Dr. Tim Tyson is the Principal of Mabry Middle School. He earned his doctorate at the University of Illinois and has been in the field of education for over 25 years. A technology enthusiast, Dr. Tyson began the Mabry Film Festival, when he arrived at Mabry in 2001, as a way to help teachers and students infuse technology into highly engaging learning practices for students.
When he is not traveling, reading, dabbling with photography, digital video, or on the computer, he enjoys arranging and composing music. In fact, most people don't know that he is a published composer. He values creating more beauty in our world in all of the many different forms it can take.
He believes that the most beautiful thing in the world, which is closest to his heart, is helping children reach their highest potential. He challenges students to work hard and do their very best, to strive, to learn and to achieve, to create knowledge and solutions, and to rigorously pursue goals with the utmost integrity so that our world will be a better place for everyone.
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Mrs. Jonie Cason teaches 8th grade science and has been involved with some form of education for the past 27 years. Most recently, she taught chemistry and biology at Paulding County High School. Mrs. Cason received her BS degree at the University of Tennessee at Martin and her MEd degree from the University of Memphis. She spent her first summer out of college working as a laboratory assistant at the University of Tennessee Medical Center researching dental toxicology before beginning 12 years of teaching there.
Mr. Jakaitis begins his teaching career teaching 8th grade Social Studies at Mabry Middle School. Having been a student at Mabry and Lassister, he is thrilled to be returning to Mabry as a teacher. He is the head freshmen and assistant varsity coach for the Lassiter Men's Basketball team. On Sunday mornings, Mr. Jakaitis enjoys working with preschool children at North Point Community Church in Alpharetta.
Mr. Marc Tartaro is the newest addition to the Physical Education coaches at Mabry. This is his third year teaching in Cobb County. Coach Taratro has spent nearly his entire life in North Georgia, attending Teasley Middle School and Cherokee High School. He taught P.E. the past two years at Sprayberry High School and head coached the Swim & Dive team (producing 3 state champions) as well as JV Women's Soccer. Coach Tartaro currently head coaches the Walker Swim & Dive program and is still involved with high school sports.
Mrs. Aycock is one of our outstanding special education teachers. Georgia born and raised, she followed family tradition and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia in the area of special education. She began teaching immediately after graduating from college and furthered her education by obtaining a masters degree from Georgia State University. Mrs. Aycock taught for several years in Cobb County, at Daniell Middle School and at Mabry Middle School, before moving to Germantown, Tennessee. She was happy to move back to Georgia and to begin teaching again in Cobb County in the year of 2004.
Mrs. Trish McCrery teaches 8th grade Math. After staying at home for the past three years to raise her two young children, she is very excited to be returning to Mabry Middle School. She previously taught 8th grade math at Mabry for 2 years before her daughter was born. Prior to that, she taught 6th and 7th grade math at Smitha Middle School for over 6 years. Originally from the Midwest, she grew up in Galesburg, Illinois. After attending Southern Illinois University for two years, she transferred to Knox College where she earned her Bachelor's Degree in Educational Studies. She then moved to Atlanta to begin her teaching career and received her Master's Degree in Middle Childhood Education from Georgia State University.
Mrs. Krissie Albertson teaches 7th grade math. She was born in Bronx, New York, and came to Atlanta at the age of two. Not only was she raised in Cobb County, but she also attended Mabry Middle School, and Lassiter High School, even though she graduated from Pope High School.
Mr. John Woolsey is new to Mabry Middle School. He teaches 6th grade science. Mr. Woolsey was born in Northern California and grew up in a small town in the middle of the Monterey Bay. His father was an attorney, surfer, back packer, and shared his love of the natural world with him since he was old enough to walk, and swim.
Ms. Crawford has been teaching for ten years in Philadelphia, Hawaii and Georgia. She always knew that she wanted to be a teacher and eventually a principal since she was five years old. During her teaching career, she has had the pleasure of teaching Spanish, English as a Second Language, Business Technology, and Special Education (Math, English and Economics) in elementary school, middle school, high school and at the adult education level.
Mrs. Wendy Pettett, a native of Cobb County, with deep roots in the North Georgia Mountains, is our assistant administrator. Ask her about her childhood on Blue Ridge Lake and she will wax nostalgic. Mrs. Pettett has a BBA in marketing from Georgia Southern University and sold computers for Burroughs Corporation before the advent of the personal computer. After the birth of her two sons, she remained a stay-at-home mom while teaching aerobics, substitute teaching, and teaching preschool. She has taught in Cobb County for 13 years with nine of these years spent as an instructional technology specialist. She loves curriculum and sees marketing and teaching as closely related - with teaching selling the excitement of learning.
Ms. Rebecca Kelly was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She began her teaching career at Mabry Middle School in 2003 and is thrilled to be returning to Mabry this year. Ms. Kelly teaches 8th grade language arts and has undergraduate degrees in English and English Education. She received her Masters in Professional Writing in 2004 from Kennesaw State University.
Mrs. Glenda Glenn teaches 7th grade Advanced Content Social Studies. She has served in a variety of capacities, including working for eight years as an Instructional Lead Teacher before coming to Mabry a second time.
Mrs. Jo-Anne Preston spent 27 years with BellSouth and retired as a Staff Manager from the Network Department in June, 1996. She has been involved with technology with the Cobb County District for the past 9 years and has been at Mabry since 2001. She manages all of our technology at Mabry, which is no small task . Not only does she keep up with what is where and when, she also keeps all of our desktops and laptops happy. She works miracles.