New Faculty and Coaches Join GPS

With Opening Day just hours away, faculty and staff have been hard at work preparing campus for the return of our students. As many members of our team continue their storied tenures, we are also excited to welcome new employees to the Bruiser family for the 2021-22 school year. 

Brent grew up in Chattanooga and earned a B.S. in music from Tennessee Temple University and a master’s degree in music education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Brent helps oversee the Upper School instrumental program at McCallie while also directing the pep band, wind ensemble, and chamber groups and teaching a history of rock class. In addition to his continued role at McCallie, Brent will join our GPS team as our Middle School Band Director.

 

Sarah Whitney joins GPS as the new Director of Camps and Clinics/Admission Counselor. Sarah Whitney is excited to return to GPS as it has always been her dream to work here. She received her Bachelor of Science in public relations from Georgia Southern University and her Master of Education in counselor education from Clemson University. She most recently served as the assistant director for student-alumni relations at Vanderbilt. She brings great experience in program development, event management, and student affairs, along with enthusiasm, energy, and a genuine love for our school.

 

Ashlyn joins us from Marion County Public Schools in Kentucky where she has been teaching pre-algebra and algebra 1 with a passion for including real-world applications in her lessons. She grew up in Cleveland, Tennessee, and earned her BA in Middle Grades Education Math and Science where, as a high performing student-athlete, she graduated as valedictorian. Ashlyn will be teaching seventh-grade Pre-Algebra and Upper School Applied Statistics in the upcoming school year. Ashlyn also brings to us a great talent and a wealth of experience as a competitive volleyball player and, in addition to her role as a faculty member, will also be the new head Middle School volleyball coach in the fall. 

 

Laura comes to GPS after completing graduate work in archaeology at the University of Cambridge in the UK. Laura has a master’s degree from Cambridge, where she was also the vice-president of their rowing team. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and psychology from the University of Michigan, where she was a member of their Division I rowing program. Notably, her boat finished third at the NCAA Rowing Championships in 2017. Laura will teach one section of eighth-grade Citizenship in Action and will serve as the new Head Varsity Rowing Coach, replacing Maegan Gossett ’08, who will stay on as an assistant coach and serve as our new Rowing Coordinator for both GPS and McCallie.

Nichole Pitts | Middle School Orchestra Director  

After spending 20 years in the Hamilton County Schools, Nichole joined the McCallie music department in 2019, where she has been an integral part of both their Middle and Upper School Orchestra and Strings programs, as well as directed the combined GPS and McCallie Honors Orchestra. Nichole holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education from UTC. For 10 years, Nichole also conducted the Prelude and Etude orchestras with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera Youth Orchestras and has served as the ETSBOA Chair, Tennessee All State Orchestra Chair, and regularly performs with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera. In addition to her continued role at McCallie, Nichole will join our GPS faculty as our Middle School Orchestra Director.

 

Katie is no stranger to GPS as she has worked with us as a private music instructor as well as the Administrative Assistant for Cadek over the past two years. She holds a bachelor's degree in music from Lee University with an emphasis in vocals, and has taught voice, piano, music theory, and violin to musicians of all ages and with a wide range of talents since 2009. Katie also volunteers with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera Youth Orchestras, where she serves as a member of their advisory board and a rehearsal assistant. Katie will be joining our Arts Department as the sixth-grade Exploring Music teacher and will also take on the role of Cadek Coordinator as Mark Krawczyk transitions back into the theater department full-time post-pandemic.

After graduating from GPS in 1998, Augusta attended Hollins University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in religion with a studio art concentration. Augusta began her career as a youth minister and soon followed her passion for art to become an art teacher at both St. Nicholas for 10 years and Brainerd Baptist for the past seven.  As someone with a love for GPS and strong community connections, Augusta will join GPS as an Admission Associate, using her energy and creativity to help us grow our admission pipeline. She will focus on developing meaningful outreach to girls in our community in fourth grade and younger. She will also share her talents and passion for art as our seventh-grade art teacher.

Diane will be joining the Fine and Performing Arts Department at GPS after beginning her career as a visual art teacher at Garrison Forest School, an all-girls institution in Baltimore, where she spent the last eight years teaching courses such as painting, drawing, color theory, science of art, AP 2D, and AP Drawing, as well as serving as the PreK-12 Department Chair since 2018. Diane graduated magna cum laude from the Maryland Institute College of Art with a BA in fine arts and painting and also earned a Master of Arts in teaching from MICA. In addition to her work as an educator, Diane is also an independent artist who has delved into the work of textiles and has brought this passion to her current institution through community art installations. She will be teaching eighth-grade Art, as well as Art II, Art III, and AP Studio Drawing.

 

Additionally, there have been several changes and new additions to our coaching staff in recent months:

If you see any of our new Bruisers on campus, please join us in welcoming them to our school community.