The top teachers from public schools in Sandy Springs were honored by the Sandy Springs Rotary Club on May 12, the service organization’s annual tradition.
“We’ve been in Sandy Springs since 1972, and that is 53 years of providing service to our community, our seniors, first responders, school children, teachers, and others in need,” Rotary Club President John Neill said.
Elementary school winners
Dunwoody Springs, Sidney Grant – Principal Stranetress Evans said Grant serves as a kindergarten teacher, serves as a team lead and on the school’s governance council “She’s the first face that I see on the kindergarten hall every morning, bubbly, ready to receive students, ready to check in on how their day is getting started,” Evans said.
Heards Ferry, Leila Sadri – Assistant Principal Lori Dunagan said Sadri, a third-grade teacher, is in her fourth year of teaching. Sadri is active in the PTA, is newly elected to the School Governance Council, and has worked in the Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS). “ Layla went to school at Heards Ferry and wanted to teach at Heards Ferry and has assured me that she is staying ’til the bitter end for 24 more years,” Dunagan said.
High Point, Tiffany Churchwell – Principal Danielle Miller said Churchwell has been teaching at High Point for more than 25 years, most of it in the same classroom. “First off, she is the heart not only of our school, but our school community,” Miller said. Churchwell welcomes students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, making them feel like they are wanted and accepted, Miller said.
Ison Springs, Brianna Bullock – Principal Lakasha Lee said Bullock joined the school three years ago. Bullock serves as the team lead for second grade, has received her assessment cohort endorsement, her ESOL endorsement and is working with the school district’s assessment department. “She is leading the way truly in Ison Springs, and I’m so proud that she was a Hawk. And no, you cannot take her,” she told the other principals.
Lake Forest, Eva Gordon – Incoming Principal Jennifer Rosenthall said she’s only been at the school a few weeks. With the closure of Spalding Drive Elementary as of the end of this school year, Rosenthall was assigned to be Lake Forest’s principal, but Gordon, a Spanish teacher, was one of the first people she met. “She’s already served on interviews with me and is just really willing to do whatever it takes for kids, and I’m just so grateful to get to work with her next year,” Rosenthall said.
Spalding Drive, Annabelle Erb – Former Spalding Drive Principal Jennifer Rosenthall said she hired Erb straight out of college three years ago. She does professional development, serves as the PTA liaison, and has been teaching kindergarten, following in her mother’s footsteps as a former Fulton County teacher. “She has just grown tremendously in her three years at Spalding to become a real leader,” Rosenthall said.
Woodland, Anna Hill – Woodland Principal Shavanda Toomer said Hill, a fifth grade teacher, has been the school’s Science and Mathy Olympiads coach, a mentor for the girls’ program called Flowers, and a house captain for the House of Sympathy. “She inspires and motivates her students. She speaks from the heart,” Toomer said.
Middle school winners
Ridgeview, Emily Toler – Principal Thomas Garrett said Toler is in her eighth year in the education field. She serves as the assistant athletic director and the assistant department chair for the math department. She teaches advanced courses for seventh graders who take eighth and ninth-grade algebra. “One of the most powerful things about her is her willingness to help,” Garrett said. A teacher went out on family medical leave, and Tobler did not want the students she taught last year to falter. So Tobler spent her planning periods teaching high school geometry to 32 children, Garrett said.
Sandy Springs, Rhonda Ferguson – Principal Laurie Woodruff said Ferguson is the student success skills leader, and the math department chair. She teaches advanced- level courses and supports students who take geometry virtually. “Miss Ferguson is our go-to because she helps to instill that knowledge and the confidence of math instruction in even our newest of teachers,” Woodruff said.
High school winners
North Springs, Mary Hobby – Principal Scott Hanson said Hobby teaches physics and forensic science, and is the school’s curriculum leader in sciences. “She is helping to grow our capacity of our science teacher. She works in the after-school program to help our kids build their capacity so that they do well,” Hanson said.
Riverwood, Cayla Franzman – Principal Kindra Smith said Franzman wanted to lead English as a Second Language students to ensure they had the same rights and privileges of learning as everyone else. Franzman is the lead teacher in the math department. “Not only that, Cayla is our theater and drama teacher, and puts on these amazing performances,” Smith said.
The Sandy Springs Rotary Club meets on Mondays at 12:15 p.m. at the Hilton Perimeter Suites at 6120 Peachtree Dunwoody Road, NE.
