Pictured L-R are Teach For America teachers David Liddell and Holly Stansek, GCHS Principal Gary Rice, and Teach for America teachers Mariohn Michell and Erick Sellers

Carver Middle School Principal Dr. Harriet Lewis is shown here with Teach For America teacher Charis Barnard.

Greene County School System has entered into a partnership with their first Teach For America teachers this year.

There are five Teach for America teachers in Greene County  – four in Greene County High School and  one at Carver Middle School.

Dr. Harriet Lewis, principal at Carver said the Teach for America volunteer, Charis Barnard, at Carver is teaching Algebra I and basic math.

She is a native of Tampa, Florida and a graduate of the University of Florida, Gainesville.

“She is doing a fantastic job,” Lewis said. “I am enjoying working with her and so are the pupils.”

Four Teach for America teachers are at Greene County High School.

Principal Gary Rice says they have been a big help  and are bringing new concepts to the students.

The four members of Teach For America a GCHS are David Liddell who was born in Birmingham but raised in Atlanta. He graduated from the University of Georgia and is teaching 9th and 10th grade history.

Erick Sellers from Portland, OR graduated from Oregon State University. He is teaching Environmental Science, Human Anatomy and Physiology.

Mariohn Michell from Miami Florida  graduated from the Florida International University. She is teaching history at Geene County High School.

Holley Stanek from Villa Hills, Kentucky, graduated from the University of Florida. She is teaching Spanish at GCHS.

Teach for America is the national corps of diverse teachers who commit to teach for two years in urban and rural public schools to start lifelong efforts to expand educational opportunities for students.

It is an American non-profit organization that aims to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting the nation’s most promising future teachers to teach for two or more years in low-income communities throughout the United States. The organization aspires for these “corps members” to gain the insight and added commitment to tackle the root cases of America’s achievement gap throughout their lives.

The 2011-2012 school year is the second year of a community partnership in the state of Alabama and the first year Teach for America’s teachers became a part of the Greene County community. A total of  78 corps members will teach in 10 school districts statewide this school year.

Greene County Schools welcome this first corps to our system.

Although 15 million American children face the extra challenges of poverty, an increasing body of evidence shows they can achieve at the highest levels.

“Teach for America is here to work alongside veteran educators, parents and community members to ensure that every child gets an excellent education,” J. W. Carpenter, Executive Director of Teach for America-Alabama said. “We are thrilled to be partnered with the Greene County schools. The school system and community have gone out of their way to be very welcoming and we expect great things this year and in the long-term as our partnership grows.”

As a national corps, 9,300 corps members will be teaching in 43 regions across the country and nearly 24,000 Teach For America alumni continue working from inside and outside the field of education for the fundamental changes necessary to ensure educational excellence and equity.

Corps Members will be  full-time, salaried employees of a school district and receive the same salary and benefits as other beginning teachers in that district.

Salaries range from $30,000 to $51,000, depending on where the corps members teach across the country. Urban regions tend to offer higher salaries because of higher cost-of-living. Rural regions offer lower salaries but corps members  enjoy the benefits of lower cost-of-living which helps them save money on rent, groceries, utilities and other living expenses.

As part of Americorps, the Teach for America teachers are provided forebearance and paid interest for two years on their student loans by the Federal Government.

Health benefits are provided through the school district and vary depending upon where a volunteer teaches. The school district will also provide them with retirement benefits. These benefits usually include employer-supported pension plans and 403(b) investment accounts.

For more information, visit www.teachforamaerica.org/.