Improvement Plan, Building Leadership Team, Site-based Management Team, and was selected for a Demonstration Team in Writing. Over the last ten years, she has supervised the writing, publishing and sale of Mabry's agenda. Mrs.Baylor has managed Mabry's summer school program for rising sixth graders; and she taught the before school STAR program.
Mrs. Baylor has been actively involved with the professional interests of her occupation by serving several times on the Committee of 100 for Cobb County, has been the Social Studies Subject Area Coordinator, is on the 2007 Textbook Adoption Team for Cobb, and has worked with McGraw Hill Publishing as a textbook editor. She is a 2006 Who's Who Among American Teachers, past member of Phi Beta Kappa, and had the honor of being the 2005 Georgia Association of Educators escort for the state spelling bee winner to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. Mrs. Baylor has a special place in her heart for the Spelling Bee; since 1985 she has been involved at the school level, later moving on to pronounce and judge county competitions; and has been the Georgia Association of Educators District 2 Spelling Bee Consultant for the last five years. In her spare time, she is the editor for the Cobb County Teachers Association Newsletter and Area Representative.
Her students and colleagues view her as a wealth of knowledge and continuously call upon her as a mentor and resource. Her expertise and wisdom have guided many young minds both in and outside of the classroom. Not too long ago she was visited by one of her students who had recently graduated from college. When asked what was his major, he replied," Political Science." He said that her enthusiasm for an election's unit was the catalyst for his career.
In her zest for learning new technology with her students, she piloted the use of the Promethean Board. Her students were enthralled with Google Earth and the interactive map puzzles that she used to practice their map skills. Quickly adapting to using the white board she produced an interactive Venn diagram on the three major religions. She was asked by the Promethean Representative if he could use it for his demonstrations! Mrs. Baylor and her students were so excited about the technology that the school ordered one for each of our new classrooms.
Mrs. Baylor is particularly good at producing i-movies. Her students' first attempt was an award winner, "Children: Zones of Peace." A future Steven Spielberg found his passion, and she hopes he will come back and visit her when he is famous. This past year her team won best documentary for "Got Water?" which focused on the areas of the world today that are water stressed and how that can effect everyone in our world in the very near future. Both videos may be viewed on the Mabry website.
She has mentored student teachers and fledgling professionals including her daughter, Jennifer, who is following in her mother's footsteps. Her strength, love of education, unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and ever constant ability to change and adapt has kept Mrs. Baylor at the forefront of her professional community and her TiVo forever full of educational programming.
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Mrs. Kay Beals
Mrs. Kay Beals is one of Mabry's outstanding special education teachers. She has been a teacher and an administrator in private schools, in the metro suburbs as well as in downtown Atlanta. In fact, Centennial Park was their playground. Everyone loves her kind spirit combined with her deeply held belief that every child can excel.
Mrs. Beals' first field of study was science. She still marvels at the wonders of the earth, life, and the universe; however, she also loves teaching Reading and Math. When asked what her favorite grade or subject is, she responded, "It's always the one I'm currently teaching." She has taught kindergarten through high school and is certified in both regular education and special education with degrees from Brigham Young and Kennesaw State University.
Mrs. Beals has been at Mabry 5 of her 15 years in education. But teaching is actually her second career, her first was raising her five children – never a boring moment! She has also been very active in community service: helping coordinate and provide training for volunteer tutors (for 5 years) for an Atlanta reading program; directing a week-long primitive camping program for girls 12 to 18 for many summers; establishing, for the City of Smyrna Library, academic resources for home schooling parents, and a monthly, Kids-Sharing-With-Kids program for home schooled children. She has taught a daily high school early morning Seminary (scripture study) class for six years and currently serves in her church's regional Young Women's program (girls 12 to 18).
Mrs Beals loves most anything out of doors, especially travel. She has ‘survived’ following her husband on many backpacking trips, although she much prefers traveling by horse while he walks/hikes. Some of her more memorable adventures included spending 5 days (50 miles) with a delightful mare, her four month old colt, and a gelding in the high Unita Mountains (8,000-12,000 ft) in Utah, traveling in Costa Rica (during the 9/11 tragedy), and last year, she and her husband climbed down a cliff to get to the bottom of a 200 foot waterfall in Havasupi Canyon, AZ. This fall they will be celebrating their 36th wedding anniversary.
Her present interests include pottery on the wheel. In fact, she said, "Opening the kiln is like opening presents, you never know what you’re going to find! The same goes for children. ... I must say that Mabry is an amazing community, filled with devoted professionals who have made my years here the best ever." |
Mrs. Bowman
When Mabry opened its doors in 1978, Mrs. Lisa Bowman was here as a student. Six years later, she graduated from Lassiter High School. She then earned both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Education at what is now Kennesaw State University. Mrs. Bowman taught at Floyd Middle School for 4 years, got married and transferred here to Mabry. This will be her 16th year at Mabry (her 20th year of teaching).
Mrs. Bowman is such a homebody that when her husband and she bought a house, they ended up moving just 2 miles from the house that she grew up in. She has attended the same church (Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church) since 1978 and has always been an active part of the congregation by teaching Sunday School, volunteering for Vacation Bible School, being on various committees, helping and/or running the children's ministry programs, ushering, etc.
Mrs. Bowman's family consumes the majority of her free time. She has been blessed with a fantastic, fun-loving husband, and two wonderful daughters. Her parents live close by, too. They are all very important to her and help make her who she is. They spend a lot of time together participating in all kinds of activities and sharing their lives with each other. They especially enjoy spending time in the mountains and at the beach whenever they have the chance.
In Mrs. Bowman's "ME" time, she is an exercise enthusiast, she loves to read, enjoys shopping, cooking and surfing the net. She enjoys relaxing on her screened-in porch, watching the beautiful pigeons her husband raises while they fly around her back yard.
As an 8th grade teacher, Mrs. Bowman enjoys her job. Her day is spent helping students learn the math they need to know to be successful, while working with a group of teachers who are caring, enthusiastic and good-humored. She is looking forward to continuing to improve her technology skills this year as she learns more about the Promethean Board in her classroom while working with the state's new GPS standards. |
Mrs. Brown-Curry
Mrs. Jil Brown-Curry teaches 6th grade Science. This is her 12th year teaching and her 10th 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.
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Mrs. Burke
Mrs. Barri Burke teaches 6th grade Language Arts. She has been teaching for a total of 15 years, with nine of those years being at Mabry. She taught all subjects in elementary school and has taught language arts and social studies in middle school.
Mrs. Burke has a degree in secondary language arts as well as her gifted endorsement. Before becoming a teacher, she worked in the field of journalism. In fact, Mrs. Burke was one of Ted Turner's original employees at CNN, Cable News Network (from 1983-1986) where she helped man the International News Desk. She eventually became a production assistant for the Business News Desk. This valuable experience greatly contributed to her teaching style.
During the summer Mrs. Burke enjoys working out every day, reading, and taking her eight-year-old daughter to the pool. |
Mr. Mark Brumbill
Mabry Middle School welcomes Mr. Mark Brumbill to our faculty this year. He comes to us with nearly a decade of teaching experience. In his words, “Teaching is the only job for me. I love kids… I love science… I love learning… this where all of my loves intersect.”
Mr. Brumbill was born & raised in Michigan & then spent several years in Phoenix, Arizona before moving to Georgia. “I miss the snow, but I don’t want 9 months of it.” He has been married to his wonderful wife, Sally, for 14 years now & has 3 children that he lovingly calls “monsters”, age 12, 9, & 6.
When not teaching, Mr. Brumbill enjoys reading, walking, spending time with friends & family, playing his Native American flute & drum, collecting comic books & usual decks of playing cards, or taking naps, “one of God’s greatest gifts to humanity.” When his students tell him that he’s weird, he only says, “I know” & laughs.
And, yes, he knows that he’s short, so you don’t need to tell him.
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Mrs. Carroll
Mrs. Leslie Carroll comes from a family of educators and in her over twenty-six 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.
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Mrs. Castro
Mrs. Anne Castro, a certified teacher, is one of our dedicated Special Education paraprofessionals. She has been with Cobb County for 14 years; this being her 5th 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 39 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."
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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 23, 20, and 17.
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Mrs. Cushman
Mrs. Cushman is one of our 6th grade LA teachers. A veteran teacher with a rich 22 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 16 years.
Mrs. Cushman has lived in the Mabry community for 25 years and recently moved to Holly Springs. 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.
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.
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Mrs. Davis
Mrs. Elizabeth Davis is a 6th grade science teacher. She has been teaching for 10 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.
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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.
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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 26 years now, playing french horn for his 19th season with the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra. He has taught a total of 14 years, all in Cobb County, at Nash, Campbell, Dodgen, and Mabry middle schools. This is his 6th year at Mabry.
Under his leadership, the Mabry Symphony has received an invitation to perform 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."
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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 five year old granddaughter and a grandson who is three. 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.
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Mrs. Judy Evans
Mrs. Judy Evans is the art teacher at Mabry Middle School. This is her third 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!
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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.
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Mrs. Graber

Mrs. Trellys Graber is one of our 7th grade math teachers. She has been teaching for 13 years, all of them at Mabry. She has received three degrees in Middle Grades Education: a Bachelor of Science Degree from The University of Georgia, a Masters Degree from Oglethorpe University, and a Specialist Degree from Mercer University. She is also certified in gifted education. Mrs. Graber was Teacher of the Year for the school year 2002-2003, and has been named to Who's Who Among America's Teachers.
Mrs. Graber continues to be faithful to The University of Georgia and the Georgia Bulldogs, which is apparent when you look in her classroom. During football season, she doesn't miss a Georgia football game, whether at the stadium or in front of her TV. She enjoys the rivalry with her husband, also a teacher at Mabry, who is faithful to Auburn University.
Mrs. Graber's favorite thing to do is spend time with her twin baby boys. She can't believe how fast they are growing. She also enjoys playing with her two dogs, Sugar and Mabry. Sugar is, of course, an English bulldog, and Mabry, a mix, was a gift from her students nine years ago. When the babies are a little older, Mrs. Graber plans on getting involved in ALTA again, as she loves to play tennis.
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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 10 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 a new baby this June! Naturally they spend most of their spare time with them.
Coach Graber is very active with our Intramurals program. He loves team sports.
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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 23rd year; her first 14 years were at Tapp Middle, and this is her 9th year as a Mabry Charger. Many years ago Ms. Hansard worked with Dr. Tyson at a different middle school in Cobb County for six years when he first became an administrator. 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! Her math classes always bring in over 3,000 box tops each year; this, alone, helps our PTSA add over $300 to money they raise for our school.
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Mrs. Hartnett
Mrs. Carmen Hartnett teaches 8th grade Language Arts. She moved to Atlanta 7 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 seventh year at Mabry. Her three children have attended Cobb schools since then, and her two oldest are now in college.
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?"
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Mrs. Heflin
Mrs. Merrilee Heflin is proud to be joining Mabry this year as our Principal. She comes to us with an impressive professional background spanning 32 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 14 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-six 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
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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 34 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 3. 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!
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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 26 years, 20 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.
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Mrs. Mary Julia Hiss
Mrs. Mary Julia Hiss has been a media center parapro for over 13 years in Cobb County. She has worked at Rocky Mount, McCleskey, Dickerson, and Mabry Middle School. She was born and grew up in Gadsden, Alabama. A graduate of the University of Alabama (ROLL TIDE!), she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education (History and Political Science). Mrs. Hiss taught middle and high school social studies (including one school where English was spoken as a second language).
Mrs. Hiss lived in Miami and New Orleans and has lived in the Cobb County community for the past 26 years. She has two daughters: Susanna (26) is a teacher who is married to Stephen, a pilot in the USAF. Both she and her husband are Lassiter graduates, and Stephen is a former Mabry student. Her other daughter, Allison, is a student at Lassiter and performs with the Lassiter Marching Band as a member of the Color Guard.
Mrs. Hiss likes to read and decorate her house and spend time on their boat. She volunteers as a chaperone and "flag seamstress" for the Lassiter band, and she follows her husband's, Ward, "oldies group" as they perform.
Mrs. Hiss has met or encountered a lot of famous people. The most exciting and memorable to her was meeting Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant.
Mr. Howard
Mr. David Howard has taught 29 years in Cobb County with 6 of those at Mabry. He presently teaches 7th grade Social Studies on team 7C. 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 both in college. Matt is a senior at 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 twenty nine 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.
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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 9 years. She has worked in Critical Care for over 4 yrs. She has been a part of the Cobb County School District for 4 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 12. 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.
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Mrs. Israel-Hiles
Mrs. Eve Israel-Hiles teaches 8th grade French and science at Mabry. She has taught for 9 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, where she met her husband to whom she has been married for 21 years. After staying home with their 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!
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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 10 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.
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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.
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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 junior. 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.
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Mrs. Kaplan
 Mrs. Renee Kaplan, an 8th grade Language Arts teacher at Mabry Middle School, earned a BA in Elementary Education from the University of South Florida and a M.Ed. in Reading from the University of Miami. She has twenty-seven years of teaching experience. Mrs. Kaplan is a candidate for National Board Certification. She is recognized nationally for designing and implementing state and national teacher training programs on the Holocaust.
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.
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Mrs. Kirshner
 Mrs. Connie Kirshner, and educator of 18 years, is a member of the special education department at Mabry Middle School. She can't remember a time that she wasn't teaching. Even as a young girl she would line up her dolls, or her imaginary friends, or any livestock that would hold still and present her best lesson! Livestock-? She grew up in a rural area of Florida, luckily, still close enough to enjoy Clearwater Beach.
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 15 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.
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Mrs. Klucsarits
 Beginning her eighth year at Mabry, Mrs. Donna Klucsarits will teach seventh grade math. She has had a variety of educational experiences and constantly strives for academic excellence.
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 toddler, 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.
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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 14 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.
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Mrs.Krodman
 Nine of Mrs. Krodman's twenty-two years of teaching experience have been at Mabry Middle School. The remaining thirteen years were in three public school districts in three different states and one private school. Her experience covers first, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grades. Though she began her teaching career in regular education, her true passion in education is working with students who have special learning needs. Mrs. Donna Krodman is one of the outstanding special education teachers at Mabry and was named Teacher of the Year for 2003 - 2004. She says that this is the place where she feels her teaching really matters.
"Teachers are always pleased to receive gifts from students, and the best gifts I have ever received at the end of the year came this past school year when two parents wrote very special emails to me, and three former students came by to visit during the last week of school. Those are gifts that won't be discarded or put in the back of a closet; they will be with me always."
Her personal hobbies include reading, enjoying her family and friends, learning, and collecting...well, shoes ;-) Mrs. Krodman grew up in Fort Worth, Texas; the eldest of four children (two girls and two boys.) She graduated from the University of Texas (The real UT not the one in Tennessee they talk about around here.) Upon graduation, she moved to Houston where she taught in HISD for 3 1/2 years. During that time, she met and married the love of her life, her husband Steve. They have been married 30 years.
As Steve began to move up the corporate ladder, the Krodmans began a series of moves that would take them to four different states (two of them twice) and seven different houses. They have two beautiful, bright and successful grown up daughters, Melissa and Jocelyn. Their daughters have always loved animals and they have been parents to several: Their first cat Stripes, three hamsters, Leona Hamsley, Mocha, and Cinnamon, an Arabian horse, Mi Anam, and their current loves: two cats, Hakuna and Matata. They are affectionately known as Kuna and Ta. Can you tell they got them when The Lion King was a big hit?
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Mrs. Kulkarni
 Mrs. Kulkarni teaches 7th grade life science and comes to Mabry from Simpson Middle School. In 2004, she was one of the 15 Georgia teachers to receive the Best New Teacher Assistance grant from Georgia Power Company. She was nominated by Kennesaw State University for this grant.
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.
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Mrs. Lambert

Mrs. Amy Lambert is the Cafeteria Manager at Mabry. This is her 9th year with Cobb County and her 4th at Mabry Middle School.
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!
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Ms. Larkin
 Ms. Ingle Larkin teaches 7th grade Life Science at Mabry. Ms. Larkin came to us from Pensacola, Florida. In fact, she was raised on the beach and spent some time actually living on a boat. Ms. Larkin used to swim with wild dolphins in her backyard, the Gulf of Mexico. Another way cool fact about Ms. Larkin is that her dad, a high ranking military officer, used to drop his kids off at school in a helicopter. He'd land on the blacktop or the playing fields!
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 puppy, 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!
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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 to join the staff at Mabry Middle School. 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.
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Mrs. Lippincott
 Mrs. Libby Lippincott teaches 6th grade math. This is her 14th year of teaching: 6 Years at Crescent High School in South Carolina and this her 8th year at Mabry. She coached volleyball and JV basketball while at Crescent High School and was even the Teacher of the Year there!
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."
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Mrs. Maloney
 Mrs Maloney works part time in the Attendance Office. She lives in the Mabry area with her husband, daughter and her favorite pet LunaCat. Her daughter is an 8th grader this year. She has an adult daughter who lives in Swannee, GA, and a step-daughter attending Notre Dame this year.
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!
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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 20 years in the special education field in a variety of settings...rural Georgia and South Carolina, inner-city Dekalb County, and at Mabry for 8 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.
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Ms. McCall
Ms. Tracy McCall is one of our Physical Education teachers and the yearbook sponsor at Mabry. She came to Mabry six years ago after teaching in the state of Florida for 14 years. As a matter of fact, all of her teaching experience has been at the middle school level and she has just completed her 20th year!
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!
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Mrs. Miceli
 Mrs. Theresa Miceli is a 6th grade Social Studies teacher at Mabry. She was born and raised in Homestead, Florida, one of eight girls, six of whom have degrees in education and are teachers! She is full-blooded Italian as both of her parents were actually born in Italy.
Mrs. Teresa Miceli is a 6th grade Social Studies teacher at Mabry. She was born and raised in Homestead, Florida, one of eight girls, six of whom have degrees in education and are teachers! She is full-blooded Italian as both of her parents were actually born in Italy.
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 27th year as a teacher, and has been in the Mabry family now for 25 years.
She is married and has a 17 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!
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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 21 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.
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Ms. Mitchell
Ms. Amanda Mitchell has been teaching 6th grade Math for 7 years, all of them at Mabry. She loves to see students’ faces light up when they finally get it, and she likes to try and find ways to make math easier to understand, and to help relieve math anxieties for sixth graders. No one should be scared of math! Ms. Mitchell is a southern girl from Albany, Georgia, where she lived her entire life until going to college at Valdosta State University. She moved up to the big city about 8 years ago and recently got her Master’s degree in Adolescent Math Education at Kennesaw State University. Her "most favorite thing to do" is lie on the beach and read a good book!
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Mrs. Moncrieff

"I love my job! I love math! If you don't now, hopefully when you enter my room we can change that!" Ms. Moncrieff has a theory that anyone can learn math when it is explained in a manner that they understand. All of a sudden math actually becomes fun! Ms. Moncrieff has taught for 13 years in the Cobb County system, all grades from 4th, 6th, 7th and 8th and all subjects from language arts, reading, social studies to math. However, she is happy to say that she is doing exactly what she enjoys the most: teaching 8th grade math!! She loves the feeling of seeing the "light go off" in a student's head when he or she finally understands something with which they have struggled.
This year Ms. Moncrieff will teach social studies in addition to math.
Ms. Moncrieff has also tutored extensively from home for eight years in all levels of math through high school. She believes that this experience has had an incredible impact on her teaching. She was fortunate to be awarded the Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year for 2005, a tremendous award, since it is a result of student nominations. (And yes, she now even has her very own blue vest.) And for fun? Well, this summer, Ms. Moncrieff has traveled extensively to California, Canada, Washington State, Florida, Washington DC, (talked to Tiger Woods) South Carolina and North Carolina. She has visited friends from college, and friends she met in the third grade!! She has even managed some pool time! You can catch her most days fitting in time for the gym, working in the yard, cooking or just enjoying life with two teenagers!
Ms. Moncrieff is quick to say that "Life is fun, life is good! Anyone a Gamecock fan?" She went to the University of South Carolina for her undergraduate degree and attended Georgia State for her Masters in Education. This will be her 7th year at Mabry, and she is looking forward to a great year!
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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.
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Mrs. Noon

Kimberly Noon comes to Mabry from a small town in western New York near Niagara Falls. She has one older brother, and a brand new sister-in-law who is a 4th grade teacher! She also has the best parents in the world, who supported her moving all the way to Georgia!
She received her Bachelor's in history with her education certification from SUNY Geneseo. This is her first year at Mabry and she is enjoying herself so much! The students and staff have been very welcoming! Kimberly loves animals, especially cats! She has three, sadly one of her kitties, Oscar stayed home in New York to keep her parents company. The other two, Link and Max she rescued from local animal shelters.
Kimberly hopes to begin her Master's Education this year at Kennesaw State University. For now she is enjoying the students and staff at
Mabry and hopes to stay for a long time!
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Mrs. Parades
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. Even though she will miss the students and spirit of Daniell, she looks forward to working at a great school like Mabry! 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 11 years they have two really cool kids: Michael, age 10 and Aviana, age 6. 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 language arts because it allows her to be creative and fun! She understands that real learning takes place when students are engaged and challenged.
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Mrs. Parker
Mrs. Betty Parker is our Special Education Lead Teacher. She is an extraordinary resource for the parents of our special education students. She has worked in the field of education for 35 years and been at Mabry for 16. She taught special education students in several states before becoming our Special Education Lead Teacher. Mrs. Parker is especially proud of the Mabry Special Education Team – a well-rounded group of dedicated professionals who love their students and go many extra miles in providing the best education for our students.
Mrs. Parker‘s family - husband Mike, son Paul, daughter-in-law Mandy and granddaughter Avery - is her greatest joy. They cherish their time together enjoying Avery’s developmental milestones
Anyone that knows Mrs. Parker knows of her unending love of animals. Presently she has 6 cats and 2 dogs, all rescues. She actively supports Good Mews, Cats in the Cradle, the Humane Society of the US, and other organizations that support and protect animals. Mrs. Parker is also very active in her church and works with MUST Ministries providing support to the homeless.
She is from a military background and has lived in many states all over the US, to include: New York, New Jersey, Texas, Florida (Pensacola and Key West, where she was born), Virginia (2 different times), Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Mississippi. She also lived in Naples, Italy, and was frequently seen riding her Vespa around the Colosseum in Rome. While living abroad, she traveled throughout Europe extensively.
Mrs. Parker genuinely loves working with parents, getting to know them when their child is having learning problems. She strongly believes that mutual work between the school and home is utterly essential to getting to the bottom of learning problems and solving them. But her greatest passion is knowing and working with individual children, watching these children blossom when they have almost given up, only to discover that they really can be successful and are, in fact, very capable learners. Mrs. Parker's phone number is 770 928-5558. |
Mrs. Pennisi
Ms. Pennisi is Mabry’s 8th grade Spanish teacher. Ms. Pennisi comes to Mabry from Barber Middle School. She studied at Harcum College and received a degree in fashion design. Later she studied ESOL at Temple University and found her true passion, Spanish language and culture. Subsequently, she graduated from West Chester University in Pennsylvania with a BA degree in Spanish.
Ms. Pennisi and her husband moved here and immediately fell in love with Georgia’s southern hospitality. She is thrilled to have this opportunity to teach your children and show her excitement toward the Spanish language and various cultures where Spanish is spoken.
Her husband and 7-year old daughter Elisa were both born in Italy, which leads them to speak English, Spanish and Italian at home, ensuring that Elisa will be trilingual. Ms. Pennisi lived in Carolina, Puerto Rico before moving to Italy. Her experiences in both Italy and Puerto Rico changed her life, and developed her love for foreign languages and cultures. Every aspect of her life has been influenced by living abroad and believes that everyone should open his or her mind and learn a language and meet someone new!
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Mrs. Pettett
Mrs. Wendy Pettett, a native of Cobb County, with deep roots in the North Georgia Mountains, is our assistant administrator. Ask her about her childhood on Blue Ridge Lake and she will wax nostalgic. Mrs. Pettett has a BBA in marketing from Georgia Southern University and sold computers for Burroughs Corporation before the advent of the personal computer.
After the birth of her two sons, she remained a stay-at-home mom while teaching aerobics, substitute teaching, and teaching preschool. She returned to school, attended Breanu University, and became certified in language arts and social studies. Mrs. Pettett also received her Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from Kennesaw State University. She has taught in Cobb County for 14 years, with nine of these years spent as an instructional technology specialist. She loves curriculum and sees marketing and teaching as closely related - with teaching selling the excitement of learning.
Her children are products of the Cobb County School System and attended Harrison and Kennesaw Mountain High School. Christopher is 24 and works in technology, while Brett is a Junior at UGA majoring in Biology/Psychology with the hopes of attending medical school.
Mrs. Pettett enjoys riding her bike and can be found on the Silver Comet Trail on the weekends. She also enjoys walking her dogs, camping and gardening. After her yearly camping pilgrimage to the Great Smoky Mountains, with her husband of 28 years, she eagerly looks forward to another great year at Mabry.
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Mrs. Preston
Mrs. Jo-Anne Preston spent 27 years with BellSouth and retired as a Staff Manager from the Network Department in June, 1996. She has been involved with technology with the Cobb County District for the past 10 years and has been at Mabry since 2001. She manages all of our technology at Mabry, which is no small task . Not only does she keep up with what is where and when, she also keeps all of our desktops and laptops happy. She works miracles.
She is married to Jerry for 24 years and has two sons, Christopher who is attending the Atlanta Art Institute and is in the Culinary Program and Tim is a sophomore in the aeronautical engineering program at Georgia Tech.
When she is not at school, Mrs. Preston enjoys gardening and vacationing at the beach. She hopes to really retire to the beach someday!
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Mrs. Rand
Mrs. Jackie Rand is one of outstanding special education teachers. She graduated from Jersey City State University with a BA in Special Education and from Georgia State with an MA in School Counseling. This is the beginning of her 17th year teaching Special Education. Mrs. Rand taught 2 years in New Jersey and 14 years in Cobb County and is beginning her 5th year at Mabry. She says that, "I know my best years of teaching are still ahead of me."
Teaching Special Education is Mrs. Rand's passion. She enjoys her students immensely and looks forward to coming to work everyday , knowing that she will make a positive difference in a child's life.
Both of her children, Michael and Jennifer, were very athletic. Many of her best times were spent in school gymnasiums, on the baseball, softball, and soccer fields, as well as on the tennis courts. She says that she could never tell anyone where the main office was in any school, but she always could give directions to where the particular sport was being played. Her son, Michael, is married and owns and manages Rand Tennis Incorporated, and her daughter, Jennifer, is a nurse in the cardiac care unit at Kennestone Hospital.
Mrs. Rand and her family have enjoyed participating in many community activities, to list a few: Pinch Hitters, The Jewish Home, The Homeless Shelter and Project Openhand. It was important to Mrs. Rand that we list her dog's names, -----Lexi and Bentley and I have 3 grandpups. Their names are Chanel, Charley and Maggie. She wants them to be able to see their names up on the Internet!
When she is not in the classroom, Mrs. Rand enjoys spending time with her family, playing with her pet children, reading, music , tennis and traveling with her husband of 32 years. Mrs. Rand has been heard saying, that her 5 years at Mabry have been her "happiest years of teaching." She has always been happy working at other schools, but she has felt a great sense of pride being an instrumental part of beginning a new program at Marby Middle School. She has always held dear the "love letters" from her students and parents. And when she didn’t think things could get any better, her peers voted her 2005-2006 Teacher of the Year. What an honor!
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Mr. Rice
Mr. Chris Rice is one of our 6th grade social studies teachers. While new to Mabry, he comes to us with eight years experience teaching middle school social studies. He was born in California into a mobile military family that moved 13 times. He even lived overseas for eight years (Spain, South Korea, and West Germany), graduating from high school in West Berlin just before the Wall came down.
Not quite ready to answer the call to teach, he enlisted in the Marine Corps, where he served in the infantry for four years. After his service, he returned to the University of Central Florida while continuing with the Army National Guard for another five years. He graduated with a B.S. in Social Science Education and promptly moved to Georgia to start his teaching career. Recently he earned his M.Ed. in Secondary Education- Social Sciences from the University of West Georgia.
Mr. Rice enjoys playing volleyball and tennis, reading, and is a self-described movie expert and critic.
Mrs. Rosengren 
Mrs. Mary Rosengren is the Mabry Middle School Secretary. She has been working for Cobb County schools for 26 years and began as a substitute teacher in the 80’s. She has been a special ed parapro at Kincaid Elementary, worked at the “The Children’s Center” in Marietta, which was later named The Hawthorne Center in Smyrna and is now called Haven Academy. After working there for several years, Mrs. Rosengren transferred to Central Alternative. In 1996, she became the secretary for Mabry Middle School and has called Mabry home for 11 years.
Mrs. Rosengren and her husband of almost 41 years, Erik, employed with IBM for 36 years have three children, twin boys who were born in Germany and a daughter who was born in New Jersey. The Rosengrens moved to Marietta from New Jersey 28 years ago. She says that she will never return and states, "In fact, I am still trying to lose the Jersey accent!"
Mrs. Rosengren has three grandchildren and one great grandchild. The eldest child is Erik (yes, another Erik in the family) is 21 years old and in the National Guard for training; he has a daughter, Ansley, Mrs. Rosengren's great granddaughter, who is 2. Her next grandchild is Isabella (named after her great great grandmother), she is 9, and she resides in North Carolina with her mother. Last, but not least, is Tyler. He is Mrs. Rosengren's daughter’s son. He is 6 years old and beginning school this year. He says he really enjoys riding the “big boy’s bus” to school.
What a fun time it is at the Rosengren house during the Christmas holidays. Mrs. Rosengren loves spending time with her family, watching the Braves and Falcons with Tyler, who calls her “His GaGa”, and shopping with her daughter and grandson. Mrs. Rosengren also enjoy reading, gardening, and working on the computer. Mrs. Rosengren's father-in-law, Erik, who she refers to as her dad, is still living. As a result, they have 5 generations of Rosengrens. They take good care of their dad.
Mrs. Rosengren states, "I take great pride in Mabry, telling anyone who is willing to listen just how great our school is, not just our test results but also our technology. Our staff is the best, willing to help out anyone at anytime. Our students are the best, for their eagerness to learn, and of course, our parents who pitch in at a moment’s notice to make Mabry the Super School it is."
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Ms. Shaw
Mrs. Karen Shaw is one of our 6th grade language arts teachers. She is also one of our 6th grade advanced content teachers. Ms. Shaw has been teaching for 21 years, all of them at Mabry. She has received three degrees: a Bachelors Degree, a Ministerial Degree, and a Masters Degree. Ms. Shaw has been named to Who's Who Among America's Teachers in 2002 and 2005.
Ms. Shaw feels it is important to reach out and help others less fortunate. She has been the Charger Club Sponsor (a community service club) for 15 years. Our activities include collecting food, toy, school supplies, and clothes for the needy and pet food for endangered dogs and cats. Ms. Shaw is active in the community and has received several community service awards for work performed.
Ms. Shaw is a Georgia Tech fan and loves the rivalry with her "Georgia" colleagues.
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Mrs. Slater
 Mrs. Catherine Slater is one of our hard-working and dedicated paraprofessionals. This will be her seventh year at Mabry.
Mrs. Slater is from Upstate New York where she worked as a Certified Teacher Assistant. There she worked at a private school for 7 years and a public school for 6. She brings to Mabry not just her experience with children but also her love for working with them.
Mrs. Slater enjoys spending time with her two daughters, and her two grandsons keeps me very busy. She spends time reading, and camping, and traveling throughout the United States. She especially enjoys sharing with students information about places she has visited.
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Mrs. Smith
Mrs. Irene Smith is the chorus and General Music teacher at Mabry. This is her 20th year in education. Immediately after graduating from college Mrs. Smith taught at several elementary schools in Ft. Lauderdale for five years. She has been teaching private voice and piano lessons both in Florida and here in Georgia since college graduation. This will be her 15th year teaching at Mabry Middle School.
Mrs. Smith was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. She and her parents moved to Ft. Lauderdale when she was four years old, where she lived until she met her husband, Tom and moved to Georgia in 1983. She went to college on a full music scholarship and graduated from Florida Atlantic University. She added on her K-5 Classroom Elementary Ed. Certification from Kennesaw State University when she move to Georgia. As you can tell, Mrs. Smith loves teaching.
She has two grown children, Julie and Ryan. Ryan graduated from Clemson and is currently attending Law School in Florida. They too, like to sing and are involved in music. She enjoys spending time with her family, dogs and cat, taking trips (Europe this past summer), attending Clemson football/basketball games (GOTIGERS!) and singing in the Mt. Bethel UMC adult choir. She has been a choir director/organist for numerous churches both here in Georgia and in Ft. Lauderdale since the age of fourteen. She enjoys playing duets at church and has accompanied the GMEA Honor Chorus for the past 12 years. Our most favorite place to go is our lake house on Lake Hartwell which is very relaxing and overlooks the Clemson Stadium.
Her Mabry Choruses have always received Excellent and Superior ratings at GMEA Choral Performance Evaluations. They have also been invited numerous times to the All Star Music Festival in Orlando, Florida, where they have received Superior ratings. Some years we do the Georgia Six Flags Festival and last year, 2007, performed in “Disney Sings” at Disney World. We even made a video to the “Little Mermaid.” What fun we have in chorus.
Each year students get the opportunity to audition and attend the All State Chorus in Savannah. Those that make the cut represent our school and perform in a fabulous concert. Mrs. Smith has hosted Mabry Talent shows and has staged numerous musicals in the past 5 years. Our eighth grade chorus may do “Oklahoma” this year.
Mrs. Smith was teacher of the month at Mabry Middle School in 1999-2000 and Teacher of the Year at Mabry MS in 200-2001. She has had the honor of also being listed in Who’s Who Among American Women, from the 24th edition to present, Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, 2005-2006 and Who’s Who In American Education, 2006-2007. She enjoys writing spirit songs for some of the local elementary schools such as Shallowford Falls Elementary, Tritt Elementary, and Rocky Mount Elementary when they were the Warriors.
Mrs. Smith said, "It has been a pleasure teaching at Mabry, and I look forward to meeting many more talented choral students in the years to come."
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Mr. Smith
Mr Smith comes to us with a diverse background in aviation, research and teaching. He has worked for two major Atlanta airlines, not a surprise since he started flying when he was 15. He has done work in aviation maintenance, computer science, sales and as a pilot of experimental aircraft. He can often be found working on his or other airplanes or at air shows.
Research and study of scientific and historical subjects are often merged to give his research a unique perspective. Subjects as far reaching as parapsychology, psych-orientology, behavioral-kinesiology, performance enhancement and alternative healthcare which can be interchanged with forensic anthropology and pre-Columbian influences in the western hemisphere. A person very handy to have on the Trivia team.
Mr Smith will be teaching 6th grade science and social science. He has previously taught a variety of classes at Marietta High School, the Human Development Institute, and the Red Cross. Mr Smith hopes that a passionate delivery with a touch of excitement will make the learning process a memorable one for his students.
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Mrs. Spannagel
Mrs. Barb Spannagel is one of our Physical Education coaches at Mabry. She is also the PE Coordinator. Mrs. Spannagel was the Mabry Teacher of the Year in 2000 - 2001 and Cobb County's middle school physical education teacher of the year in 2001. She graduated from a small, private college in South Carolina which practically no one has ever heard of, Coker College. She has been teaching in public schools in Cobb County since 1987 and has been at Mabry for the last 18 years.
Mrs. Spannagel loves to travel (and since her husband is a commercial pilot, they get to do that rather often). She reads voraciously, likes to garden and is into sports with an emphasis on tennis. A little-know fact about Mrs. Spannagel: when she was in the 6th grade, the Russian Ballet (Bolshoi Ballet Company) came to Washington, D.C. where she was living, to do a winter performance of the Nutcracker. Since the Russian children were back home in school during that season, they auditioned local children to perform the children's parts of the ballet. Mrs. Spannagel was selected to join with the Bolshoi, but the costume for the part she was to play didn't fit her because she was too tall. So, she missed out on her chance for stardom.
The Spannagels have two grown daughters, one of whom recently married and they have a grandchild, Morgan who is 2 1/2 years old as of this writing and is changing weekly.
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Mrs. Stephens
 Mrs. Stephens teaches 8th grade Target Social Studies and is currently the Advanced Learning Program Lead Teacher at Mabry. She has been in the field of education for 23 years, and her background is filled with a variety of teaching experiences and educational training. She received her undergraduate degree in special education and began her teaching career as a learning disabilities resource teacher. She later completed her Master's Degree from Georgia State University and Specialist's Degree in Middle Grades Education from Georgia Southwestern University. She has taught middle school language arts, life science, and social studies.
Mrs. Stephens is passionate about history and strives to make history come alive for all students. One of the highlights of her teaching career was when she received training in gifted education - she states that it truly changed the way she teaches all of her students. This background has enabled her to differentiate instruction and challenge all students to their highest potential.
On the personal side, Mrs. Stephens is unique in that she is a Mabry and still lives on the 70-acre farm on Wesley Chapel Road that has been in her family for over 100 years. In 2004, the governor awarded the Mabry family a Centennial Farm Award from the State of Georgia. Although Mrs. Stephens still loves to travel, she is very happy to have built her dream house on her great-grandfather's land, where she enjoys gardening and creating flower landscapes. Mrs. Stephens has a 26 year old son, Josh, and a 22 year old daughter, Jenna.
What excites her? Art and music in all of its forms. She actually wanted to be an artist when she was young and was encouraged by an art professor to change her major to art education. Her father did not think it would be very practical, so painting is something she now does for pleasure. She also enjoys tennis, reading, and travel of any kind. She was thrilled to get to tour Italy this summer for the first time. These are among two of Mrs. Stephens favorite quotes: "Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old." --Franz Kafka, and: "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." --Eleanor Roosevelt
Mrs. S
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