Scenes at Central: faculty and staff There are over 100 faculty and staff members at Clarke Central High School. Here is a deeper look into their lives. Compiled by Elena Webber and Bria Echols.
Fine arts department teacher Dea Pool poses for a photo in front of a collection of student work on May 16. Pool and fine arts department teachers Amanda Price and Jessica Shelden are travelling to Hong Kong during the summer. "We’re having dinner on Monday to discuss the specific plan, just a few days before we leave, but we’re going to wing it,” Pool said. “We’ll hike the Dragon’s Back, we’ll do a little bit of the beach stuff, the city stuff, just anything that we can, anything that we have time for.” Photo and story by Rebekah Camp
Paraprofessional Tamekia Felton stands in the Main Office on May 16. Felton began working at CCHS at the start of the 2017-2018 school year. “My year has been quite interesting. I started off in the classroom as a paraprofessional, then I moved to a one-on-one paraprofessional with a student named Karla Dougan,” Felton said. “I have had some wonderful experiences with her and pretty much everything has been going uphill from there.” Photo and story by Edmund Davis
Science department teacher Elana Worth poses for a photo during fourth period on Monday, May 14. Nearing the end of Worth’s first year teaching at Clarke Central High School, Worth explains her rationale for becoming a science teacher. “I’ve always been fascinated by how life works and the fine balance that everything hangs in, but I couldn’t commit myself to working solely in a lab,” Worth said. “I had to be around people. I had to talk to people and teaching science struck the perfect balance between the two. I get to work with students and I get to help grow these young people into functioning adults that actually have an idea about how the world around them works.” Photo and story by Zoe Peterson
Social studies department co-chair Courtney Jones poses for a photo in her classroom on May 10. Jones believes that this school year a success. “It was a really good year for me. There were obviously the usual challenges, but I had a really good group of students this year and I’m gonna miss them,” Jones said. “I think they’re gonna do well (on the AP exam). They’ve shown a huge development in their skill building. I’m really proud of all of the work they’ve done this year.” Photo and story by Alexander Robinson
Nearing the end of her first year teaching at Clarke Central High School, fine arts department teacher Amanda Price sits in her fourth period class on May 14. Previously, Price taught at a middle school in Effingham County and believes the transition from teaching middle to high school students has gone smoothly. “(The school year) went by really quickly. I’d say it had both its ups and downs, but overall, it was really positive,” Price said. “Middle and high school are very different. High school electives for art or graphic design definitely give students more possibilities as far as expressing themselves creatively and developing and growing as artists.”Photo and story by Mackenzie Caudill
Curriculum Assistance Program for Students department teacher Demetrius Edwards stands in the hallway on May 16. Edwards believed that the 2017-2018 school year was exciting. “It’s been fun, we had a lot of fun events and seeing the kids take initiative and protest was pretty cool. A lot of the sports, seeing the basketball team go to the Final Four was fun,” Edwards said. Photo and story by Andrea Matta-Castillo
School counselor Heidi Nibbelink poses for a photo in her office on May 16. Nibbelink will leave CCHS at the end of this school year. “I’ve been working at Clarke Central for 12 years and I just feel like it’s time for me to do something different in life.” Nibbelink said. “I would like to do more writing and explore that side of my interest, but I’ve loved working at Clarke Central. I love my students, I love my team here. The faculty’s been great and I love everybody.” Photo and story by Aaron Carr
School Registrar Andrea Anderson poses for a photo on May 4. Anderson feels good about this year coming to an end. “For me, (The school year) at beginning of the year and the end of the year are my busiest times and so right now it’s sort of the calm before the storm for me, because once we open the grading window next week, teachers will start posting grades and it gets really busy for me from then until about mid-June,” Anderson said. “So, I’m also kind of , you know, on edge. Looking forward to that because it keeps me really busy and then I like the organizational aspect of it. Making sure everything is in place, but it’s a lot of pieces to put together.” Photo and story by Bria Echols
Science department teacher Thomasina Miranda stands in her classroom holding up a yearbook she had all her students to sign. Miranda has been teaching at Clarke Central High School for five years, but is moving to teach at Oconee County High School next school year. “I’m hoping I can get new relationships with the students (at OCHS). That’s always one of my goals as a teacher, to really get to know my kids,” Miranda said. “I don’t want to be one of those teachers that just spits out information and gives them a bunch of responsibilities. I want to get to know them and be a part of their lives.” Photo and story by Elena Webber
Food service professional Kelly Velasquez monitors food temperatures during third lunch on May 12. Washing all the food, preparing it and monitoring it for safety, just to feed the kids she looks forward to everyday. “I’m kinda sad (that school is ending) because I got to know some of the students, they’re really sweet, I’m gonna miss it but I enjoy my vacation,” Velasquez said. “I love this school, I love the kids here you know, they give you something to look forward to everyday.” Photo and story by Emma Crane
Science department teacher Jillian Gordon stands in her room on May 16. Gordon talked about the things the students learn in her agricultural classes. “So I teach four classes. I teach Basic agriculture, Science Horticulture, Nursery Landscaping, and Floral Design,” Gordon said. “They all have a different focus, but overall, my overall goal with the classes and the overall task is to help teach students know where their food comes from and where the things that build their houses their clothes all that sort of stuff comes from agriculture and understanding where it comes from and helping students look to make choices that are more sustainable.” Photo and story by Edmund Davis and Karla Dougan
Science department teacher Judith Chavarria poses in front of the Spanish flag in her classroom on May 14. Chavarria has been teaching for 14 years and got her start in Málaga, Spain, her home country, before moving to Miami and then Athens, Georgia to teach at Clarke Central High School. “The system is different, but the students are not, so once you're in the classroom, everything is exactly the same. You get the same kind of responses from the kids, you get the same kind of inputs and wonderful feedback from your students,” Chavarria said. “I used to have 15 hours per week with my students and the rest were all office hours as a department chair that I was, while here, it's more than 30 hours, and even being a department chair in Miami as I was for six years -- or for a while -- I had a lot more work than here. So yes, the amount of work is considerably higher here in the U.S.” Photo and story by Valeria Garcia-Pozo
English department teacher Ginger Lehmann works on grading class assignments in her room after school on May 15. Lehmann feels this was a good school year, and is optimistic for the next one. “It will be interesting to see how all the teachers handle (the) different changes and how that will impact our classroom instruction,” Lehmann said. “But, I’m looking forward to having new momentum behind trying to do what’s best for all of our students.” Photo and story by Maya Cornish
Food professional Terry Smith poses for a photo in the cafeteria on May 16. Smith has had a good year and enjoys working at Clarke Central High School. “I like the people, love the hours, and love the freedom we have to do our jobs. And we have fun. If we didn’t have fun, I couldn’t work here,” Smith said. Photo and story by Cate Goldman
Math department teacher Kamala Lawrence poses for a photo in her classroom on May 15. Lawrence is looking forward to summer and spending time with her children. “I’m actually going to homeschool my children. We’re going to do what I enjoy doing, which is real-life math and real-life English and Language arts by going on different field trips, and having them plan their trips,” Lawrence said. Photo and story by Cate Goldman
Principal’s secretary Kelly Wegmann sits in her office on May 15. Wegmann thinks her last year at CCHS has been a great year, and she cannot believe that it is already the last week of school. Wegmann will be leaving CCHS to become the executive’s secretary in human resources, but will miss CCHS. “(I) will always be a gladiator. Both my kids went through here and I was here years and years ago and it’s just in your blood,” Wegmann said. Photo and story by Andrea Matta-Castillo
Custodian staffer Michelle Lamarque wipes down tables during 5th period on May 14. Lamarque will be working over the summer. “We (the custodial staff) work, we work all summer long.” Lamarque said. “We get the school ready, we clean all the carpets, clean the desks and underneath, scrub the floors, get all the gum off tables and chairs and get everything ready for y’all to come back.” Photo and story by Audrey Kennedy
Academic support specialist Wesley Mellina sits behind his desk on May 15. Mellina has been working at Clarke Central High School for three years and is ready to work this summer. “I’m the coordinator for the freshman transition academy so the rising 9th graders, they come here (in the summer) and I run that program for a week. That’s really the only thing I’m doing school related (during the summer) and the rest is just spending time with my family,” said Mellina. Photo and story by @elena.webber
Food service professional Debra Liles poses in front of her register during 3rd lunch in the cafeteria on Friday, May 11. Liles began working in a cafeteria 18 years ago when her son began kindergarten. “(My son) graduated in 2014. At that time I was manager at an elementary school and then we moved to Georgia, so now I’m starting fresh,” Liles said. “It’s a whole lot bigger and it’s a bigger town than we’re used to. Working school nutrition is just a good balance between work and home and making sure your family is taken care of away from home.” Photo by Zoe Peterson
Custodian Jan Teva finishes cleaning up the cafeteria after the lunches on May 10. Teva has worked at Clarke Central High School since November, and enjoys the students. “Some of them are alright,” Teva said. “They treat me okay, they (are) respectful.” Photo and story by Maya Cornish
Fine arts department teacher Jessica Shelden grades papers during her advisement on May 10. Because Shelden teaches such a wide variety of courses, all of her finals have to vary based on content and intricacy. “In all of my classes, I have already given out the final exam because they are performance based, so we have to make sure there is enough time since so many kids are in and out because of EOCs and AP exams,” Shelden said. “It’s nice to kinda see kids using everything they’ve learned throughout the year and how they’re taking that and turning it into a final project.” Photo and story by Emma Crane
Paraprofessional Gwendolyn Stevens stands in her classroom before class starts. Stevens has been working at Clarke Central High School for 18 years, and relentlessly reaffirms her love for her job working with Low Incidence Disability Students and her team. “When I first started I had no idea what I was doing and I’m not perfect now, but I’m a lot better and I try really hard at what I do because I love the students very much. I enjoy working with them,” Stevens said. “People think that because they have a disability, they can’t do this and that but it’s not true because they can do so much more than people think.” Photo and story by Eli Clarke
Sandra Gómez, una trabajadora de la cafetería en Clarke Central High School, sirve el almuerzo el pasado 15 de Mayo. A Gómez le gusta su trabajo y la flexibilidad que le permite. “Me gusta todo (de mi trabajo). Yo lo que hago es servir el desayuno y el almuerzo y preparar lo que se va a hacer al día siguiente. Hablo con los estudiantes en español y en inglés. Yo también como esta comida. Mi comida favorita es el chicken sandwich,” dijo Gómez. “La mejor parte de mi trabajo aquí es que me toma poco tiempo, y me queda tiempo para estar con mi bebé. Ella tiene siete años.” Foto e historia por @anaaldridge