Alpharetta, Roswell Educators Win AJC Celebrating Teachers Awards

ATLANTA, GA -- Four of the 10 teachers recognized by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in its inaugural “AJC Celebrating Teachers Awards” are from the Fulton County Schools System. The teachers were recognized Oct. 25 at the Cox Communications headquarters among an enthusiastic crowd of family, friends, colleagues and school district leaders.

“We are extremely proud of these four educators and their significant impact on students. Also, we are grateful to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for using its media platform to spotlight the excellence and commitment of our teachers,” said Superintendent Jeff Rose, Ed.D. “It makes a positive statement about the quality of Fulton County Schools’ teachers to have received four of the 10 awards.”

Honorees were evaluated by a panel of four academic leaders who each represent local universities and Georgia’s professional education standards, and were chosen for going above and beyond to educate students as well as for encouraging and inspiring others.

Fulton County educators recognized include:

• Farhat Ahmad: Ahmad serves as the English Literature teacher for 11th and 12th grades at McClarin Success Academy in College Park. He has served as an educator for the past 11 years, and in 2015, Ahmad won the Governor’s award for innovative teaching with his Basic Skills Boot Camp and unit on Rhetorical Analysis. He is a member of the district’s Vanguard team, a prestigious and highly skilled group that coaches teachers on implementing technology in their learning practices. Students can come to his classroom, take any English/Language Arts class, and finish at their own pace with the ability to complete their studies anywhere they have internet access.
• Susan Ali-Ahmad: Born and raised in Alpharetta, Susan Ali-Ahmad is a proud product of the Fulton County School System and now teaches within its ranks. For the past 29 years, Ali-Ahmad has been teaching music at Lake Windward Elementary School in Alpharetta. She holds certificates for Expert Teacher, Master Teacher, and Teacher Support Specialist. She also has served as a Fulton County Fine Arts Support Teacher for 28 years, coaching elementary music teachers across the entire school district.
• Lynnette Lindesay: Lindesay has served as the Business and Computer Science instructor at Elkins Pointe Middle School in Roswell for the past 12 years and serves as the Middle School Business and Computer Science Pathway Specialist for CTAE in Fulton County. As a young girl, her parents instilled in her that there were never any limitations to her goals, and she carries that same belief to her classroom.
• Maureen Wales: Wales has served as an Adapted Physical Education teacher at Alpharetta Elementary School since 1995 where she modifies the physical education curriculum for students with special needs so that they are successful. Meeting in a small group setting, she encourages students to reach their gross motor skill goals and objectives. Coaching Special Olympics is a big part of her job, and she loves the program and what it does for people with special needs. Eunice Kennedy Shriver is her inspiration because of her belief in people with special needs and the way she advocated to improve their lives, something Wales has demonstrated throughout her career.

More than 375 public and private school teachers, from kindergarten to 12th grade, were nominated for the award. The top 10 winners received a trophy, lapel pin and gift cards from the program’s sponsors and were spotlighted on the AJC website as well as in special commemorative pages in the Sunday, Oct. 29 printed edition.

Photo: from left to right are Farhat Ahmad from the McClarin Success Academy, Susan Ali-Ahmad from Lake Windward Elementary School, Maureen Wales from Alpharetta Elementary School and Lynnette Lindesay from Elkins Pointe Middle School celebrate after receiving recognition in the AJC’s Celebrating Teachers awards program. Credit: Fulton County Schools