DeKalb Brilliance Academy: where the strength of our community nourishes the brilliance of our students.
We have a charge from our community to build a school that redefines education and brings the real world into our classrooms. Are you a visionary leader ready to show what is possible for children? Apply today!
Meet our Staff
Our founding story
Our co-founders worked for three years with South DeKalb families and community members to design a school that empowers students to be leaders in any field they choose. We asked more than 1,000 community members a big question: “What should the purpose of school be?”
Here’s what they told us:
1) help my child understand their unique gifts, talents, and interests
2) help my child understand their paths for impact
Families pushed us beyond college and career readiness to focus on students' legacies. Our school empowers students to be leaders through combining rigorous & relevant academics with social-emotional learning. We put all of this together through our Real-world Project-based Learning, where students learn not only from their teachers and peers, but also directly from scientists, lawyers, engineers, and designers.
Admin Team
Co-founder / Principal
Co-founder / Head of School
Director of Operations
Assistant Principal of Kinder-2nd Grades + Principl-in-Residence
Assistant Principal of 3rd-4th Grades
Assistant Principal of 5th-6th Grades
Assistant Principal of Scholar Support
Operations Manager
Facility Manager
Kindergarten Team
Kindergarten Assistant Teacher
Mr. Woody
Kindergarten Assistant Teacher
Ms. Reed
Special Education Assistant Teacher
Mrs. Farley
1st Grade Team
1st Grade Math Teacher
Ms. Kennon
1st Grade Science Teacher
Ms. Scruggs
1st Grade ELA Teacher
Ms. Huggins
1st Grade Special Education Teacher
Scholar Support Department Chair
Special Education Assistant Teacher Coach
Ms. Morrow
1st Assistant Teacher
Ms. Loyd
2nd Grade Team
2nd Grade Math Teacher
K-2 Department Chair
Assistant Teacher Coach
Ms. Willis
2nd Grade Science Teacher
Ms. Martin
2nd Grade ELA Teacher
Ms. Austin
2nd Special Education Teacher
Ms. Huff
2nd Grade Assistant Teacher
Teacher T
3rd Grade Team
3rd Grade Math Teacher
Mrs. Terrell
3rd Grade Science Teacher
Ms. Ayers
3rd Grade ELA Teacher
Ms. Thornton
3rd Grade Special Education Teacher
Ms. Hiles
4th Grade Team
4th Grade Math Teacher
Ms. Williams
4th Grade Science Teacher
Ms. Biddle
4th Grade ELA Teacher
Ms. Young
4th Grade Special Education Teacher
Mrs. Martin-Clark
5th Grade Team
5th Grade Math Teacher
Mr. Lewis
5th Grade Science Teacher
Ms. Oyelami (Ms. O)
5th Grade ELA Teacher
Ms. Walker
5th Grade Special Education Teacher
Ms. Dozier (Ms. D)
6th Grade Team
6th Grade Math Teacher
Ms. Presswood
6th Grade Science Teacher
Mrs. Scott
6th Grade ELA Teacher
Mr. Jack
6th Grade Special Education Teacher
Ms. Jenkins
Scholar Support Team
Special Education Teacher
Mr. Berthoumieux (Mr. B)
Special Education Assistant Teacher
Ms. Fowler (Ms. Meca)
Special Education Teacher
Ms. Vincent
Special Education Assistant Teacher
Mr. Morgan (Mr. Rick)
Special Education Teacher
Mr. Jenkins
Special Education Assistant Teacher
Ms. Thompson (Ms. T)
EIP Teacher
504 Coordinator
Enrichment Chair
Ms. Miller
Gifted Teacher
EIP Teacher
Ms. Wheat
Enrichment Team
Dance Teacher
Mrs. Hudgen-Grace
Physical Education Teacher
Mr. Wise
Art & Animation Teacher
Mr. Lin (Mr. Sai)
Operations Team
Family Engagement Team
Nutrition Manager
Ms. Jenkins
Front Office Manager
Ms. Shinholster
School Nurse
Nurse Woody
School Social Worker/Counselor
Ms. Smith
Custodial Team
Mr. Rodney
Mr. Pedro
Ms. Gail
Mr. Thornton (Mr. T)
Meet our Board of Directors
You can always reach our board by emailing board@dekalbbrilliance.org
Chair, Board of Directors
Michael Freeland
Vice Chair, Board of Directors
Joseph Akpan
Treasurer, Board of Directors
Quentin Johnson
Secretary, Board of Directors
Jazmin Counts
Board of Directors
Dr. Curtis Armour
Board of Directors
Jenea Carruth
Board of Directors
Mesha Greene
Board of Directors
LaKenya Norris
Board of Directors
Sharicka Samuels