Mount Airy City Schools Adds Three ATRs
Press Release
Monday, August 12, 2024
Mount Airy City Schools (MACS) is excited to announce three new additions to the district’s Professional, Innovative, Versatile, Open-minded, Talented yet Teachable (PIVOT) team, made up of 13 education professionals holding advanced teaching roles (ATR) across all schools.
Tara Hill, first-grade teacher will serve as a Master Teacher Leader supporting her grade level team at BH Tharrington Primary School (BHT). Hill’s commitment and desire to support others as a teacher leader shine bright in her ability to foster a collaborative learning environment that inspires both students and fellow educators. She will work closely with school leadership to support her team and meet the needs of all first graders at BHT. Hill shared, “I am honored to be a part of the ATR team. This opportunity will give me the chance to make a meaningful impact beyond the classroom. I’m excited to take on new challenges and continue to grow professionally.”
Fourth-grade educator Michele Wertman will serve as a Master Teacher Leader supporting literacy for all learners. Ms. Wertman has demonstrated her willingness to serve across multiple grade levels at JJ Jones Intermediate School during her tenure in MACS. Her commitment to service has grown her skillset and students will benefit from her advocating for an exceptional literacy program at Jones. Wertman noted, “Stepping into an ATR role is such an amazing opportunity! It's one that will allow me to positively impact and inspire growth within our school. I'm excited to embrace this challenge and I look forward to supporting the Jones learning community.”
At Mount Airy High School, Jesse Hiatt, history teacher, will step into the extended impact teacher role demonstrating classroom excellence. Mr. Hiatt exhibits exceptional student-to-teacher relationships and has a passion for meeting students at their point of need. His deep commitment and understanding of students as individuals allows them to feel cared for and supported in the learning environment. In response to the news, Hiatt shared, “One of the greatest tools we have as educators is our communication with the parents/guardians of the students we serve. I look forward to sharing with the other educators in the district some of the things I have learned over the years that have helped me be a better home/family communicator.”
These teachers will continue to serve in their regular teaching roles while innovatively supporting areas that allow them to springboard into their individual strengths. With the help of creative scheduling and support from administrators, these individuals will allocate some of their time to co-teaching, demonstrating effective instructional practices, coaching, mentoring, working with small groups of students, and collaborating with others to expand their impact and enhance the skills of their colleagues. Most importantly, these professionals are capacity builders for Mount Airy City Schools and this opportunity allows school leadership to empower educators in the district! Superintendent Dr. Phillip Brown noted, “Tapping into the expertise of our teachers to support the growth of others and our educational community as a whole is extremely important in our strategic growth plan over the next several years.”
Penny Willard, Executive Director of Innovation stated, “The education field often sees talented teachers move into school administration, but innovative opportunities like the ATR grant enable us to retain them in the classroom, where they thrive and serve as change agents to student learning while also allowing them to develop their leadership skills. We are extremely excited and grateful to have this funding opportunity, which is a win-win for our teachers and students across the district.” The Advanced Teaching Roles grant-funded project is in its third year and allows MACS to retain highly qualified, exceptional teachers to expand their reach while also earning supplementary pay for taking on additional duties.