November 10, 2026 — Across the entire state of Georgia, Cobb Schools continues to be recognized for the outstanding educators that help teach students every day in the classroom.
At Lindley Middle School, Dr. Shawndella Roberts was recently recognized as metro Atlanta's Literacy Leader of the Year.
The inaugural award was presented by the Georgia Council on Literacy and the Governor's Office of Education Workforce Strategy. As part of the recognition, Dr. Roberts received $1,500 and an additional $500 to support her classroom.
"I would just like to say that it feels great being recognized for what you do every day, because for teachers, it doesn't happen a lot. I don't take this for granted at all," Dr. Roberts said.
Superintendent Chris Ragsdale joined the surprise celebration of Dr. Roberts during the school day. This is Dr. Roberts' first year at Lindley after spending time teaching at Birney Elementary School.
"She knows how to teach children to read. That's what this award says. She knows how to make growth with all different types of children, and how to make a great deal of growth to get them ready for the next grade, to make sure that they'll be on grade level to read well," said Andri Pilgrim with the Georgia Council on Literacy
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In her 10th year as a Cobb Schools educator, Dr. Roberts continues to advance her own education. Just a few weeks ago prior to the Lindley surprise, Dr. Roberts successfully defended her capstone through the Georgia's BEST program and earned her doctorate degree at no cost thanks to Cobb's partnership with the University of West Georgia.
"My favorite part is when a student comes to me and they say 'I never read, but when you're reading the stories to us, it's so interesting. And now I read at home', or they show me a book that they got from the store, from the library over the weekend, or something that's unrelated to school. They just want me to know they love reading because that's the goal," said Dr. Roberts.
Dr. Roberts is one of 16 awardees across Georgia's 16 regions. The Literacy Leader of the Year winner representing the entire state will be selected in December.
