About the Cover Photographer
Brigette Carruth is a native of Illinois, but has lived in Georgia since 1985 and has become quite the southern girl. Her husband Tim was born in Marietta and raised here in Paulding County since the age of 6. They have been married 21 years and have two boys. Chase age 18 is a student at Kennesaw State University and a 2010 graduate of East Paulding High. Cameron age 14 is a freshman at East Paulding High. The family is long time members of Roswell Street Baptist church, where Brigette teaches 8th grade girls Sunday school and plays flute with the orchestra.
Her degree is in fashion merchandising, but her love for photography caused her to go a new direction taking classes at KSU. She started her business, In Focus Photography in 2003. Specialties include unique location work for senior portraits, family and children, engagement, maternity, sports and special events. She also does commercial work with area businesses. Brigette's first national publication came out in the March/April issue of Bridal Guide magazine with a full-page ad for Kristina Eaton Ltd.
Brigette is a breast cancer survivor of two years and completed her first Susan G. Komen 3-day, 60-mile walk in October of 2010. She is already signed up for the 2011 walk and is currently doing off-season training.
"For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." II Timothy 1:7
Brigette's Contact Info
770-617-3805
On the Cover
Patsy Hamby
One of the greatest freedoms we have in our country is education. This month, our children return to school to be educated by some true heroes - TEACHERS!
On our cover this month we are proud to have one of Paulding County’s finest, the 2011 Paulding County Teacher of the Year - Mrs. Patsy Hamby.
Patsy developed a desire to teach Shakespeare during her sophomore year in high school. Her interest wasn’t peaked from a wonderful teacher, it was just the opposite. While studying The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, her English teacher had simply asked the class to read the play silently, which did not sit well with Patsy. It left her and her fellow students confused as to the importance of reading something so difficult, and she knew there could have been something more her teacher could have done to make it interesting and more understandable.
Patsy wasn’t able to fulfill her dream right away. It wasn’t until the age of forty-two she enrolled in Kennesaw State University to get her B.A. in English. She began taking the courses necessary until she had all the requirements for her certification in English, grades 6-12. She now holds a Reading Specialist Endorsement, a Master of Professional Writing Degree, and an Education Specialist Degree in Curriculum. She is also enrolled in KSU’s Educational Doctorate, Leadership for Learning Program with a focus on Adolescent English Education.
Patsy has been a teacher for the past seventeen years, and eleven of those have been at Hiram High School. She is also on staff as part-time faculty in the English department at KSU, teaching composition and English education courses. In addition to being named 2011 Paulding Teacher of the Year, Patsy has won numerous honors and awards. She is active in her school, her church and our community.
As a teacher, Patsy’s mission is to make each of her students feel they matter, and are not a number in the “system”. She feels a teacher’s goal should be to present new material and provide opportunities for students to develop their potential and take their learning a step further.
Part of that process is making sure to learn their names and showing them that she truly cares about their goals and the choices they make. Jason Freeman, Principal of Hiram High School says, Patsy “serves as a positive role model for our students and goes above and beyond the call of duty to accommodate individual student needs on a daily basis. She has a love for learning that is contagious, and the students she interacts with walk away as better people.”
Patsy is well loved, not only by her students, but by her husband Frank. He speaks very highly of “this beautiful lady,” and says they haven’t been married long enough. Meeting them both was indeed a great blessing.
Thank you Pasty for fulfilling your dream and sharing your talents with your students, for wanting to make them successful people, and making our community a better place. You are our hero!