Sarah Newman has been with Georgia Virtual School since 2007 teaching AP Music Theory. In April 2008 she became the Department Chair for the Business/Electives department and in October 2008 transitioned to Credit Recovery Manager and Program Coordinator for Special Services. Prior to joining GAVS, Sarah taught music at a school for emotionally disturbed students in South Florida and worked as a special education teacher in a co-teaching environment in Savannah, Georgia. Before entering the field of education, she was a marketing coordinator in the print music industry.

Sarah graduated from Syracuse University in 1998 with a Bachelors degree in Music. In 2000 she earned her Masters degree in Music Business from The University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.

Contact: sarah.newman@doe.k12.ga.us

I am the Social Studies Department Chair for the Georgia Virtual School (GAVS).  I have been teaching with GAVS for two years and became Social Studies Department Chair in the summer of 2008.  I live in the community of Neese in Madison County, Georgia, with my lovely wife and two children.

Growing up in Athens I attended Clarke County Public Schools, graduating from Cedar Shoals High School in 1995.  A couple weeks after graduation I shipped out to basic training and served 6 years in the Army Reserves, reaching the rank of Sergeant.  For my undergraduate studies I attended Emmanuel College (AA in 1998) a small Christian college and the University of Georgia (BS in 2000) a large public university.  I also have a master’s degree from California State University in Humanities-History.  I taught in Georgia public schools for 7 ½ years before going full time with GAVS.

I stay very busy with work, but in my spare time I like to do several things.  I enjoy spending time with my family and participating in church activities.  My wife and I are youth leaders and I am involved in Evangelism.  I also am interested in sports (especially soccer and college football), agriculture, travel, and learning a variety of new things

I am an English instructor and the English Department Chair for Georgia Virtual School. Presently, I live in Atlanta, Georgia with my husband, Charles, and my children, Blakley Erin, and Charlie. My husband and I have lived in Atlanta for eight years, and we have enjoyed the city immensely.

Before joining the GAVS team, I taught honors English at a neighboring high school. I also have experience teaching freshman composition on the collegiate level as well. In both ventures, the curriculum focused on heightening students’ modes of expression, critical thinking, vocabulary development, and reading comprehension.

As for my educational background, I earned at Bachelor of Arts in English literature at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a Master of Education in English and Secondary Education at Auburn University. Although the programs differed greatly, I truly enjoyed both educational experiences, and I value the time spent at each university.

I am eager to continue working with GAVS, for I believe the program is an amazing venture for its students, parents, facilitators, and faculty.

I have been involved with the Georgia Virtual School since July 2005. Currently, I am the Science Department Chair and Human Anatomy/Physiology teacher. Prior to working full-time with GAVS, I taught Science for 11 years in Henry County at Stockbridge High School and Union Grove High School. Previous work experience also includes working at Duke University Medical Center in a cancer research lab and experience in two Atlanta hospitals as a Respiratory Therapist.

My educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Alabama (Roll Tide!) and a Master's of Education in Instructional Technology from Troy State. I also earned my National Board of Professional Teaching Standards certification in Science

My husband, Dan, and I live in McDonough, GA.

Amanda Williamson is the Mathematics Department Chair for Georgia Virtual School.  She has worked for GaVS as an adjunct mathematics teacher and content developer for 3 years.  She is now working for us as a full-time teacher/department chair.  Prior to working full-time for GaVS, Amanda worked 6 years at Vidalia High School where she was a mathematics teacher and department chair.  She taught 4 years at Jeff Davis High School and 1 year at Jenkins County High School.  She also taught as an adjunct mathematics teacher at Darton College for 2 years.

Amanda lives in her hometown, Vidalia, Georgia, with her husband and two children.  She has a BBA with an emphasis in Public Accounting from Georgia Southern University.  She received her teacher certification from Brewton Parker College and also has a MEd in Mathematics Education from Georgia Southern.  She is currently pursuing her Education Leadership certification through University of Georgia.

Kelli Robinson has taught business courses for the Georgia Virtual School since 2006. In October 2008, she became the department chair for the Business/Electives department.  Prior to working for GAVS, she taught business education at Shiloh High School in Gwinnett County for six years. She also worked in program administration for the American Cancer Society for six years before entering the field of education.

Kelli earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from the University of Georgia in 1992. She completed a Master of Science in Management from Georgia State University in 1998 and a Specialist in Education in Occupational Studies from the University of Georgia in 2002.

My name is Mary Ellen Krueck.  I was born and raised in the Midwest.  I have one daughter and one grand-daughter.  I moved South during the 1970’s and have lived here ever since.  My passion is teaching and traveling.  My family wonders if I will ever truly retire.  Doubt it! 

I began my teaching career as a sixth grade teacher in a small private school. Then I moved up to an open-concept middle school teaching seventh and eighth grade social studies.  When I moved to Georgia I moved up again and taught in the local high school in the city (Conyers) in which I was living.  I began teaching Latin when a group of my students requested it as a subject at the high school in which I was teaching. This meant back to school for me to acquire the necessary courses to be fully certified as a Latin instructor.  From that point on the Latin program grew and eventually I was an itinerate teacher and taught Latin in two of the three local high schools.  Upon retiring I taught part-time for one of the local high schools at the same time I began teaching online for GAVS. 

Presently, I am a world language teacher and department chair for GAVS, which I have immensely enjoyed for the past five years.