Meet The Brighten Staff
CURRICULUM COORDINATOR:
Lisa McDonald - lmcdonald@brightenacademy.com
Lisa McDonald has worked as an educator for the Douglas County Gifted Program at Mirror Lake Elementary School before coming to Brighten. She has 9 years of educational experience, including both regular and gifted education. She has experience with opening two new elementary schools in Douglas County. Mrs. MacDonald earned her Bachelor's of Arts Degree in Program Service Learning and her Gifted Education Add-on certification from Mercer University. She serves as the Brighten Academy Founding Board Vice President. She is a loving wife to Robert, an attorney, and mother to three lovely girls, Halee and twins, Lauren and Abigail.
Angi Andrews / Office Manager: - aandrews@brightenacademy.com
Ms. Andrews comes to Brighten with 16+ years of administrative experience. She spent 15 years working for All-State Insurance Company and made the decision to find a job closer to home in order to have more time for her family. Angi most recently worked as the Ministry Assistant in Education/ Administration at First Baptist Villa Rica. She has been married to her husband, Joey, and their two beautiful children, Jake and Abbi. Angi enjoys being team mom to Jake's baseball team, singing in the adult choir, working with Women's Ministries, teaching children's choir and Sunday School. She is excited to be a part of Brighten Academy and the impact it will have on the future of our children.
KINDERGARTEN TEAM:
Suzanne Helms - shelms@brightenacademy.com
Suzanne Helms is a lifelong resident of Douglasville. She is very excited to be involved in advancing education in her hometown. She graduated from the University of West Georgia with a Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education and is currently working on her Master's Degree in Library Media. Mrs. Helms taught second grade at LaBelle Elementary in Cobb County where she was nominated by the county for the Sallie Mae First Class Teacher award. Mrs. Helms left LaBelle in 2001 to stay home with her son, Duncan. She is the loving wife of Jeff, who is a Implementation Support Specialist for Verint Systems Inc..
Nicole Folsom - nfolsom@brightenacademy.com
Buffi Triplett, Paraprofessional Kindergarten, - btriplett@brightenacademy.com
Buffi Triplett has been on the Brighten Staff since our last school year. She started as an after school teacher and substitute teacher, and was then hired as a part time paraprofessional in our kindergarten room. Buffi is the proud mom of two daughters, Raven and Carrington, and this school year is the full time paraprofessional in Mrs. Helms’ kindergarten room.
1ST GRADE TEAM:
Tori Andrade - tandrade@brightenacademy.com
Tori Andrade came to us from Sweetwater Elementary School in Douglas County where she taught first grade. She had been at Sweetwater since it's opening in 1997. Previous to that, she taught a ½ multiage class and second grade also. Tori received her bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from Auburn University and her master's degree from Piedmont College in Demorest, Georgia. Tori and her husband, Jay, live in Douglasville with their two children Joshua and Macy Elizabeth.
Jocelyn Wood - jwood@brightenacademy.com
2ND GRADE TEAM:
Kristin Anderson - kanderson@brightenacademy.com
Kristin Anderson will begin her third year of teaching second grade at Brighten Academy. Kristin earned her teaching certification from the University of West Georgia. She is currently working toward earning her gifted certification. She is a long time resident of Douglasville and served in the PTA presidency at Bright Star Elementary. She is married to Joel who is a Police Sergeant. They have three children—Brendan, a talented baseball player, Cassidy, a budding cheerleader, and Owen, who can’t wait to go to Brighten. In her “spare” time Kristin enjoys scrapbooking and spending time with her family. She is extremely happy to be a teacher at Brighten Academy.
R. Garner - rgarner@brightenacademy.com
Rachel Garner began her teaching career at Brighten Academy in 2009. She graduated summa cum laude from Georgia Southwestern University in December 2008, and is a member of the national honor society, Alpha Chi. She resides in Villa Rica, Georgia with her husband Gary, a cardiac registered nurse, and their two children. Mrs. Garner's son Austin is a baseball and soccer star, while daughter Megan delights in ballet and tap dance. Both children attend Brighten Academy. Mrs. Garner enjoys reading and creative writing. She also loves the second grade, and is anticipating another awesome year for the second grade Brighten Blazers!
3RD GRADE TEAM:
Leigh DeNucci - ldenucci@brightenacademy.com
Leigh DeNucci has been a teacher in the Douglas County School System for more then 16 years. She taught at Eastside, Mt. Carmel, Sweetwater, Bill Arp, and Chapel Hill Elementary Schools. She has a Bachelor's Degree from Auburn University and a Master's Degree from Piedmont College, both in Early Childhood Education. Mrs. DeNucci has completed Teacher Support Specialist training and is currently working toward gifted certification. She lives with her husband, Daniel, and their children Mary Cate, Madison, Meredith, and Nicholas.
Tonya Roskaft - troskaft@brightenacademy.com
Tonya Roskaft begins her 3rd year at Brighten. She has taught pre-k, first, second, third and fourth grades in Douglas County. Throughout her 6 years teaching, Mrs.Roskaft has been language arts chair, Georgia Performance Standards(GPS) facilitator, a mentor teacher, staff development liaison, on the leadership team and contributed to the development of the state wide fifth grade writing assessment. While teaching Mrs. Roskaft has continued her education receiving a master's degree in early childhood education and a specialist degree in educational leadership. Currently Mrs. Roskaft is writing her dissertation in order to complete her doctorate in educational leadership. Mrs. Roskaft lives in Douglasville with her husband, Kristian, Kristoffer and Jenna (their black lab). In her spare time she enjoys reading, playing tennis and traveling.
4TH GRADE TEAM:
Jennifer Hamlin - jhamlin@brightenacademy.com
As a teacher's kid, Jennifer Hamlin grew up loving the sights, sounds and experiences of school. Early in life she caught an appreciation for books, an excitement for ideas, and the joy of learning from her educator parents. She still loves to read for pleasure and self-growth. She writes fiction as a hobby and has had a few short stories published in small press magazines. She loves the outdoors, whether horseback riding, snow skiing, taking long walks in the woods, swimming or just sitting by the pool. She enjoys travel, especially with her family. Mrs. Hamlin and her husband, Pete, have been married for over 20 years. They share their lives with three terrific kids. Ruthie is a gymnast, cheerleader, and avid reader. Taylor is a gifted athlete in basketball and baseball. They are very proud that their daughter, Kyla, But the baby of their family really runs the house, their Jack Russell Terrier, Cotton. Mrs. Hamlin is so excited to be a part of the Brighten Academy family.
Megan Crawford - mcrawford@brightenacademy.com
Megan Crawford has 6 years experience in the area of Special Education. She graduated with a degree in Psychology from Kennesaw State and later with a Masters Degree in Education from University of Phoenix. She is currently taking classes to become certified in the Montessori system of education through the graduate school at Kennesaw State. She hopes to use her new knowledge in working with young children in the near future. Megan lives in Villa Rica with her husband of 8 years (Ronny) and their children, Andrew and Lauren.
5TH GRADE TEAM:
Amy Caro - acaro@brightenacademy.com
Amy Caro began her teaching career at Brigham Young University where she earned her Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education. She worked in Provo, Utah as a Paraprofessional for four years and as After School Director for an elementary school. She taught 1st grade for three years at Timpanogos Elementary. As a first grade educator, she was recognized as the Golden Apple Winner for educational distinction. Mrs. Caro has served as co-chair support, team member for school restructuring, and as First Grade Director. Her most recent position has been teaching 5th grade at Mirror Lake Elementary School. Mrs. Caro is wife to Carlos, and loving mother to three wonderful children, Spencer, Rachael, and Robby.
Kim Engleson - kengleson@brightenacademy.com
Kim Engleson has been with Brighten from the start. She came to us from Mirror Lake Elementary where she was a fifth grade teacher instructing math and science. Prior to that, Mrs. Engleson taught sixth grade math and science in Richardson, Texas for 13 years. She has also taught second grade in Austin, Texas and fifth grade in Sumter, South Carolina. Mrs. Engleson received an honor's degree in education from the University of Southern Colorado. Mrs. Engleson has been married to Larry for 34 fabulous years. She is a proud mom to 30 year old Joel, an engineer working in San Diego and to 26 year old Clint, a University of San Diego law student.
MIDDLE SCHOOL TEAM:
Shawne Grogan - sgrogan@brightenacademy.com
Shawne Grogan has 10 years of teaching experience in the Douglas County School System. She spent 8 years at Fairplay Middle School,one at Chestnut Log Middle School and one at Holly Springs Elementary School. She has taught in both the regular classroom environment and the gifted program. Shawne has served as the department head for the Social Studies department. She was also the team leader for the text book selection committee. Shawne earned her Bachelor's degree in Education from at the University of West Georgia. She has her Gifted Add-on certification. She has been married for 11 years to her husband Jeff, an IT professional. She has spent the last year being a full time mother to her daughter, Lily.
Laura Rogers - lrogers@brightenacademy.com
Laura Rogers first began teaching at Brighten as the music teacher for grades Kindergarten through 8th. During that time she worked to complete her Masters Degree in Education. Upon completion of her degree she began teaching 7th and 8th grade language arts. This is her second year teaching middle grades Language Arts. Laura also has a B.A. from DePauw University with a both Spanish and Psychology. After college she moved to Atlanta from the suburbs of Chicago and began working for CNN. After working there for more than 7 years she decided to stay at home full-time with her children. As the children got older she returned to the workforce. She taught music at Blackstock Montessori in Villa Rica, directed the children’s choir at church and assisted at a local preschool. She lives in Villa Rica with her husband, Tom and her two children, Caleb (11) and Ethan (8).Laura Rogers first began teaching at Brighten as the music teacher for grades Kindergarten through 8th. During that time she worked to complete her Masters Degree in Education. Upon completion of her degree she began teaching 7th and 8th grade language arts. This is her second year teaching middle grades Language Arts. Laura also has a B.A. from DePauw University with a both Spanish and Psychology. After college she moved to Atlanta from the suburbs of Chicago and began working for CNN. After working there for more than 7 years she decided to stay at home full-time with her children. As the children got older she returned to the workforce. She taught music at Blackstock Montessori in Villa Rica, directed the children’s choir at church and assisted at a local preschool. She lives in Villa Rica with her husband, Tom and her two children, Caleb (11) and Ethan (8).
Kelly Olvey is very excited to be a part of Brighten’s Middle school team this year. Kelly is a lifelong resident of Douglasville where she graduated from Douglas County High School. Kelly graduated with her Associates Degree from Truett McConnell College in Cleveland, GA and she earned her teaching certification from Georgia Southern University with a Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education. Mrs. Olvey has recently become highly qualified to teach middle school Social Studies and is excited to be back in the classroom. Kelly taught elementary school in Cobb County for 7 years before staying at home with her children, MacKenzie, age 10, Brooklyn, age 6, and Addisynn, age 2. Over the last few years, Kelly has served as a volunteer for Brighten where she was Co-Chair for the Birdies for Brighten golf tournament and she helped establish the PTO. Kelly served on the Fundraising Committee and the PTO board. Mrs. Olvey has been married for the past 12 years to her husband, Jamie, co-owner of Stone Solutions of Atlanta. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, sewing, and taking pictures.
Carrie Sneed - csneed@brightenacademy.com
Carrie is thrilled to be joining the Brighten family. She comes to Brighten from South Florida where she was the Lead Science teacher for a Charter School. She has taught Science, Reading, Civics, and Drama. She is a Clinical Educator which allows her to be a mentor to other educators and an advisor to student teachers. She has taught both advance and remedial classes. She believes in bringing a hands on approach to her Math and Science classroom. She was born and raised in Kennesaw and attended college in Savannah. Since college she has lived in five different states and multiple different cities. She is now ready to come home and be with family. She has recently become a World traveler with trips to Ireland, Italy, Dominican Republic and is looking forward to Egypt in December. She enjoys spending time with her nephews, curling up with her 8 year old Jack Russell/Westie mix and researching her next travel destination.Carrie is thrilled to be joining the Brighten family. She comes to Brighten from South Florida where she was the Lead Science teacher for a Charter School. She has taught Science, Reading, Civics, and Drama. She is a Clinical Educator which allows her to be a mentor to other educators and an advisor to student teachers. She has taught both advance and remedial classes. She believes in bringing a hands on approach to her Math and Science classroom. She was born and raised in Kennesaw and attended college in Savannah. Since college she has lived in five different states and multiple different cities. She is now ready to come home and be with family. She has recently become a World traveler with trips to Ireland, Italy, Dominican Republic and is looking forward to Egypt in December. She enjoys spending time with her nephews, curling up with her 8 year old Jack Russell/Westie mix and researching her next travel destination.
Will White - wwhite@brightenacademy.com
Born in Charleston SC. Gradated from Summerville High School. Graduated from UGA. I have taught for 4 years all in middle school. I enjoy fishing, music and the Georgia Bulldogs. I am married to Kellie and we have 2 dogs, Daisy a yellow lab and Sienna a rescued Chihuahua mix.
PARAPROFESSIONAL TEAM:
Sandi Gore, PE - sgore@brightenacademy.com
Physical Education/Middle School Fitness
This will be my 4th year teaching at Brighten. My husband (James) & I recently celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. We have two children~ son Chase (18)~ member of the Army National Guard & is attending Kennesaw State College & daughter Chasidy (13)~ 8th grader here at Brighten. I am excited that we are offering Fitness to our Middle School students as part of their connections.
Kimberly Richison, School and Special Ed Paraprofessional - krichison@brightenacademy.com
This is Kimberly's first year at Brighten. She is very excited to be a part of the team. She has taught pre-K for 4 years and for the past 7 years has taught at a Christian School. She is married to Tad to whom she has been married to for 20 years. She has one daughter, Amber, who is 16. She is looking forward to a wonderful year!
GIFTED TEAM:
Mandie Hardeman - mhardeman@brightenacademy.com
Mandie Hardeman begins her tenth year teaching and her second at Brighten Academy this year. She has taught in both the regular and gifted classrooms. Mrs. Hardeman earned a Bachelor's degree in Middle Grades Education from University of West Georgia, a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education from Piedmont College, and added gifted education to her certification three years ago. She and her husband, Ronnie, have two children, Olivia and Avery.
Dana Pace - dpace@brightenacademy.com
Dana Pace received an AA in sociology from Florida Technological University and a BA in education from the University of Florida. Her first teaching job was at the DeKalb Training Center working with severely emotionally disturbed and/or mentally handicapped children and adults. She came to work in Douglas County as a behavior disorders teacher and then switched fields and began teaching gifted resource classes. Mrs. Pace taught in several different elementary and middle schools. Mrs. Pace took a sabbatical from teaching to move to Germany with her husband and to raise her three children. She then went back to teaching Program Challenge, and has worked in that capacity for the past 12 years. She is currently teaching at Arbor Station Elementary. Mrs. Pace has been involved in many community activities, including Friends of the Douglas County Library, Junior League, and the Douglas County Literacy Society. She has also volunteered as a mentor and in other capacities in the public school system. She serves as the Brighten Academy Founding Board Treasurer. Mrs. Pace lives in Douglasville with her husband, Mike. They have three wonderful children: Adam, Andrew, and Becca.
SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER:
EIP (early intervention program)Teachers:
Antoinette Andrey - aandrey@brightenacademy.com
Mrs. Andrey is the proud mother of two wonderful 6th graders (Malik and Nicolette) and the wife of Jonathan Andrey (Brighten's IT Admin.). She earned a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science from DeVry Institute of technology and is presently pursuing a Masters Degree in Education. Mrs. Andrey has spent the last five years working in the Douglas County School System as both a Paraprofessional and Long Term Substitute Teacher. Prior to that, Mrs. Andrey worked as a Paraprofessional in the Fulton County School System.
MEDIA SPECIALIST:
Connie Arnold - carnold@brightenacademy.com
Mrs. Arnold will begin her second year as the media specialist for Brighten Academy. She has taught kindergarten and first grade at Beulah Elementary and Mirror Lake Elementary. Mrs. Arnold received her Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education from West Georgia College. She earned her Master's Degree from Piedmont College and her Specialist's Degree from Lincoln Memorial University. She has served on various school committees including the Relay for Life team and the leadership team. This summer Mrs. Arnold has spent many hours preparing the media center for students with the help of many parent volunteers. She is married to Brian, who is currently a board member and a member of the technology committee. She has three wonderful sons: Jacob, Ross and Joey. She enjoys outdoor activities such as biking and walking with her family, and of course, READING!
SPECIALS TEAM:
Christy House, dance/movement, art, drama - chouse@brightenacademy.com
At Brighten 5 years
Dance/Movement and Art & Crafts
Married 17yrs to Bob House
Children are Garrison 10 in 5th grade, Ashley 6 in 1st