Upon receiving their schedules during the first week of school, many students were left confused as to who their new teachers were for the upcoming school year. As of this summer, North Atlanta has become the home of more than 20 new teachers.

Junior Carsen Miller was surprised to see that nearly half of his International Baccalaureate instructors were new to North Atlanta.

“I was expecting good IB teachers this year,” he said. “Luckily, they fulfilled my expectation.”

Language arts and social studies are the two subject areas where the newest teachers have been added. The first day of school, Aug. 3, marked history teacher Jerek Brown’s official first day of teaching. “I have the joy of teaching ninth and twelfth graders,” he said. “Seeing students on both ends of the high school spectrum often makes me nostalgic.”

Brown graduated from Morehouse College in 2015 as the summa cum laude and valedictorian with a bachelor of arts in political science. From there, he graduated from the Harvard School of Education in 2016 with a master of education in teaching and curriculum.

New IB History of Americas teacher Jenna Robinson graduated from Northside High School, North Atlanta’s institutional predecessor, so she is something of a North Atlanta alumnus.

Before coming to North Atlanta, she taught at both Banneker High School and South Atlanta High School. “I love being back at the school I graduated from,” she said. “I also like how all of my students are pleasant and seem eager to learn.”

Robinson attended Georgia State University for her bachelor’s in business management, and the University of Dayton for her master’s in education. “The difficulty is getting used to how large the building is,” she said. “It takes me a long time to get almost anywhere.”

New faculty for the 2016-2017 school year include: 

Tyler Brelje – Arabic

Diane Keller – ESOL math

Kaylan Harris – biology

Casey Christenson – 10th literature and AP Language

Patrick Cheney – 9th Literature

Jennifer Page – 10th Literature and AP Literature

Chris Jack – British Literature and IB Literature Year 2

Briana Levels – American Literature and IB Literature Year 1

Amy Shilling – IB Theory of Knowledge Year 1

Lori Delorenzo – math

Vacheal Hutchings – math

Jerek Brown – World Geography/American Govt. and IB History Year 2

Caitlyn Tripp – World History, Current Issues and Sub-Saharan African Studies

Jenna Robinson – AP US History and IB History Year 1

Adrian Ford – Piano and Music Appreciation

Jerid Morisco – Chorus and Guitar

Allison Shepard – Art

Aneisha Davis – 10th Literature and SAT Prep

Ashlee Jelks – 9th Literature and Communication Skills

Angela Johnson – Spanish

Ian Harris – audio video tech film

Jason Prather – Special Education mathematics

Audette Player – Special Education social studies

Most students have already grown accustomed to their new teachers and their style. From Arabic to math, these new teachers will make a lasting impression for future classes to come.