Barber Middle School Blog

Ms. Rosen

Alicia Rosen (formally Alicia Curtis) is one of three Health and Physical Education teachers at Barber. Ms. Rosen has been in education for twelve years, all in the Cobb County School District. This is Ms. Rosen’s fourth year at Barber. Ms. Rosen received her undergraduate degree from Kennesaw State University and then furthered her education by obtaining her master’s and specialist degree in educational leadership at the University of West Georgia. Ms. Rosen plays tennis for several competitive leagues in the Atlanta area. Ms. Rosen attends First Baptist Church of Woodstock with her husband Dave and two stepchildren, Kyle and Hannah. Visit Ms. Rosen's blog Email Ms. Rosen

Mrs. Henson-Heard

I am so excited to teach Language Arts for 8th graders once again. I love teaching English!

I taught high school for the last eight years in Jefferson City, MO. Before then I taught 8th grade Honors English in Hunstville, AL. I hold a B.A. in Communications and a M.A. in Secondary Education Language Arts. I am married with three wonderful children.

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Ms. Smith

Jenna Smith is the Supply Teacher in Dance and Drama, currently filling in for Mrs. Tindall. She grew up in the Cobb County School District and attended Harrison High School, where she met her husband whom she just married this past summer. Dancing since a very young age, she attended Indiana University where she was a part of the school's prestigious ballet program. Upon graduating, Mrs. Smith danced professionally with the Charleston Ballet Theatre and has taught at several private dance studios. Most recently, she taught dance in the four different high schools within the Floyd County School System before coming to Barber this year. She is excited for the opportunity to share and learn with her students!

Mr. Ruiz

Mr. Ruiz is your new AVID teacher at Barber Middle School and is happy to return to Cobb County to teach after a year in another Georgia school district. He was born in San Antonio, Texas and moved to Georgia when he was 8 years old. A graduate of Harrison High School and Valdosta State Univeristy, Mr. Ruiz has learned that "Education is the path to the promise of America" and his desire is to share the joy of learning with each of his students and any young person that he may meet at Barber Middle School.
In his spare time Mr. Ruiz enjoys hiking, running, exercising the 2nd amendment, playing golf, tennis, NASCAR, working in his yard, and playing with his 2 dogs. He grew up playing baseball so Mr. Ruiz is naturally a Braves fan even when they're not winning their division. His iPod has all types of music that includes: Classical, country, classic rock, hard-core punk rock.
Just as he would like for his students to set goals for themselves; Mr. Ruiz has set a goal for himself this year... He will run his first half marathon (13.1 miles) in Nashville, Tennessee in the Spring of 2009. Be sure to ask him how his training is going!
Mr. Ruiz is happy to be back at Barber Middle School amongst a wonderful faculty/staff and an outstanding community in Acworth. 2008-2009 is going to be a GREAT school year!

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Ms. Campbell

Ashlynn Campbell
Mrs. Campbell is an Area Lead Teacher housed at Barber Middle School. She is one of fourteen ALTs who serve schools in Area 5. Mrs. Campbell is beginning her first year at Barber Middle school and her seventeenth year in education in Cobb County. She taught English for eight years at Lassiter High School and eight years at Kennesaw Mountain High School. She has a B.S. in English Education from The University of Georgia (GO DAWGS!) and a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership with Technology Concentration from Kennesaw University. Mrs. Campbell has been married for sixteen years and has two sons who are eleven and seven. Mrs. Campbell enjoys spending time with her family, watching SEC football, reading, and playing tennis.

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Ms. Huggins

Summer Huggins earned both her Bachelors and Masters degrees from Arkansas State University. She is new to Georgia and plans to make it her home. She is a seventh grade Co-Teacher. Throughout the years, Summer has worked in the social work and education fields specializing in diverse learning instruction and behavior management. When Summer is not working with students, she enjoys traveling, shopping, and spending time with her family.

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Mr. Kline

Mr. Kline graduated from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. He also has a Masters of Science Degree from Kutztown University. He has two years teaching experience at the college level for Penn State University Abington Campus. Then in 2002, Mr. Kline moved to Georgia and has been co-teaching in the math content area for the past 6 years at the high school level. He is looking forward to bringing his knowledge to Barber Middle School and helping young minds understand math.

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Ms. Wallace

Hello, and welcome to 8th grade physical science on team 8B! My name is Deidre Wallace, and I am a new teacher here at Barber. I am a recent graduate of Kennesaw State University--go Owls--and I have earned a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Middle Grades Education, with concentrations in Science and English. I am also working on my Gifted Endorsement this year, in order to better serve students. When I have free time, I love to read, write, hike, watch movies, and travel with my husband, Jesse! I am extremely excited to meet all of my students and lead them in participating in and exploring how things work in our world! Let's do science!

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Mr. Abel

Mr. Scott Abel is the 7A Math teacher at Barber Middle School. He taught mathematics for nine years in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades in Cobb County Middle Schools: including Mathematics Applications and Connections, Pre-Algebra, and Algebra. Mr. Abel has a Masters Degree in Adolescent Mathematics Education from Kennesaw State University; he is excited to be teaching in the 7th grade

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Ms. Alexander

Melanie Alexander started teaching in 2000 at Durham Middle School. She made the move across the highway to help open Barber in 2005. Currently, she teaches 7th grade World Studies, serves as the 7A Team Leader and Social Studies Coordinator. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Middle Grades Education with concentrations in Social Studies and Language Arts. In December 2005, she earned a Master's Degree in Adolescent Education with a focus on Social Studies. She and her husband, Thomas, welcomed their first child Gavin in March 2006. When she is not on "Mom" or "Teacher" duty, she enjoys reading, shopping, and hanging out with family and friends. She is looking forward to another great year with Team 7A.

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Ms. Baker

Over the last 11 years, Ms. Baker has worked with middle school students in Cobb County teaching language arts and media literacy. She currently teaches 6th grade language arts. In 1998, Ms. Baker completed her Bachelors in Middle Grades Education and in 2004 her Master's in Curriculum and Technology. Once she caught the back to school bug, she completed her Specialist degree in Educational Leadership and School Administration in 2006. In the summers, Ms. Baker leads students in travel through the People to People Student Ambassador Program. She has visited many places including China, England, Europe, and Australia and is looking forward to visiting Japan in 2009. Ms. Baker enjoys music, movies and her friends.

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Ms. Barksdale

Ms. Barksdale is team 6B's Reading teacher. She has taught Language Arts/Reading for six years in Baltimore, Maryland and this is beginning her fourth year teaching in Cobb County. Ms. Barksdale earned her Bachelors of Arts degree in English and certificate for Secondary Education from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. She has completed Cambridge College's Master's program for Library Teacher. It is obvious that Ms. Barksdale has a love of reading and wishes to foster that same love of reading in children. Helping to ensure that Barber Middle School's fourth year is even greater that its first is at the top of Ms. Barksdale's priority list. She is looking forward to working with your children this year so that their first year in middle school will be a great success.

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Ms. Bolles

I graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor's degree in journalism, and later, I earned my master's degree in Education from Georgia State. I have worked as a teacher for the Cobb County School district for the past nine years, teaching Technology Education and Business Education. Previously, I worked in magazines and newspapers as a reporter, then later as an editor.

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Ms. Brown

My name is Fadwa Brown and I am a Language Arts and Social Studies Co-teacher here at Barber Middle School. This will be my first year at Barber. This will be my eighth year with Cobb County. Before Cobb, I taught at a middle school in Madison Florida for eight years. I am excited to be here at Barber and I look forward to a successful year! About me: I was born and raised in Valdosta Georgia. I obtained my BS and Masters Degree in Special Education from Valdosta State University. I received my Educational Specialist degree in Special Education and Educational Leadership certification from Jacksonville State University.

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Ms. Burt

I am Erin Burt - this is my second year teaching 6th grade Reading here at Barber Middle School. A veteran of 10 year: I have taught high school American Literature, 9th Grade Lit. Comp. Honors, Advanced Composition, Pacesetter English, Writer's Workshop, and 8th Language Arts. I now have the wonderful opportunity to continue teaching Reading here at Barber!! Personally, I have taught environmental education, archery, canoeing, Indian Lore, Nature, Drama, folklore, and Native American folklore and storytelling for 18 years. I enjoy reading, writing, skydiving, gardening, trying organic cooking recipes, yoga and meditation, fishing, boating, and taking nature hikes with my son. I have learned to blend my love of nature and my Native American background and education into the mainstream public classroom; I look forward to sharing and learning with my students this year. Sana Na'gai Bikeh Hozcho! Walk in Beauty!!

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Ms. Bush

Ms. Allison Bush is the 7B Science Teacher. She has been teaching for over 13 years (2ND year at Barber Middle). Ms. Bush’s professional experience encompasses Early Childhood through Adult Education. Amongst her accomplishments, she has achieved her B.S. and M.S. Degrees from Florida State Universities. Ms. Bush is passionate about serving as an educator and youth advocate. She has two children and enjoys outdoor activities and traveling with them. Ms. Bush looks forward to empowering all children, partnering with all parents and the community. Best wishes.

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Ms. Lindsay

This will be my second year at Barber Middle School staff as a Special Education Teacher. I am a member of the 8B team, and will be co-teaching with two more of Barber's awesome teachers, Ms. Running (Reading) and Ms. Cellini (Science). I am a native of Atlanta, GA and have lived in Cobb County most of my life. I attended Lindley Middle School and South Cobb High School (many, many years ago). I graduated from GA State University (December 2006) and earned my master's degree in Instructional Technology from Troy State University in March 2008. My husband, Murray, and I have been married forever, and we have a beautiful and talented daughter, Erin, and a wonderful son-in-law, Kirk. Kirk is a Lt. Colonel in the Air Force, and will be leaving us soon for a tour of duty in Iraq; while he is gone, Erin will return home to us in GA. Here at home, we have four 4-legged children - 3 Jack Russell Terriers and 1 very large fluffy cat (when Erin arrives, we will also have three more 4-legged grandchildren, so our house will be a zoo!)

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Ms. Carroll

Mrs. Laurie Carroll is the 8B, Math 8 teacher at Barber Middle School. She taught mathematics for nine years in the 6th and 7th grades at East Cobb Middle School, and is now in her 3rd year at Barber. She has her Masters Degree in Adolescent Mathematics Education from Kennesaw State University, and she is excited to be teaching in the 8th grade (alongside her best friend since high school and colleague-Ms. Karen Kline). Mrs. Carroll is an active member of the PTSA, Hospitality Committee, and Advisement Steering Committee. She just celebrated her 10th wedding anniversary and has two children of the furry persuasion (Buster and Buddy), and she will be welcoming a third in October (Franklin). She lives here in Acworth and can't imagine any other school in which she'd rather teach.

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Ms. Cellini

Hello, my name is Dianne Cellini and I teach 8th grade science at Barber Middle School. Eight years ago, I began my career as a 7th grade math teacher and in 2005 took advantage of an opportunity to teach 8th grade science. Science is so much fun and I am thrilled to have made the change. Here's a little info about my education and teaching experience: I graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in fashion merchandising; I also graduated summa cum laude from Kennesaw State University with a degree in middle grades education with concentrations in math and science. I began teaching math at Moses Middle School, moved to Awtrey and then came to Barber. What a beautiful school and what incredible people to work for and to work with, and what great students to see everyday. And now a little info about my family: I have three sons. My oldest, Jim, is 25; he graduated with honors from Georgia Tech and is now in his last year of veterinary school at UGA. My middle son, Michael, is 23 and graduated this year from UGA with a degree in real estate. While at UGA, he was a scholarship athlete for the UGA swim team. My youngest son, Tommy, is 20 and is a sophomore at UGA, majoring in biology. As you can tell I am a very proud mom. That's all I've got for now-I am looking forward to a great year with my students at Barber Middle School! Go Dawgs!

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Mr. Cesa

Mr. Cesa is our In School Suspension teacher.

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Mrs. Clark

Mrs. Kay Clark is the 7th and 8th grade counselor at Barber Middle School. She has a Specialist degree in Guidance and Counseling from the University of West Georgia. She absolutely loves her job of 37 years, and considers herself a lifelong learner. Mrs. Clark aligns her counseling philosophy with "Dr. Phil", and is teased about that a lot. However, her students and co-workers know that she is quite sincere about her work. If you want some straightforward advice, confliction-resolution skills, high school information, or just a good listener, stop by the guidance office, and talk with Mrs. Clark. She is not a therapist, but a school guidance counselor that will help guide you in making good choices. Mrs. Clark is married to an educator and coach. They have three children, one son-in-law, two daughters-in-law, and seven grandchildren. She enjoys sharing news about her family, as well as her Barber family!

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Ms. Collier

My journey in teaching began thirty-nine years ago. What an eventful journey it has been –all in Cobb County! I have been a classroom teacher and library/media specialist at South Cobb High School, McEachern High School, Pine Mountain Middle, Awtrey Middle and now at Barber. I am married to Bill Collier who was a teacher in Cobb County for twenty-seven years. We have a son, Kent, who is twenty-six years old. Preparation for my journey began at Oxford College of Emory University, then the University of Georgia and graduate work at Georgia State University. Mrs. Jeter and I are excited about this school year and the many opportunities students at Barber have to become effective users of information. It is our hope that our students will develop into life-long learners just as we have!

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Ms. Collins

Ms. Jeannie Collins is the guidance counselor for 6th grade. She has been in the counseling field for twelve years, with the last eight years specializing in school counseling. She is certified at the master's level in School Social Work, School Counseling, and Educational Leadership. Ms. Collins especially enjoys working with the middle school child. She believes that the middle school years are a critical point in the adolescent's life....a point at which they need a positive support system to help guide them down the road of success! In addition to her school counseling responsibilities, Ms. Collins is involved with many other areas of the school and community. She serves as the facilitator for Response to Intervention team, is the captain for the school's Relay for Life team (benefiting the American Cancer Society), is a mentor for school counselors new to Cobb County, facilitates the Barber Ambassador program, and is an active participant on Barber's School Improvement Committee. She is thrilled to be part of the Barber Middle School family, and is looking forward to an exciting new year!

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Ms. Criner

This year will be Ms. Criner's 12th year working in Cobb County as the school bookkeeper. She worked at Bells Ferry Elementary and Addison Elementary before coming to join the Barber Middle School Staff when the school opened. Her job is to collect, count, and post all money coming into the school as well as ordering everything that is used in our school, from copiers and desks to toilet paper, copy paper and pencils. She is a wife of 31 years, mother of two daughters and grandmother of four grandchildren, who are the love of her life. She has lived in Cobb County for 30 years but was born in Virginia and still has family drawing her back several times a year. Her favorite vacation spot is the beach where she can dig her toes in the sand and refresh her soul for whatever life has in store.

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Mr. Cummins

Mr. Cummins is a health/physical education teacher at Barber Middle School. He holds two degrees in health/physical education from Indiana State University. He taught one year at ISU and the remaining thirty-three years in Cobb County. He helped develop the first drug education and human growth and development curriculum in the school system. Mr Cummins has three children. His oldest child graduated from the University of Georgia and is currently employed by Boys and Girls Club at their national headquarters as the director of federal grants. His second child graduated from Kennesaw State University and is a home consultant and mortgage broker. His third child attends and plays soccer for Georgia State University. His wife is also an educator in Cobb County.

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Ms. Daniels

Hi, my name is Mrs. Daniels and I am the 8th grade Spanish Teacher at Barber Middle School. I'm going into my second year at Barber. I am originally from the Republic of Panama. I have worked with the New York City Public School System as a bilingual teacher. I have also taught Spanish in the Fulton County School District. I look forward to meeting and working with the students at Barber Middle School and having a wonderful and successful school year.

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Ms. Davidson

Mrs. Davidson is the choral director at Barber. Although she has lived in Marietta for three years, she grew up in Macon, GA. She graduated with a degree in music education and piano from the University of Georgia as well as a Master's in Educational Leadership from Kennesaw State University. Mrs. Davidson spent her first two years teaching in Hilton Head Island, SC at Hilton Head Preparatory School. She and her husband, Michael, live in Marietta with her two labs, Samson and Zoe, and cat, Isabella. Mrs. Davidson loves being at Barber and considers herself very lucky to be able to work with such a great faculty and such talented students!

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Ms. Davis

Hello, my name is Kathryn Davis. I think Math is awesome. I am a math teacher for team 7B. I taught math in Alabama and now Georgia. I earned my Bachelor's degree from Jacksonville State University, Masters, and AA (+30 hrs.) from the University of Alabama. (You might think that I am a Roll Tide fan, but no, I am an Auburn War Eagle Fan!) One of my life's challenging adventures was being an Educator Astronaut Teacher. Experiencing NASA with hands on tasks and all the fun of being an astronaut for a short time. It made an important impact on my life. Everyone should try it. The relationship of math and science in our lives are unbelievable. My hobbies are painting, dancing, snow skiing, traveling, golf, and concerts. I have a daughter named Jennifer that graduated from Jacksonville State University and lives in California. I enjoy teaching and decorating the room to make you feel that math is important. I will make math challenging with a twist of fun for all. Come with a smile and open mind to do your best.

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Ms. Dean

Hello! My name is Yevone Dean, and I am the language arts teacher for Team 8B. My degree is in Middle Grades Education with concentrations in language arts and social studies. I’m looking forward to working with 8^th graders this year and helping them develop a successful process for getting their thoughts communicated into writing. My language arts classes will concentrate mainly on the writing aspects of the Georgia Performance Standards, while reading performance standards will be met in the students’ reading class. Through on-going collaboration, the reading and language arts teachers will ensure that all students receive effective and engaging instruction that prepares them for their high school English classes.

A little about myself—I moved to Georgia from England in 2003. In addition to England, I have lived in the countries of Germany and Iceland as well as nine different states. My hobbies include reading and traveling. I’m thrilled to be a part of the Barber MS faculty, and I look forward to an exciting and successful school year.

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Ms. Decker

Ms. Julie Decker is one of the band directors and the guitar teacher at Barber. She grew up in the Cobb County School District. Ms. Decker attended Louisiana State University where she received her Bachelor of Music Education. During her time in Louisiana, she taught at Lake Middle School in St. Amant. She is one of the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade band directors and looks forward to a fantastic year at Barber Middle School.

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Ms. Dukes

Mrs. Dukes is an Assistant Principal at Barber. She is beginning her 20th year in Cobb County, but has also taught in DeKalb County and Shelby County in Tennessee having begun as an elementary school teacher. Mrs. Dukes decided she wanted to work with middle school students and taught Reading and Social Studies at Lost Mountain Middle School for 5 years. She moved to Awtrey Middle School in 1998 as the Instructional Lead Teacher and then became an administrator in 2001.

One of the highlights of Mrs. Dukes' career was being named the Assistant Principal to open Barber Middle School. This was a great experience hiring new teachers and preparing our building for our students. We had a fantastic first 3 years and Mrs. Dukes knows that we will have another great one this year.

Mrs. Dukes has a wonderful family. She has been married for 30 years to Bill and has two children, Tripp who is 27 and lives in Baltimore, Maryland, and recently became engaged. Lindsay is 23 and graduated from UGA. She works in Atlanta and lives nearby.

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Mr. Eby

Welcome to my blog: The Eagle! My name is Mr. Eby and I will be teaching 6th grade and 7th grade advanced content language arts and 7th grade geography this year. This will be my second year at Barber. I have taught seven years in middle school working in all three grades. I am very excited about this school year! I am married with two daughters who attend Kennesaw Mountain High School and McClure Middle School here in Cobb County. My wife is an eighth grade social studies teacher at McClure Middle School. I graduated from the University of Alabama and have my masters degree from Walden University in integrating technology in the classroom.

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Ms. Faulkner

Elaine Faulkner is now in her third year as orchestra teacher at Barber. She grew up in Gwinnett County and began playing the violin beginning in the sixth grade in the school orchestra program. After graduating with a degree in music education from Valdosta State University in 2003, Ms. Faulkner began her teaching career in Gwinnett County at Richards Middle School, where she taught for three years before arriving at Barber. She is currently pursuing her Master of Arts in Professional Counseling. Ms. Faulkner is incredibly proud to be teaching at Barber and looks forward to a great year!

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Dr. Gentry

Dr. Gentry is an Administrator at Barber. She is beginning her 14th year in education. She began her career at a summer church camp in Newark New Jersey. From that point on Dr. Gentry knew that she wanted to spend her career in Education. She taught Students With Disabilities for six years, specializing in reading. She enjoyed being able to open a child's world through books. She then transitioned into various leadership roles.

Dr. Gentry obtained her BS degree in Interrelated Special Education in 1992 from NC A&T State University, she obtained her MaEd. degree in Early Childhood Special Education in 1994 from Appalachian State University, she then obtained her Ed.S in Educational Leadership in 2005 from Argosy University in Sarasota Fl.

Dr.. Gentry enjoys spending time with family and friends and the serenity of the NC mountains.

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Dr. Harvey

Dr. Linda Harvey was present when the ribbon was cut to open Barber Middle School. She had the pleasure of having met Mr. Murray Barber when he was principal of Tapp Mddle School. During her 23 years with Cobb County, she taught in both the high school and middle school settings. She has worked within a variety of subjects from visual art, earth science, social studies, math, to language arts. Dr. Harvey spent several years working with pre-service teachers at both Kennesaw State University and Shorter College. Special education students take most of her time at Barber Middle, but she does enjoy working with the Student Government Association. Everyday she has a little fun, learns a few things, and hopes the students do too.

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Mr. Hester

Welcome to mathematics. My name is Aaron Hester, Jr. and this is my second year at Barber Middle School. This is my seventh year in the Cobb County School District. I was born in Athens, Georgia: however, I have lived in Atlanta, Georgia for 18 years. In 2005 - 2006 I received the honor of being selected Teacher of the Year at my previous Cobb County middle school.

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Mrs. Grogan

Mrs. Grogan began working with Cobb County School District in the fall of 1999. She worked in Food Service at Chalker Elementary School until fall 2005 when she transferred to Barber in the opening year to work in our cafeteria. She became the school secretary in October 2006. She resides in Acworth with her husband of 25 years and two children. Not to forget the furry members of the family, Chloe, the family Golden Retriever and Trixie, their 3-legged cat. In her extra time, she enjoys reading, baking, drawing and painting.

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Ms. Jeter

Ms. Jeter is one of our outstanding Paraprofessionals working in the Media Center.

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Ms. Johnson

Welcome to Seventh Grade! I am excited to be teaching our children Life Science this year! I have 22 years experience in education. As a classroom teacher I have taught students from 4th grade through adult. As a media specialist I have served students from Pre-Kindergarten through high school. This will be my fourth year at Barber. I enjoy reading; keeping up with my family by phone, visits, and email; and finding new materials for class. I look forward to a wonderful year with our children.

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Ms. Kline

Ms. Karen Kline teaches Math 6/7, Math 7/8, Accelerated Math I and Math 8 classes. She taught for 4 years at Lindley Middle School, 5 years at East Cobb Middle School, and just completed her second year at Barber. Throughout the year, she is the building mathematics coordinator. Her degree is from Kennesaw State University, and she is excited to be teaching alongside her best friend since high school and colleague - Mrs. Laurie Carroll. Ms. Kline is an active member of the PTSA, and also works a part-time job. She lives here in Acworth and can't imagine any other school in which she'd rather teach.

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Mrs. Derman

Katie Derman is one of the two band directors at Barber Middle School. Mrs. Derman has been in education for five years; she taught for three years at Shiloh Middle School in Gwinnett County, and is in her second year at Barber. Mrs. Derman recieved her undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia, where she had the honor of being the drum major of the UGA Redcoat Marching Band. A product of the Cobb County School system, Mrs. Derman attended Lewis Elementary, Lost Mountain Middle School, and Harrison High School. She recently finished a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership and hopes to become a leader in the school system.

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Ms. Lewis

Mrs. Lewis will be teaching special education math this school year. She has been teaching for more than 23 years, in both public and private schools. She feels very fortunate to have been among those who helped open Murray F. Barber Middle School in 2005. Mrs. Lewis holds a BS degree in Psychology, and is pursuing a Master's degree in Middle Grades Mathematics Education. She is highly qualified in Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. She is excited about education and hopes that her excitement is contagious. Mrs. Lewis is looking forward to another fantastic and productive year. Married for 28 years, Mrs. Lewis and her husband are blessed with and extremely proud of three daughters, one teaching in the Cobb County School District, one just received her MSW and is working as a social worker in Atlanta, and one who is beginning her junior year of college. They also have one son-in-law who has published one book and is working on a second.

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Ms. Marko

Shannon Marko started teaching in 2001 at McCleskey Middle School. Currently, she teaches 7th grade Reading, and serves as the Reading Coordinator. She earned a Bachelor s Degree in History and Secondary Education from the University of Illinois, and is certified in middle grades Reading. In July of 2008, she earned a Master s Degree in Educational Leadership. She and her fiancé, Steven, are busily planning for their February wedding. When she is not wearing her teacher hat, she enjoys reading, shopping, sports and hanging out with family and friends. She is looking forward to another great year with Team 7A.

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Mr. Matthews

Mr. Matthews is returning for his third year at Barber to teach 6th grade social studies and language arts this year. Originally from New York, Charles earned a bachelors degree in Psychology from Boston University and completed his Masters degree in Instructional Technology from NYIT in May 2005. Charles has a diverse professional background and enjoys music, dining, kickboxing, sudoku and spending time with friends during his "free" time.

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Ms. Mercer

I almost don't see teaching as a job; it's more like a challenging hobby, one that I'm lucky enough to actually get paid to do. How fortunate am I! Very, in fact, and I'll tell you a little about myself so that you may fully understand why I feel so blessed, fortunate, and lucky (all synonyms, by the way, for my students). I was born and raised in Clearwater, Florida by a loving family full of support, Italian get-togethers (my family is Sicilian) and many furry pets. After finishing my graduate degree at the University of Florida several years ago, I decided that the heat of this southern state had been unbearable for far too long, and my husband and I made the short hike up to Kennesaw, Georgia. Now I know what some of you are thinking...Kennesaw's hot too! The difference, however, is that we actually have seasons here in Acworth and Kennesaw, a wonderful concept I had never known until coming up here. I am blessed with an amazing husband of six years who puts up with my many (and I mean MANY) idiosyncrasies and my beautiful daughter, Jaydin. I love teaching, because I love my students. They are not just daily visitors in my class; they are guests to whom I extend warmth and comfort to, wrapped in a blanket of knowledge and teachings that I only hope they can utilize and enjoy. I plan to continue teaching for many, many years, and to do so would only keep me feeling as blessed and fortunate as I do for the future to come.

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Ms. Millette

I have been with the Cobb County School District since 1997. During that time I have held several different administrative/secretarial positions at the Central Office location and have been a Pupil Personnel Clerk at Tapp Middle School in Powder Springs before joining the Barber team for its 2005-2006 opening session. Prior to moving to Georgia, my husband, son and I have lived in the New York area, Boston area, New Jersey area, and the Tampa, FL area. Prior to joining the Cobb County School District, I was employed by the IBM Corporation and have held various administrative and management positions within the company. My career with IBM covered twenty-six years.

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Ms. Moore

Ms. Moore is one of our outstanding Paraprofessionals working in the Special Education Department.

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Ms. Morrison

Mrs. Jennifer Morrison is a 6th grade science teacher at Barber. She is beginning her 11th year of teaching this year. Mrs. Morrison is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in Secondary Science Education. She received her Master's degree in the same field from the University of West Georgia in 2005. Mrs. Morrison is a huge University of Georgia football fan and enjoys watching and playing many sports. GO DAWGS! 6th GRADE ROCKS!

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Ms. Mull

Ms. Mull is a 6th & 8th grade science teacher here at Barber Middle School. She received her undergraduate degree in Biology at Tuskegee University and her Master's of Education degree in Secondary Science at Auburn University. WAR EAGLE! This is Ms. Mull's 6.5 year teaching middle school, with the last 4 being here at Barber. Ms. Mull is originally from Chicago, but fell in love with the southern weather, and has no intentions of returning. Ms. Mull is the mother of a 4th grader and a 1 year old. She enjoys traveling, sleeping in, spending time with family and friends, and catching the latest shows when not grading papers. She is looking forward to a great year with 6th and 8th grade!

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Ms. Ngong

I was born in the West African Nation of Cameroon. I attended private elementary and high schools in my early childhood. After completing St Augustine's High School in Nso, Cameroon, I applied for admission to a number of United States Colleges. The first admission was to the University of Georgia and I left Cameroon for UGA in the mid-eighties. After completing a first degree in Journalism at UGA, I worked for a few years and returned to do graduate work at Kennesaw State University. I received an MPA in 1996 and began teaching in 1997. It has been an incredible journey and I love what I do.ed an MPA in 1996 and began teaching in 1997. It has been an incredible journey and I love what I do.

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