For Charter Teacher Appreciation Week, we celebrated amazing charter educators who have gone above and beyond for their students and communities. We invite you to celebrate them with us!
Georrometta Byrd, Third Grade Teacher at International Academy of Smyrna
Mrs. Byrd serves as our third grade team lead. She is innovative and creates engaging activities to help her scholars think outside the box while mastering their standards. She works to ensure that not only her scholars but her grade level are prepared for the next year. Mrs. Byrd expects the best from her scholars and they work hard to reach that expectation.
Melanie Spooner, Gifted Coordinator/ Resource Teacher at Pataula Charter Academy
Melanie Spooner is an amazing teacher. She coordinates our entire gifted program by working with teachers and parents and serving gifted students in a resource setting. Melanie gave up her own planning for a year to implement the first resource segments in history here at PCA. In doing so, she proved gifted resource to be not only beneficial, but also essential to pushing our gifted students forward. It is because of her hard work, dedication, and selflessness that we now have a fully functional resource gifted program here at PCA. She goes above and beyond for her students and for her teachers. She is constantly finding ways to challenge her students. In addition, she has written and received the state grant for gifted camp for two years in order to implement our first ever Summer STEAM Camp. It is now a huge success at our school. She also wrote a grant which awarded us a new playground and helped with the grant that earned us a Book Vending Machine. We are thrilled to have Mrs. Spooner as an educator here at PCA. She is truly a blessing to all who know her.
Kermit Burns, Managing Lead Enrichment Teacher at Ethos Classical Academy
Mr. Burns has been a part of the Ethos Classical team since it’s founding year in 2019. He has help scholars growth their brains as a Lead Kindergarten teacher and is now the Performing Arts teacher. He has single handedly developed the theatre program at the school and works closely with the other Fine Arts teachers to provide our scholars with a well rounded Enrichment experience. After school, Mr. Burns is the Athletic Director for all of our sports programs including cheerleading, football, and basketball to name a few. Mr. Burns is the humble gem of Ethos. Always working to support our team, scholars and families without ever seeking recognition. We see and appreciate you.
April Boggs, SPED Teacher at International Academy of Smyrna
Mrs. Boggs works with out kindergarten and first grade special education scholars. She provides both small group and co-taught services. She provides not only academic support but social and emotional support to our scholars that may have a difficult timed during the day. She is innovative and helps to make learning fun and provide ways her scholars are able to be successful on their own.
Jonathan Lackey, Band Director and Music Teacher at The Main Street Academy
Mr. Lackey has recently been chosen as The Main Street Academy (TMSA) Teacher of the Year for the 24/25 school year. Not only is Mr. Lackey a dedicated teacher for his students he is also an inspiration for his colleagues as well. Mr. Lackey teaches, trains, and coordinates several programs every year for his students which include a Winter concert, Black history musical performances, a Spring Concert, and several community performances and also leads a Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM) with a showcase at the end of each semester. Mr. Lackey often comes early and stays late to work with students who desire extra time to practice and improve their craft. TMSA can always count on Mr. Lackey to show up for carline duties to ensure that our students make it safely in and out of the building. His love and dedication to Music Education, Students, and our Community is unmatched. Although Mr. Lackey is TMSA’s Music and Band Teacher, he is consistently participating, helping with, and leading many of the school’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts/Agriculture, & Math (STEAM) initiatives. With across-curriculum connections, Mr. Lackey is able to incorporate other core subject areas and student interest areas. This year Mr. Lackey and his performance band were selected to perform at the Atlanta Hartsfield Airport in December for their Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony. Through this partnership, our students have been offered opportunities to showcase their skills and be around several executives and business leaders right here in our local community. We also are a go to partner for the City of College Park and perform annually at their Fall and Winter events. This year our music department hosted its first annual Battle of The Bands event which collaborated with several local high schools. This encourages a great partnership with other educators in South Fulton to help build strong relationships for our students and families.
Samantha Russo, Gifted Teacher at International Academy of Smyrna
Ms. Russo is our 1st – 5th grade gifted teacher. She is creative and brings out the curiosity and innovativeness of our scholars. She is always willing to step in wherever she is needed in the building to provide support in any form that is needed. She is also able to assist scholars in distress and help them with strategies to refocus and regroup.
Jessica Batiste, Lead Third Grade Math Teacher at Ethos Classical Academy
Mrs. Batiste is a caring educator who consistently goes above and beyond to create a nurturing and intellectually stimulating learning environment for her scholars. Her positive energy is infectious. Her interactive teaching methods, combined with a genuine concern for the academic and personal growth of each scholar, have earned her the respect and admiration of scholars, families and colleagues alike. As an Ethos parent and Lead teacher, Mrs. Batiste has truly been an asset to our school community.
Karrie Henderson, EIP Math Teacher at International Academy of Smyrna
Mrs. Henderson is always looking for ways to help and support around the building. She helps scholars work on their math facts and understand the new math standards.
