Meet the 9th Grade Team
Rachael Sanford
Mrs. Sanford is in her 15th year of teaching, many of which have been spent with 9th graders. She has taught at Harrison High School since the 2006-2007 school year, and she has enjoyed watching the school change from the renovation of the old auto-tech building into the incredible broadcast video facility, to the addition of the turf fields, to the implementation of the Freshman Academy with the new building. At school she is one of the Link Crew Coordinators, training upperclassmen to be Link Leaders for the incoming freshmen and serve as role models for a positive school culture. Reading, playing flute and piano, writing stories and poetry, crafting, and enjoying movies and video games with her three children are some of her favorite things to do outside of school. She also has a tuxedo cat named Lucy and a dachshund named Clifford who love curling up in her lap for a good book or movie.
To view Mrs. Sanford's blog, visit http://www.cobblearning.net/rsanford/
Elizabeth Jamison
Dr. Elizabeth Jamison has been teaching at Harrison High School for almost ten years and has enjoyed the privilege of being around the best students in the world! She has taught AP Language, American Literature, and Honors 9th Literature. She holds a PhD in Rhetoric and Composition from Georgia State University, a Master’s in English Education from Georgia State University, and a Bachelor's Degree in Music Performance (violin) from The University of South Carolina. Dr. Jamison has written speeches and presentations for the South Atlantic Modern Language Association, The College Board, and the Cobb County Board of Education. As a freelance writer specializing in both academic and business writing, she has been published in College Composition & Communication, The Journal of Teaching Writing, Poptronics, and in many corporate and informational websites.
As an avid blogger, Dr. Jamison enjoys reading blogs on photography, teaching, and creative writing. She also admits that she has an addiction to the HBO series The Game of Thrones and is reading the series as well. Jamison and her husband, Todd, have been married for 16 years and have one son, Jake, who currently attends Lost Mountain Middle School. They also have a dog, Mitchell (named after the famous town in South Dakota that showcases the historic Corn Palace) and one cat, named Graystripe but lovingly called "Kitty".
To view Dr. Jamison's blog, visit http://harrison9english.weebly.com/dr-jamisons-classes
Stephen Kirkley
This is Mr. Kirkley's tenth year teaching and his third at Harrison. He graduated from Georgia College and State University with both undergraduate and graduate degrees. His undergrad is in Mass Communications with a concentration in public relations, and his graduate degree is a Masters in Arts and Teaching. Mr. Kirkley taught freshmen for five years, but after fours years without freshman classes, he is really excited to have them again! Showing students how much a book can mean to them is the highlight of teaching for Mr. Kirkley. When a student talks to him about something they are reading in class, good or bad, he knows he has done his job.
Mr. Kirkley is also an assistant golf coach at Harrison. Golf is his passion outside of teaching, but he simply loves being outdoors in general. Anywhere there is water he is happy: swimming, fishing, going to the beach, etc.
To view Mr. Kirkley's blog, visit http://blogs.harrisonhigh.org/stephen_kirkley
Jordan Burgess
Ms. Burgess is a native of Blue Ridge, Georgia, where she grew up in the Fannin County School System. She earned her B.A. in English with a concentration in literature from Young Harris College. Ms. Burgess attended the University of North Georgia to earn her teaching certificate. She completed her student teaching assignment at Gilmer High School in Ellijay, Georgia, and then began teaching at Fannin County High School in Blue Ridge, Georgia. She later relocated to Atlanta and began post-baccalaureate studies at Georgia State. Meanwhile, she spent two years working with a team to write a textbook on multi-family housing.
Ms. Burgess is thrilled to return to the classroom and join the Harrison High School team. She has a heart for teaching and loves teaching 9th graders! At Harrison, Ms. Burgess is also "Coach Burgess;" she uses her experience in dance, cheerleading, and gymnastics to coach the JV Sidelines and JV Competition cheerleading teams! GO HOYAS!!
Aside from teaching and coaching, Ms. Burgess also loves reading, painting, and exercising. She proudly admits that she is obsessed with zombies, sharks, and Star Wars. She stays busy with school, coaching, and planning her December wedding, so look for the change to "Mrs. Motsinger" for spring semester!!
To view Ms. Burgess' blog, visit http://www.cobblearning.net/burgessj/.
Karen Daisy-Coviello
Ms. Daisy is going into her thirty-first year of teaching special education! She taught for 28 years in a high school on Long Island, New York. After retiring and moving to Georgia, Ms. Daisy missed teaching so much that she was blessed with a job down here. Her students ask her what the differences are in the students from the north versus the students in Georgia, and she immediately tells them that “you” are so respectful and have wonderful hearts of gold! They are blessed with parents that are bringing them up with structure through their love of them.
Ms. Daisy's four children live up north, and she misses them terribly and prays one day they will move down here. They are all adults, so therefore it is their decision. She tells all her students that they are her kids down here, and she adores each and everyone of them!!
To view Ms. Daisy's blog, visit http://blogs.harrisonhigh.org/karen_coviello.
Mrs. Sanford is in her 15th year of teaching, many of which have been spent with 9th graders. She has taught at Harrison High School since the 2006-2007 school year, and she has enjoyed watching the school change from the renovation of the old auto-tech building into the incredible broadcast video facility, to the addition of the turf fields, to the implementation of the Freshman Academy with the new building. At school she is one of the Link Crew Coordinators, training upperclassmen to be Link Leaders for the incoming freshmen and serve as role models for a positive school culture. Reading, playing flute and piano, writing stories and poetry, crafting, and enjoying movies and video games with her three children are some of her favorite things to do outside of school. She also has a tuxedo cat named Lucy and a dachshund named Clifford who love curling up in her lap for a good book or movie.
To view Mrs. Sanford's blog, visit http://www.cobblearning.net/rsanford/
Elizabeth Jamison
Dr. Elizabeth Jamison has been teaching at Harrison High School for almost ten years and has enjoyed the privilege of being around the best students in the world! She has taught AP Language, American Literature, and Honors 9th Literature. She holds a PhD in Rhetoric and Composition from Georgia State University, a Master’s in English Education from Georgia State University, and a Bachelor's Degree in Music Performance (violin) from The University of South Carolina. Dr. Jamison has written speeches and presentations for the South Atlantic Modern Language Association, The College Board, and the Cobb County Board of Education. As a freelance writer specializing in both academic and business writing, she has been published in College Composition & Communication, The Journal of Teaching Writing, Poptronics, and in many corporate and informational websites.
As an avid blogger, Dr. Jamison enjoys reading blogs on photography, teaching, and creative writing. She also admits that she has an addiction to the HBO series The Game of Thrones and is reading the series as well. Jamison and her husband, Todd, have been married for 16 years and have one son, Jake, who currently attends Lost Mountain Middle School. They also have a dog, Mitchell (named after the famous town in South Dakota that showcases the historic Corn Palace) and one cat, named Graystripe but lovingly called "Kitty".
To view Dr. Jamison's blog, visit http://harrison9english.weebly.com/dr-jamisons-classes
Stephen Kirkley
This is Mr. Kirkley's tenth year teaching and his third at Harrison. He graduated from Georgia College and State University with both undergraduate and graduate degrees. His undergrad is in Mass Communications with a concentration in public relations, and his graduate degree is a Masters in Arts and Teaching. Mr. Kirkley taught freshmen for five years, but after fours years without freshman classes, he is really excited to have them again! Showing students how much a book can mean to them is the highlight of teaching for Mr. Kirkley. When a student talks to him about something they are reading in class, good or bad, he knows he has done his job.
Mr. Kirkley is also an assistant golf coach at Harrison. Golf is his passion outside of teaching, but he simply loves being outdoors in general. Anywhere there is water he is happy: swimming, fishing, going to the beach, etc.
To view Mr. Kirkley's blog, visit http://blogs.harrisonhigh.org/stephen_kirkley
Jordan Burgess
Ms. Burgess is a native of Blue Ridge, Georgia, where she grew up in the Fannin County School System. She earned her B.A. in English with a concentration in literature from Young Harris College. Ms. Burgess attended the University of North Georgia to earn her teaching certificate. She completed her student teaching assignment at Gilmer High School in Ellijay, Georgia, and then began teaching at Fannin County High School in Blue Ridge, Georgia. She later relocated to Atlanta and began post-baccalaureate studies at Georgia State. Meanwhile, she spent two years working with a team to write a textbook on multi-family housing.
Ms. Burgess is thrilled to return to the classroom and join the Harrison High School team. She has a heart for teaching and loves teaching 9th graders! At Harrison, Ms. Burgess is also "Coach Burgess;" she uses her experience in dance, cheerleading, and gymnastics to coach the JV Sidelines and JV Competition cheerleading teams! GO HOYAS!!
Aside from teaching and coaching, Ms. Burgess also loves reading, painting, and exercising. She proudly admits that she is obsessed with zombies, sharks, and Star Wars. She stays busy with school, coaching, and planning her December wedding, so look for the change to "Mrs. Motsinger" for spring semester!!
To view Ms. Burgess' blog, visit http://www.cobblearning.net/burgessj/.
Karen Daisy-Coviello
Ms. Daisy is going into her thirty-first year of teaching special education! She taught for 28 years in a high school on Long Island, New York. After retiring and moving to Georgia, Ms. Daisy missed teaching so much that she was blessed with a job down here. Her students ask her what the differences are in the students from the north versus the students in Georgia, and she immediately tells them that “you” are so respectful and have wonderful hearts of gold! They are blessed with parents that are bringing them up with structure through their love of them.
Ms. Daisy's four children live up north, and she misses them terribly and prays one day they will move down here. They are all adults, so therefore it is their decision. She tells all her students that they are her kids down here, and she adores each and everyone of them!!
To view Ms. Daisy's blog, visit http://blogs.harrisonhigh.org/karen_coviello.