This year Marietta Public Schools is serving more than 1,000 students daily, providing for their
educational needs as well as physical and emotional ones, and that requires a faculty and staff
of more than 100 members strong.
Beginning her ninth year as district superintendent is Brandi Naylor. Working with Naylor in
administration are some new faces, along with several who have been in the district for a
while.
Natalie Haworth, high school principal, and Sebastian Cifuentes, assistant principal, are both
new to the district this year. Middle school principal Jennifer Jones and assistant Randy
Thurman are new to their roles, although both have worked in the district previously.
Elementary principal Dana McMillin and assistant Amber Boatright, along with primary
elementary principal Ann Rutledge and assistant Amanda Sanders, who also manages the
schools’ Sylogist grading and attendance program, have served in their positions previously,
and have all been in the district for several years. Rutledge, who began her career as a
teacher in Marietta, is entering her 22 nd year.
In addition to these administrators, there are several individuals who serve in roles that serve
the entire district. They include Technology Director Nate Jackson and technology assistant
Josh Jones, Professional Development Coordinator Amy Christensen, School Nurse Kendra
Ludwyck, and Athletic Director/Coach Tanica Anderson.
Also providing services for sites across the district are Library/Media Coordinator Robin Mayes
and her assistants Shanna Baker in the primary and elementary schools and Tina Sykora in
the middle and high schools.
This year at MPS, 66 employees are teaching in the classroom, some for the full day and
others for part of the day.
Beginning with primary elementary teachers, Tammy Blevins, Karen Mathis, and Sheri Willis
are serving in the Pre-K classroom. Teaching kindergarten will be Cynthia Bell, Lacey Bush,
Jaime Hartman, and Courtney Stark.
First grade teachers are Isabel Allen, Balie Casey, Jaylynn Hartman, and Brittany Presley, and
second grade teachers are Dorothy Berry, Kacie Bone, Mischelle Brown, and Aimee Birchfield.
Teaching in the primary’s English Language Learners, or ELL, classroom is Maria Juanez, and
the Special Education teacher and Co-Director of Special Services is Hope Willis.
In the elementary school, which houses third, fourth, and fifth graders, each grade has four
teachers who are departmentalized to cover math, science, social studies, and
English/Language Arts. Third grade teachers are Keelee Hacker, Amy Miller, Stacey Roach,
and Ashley Welch. Fourth grade teachers are Kellie Burke, Allie LeBarre, Vivianna Limon, and
Jasmarie McCarroll, and fifth grade teachers are Jessica Bugbee, Haley Childres, Shaylin
Haworth, and Jade Stein.
Teaching ELL for elementary students is Stacy Scarbrough, and the elementary Special
Education teacher is Kassie Drain.
Three teachers are shared by the primary and elementary schools. They are Jake Fulton in
music, Bonnie Petersen in Art, and Derek Saxon in PE.
Middle school teachers, along with their assignments, are as follows: Skylia Aycox, MS Special
Education; Seth Brown, MS Science; Marilyn Corbin, MS Math; Jacobi Couch, MS English and
Coach; Britney Green, MS Science and Coach; Shellie Jones, MS History; Stacy Marris,
Health and Coach; Ryan Martin, MS English/Language Arts, Reading, and Coach; Morgan
Mouser, MS History and Coach; Jennifer Roberts, MS English/Language Arts; Gus Smith, MS
STEM; and Arieanna Thigpin, MS Mathematics.
High school teachers are Maria Ballard, HS Mathematics; Justin Billingsley, HS
History/Government and Coaching; Lantze Blevins, HS Mathematics; Kadence Bazor Brown,
Ag; Erin Hansen, HS STEM; Jennifer Lynch, HS English; Sharon Manley, HS Computers;
Michaela Sanchez, HS. Spanish; Kim Terry, Special Education and Co-Director of Special
Services; Chuck Terry, HS Coach; Kaiya Velonis, HS Science and E-Sports; Eli Wharton, HS
History and Speech; Reilly Willingham, HS Chemistry and Physical Science; Paul Willis, HS
English; and Jessica Wolfe, HS English.
The following teachers serve both middle and high school students: Rayne Adams, MS/HS
Band Director; Courteney Starsick-Anderson, MS/HS Choir Director and Art; Josh Bazor, Ag;
Amanda Faulkenbery, Family and Consumer Sciences; Larry Flores, MS/HS ELL and Coach;
and Amanda Patty, MS Science and HS ACT Prep.
Working as counselors throughout the school district are Heather McMahon in the elementary
school, Julie Salas in the middle school, and Danielle Neble in the high school.
Serving as an indispensable source of help to classroom teachers and students alike are a
group of paraprofessionals better known as teacher’s assistants or teacher’s aides.
In the primary school, Erin Banta and Angela Wall work with Pre-K students, Bonnie Alexander
and Ronnette Hunter work with kindergarten students, Joyce Hice works with first and second
grade students, Yesenia Sanchez works in the ELL classroom, and Caitlyn Scott is the
assistant in the Special Education classroom.
Moving to the elementary school, Mayra Fernandez is the ELL aide, while Kailee Robles
assists in the Special Education classroom.
Additionally, Adrianna Fernandez works with newcomers – students who are in public school
for their first year in the U.S. – in both primary and elementary schools.
In the middle school, Jessica Cecenas works in the Special Education classroom, while Grecia
Varela is the ELL aide. And in the high school, Tory Douglass and Myranda Goodspeed assist
in the Special Education classroom. Additionally, both have coaching duties. Lila Gordon is the
In-School Detention Monitor for the middle and high schools.
Next are a group of ladies, many of whom are well known by parents because they are
typically the people that parents most often deal with – the site secretaries.
Working in the primary office is Jessica Hice, in the elementary office is Fabiola Whittington, in
the middle school office is Cathy Roberts, and in the high school office is Gina Yado. Yado is
also tasked with maintaining all of the school’s social media platforms.
Central office employees, tasked with maintaining human resources and financial records for
the entire district are Cynthia O’Connor, Business Office Manager; Nati Sanchez, Central
Office Receptionist and Encumbrance Clerk; and Angela Vega, Activity Fund Custodian.
Next are the folks who keep the wheels on the bus, both literally and figuratively. The
maintenance and custodial staff members, under the direction of Maintenance Supervisor Jeral
Berry, and assistant director Steven Henson, keep the district’s vehicles in good working order
and the facilities clean and well-maintained.
They include Kristan Murphy and Logan Terry in the maintenance department, along with
custodial staff members Iliana Barrientos, Modesta Esquivel, Josefina Fernandez, Matiana
Fernandez, Maria Garcia, Jenny Love Stephens, Maria D. Salas, and Maria Salas.
And last, but certainly not least, are the members of the cafeteria staff. Kitchen Manager
Wendy Birks and her staff prepare and serve meals for hungry students and serve them with
smiling faces, day in and day out.
Cafeteria staff members are Terrie Christian, Kali Coyle, Ashley Faulkner, Cheyenne Hughes,
Josefina Perez Barrientos, and Mayra Sanchez,
“Marietta Public Schools is blessed to have the employees we have,” said Naylor. “We have
some of the most dedicated and caring people I’ve ever known and everyone is committed to
making our school district the best it can be.”