As the first month of the 2025-26 school year wraps up, new Clarke Central High School teachers reflect on their previous jobs, goals for the year and lives before teaching.
Clarke Central High School English department teacher Denisse Maddox sits at her desk in Room 236 on Aug. 28. Prior to her 23 years of teaching in Newton, Oconee and Clarke Counties, Maddox worked as a social worker for three years before getting her Master’s Degree in Early Education from Piedmont University, a path that influenced her work with students. “Part of my social work training is (Dr. William Glasser’s Choice Theory). It’s for every choice that you make, there is an equal consequence that’s either positive or negative. So, I always think about my actions as an adult, my actions as a parent (and) my actions as a person, always having some kind of consequence,” Maddox said. “I want (my students) to realize that you make (choices) every day. From kindergarten students learning how to do school to students in high school, your choices determine what happens next.” Photo by Iliana Tejada, story by Lea D’Angelo
“(Students) know I’m gonna hold them accountable for their actions, but I’m gonna hold everyone equally accountable for their actions, so I don’t play favorites. So, I think that’s really important, because kids want to know where they stand with you, and they need to know, I think they need to know that you mean what you say, and you say what you mean.”
Clarke Central High School world languages department teacher Dr. Laura Vieira stands in front of a poster reading “Bienvenidos!” or “Welcome!” in English, in Room 393 on Aug. 29. Vieira has taught language classes for over 15 years and wants her students to recognize that learning involves making mistakes. “(People can) feel really uncomfortable with failing, but in a context like learning a new language, people have to be comfortable with the uncomfortable,” Vieira said. “They have to be vulnerable, sound silly (and) feel weird because, in order to learn a language we have to make a lot of mistakes. I really try to make students realize that not knowing is okay.” Photo and story by Lucca Fleenor
“I want students to know that communication goes a long way, because it’s what I do, teaching people how to communicate. In my case, (that’s) in other languages, but if I could tell students one thing, (it would be) to talk to someone. Talk to me. Tell me what you’re thinking, tell me what you’re struggling with, or let me know, and I’ll do my best to help you. Because I believe that everybody can be helped, but only if they want that help.”
Clarke Central High School fine arts department teacher Caroline May sits at her desk in Room 281 on Aug. 28. Entering her first year of teaching at CCHS, May got her Bachelor’s in Fine Arts degree from the University of Georgia’s Lamar Dodd School of Art and is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Art Education at UGA. “If I wasn’t doing something related to art every day, I would not be happy. And I have a lot of defining moments from my childhood and adolescence centered around art class and my art teachers, and I wanted to be able to give that to other people,” May said. “I wanted to be able to create a safe space for students to learn and create without judgment and be able to express themselves freely.” Photo by Iliana Tejada, story by Lydia Rowell
“My mother is a teacher, and so I wanted to be a teacher from a very young age, I grew up around the education sphere, and as I got older and my interest developed more, I found that art was just going to get more and more important to me as I grew up. So, I decided that I wanted to be an art teacher in 10th grade.”
Clarke Central High School special education department teacher Amy Parrish works with a student in Room 325 on Aug. 29. Parrish worked as a special education department teacher at CCHS starting in 2002 but left in 2012 and returned this year to continue helping students with Individualized Education Programs and as a 504 plan coordinator. “(Teaching) fills your cup, (knowing) that you’re helping kids and families. My job is very involved, and not for every kid, but for a lot of them, you know that you’re making a difference,” Parrish said. “In the past, I didn’t necessarily stick to the kids on my roster. I would (help anyone) because (I) saw other kids that needed it.” Photo by Iliana Tejada, story by Peter Atchley
“You have to be very organized (with IEPs. I) keep all my kids in notebooks, but everybody’s different. I think I’m the only person who does it this way, but this is how I did it 10 years ago. So it’s how I do it now. And it’s a lot of lists and calendars, and you just go through what’s next, who’s next, what’s next, like, as far as that goes with the dates (of working with students.)”
Clarke Central High School special education department teacher Shaleka Cox (left) poses in Room 227 on Sept. 2. Before officially starting at CCHS for the 2025-26 school year, Cox worked as a substitute teacher in the Clarke County School District for a year, where she valued interactions with each of her students. “I build a bond with the students to make them feel seen and heard. Education is one thing, but you have to know what’s going on in (students’ worlds,” Cox said. “Sometimes, somebody could just be having a bad day, (and they) just need somebody to see them and to inspire them. I’m an adult, (but) it (feels) good when somebody inspires me and sees me.” Photo by Iliana Tejada, story by Emlyn McKinney
“If I go into a classroom and (there’s) a student that doesn’t really want to participate, has their head down (and) isn’t engaging, I kind of want to know why. That way, maybe I can help (them), because sometimes it’s just something simple. And then sometimes it may be something that’s more complicated. But, my belief is not to just (say), ‘Hey, pick your head up.’ I want to find out why you need to have your head down to begin with.”
Clarke Central High School science department teacher Brittney Bateman teaches in Room 307 on Aug. 25. Bateman joined the CCHS community at the start of the 2025-26 school year (and) hopes that her students recognize her classroom as a place to grow and feel comfortable. “I want people to know that I’m an open, safe space (where) they can come in to be themselves. One of the main principles in my classroom is that mistakes are part of the process,” Bateman said. “At the end of the day, none of us really know what we’re doing, and the stuff that we do know, we can share with each other.” Photo by Iliana Tejada, story by Lucca Fleenor
“As far as knowing the kind of educator that I wanted to be and the Master’s program that I went through (at the University of Georgia), I figured out really early on what I wanted my teaching philosophies to be, and what kind of teacher I wanted to be for students and that is somebody who has high expectations and cares about their students, but is also willing to do a lot to help them succeed.”
Clarke Central High School physical education department teacher and varsity football defensive backs coach Steve Brooks holds a football in Billy Henderson Stadium on Aug. 29. Brooks worked on and off at CCHS from 1978 to 1996 in several different positions, including the varsity football offensive coordinator and CCHS Athletic Director, and looks forward to strengthening the varsity football program for the 2025-26 school year. “I think the challenge for us as a staff and for our program is trying to change our culture, teach the boys leadership (and) to be responsible,” Brooks said. “Let’s control those things that we can control.” Photo by Maypop Wren, story by Emlyn McKinney
“I’m excited about being here. I’m excited about using what I’ve learned in leadership, in all of my experiences, The good, the bad and the ugly mistakes I’ve made. And take take all my life lessons, and try to impart that to the staff, we have a bunch of young coaches, impart that to the young coaches.”
Clarke Central High School English for Speakers of Other Languages department teacher Shelby Alvord poses in Room 902 on Aug. 25. While studying abroad in Granada, Spain in 2017 as a junior at Stockton University, Alvord realized she wanted to be an ESOL teacher. “One thing that I look forward to every year is when students who don’t speak English talk to me in English for the first time. It’s not only them having that skill to be able to do that, but it’s the confidence to come and talk to someone in another language,” Alvord said. “You and your experiences and your culture (are) important and valued (at CCHS). We all come from different places, but you have a place here in the school.” Photo by Iliana Tejada, story by Lydia Rowell
“I thought I wanted to be an interpreter, but then I studied abroad in Spain, and while I was there, I worked with an elementary age student, tutoring him after school, and I was teaching him English. So we spoke Spanish together. I was teaching him English, and I was like, ‘Wow, this is really cool (and) fun and really important for him to be learning another language.”
Clarke Central High School science, physical education and Career, Technical and Agricultural Education departments and JROTC Instructional Coach Dr. Julie Memler works in Room 185 on Sept. 2. Memler taught various math and science classes at Loganville and North Oconee High Schools and Athens Academy for a combined 23 years before coming to CCHS. “(I want to) be as proactive and productive as I can be and help the teachers when they need. I hope I can really positively help the teachers move forward. I like to be creative and create lesson plans (and) activities,” Memler said. “That’s one of my favorite things (about) teaching: coming up with fun, hands-on activities to do.” Photo by Iliana Tejada, story by Lea D’Angelo
“One of my favorite sayings that I’ve learned over the last couple of years is that ‘I can’t be teaching my students for the world that I grew up in. I have to teach them for the world they’re growing up in.’ So, I think a lot of times we teach for a long time and we forget that students change over time (and) the culture of students changes over time, and so we have to move forward, or else we’re gonna get stagnant. And if you’re stagnant, you don’t enjoy teaching.”
Clarke Central High School 10th Grade Assistant Principal Alexis Scott directs a student on the first floor on Aug. 25. Scott began her CCHS career as the Career, Technical, and Agriculture Education and math department Instructional Coach, and was promoted to assistant principal on June 12. “As an administrator, I’m able to have a voice on our (school) climate and culture. (I get to) analyze (the) process that’s happening, asking, ‘Does that really make the most sense?’” Scott said. “I (also) really missed the interaction with students, and I wanted to continue to support teachers because teaching is hard. I felt like administration was the next way to do that.” Photo by Iliana Tejada, story by Peter Atchley
“When this position opened up, I was like, ‘I love Clark Central.’ I would still serve as an instructional coach if that’s how the administration feels, like I’m best used. Because I do love it here. I love the staff, I love the students, but I think I’m ready for the next step.”
Clarke Central High School special education department teacher Shane Calvert displays a visual storyboard in Room 210 on Sept 2. Calvert taught in a variety of different settings and roles before coming to CCHS, including as a behavior specialist at Cedar Shoals High School and as a co-teacher at Newton High School from 2021-23, which was the role that inspired his decision to work in special education full-time. “When I was working with a special (education) teacher before, I learned a lot (about) the job and needs of the students, and how to see different perspectives of what you know (about) one student,” Calvert said. “(I learned that students are) usually doing their best.” Photo and story by Sasha Barkan
“(It’s rewarding) getting (students) to overcome some of the challenges that they have. It can make a serious difference in their life. And I guess you see that in general education as well, but sometimes it takes a lot longer to see that, sometimes you do, but I guess maybe it’s just a little bit more pronounced for students that have more needs.”
Clarke Central High School English department teacher Daniela Carrasco presents to students in her Literature I class in Room 317 on Aug. 18. Before the 2025-26 school year, Carrasco received her undergraduate degree in English and worked as a student teacher at CCHS while attending the University of Georgia, a path she hadn’t always seen for herself. “I actually used to really hate English. I was always really, really bad at it but then, in high school, I had a teacher who really pushed me to get into it. So, the more I did journalism (and) different English classes, I started liking it more and more,” Carrasco said. Photo by Iliana Tejada, story by Lydia Rowell
“I always try to balance the line between being very understanding, and then also still having those high expectations for my students. So, I always tell them, ‘Help me, help you.’ So, as long as I see that they’re putting in an effort, and I see that they’re trying, I think that’s what I look for.”
Clarke Central High School fine arts department teacher Aziz Coleman teaches his guitar class on Aug. 22 in Room 261. Coleman taught Spanish at CCHS since the start of the 2022-23 school year, but switched to guitar after teaching himself the instrument and sitting in on music classes at CCHS. “When I started learning guitar, my youngest (child) was having a lot of health issues, and I just needed an escape from that. When I would go play guitar for an hour and a half every day, that’s all I focused on, and it really helped me process what was going on,” Coleman said. Photo by Margo McDaniel, story by Lea D’Angelo
“There’s a lot going on (in high school). There’s a lot to process. There’s a lot of changes, a lot of social comparison. But I know all of us are listening to music, and I know that because I see (students) with their earbuds in, walking the hallways. And it’d be nice for them to encourage that.”
Clarke Central High School world languages department teacher Dr. Marcela Garza works with CCHS senior Will Hicks in Room 388 on Aug. 27. Garza began teaching in Hendersonville, North Carolina 13 years ago before taking a position as a professor of Latinx Studies and Spanish at the University of Georgia, experience she wants to bring to CCHS as someone who is from Mexico. “I’m not only teaching a language, I’m teaching about my language (and) my culture. This is a chance to teach people about other perspectives,” Garza said. “I want to help others learn and hopefully fall in love with Spanish (and) fall in love with the people.” Photo by Iliana Tejada, story by Peter Atchley
“Students might be shy to ask questions to me because I’m the teacher, (so) sometimes I like to pair them so they can ask each other those questions they might be shy to ask me. Or, sometimes between themselves, they are able to teach things in a different way that they might have not been paying attention to. (Group projects are) good for them to build that also a sense of camaraderie.”
Clarke Central High School In–School Suspension Paraprofessional Audrianna Sheats works with a student in Room 105 on Sept. 2. Sheats worked as a School Resource Officer at CCHS during the 2023-24 school year but wanted to connect with and advise students on a deeper level. “I want (my students) to know that they can come to me (and) talk anytime they have a problem. I also want them to know that no matter what, I’m going to hold them accountable,” Sheats said. Photo and story by Lucca Fleenor
“(ISS) gives me a chance to get to know (the students) a little better. And it’s good to know your students so that you know their triggers, and you know what to do and what not to do when talking to them. And then it makes them more comfortable talking to you if they somehow have an issue and they can’t talk to someone else.”
Clarke Central High School Mental Health Counselor Zadie James-Driskell poses in Room 535 in the CCHS Administrative Suite on Aug. 27. James-Driskell was initially drawn to counseling after seeing the Clothesline Project, a movement designed to bring awareness to domestic abuse, on Valdosta State University’s campus in 2011, which caused her to change her major from pre-med to psychology. “(The movement) brought up a lot of emotional situations for me, so I started going to counseling.,” James-Driskell said. “So, I took a leave from school for about half a semester. And then I was like, ‘You know what? I think I need to reevaluate what I want to do with my life.'” Photo by Iliana Tejada, story by Emlyn McKinney
“I am very open and welcome to anyone that walks to the door, no matter their background, and I will work with them the best that I can. But, the goal is to work on their needs, so that is the big thing about mental health that I think is very stigmatized, is that it’s very focused on what the problems are. But I like to view it as a whole health kind of thing, so you are a whole person, not just (your) mental health.”
Clarke Central High School English for Speakers of Other Languages department teacher Sheryl Blazic assists a student with an assignment in Room 121 on Aug. 29. Blazic’s teaching philosophy, which prioritizes her connection with her students, has evolved during her 20 years of working in education in Georgia. “I really try to (build relationships with students,)” Blazic said. “Especially as I’m older and wiser and my children are grown, I realize how important it is to really get to know (my students’) story, who they are and the (other) aspects all about them.” Photo and story by Sasha Barkan
“I think it’s really important that we acknowledge that we must help support those students who have come to our country and they have so many more obstacles than the typical student has. So, I really try to make sure that we all have a clear understanding of what they need to do to be able to be successful.”
Clarke Central High School special education department teacher Ingrid Baughman poses in the Media Center Courtyard on Sept. 9. Before coming to CCHS as a paraprofessional in March, Baughman taught at South Jackson Elementary School in kindergarten, second grade and Reader’s Theatre positions before taking a year off when her son got sick. “(When my son got healthier), I realized that I missed being a part of something. I missed being in a school setting. I missed being part of a team, and knew I wanted to do something different, and I have a passion for special (education). My youngest son has special needs,” Baughman said. “(So,) I’m much more patient and empathetic towards anyone in the special (education) program, and also for any other student that’s carrying a burden that might spill over into their academic career.” Photo by Iliana Tejada, story by Lea D’Angelo
“When I started here March 3 of this past school year, I just immediately loved (CCHS), and I felt like I really connected with the students in the program and knew that I wanted to become a teacher here, not that a para position is not important, but I wanted to use my degree.”
Clarke Central High School fine arts department teacher Naomi Su sits at the piano in Room 261 on Sept. 12. Music was a prominent part of Su’s life throughout high school, a passion she carried to Clarke Central High School for her second official year of teaching. “Music was always the most important thing to me, and my whole family is super musical. I was mostly self-taught (in) piano and voice. And then in high school, I was involved in every music club. I was in choir, jazz band, I did musicals, I did marching band,” Su said. “I wanted to do something where music would be the center of my career, and teaching seemed like a good option.” Photo by Iliana Tejada, story by Lea D’Angelo
“With your voice, it’s so personal because it’s your instrument, and nobody’s voices sound exactly the same. So, I think it’s really important to encourage people who love music to sing and to, you know, be proud of their voice. I don’t think everybody has to be a prodigy at music. If you like doing it, that’s enough to be able to do it.”
Clarke Central High School In-School Suspension Paraprofessional and Gladiator Youth football coach David Kennedy helps a student in Room 105 on Sept. 2. Kennedy was hired at CCHS at the start of the 2025-26 school year due to the success of former varsity football quarterback and Class of 2025 alumnus Hezekiah Millender, whom he coached since Millender’s was in seventh grade. “I like to correlate (football games) to life. Everything that (the team does), I try to incorporate something that has to deal with a real-life event. For example, teaching the kids how to get through adversity,” Kennedy said. “Being a coach, you instruct kids on how to be disciplined, so that definitely (correlates to instilling students with discipline in ISS).” Photo by Iliana Tejada, story by Sasha Barkan
“I am looking forward to helping build the same type of thing that they have going on (at CCHS), which is success. I’ll say that. We’re trying to make it a successful football program, so it starts with the younger generation, since they feed right into the high school.”
