Gail Rothman grew up in Great Neck, New York, “super close to NYC but very suburban with the good schools and the green lawns. My parents, children of immigrants, felt like they had made it but I couldn’t wait to leave that place. It never felt like I fit. I ended up at UC Berkeley for college – just about as far away from Great Neck in geography and spirit as you could get. I fell in love with both California and a boy named Doug from Atlanta and we got married there and stayed.  I like to say I am a New Yorker by birth, a Californian by choice and an Atlantan by marriage.”

Twenty years ago, Gail and her husband packed up their Volkswagen camper and moved with their toddler and 3-week old infant to a funky and historical log cabin in Druid Hills near Emory – the house where Doug lived as a child. Eventually, the pair purchased their first home in Winnona Park – one a neighbor friend called a “real fixer-upper”. Gail’s two sons graduated from Decatur High School where her husband teaches Psychology. Her daughter will start at DHS in August.

Gail landed her current position as Executive Director of the Decatur Education Foundation (DEF) ten years ago. Gail had always worked in education in an administrative capacity. Before joining DEF, she was the CEO of a nonprofit that provided leadership development for adolescent girls.

“In 2008, the economy tanked and I did not get a lot of support from my board at the non-profit where I worked at the time. My family was also dealing with the illness and death of my mother-in-law and the stress was making me sick.  I did something very out of character – I quit my job with nothing lined up with some faith that things would work out.”

Just weeks later, a friend told Gail about an opening at DEF, an organization that was not familiar to her. “The thing that sticks in my mind 10 years later is looking at the DEF website and reading that DEF had funded a grant for homeless families to get reloadable cell phones so they could stay in touch with their children’s teachers, even while they were moving from house to house or couch to couch. I thought, ‘I don’t know this organization but those are my kind of people.’”

DEF has thrived under Gail’s leadership. “Our mission is to support youth in Decatur and we work in collaboration with City Schools of Decatur, the Decatur Housing Authority, the City, and with community members and businesses who want to support kids. After 10 years, I now say we are not a fundraising organization –we are a problem-solving organization. We work with our community to solve problems that keep kids from finding success in school and life.  Decatur is full of people with amazing ideas and we take those ideas and turn them into reality. DEF can connect the dots to make things happen for our kids. “

“The Decatur Student Center, which serves students struggling with grief, substance abuse, stress, and other pressures, is a good example of how the community really drives our work.  In 2016, Joe Bodine, a Decatur High graduate lost his battle with addiction.  He was a beloved community member and had grown up down the street from where I lived. Someone from his family called me before his memorial service and said, ‘We want people to be able to give money to a fund. We don’t know the specifics but we want the money to support student mental health and provide resources to prevent substance abuse.’ Out of that vision, and the thousands of dollars donated in memory of Joe, the Decatur Student Center was born to serve the non-academic needs of our high school kids. While I wish we didn’t ever have to set up a memorial fund, we are honored to be able to help our community channel some of the worst moments of life and the hardest tragedies into something that will make a real difference.”

DEF also partners with our schools to alleviate food insecurity and homelessness that some of the students and families are struggling with. “In order for kids to be able to take advantage of our great school system, we have to make sure their basic needs are met – a kid who is hungry or cold or doesn’t have a bed to sleep in can’t learn so we help connect people and resources to meet these needs.”

Just after moving to Atlanta at the age of 32, Gail started to run to get back in shape after her 2^ndson was born. The Peachtree Road Race seemed a logical place to start for a new Atlanta resident.  After that she was hooked.  Even back then Gail was a fundraiser and, after raising $4,200 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, they covered her expenses to run the Mayor’s Midnight Sun Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska on the summer solstice. Training for a marathon “really brought home the idea that I could do hard things – It was a goal that seemed impossible.  AT DEF, when things get challenging, our staff reminds each other ‘we can do hard things’ – I think we all need to be reminded of that regularly.”

Gail admits she can get consumed by work but has learned the things she needs to do to seek balance.  These days, that can mean running a few times a week and spending time in the woods with her dogs to relieve stress. “I run and walk at a nearby creek and at Lullwater Park at Emory which I love. If I don’t get enough exercise, everything can get off kilter. I also love traveling. Somehow, it’s easier for me to unplug then.”

With the summer well under way, a new cohort of kindergartners will be commencing their academic journey soon. Gail has plenty of advice for the parents of these children.

“Let go of who you think your kid is supposed to be and embrace who they are – otherwise you will miss out on truly knowing them. At the end of the day, I always feel that raising good and kind humans is the most important job we as parents have. Recognize that your child’s mental health is equally as important as their physical health and that letting them deal with challenges, mistakes and misses is what makes them able to cope with life.  And, with two kids grown and only one at home, I can honestly say it goes by in the blink of an eye.”

Donate to the Decatur Education Foundation Here

Two years ago, I interviewed and photographed Jon Abercrombie for my I am Decatur project. I was mesmerized by his stories of growing up in the South and impressed by his breadth of experiences. His short story, which I posted on June 20, 2017,  provided the reader with only a glimpse into the character of this remarkable man. I recently had the opportunity to take a film class and was given the task of creating a short film about a person who has made a contribution to addressing the issues of social justice. I immediately knew that I wanted to create the film about Jon. Luckily, he agreed to be the subject of my first film. I was delighted to have another opportunity to spend more time with Jon and to utilize an expanded set of tools in telling his remarkable story.

Kristen Pastras first learned about the I am Decatur project through her son’s kindergartner teacher, Maleea March, at Winnona Park Elementary School (WPES). When Kristen was told that the kindergartners expedition project , “I am Winnona,” was going to be featured as part of a story for “I am Decatur,” she was asked by Maleea whether she would be willing to use her talents as a graphic artist to contribute to the project.

“ Maleea asked if I would come up with a photo collage to go along with the Winnona Park Rocks theme, which is a song the kids sing at Community Circle each week. Community Circle itself is such a sweet time full of music and fellowship. It’s a great reminder that we’re part of a nurturing school community. There is a group of talented parents who accompany the kids, so I chose a guitar as the centerpiece of the poster design. The color scheme complements the school colors of purple and gold, and the school symbol is included. “

Kristen’s brilliant collage includes photos of all the kindergartners at WPES and represents the coming together of all the students to participate in the I am Winnona project. The kindergarteners rose to the challenge and spent the last part of their expedition studying how they could help their community and thinking about why Winnona Park Rocks. Below are a few quotes from these young voices.

WINNONA PARK ROCKS BECAUSE…

“…we have expeditions and learn new stuff.”

Simon Girmay (Ms. McCool’s class)

“…our teachers are helping us to learn. Once

we learn we can start reading and then we

can read to our children when we’re big !”

Rene Phillips (Ms. Simpson’s Class)

“…when I get to play sisters with magic powers with my friends outside.”

Kate Guvensel (Ms. March’s class)

“…of phonics cause you get to learn the different sounds of all the letters!”

Sahana Schoelles (Ms. Pitts’ class)

“…we get a wiggle break after lunch by the pond!”

Jimmy Kaiser (Ms. Schanding’s class)

Kristen has been volunteering to create works of art for the WPES’s PTA auction since 2016, her family’s first year at the school. She has created paper collages incorporating student’s artwork in addition to creating works that have incorporated the school photos of the entire student body. “My goal was to create pieces with direct student participation that would have sentimental value for the parents and be sophisticated enough to stand the test of time. The money raised benefits Decatur’s youngest citizens so my goal is for the imagery to have an uplifting message.”

Follow the link to the WPES homepage to read all the quotes from the class of 2013 at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pFxjhxwPDGRkvRy-ef4PRwxErCbb-ragW6arDT311wM/edit?usp=sharing

Laura Pitts’ journey at Winnona Park Elementary School began in 2005 when her two children began kindergarten and first grade at the school.

“I was so impressed with the way my own children had fallen in step with the school reform model the City of Decatur Schools had adopted, Expeditionary Learning, now EL. I was even more impressed when PTA President, Gail Rothman, helped support an initiative for Winnona Park parents to attend an EL conference in Rochester, New York. It was there, as a parent representative of Winnona Park, that I felt a shift in where I wanted to be as an educator.”

In 2006, Laura was hired to teach at Winnona Park Elementary School (WPES) where she remains today as a kindergarten teacher. “I find that kindergarten is the sweet spot for me and I find so much joy in the everyday experiences with the kids.”

In the fall of 2018, the kindergartners at WPES embarked on an exciting EL project entitled I am Winnona. The expedition began by the students learning about themselves, then about their community, and finally how they could help their community. At that time, the kindergarteners had all heard about the devastation of Hurricane Michael in October and were so saddened to see the schools that were destroyed. They responded by partnering with Decatur High School senior, Mason Koski, to collect enough school supplies to fill an entire SUV. These were then hand delivered by Mason to Panama City and Port St. Joe, Florida. “The children learned first hand that even though they may be small, they can have a huge impact on the world.”

In late September of 2018, the kindergartners experienced the coming together of their school with the greater Decatur community to embrace the Jenness family after the tragic death of their son Miles who had been a student in Laura’s class. “I had the duty to share the news of Miles’ passing with our class, and could not have been more saddened and heartbroken to do so. The students were just amazing. ‘Miles will always be our friend, even though he’s not here on earth with us anymore,’ said his friend Chloe. ‘He’ll always be in our hearts,’ said another friend, Carmen, pointing to her tiny, barely five-year-old heart.’ Their childlike clarity of understanding mixed with their inability to grasp the wholeness and permanence of the news was inspiring and heart wrenching to witness. Yet they helped us, as teachers, to find our way forward as well.”

Laura reflects on her passion for teaching kindergarten and her responsibilities as an educator. ”I love being able to be one of the first, hopefully most influential people in a kindergartener’s life. I love seeing students grow from August to May and the truly amazing skills their young, eager brains can absorb. I feel I am fully supported by City Schools of Decatur and by Winnona Park Elementary School in honoring the whole child and in doing what’s best for children. We are working to instill that sense of community responsibility in this next generation of change makers, currently the class of 2031!”

Mrs. Palumbo has a second grade student, Keoki, at Oakhurst Elementary. She is from Southern California and likes tacos, Christmas, and Michael Jackson. When Mrs. Palumbo was a kid, writing was her favotie subject, and she liked to dance. She was in a dance club and got lucky because she got to dance on the stage!

When Diane was six years old and it was the night before Christmas, she was baking enchiladas for dinner. She could not stop thinking about the presents she would get the next day. The thing she wanted most was a Cabbage Patch Kid. She was about 40% sure she would get one because they were very, very, VERY rare. Then she heard her mom yell, “Stop dreaming and help me with the enchiladas!” Diane said, “Coming Mom!” It was time for dinner. She loved the enchiladas. After dinner she put her pajamas on, brushed her teeth, and went to bed. Eleven hours later when Diane woke, up she remembered it was Christmas! She ran to wake up her mom and dad. They woke up and ran downstairs. There were about thirteen presents! Diane opened a present and guess what it was? It was a Cabbage Patch Kid!!

One time Mrs. Palumbo was with her babysitter. It was time for dinner and her babysitter gave her liver. She did not like it. She sat on the chair and refused. When she woke up for breakfast she had liver on her plate again! She still refused to eat it. She has never eaten liver again.

When Ms. Palumbo was a kid she and her mom were shopping and they passed the window of the jacket store. She rushed back to the window. She saw a red vest with a bunch of zippers. She thought if she got it she would be like Michael Jackson. She begged her mom for a long time and finally her mom got it for her. She wore it everywhere she went. Her normal outfit was a short sleeve shirt, jean shorts, and obviously her red Michael Jackson vest.

Some advice Ms. Palumbo would give to others is to be kind, treat others how you’d want to be treated, and leave the world (your space) cleaner than when you came.

Ms. Hartnett teaches in the Gifted Program at Oakhurst Elementary. She loves Chinese food. As a child, she grew up near Stone Mountain but moved to Marietta when she was a little girl. It was dinner time but her family didn’t have any pots or pans ready, or any groceries. The only restaurant nearby was a Chinese restaurant. It was way different than any restaurant she had been to before. The restaurant was dark, not like the American restaurant. There were lanterns that hung from the ceiling with golden tassels hanging from the bottom. Everybody ordered ramen. When she tasted the food it was the best food she had ever had! Then they went to their new home. “That was fun!” said Ms. Hartnett. “Ya,” said her little brother.

Ms. Hartnett remembers being at PE outside when she was 12-years-old in 6th grade. All of a sudden a dog was coming on the field. She turned around, it was her dog, Duke! She was embarrassed because it was her dog. She told the teacher the dog was hers. Her parents picked up the dog. Duke never escaped again.

When Ms. Hartnett was in high school, she stole her sister’s clothing. She hid it under her bed until morning. She wore them to school. When she got back from school her sister was furious and snached them back from her!!! Then she started to cry and said sorry.

She lives by the Maya Angelou quote, “At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.”

Mrs. Deodhar, is connected to Oakhurst Elementary because she has a granddaughter, Maya, who goes there. Maya’s grandma is from India and speaks three Indian languages and English. Her favorite food is ice cream. When Maya’s grandma was little she went to boarding school. She remembers that her teacher took the girls camping. They took bicycles there, stayed in a big lodge, and hiked in the hills. After that they played a game. Then they did some more walking and came to a point where they saw a beautiful lake. Finally, they all got together at the campfire and sang a song. Then they all went in their lodges and went to bed.

Another time at recess, a boy caught some crickets in a jar and put them in his desk. The next day, the boy showed Maya’s grandma the crickets and one jumped out of the jar. She was afraid but she calmed down. Everyone laughed and the boy got in trouble. She has been afraid of grasshoppers ever since. But Maya’s grandma still had a lot of fun at boarding school.

Maya’s grandma also remembered a day in India when it was Diwali. She walked through the light-lit streets looking for her friends and finally found them. They marveled at the lights. Some were strung from apartments and others were on the ground. There were purple, pink, green, blue, and red lights.”Do you like the lights?” asked Maya’s grandma. “Yes!” answered Maya. And everyone was happy.

Maya’s grandma gives people the following advice, “Whether you are eight or eighty, you are still young as long as you are learning.”

Ms. Fowler is an Instructional Coach at Oakhurst Elementary. As a kid, Ms. Fowler woke up on a sunny day in Jamaica. She asked her mom, “Can we get Christmas tree decorations?” Her mom said, “Maybe. We are going to get our Christmas tree today.” Ms. Fowler liked that a lot. She even screamed, “yes!!!!” She asked her mom, “Can we also get some Christmas lights because Christmas is near.”When Ms. Fowler got her Christmas tree it had a dried starfish for the star and bottles for the branches. After they got their Christmas tree they went to go get Christmas tree lights. When they tried on the lights they fit perfectly. She was sooooooooooooo excited! Then she asked her mom, “Today can I put the Christmas tree decorations on the tree and then bring it to the competition to see who has the best Christmas tree?” Her mom replied, “Yes, but don’t get the tree decorations dirty.”After the competition, her mom asked, “How was the contest?” Ms. Fowler said. “It was great! I won first place! Also my friend won second place and my other friend won third place. Then my friends and I had a party and played with our trees and ate treats.”

On Christmas Eve Ms. Fowler got a small box and decorated it with markers. Santa was coming with presents. She put the box under her bed. She had a hard time sleeping. The morning was finally here! The box was filled with dolls and stuffed animals! She was so happy!

Christmas morning Ms. Fowler’s grandmother was getting ready to make ice cream and cupcakes. Ms. Fowler helped put in eggs, flour, and sugar. After that they stirred the stuff in the bowl and put it in cupcake holders. Then she put it in the oven for an hour. She brought out the cupcakes. They were hot. She liked them a lot. She thought it was the best Christmas ever! That’s why her favorite holiday is Christmas!

Ms. Fowler shared another memory. Ms. Fowler was at her house getting ready for a party. She looked in her closet and found some shirts and dresses. One was a short sleeve dress and the other was a short sleeve shirt. She took the dress and then she looked in her dresser and found some shorts, one was a blue and sparkly and the other had stars over purple. She picked the blue and sparkly one. She found some shoes with laces and then found sparkly socks. Then she drove to the party. After the party she was exhausted.

Bedros (left) and Paul Sharian

Paul Sharian, the son of Armenian parents, has lived in Decatur his entire life. His parents emigrated from Turkey to Cleveland where their first son, Bedros, was born in 1925. Although Paul’s father had studied for the ministry, he was unable to make a living as a minister. Eventually, the family moved to Atlanta.

“My father had the opportunity to come to Atlanta to work for a very wealthy Armenian who was in the oriental rug business. He worked for him for several years and in the interim I was born in 1927. When the depression hit, this man sold everything and closed the rug business. In 1931, in the first week of April, my dad cleaned his first rug in our backyard on Drexel Avenue. Then my mother’s brother moved here. I call my dad, mother, and uncle, the pioneers. They started our family business, which they named, Sharian.”

After World War II the family business got too big for the backyard. In 1946 they moved to West Ponce de Leon Avenue after purchasing property from the Candler family. At that time, most of the buildings on Ponce were family residences. Initially, neighbors were opposed to having a business in the neighborhood, but in the end, the City Commission gave Sharian permission, sensing that the area would become a business district. Sharian continued to offer rug-cleaning services but also expanded into oriental rugs sales and mending. After Paul completed his college studies in business administration and accounting he joined the family business, which included his brother, Bedros.

“We eventually took over Sharian after the older folks retired. My brother became chairman of the board and I became president. Later on his children and my daughter came into the business. Now two of my brother’s grandchildren are at Sharian. “

At 92-years-old, Bedros still comes into work six days a week. 90-year-old Paul, stops by everyday to check up on things or run to the bank to make a deposit.

Paul felt most fulfilled in his job whenever he met a satisfied customer. “I’m satisfied knowing that we have continuity and that people know the Sharian name. We’ve had customers whose children and grandchildren have dealt with us for years.”

Paul has fond memories of growing up in Decatur and “having the best time playing with friends all over the place.” A friend of his who lived behind his house later became the founder of the Ritz Carlton Hotels. That childhood connection proved to be lucrative. Sharian was fortunate to sell quite a few fine oriental rugs to Ritz Carton Hotels throughout the United States.

Kristina Jones has been a student in the City Schools of Decatur since first grade. She is now embarking on her last year of high school and is focused on pursuing a career as a singer and songwriter. This past spring, when Kristina won the Decatur Idol music competition, she saw it as a sign that she was on the right path.

“I would like to own a studio and also do producing. To be successful you need to have the talent, but also the business smarts to be in the industry. Nowadays, it’s so easy to get into the music industry at some level. But what can set someone apart from the rest is having that extra business knowledge.”

Kristina has many interests and excels in all she does. What sets her apart is the fact that she uses her talents to positively impact the lives of others. For several years she has competed in events through the national organization, Family, Career and Community Leaders of America. One year, in a cooking event, Kristina and her friend, Ava, created a post-workout snack called, The Go! Bar.

“It is always challenging to create a new dish and present it to people. But, The Go! Bar had the most connection to me because we tested it on my lacrosse teammates. I felt like we really could see benefits of our dish working.”

Kristina has also been involved in Girl Scouts most of her life. Last year, she developed a program called Music and Mental Health: Life Rocks, for her Gold Award Project.

 “I worked with an Atlanta-based organization that serves people that have been diagnosed with mental illness. I helped their clients plan a holiday party. Some friends and I performed at the party and talked about what music meant to us. I’ve also had a couple friends talk to me about anxiety and depression. I talked to them about music, and songwriting in particular, because that is a way to express your emotions and make something beautiful out of negative thoughts.”

Kristina credits her experience in the IB Diploma Program at Decatur High School for helping her to become a more open-minded individual. “This is a really difficult time to be growing up. We talk about current events in school and that is a chance for people to share ideas that they normally wouldn’t express. It’s easy to get stuck in one mindset, but it’s important to open yourself up to others. I think that there’s always common ground between people and we can learn to get along.”