SHALLOWFORD PRESBYTERIAN SCHOOL - Key Persons
Aimee has 11 years of experience in DeKalb County Schools teaching Kindergarten and 2nd Grade. Aimee has taught at SPS since 2012, this year as a preschool assistant teacher. She has a BS in Early Childhood Education from the University of Georgia. She is married with 3 daughters and 2 cats. Aimee is a former SPS parent and is a member of Shallowford Presbyterian Church. She enjoys reading, traveling, going to restaurants with friends, and being a mom.
Job Titles:
- Third Grade Assistant Teacher
Amelia holds a Bachelors of Speech Communication with a focus in Public and Political Rhetoric from Georgia State University. She was also lucky to study at Oxford University in Oxford, England where she focused on Communication, Shakespeare, and Chaucer. She holds a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of South Carolina. Before SPS she was a Reference and Instructional Librarian, and a reading and writing tutor. Amelia is married with two daughters both of whom have attended SPS. She loves libraries, reading, writing, and swimming!
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Vice President, REACH Georgia
Brad Bryant serves as Vice President, REACH Georgia, a needs-based mentorship and scholarship
Charlotte is married with three children. She currently serves The Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta as a Cadette troop leader and serves on the Parent Council Executive Board for her daughter's school. She has enjoyed being an Elementary Science Olympiad Coach, and Club volunteer for First Lego League, Garden Club, and Chorus. Charlotte attended CIA (Culinary Arts) and served The Vinings Club for 15 years in their culinary and membership departments.
Courtney recently graduated from Valdosta State University, where she studied History and African American Studies. She is an Atlanta girl born and raised and has three siblings-one in the Army and another in the Navy. She loves gardening, anything outdoors, cooking and reading. This is her second year teaching, which she got into because she loves children and watching them learn new skills and grow
Daisy has been teaching ages 18 months to 4-year-olds for 40 years. She has had her own in-home daycare for eight years. She has three beautiful adult children ages. Her daughter, the oldest, is a Business Lawyer, Security Advisor and a State Representative. She has been married to her better half since 1982; he is a successful Ceramic Tile Installer with his own business. Daisy loves kids and enjoys touching their lives by investing in their future-not to mention that they keep her young! Daisy's hobbies are sewing, arts and crafts, and just being creative every chance she gets.
Elena has a BBA from St. Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN. She is a native Atlantan and is married with two children. In addition to teaching at SPS, she enjoys teaching STEM concepts to children through Lego model-building classes. Both of Elena's children attended SPS. She enjoys spending time with her family, going to the beach, and backyard birdwatching.
Job Titles:
- Counselor
- School Counselor
Jennifer is the new school counselor. She is licensed in the state of Georgia as a LMSW. She previously worked as a foster care social worker for a private non-profit organization in Atlanta. Jennifer received her Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Georgia and her Master of Social Work from the University of South Carolina. Prior to this new role, Jennifer taught in the kindergarten classroom from 2014-2018. She lives in Tucker with her husband, Jeff, and their two daughters, Virginia and Martha. Both of her children are SPS graduates and, during her time as an SPS parent, Jennifer served as an active board member and Joy of Giving committee member. Jennifer loves spending time with her family and friends. She enjoys hiking, camping, hearing live music, playing tennis and cheering for the Georgia Bulldogs.
Ms. Kate attended the University of Tennessee where she majored in Early Childhood Education. She then married and was a stay at home mom having 5 children. During those years she volunteered with the Boy and Girl Scout troops, as a Sunday School teacher, a VBS teacher, and a volunteer in her children's classes at school. Once all of her children were in school, she became a substitute teacher for all grade levels in the public schools. In 2002, she had her sixth child. In 2005 she came to work at Shallowford and has worked as an assistant and lead teacher in the two's class and as an assistant teacher in the 4 year old preschool class. When her husband received a job promotion requiring that he work overseas, she took two years off from working at Shallowford. During this time she continued taking Early Childhood classes at GSU. She returned to Shallowford, working for 4 years until Covid forced the closing of the two year old class. She has also worked almost every summer during the summer camps. She has been a member of Shallowford church for 12 years and is very grateful to call Shallowford home.
Job Titles:
- State School Superintendent
Kristen has taught at SPS for 6 years, at Oak Grove Elementary for 12 years, and at Country Day School in Costa Rica for 4 years. She has a BS in Education from Miami University and a Masters Degree in Education from Framingham State College. Kristen is married with two daughters. Her hobbies include playing ALTA league tennis, camping, hiking, sailing, painting, and running.
Kristin has been an educator for over 15 years, first in early childhood education and then in the music classroom. She has worked almost exclusively in Title 1 Schools and helped create music standards for Cambridge Public Schools. In 2009, Kristin created Note Knacks Music to provide support for educators via lesson plans, a blog, workshops and as a national clinician.
Kristina has worked as an audiologist at Emory and the Atlanta Speech School. Prior to coming to SPS, she worked at Immaculate Heart of Mary School for 8 years as a first grade teaching assistant, library assistant, and garden coordinator. She attended the University of Georgia and earned a B.S. Ed. in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a M.Ed. in both Audiology and Education of the Hearing Impaired. She holds a Georgia State License in Audiology and Georgia Teaching Certification for Early Education, Hearing Impaired and areas of Special Education. Kristina particularly enjoys teaching children to read and also watching students develop a love of reading and writing. Kristina has been married for 23 years and has 2 children, a daughter who is a sophomore in college and a son who is a senior in high school. In her spare time, Kristina enjoys spending time with family, watching UGA football, watching her son's varsity basketball team, gardening, and scrapbooking.
Job Titles:
- Second Grade Lead Teacher
Laura holds a BS in Early Childhood Education from Brenau University, a MS in Teaching Reading K-5 from Walden University, and is Orton-Gillingham trained. Prior to joining SPS, Laura taught 1st grade, 2nd grade, Summer School, and After School in Gwinnett County Public Schools for 16 years. She has also taught Pre-K. Laura's favorite things are swimming and spending time with her immediate and extended family.
Job Titles:
- Admissions Coordinator
- Admissions & Operations Coordinator
Lauren (she/her) is an Atlanta native and a GSU graduate with a Bachelors of Music in Vocal Performance. Now residing in Tucker with her husband Grant, she previously worked in customer service management and in-home childcare before joining the Shallowford administration team in 2019. Lauren is also a piano and general music teacher who works with children in one-on-one private lessons as well as an avid baker who loves to share her creations. In her free time, Lauren likes to read, explore the outdoors, and snuggle with her cat and dog.
Job Titles:
- Fourth Grade Assistant Teacher
Lauren has been with SPS for 9 years now. She has been married for 22 years and has 3 boys (Alex, Marc, and Matthew) that are no strangers to SPS. They have worked summer camp and have volunteered throughout the years. Her husband, Dave, works for Dekalb County. Lauren enjoys watching UGA football, going to the beach and mountains, and spending time with family and friends.
Lourelle began teaching at SPS in 2016 and is currently the assistant teacher for 2nd grade. She was previously the lead teacher for one of SPS's Pre-K classes, and has taught at St. Bede's as an assistant and lead teacher in the 2's class. A native South African and Smoke Rise resident, she is married with four children and has a furry friend, Rosie the dog. Going to her children's sports games, gardening, nature walks, and Candy Crush are a few of her favorite things.
Maggie holds a BS in Early Childhood Education from the University of Georgia. Prior to joining SPS, she was president of a small technology company. Maggie has served on the board and been an involved volunteer at SPS since her daughter joined the toddler's class in 2011. Her daughter, Charlotte, is now enrolled in grade school at SPS. Her favorite things to do are spending time in the mountains with her family, reading, yoga, and cooking.
Maria is married with three children, one of whom graduated from SPS 10 years ago. Maria has been a teacher since 2007. She also owns her own Indian homecooking catering company called Spice Up. Her hobbies include cooking and shopping.
Job Titles:
- Second Grade Assistant Teacher & Christian Education Teacher
My name is Meghan Jorgensen- the kids call me "Mrs. Meg". I'm the new Teacher's Assistant for Second Grade. This is my first year teaching at Shallowford but I'm a long time Shallowford parent. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology with a Mental Health Concentration from Madonna University. I have two children- Trey, 8 and Addie, 4 and both will attend Shallowford this year. I have been a stay at home mom since having my kids. Last year I homeschooled Trey for second grade because.... pandemic. I loved it! So when we decided to send the kids back to Shallowford I thought I'd come too! My hobbies include reading, painting, writing and celebrating all the holidays (go BIG or go home!).
Meiling moved to Atlanta in 2019 from the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. Having a background in science studies and education, she is currently pursuing her degree in Health Education. Ms. Mei believes in a holistic approach when it comes to educating our children. When she is not assisting our 6th & 7th grade teachers, she is reading, running, gardening, and spending time with her husband and two children.
Meredith holds a BS in Secondary Social Science Education from the University of Georgia and a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Georgia State University. She is a former Social Studies teacher at Tucker High School and Assistant Principal at Meadowcreek and Tucker High Schools. Meredith holds teaching certificates in Social Studies, Educational Leadership, and Gifted Education. She has been involved with SPS since she was 11 where she volunteered during the Summer Fun Camps. She is a former 3 year old class teacher at SPS and has been the Head of School since 2013. She has two daughters Grace (an SPS graduate) and Amelia (an SPS grade school student). She enjoys spending time with her girls and husband Chris, watching UGA football, and reading.
Job Titles:
- Media Specialist, Library, Technology
Molly holds a BA in English from Ithaca College and a Masters degree in School Library Media from Georgia State. She was a children's book editor in New York before moving to Atlanta, where she has worked as both a freelance writer and a certified Dekalb County schools media specialist. She loves anything having to do with books, cooking, exploring Atlanta, and spending time with her husband and two children (both of whom have attended SPS).
Nicole holds a BA in English Literature from Carleton College in Northfield, MN and a teaching certification in Art (K-12) from the Art Institute of Chicago. She has taught children of all ages in many educational settings, including children's museums, pre-schools and elementary schools, and has also worked in the non-profit arts world for Atlanta Ballet. A New Jersey native, Nicole has now lived in Atlanta for 20 years. She is proud to be part of the Flair Forest neighborhood with her husband and 2 children (SPS graduates). She likes anything involving artistic endeavors, good books and adventures! Nicole enjoyed many, many years of being a stay-at-home-mom and many, many "jobs" volunteering on school boards, committees, PTAs and Girl Scouts, and now is so excited to be returning to SPS in her new role as a teacher.
Job Titles:
- Seventh Grade Lead Teacher
Rylen joined SPS in the 2021-22 school year after spending three years working with all ages of children, primarily in special education roles during school hours and coaching soccer after school. They received their B.S. in Psychology with a concentration in Infant-Adolescent Development from Kennesaw State University. Rylen has continued education to gain knowledge in differentiated instruction, modifications & accommodations, ADHD & ASD, and design processes. Rylen has a strong passion for educating middle school-aged students and helping them to grow socially and emotionally through restorative and conscious discipline based practices and is looking forward to growing alongside the upper grade school program at Shallowford. Outside of school, Rylen loves to travel, spend time with their family, and maintain an ever-growing sneaker collection.
Job Titles:
- First Grade Assistant Teacher
Sharon studied education at the University of New Orleans. She has a B.A. in English Education with a concentration in Reading and the Language Arts. She has worked in schools in Louisiana, Georgia, and Texas. Sharon taught 3's, Pre-K, and Kindergarten at SPS in the 1990's and returned to Shallowford in 2019 to be the Assistant Teacher in the 1st Grade. Sharon and her husband of 47 years, Joe, have 3 daughters and 4 grandchildren. Granddaughters Grace and Amelia are former SPS students, and grandson George currently attends SPS preschool. His brother, Henry, is patiently waiting until he is old enough to join the Shallowford family. Sharon enjoys spending time with her family, reading, decorating, and traveling.
Job Titles:
- Kindergarten Lead Teacher
Stacey is a native of Georgia. She has studied Business Administration at Georgia Perimeter College and Early Childhood Education at Georgia State University. She is a former Pre-K teacher at Embry Hills Kindergarten and Preschool and taught there for 10 years. Stacey and her husband, George, reside in Atlanta with their two children and two dogs. Her children Nicholas and Isabella attend Lakeside High School. When she is not at SPS, you can find her on a soccer field watching both of her children play for Concorde Fire and Lakeside. She enjoys walking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.