Gena Calloway Retiring as Head of The Schenck School

The Schenck School Board of Trustees today announces the retirement of Gena Calloway, Head of School. Since taking the leadership helm in 2000, Ms. Calloway has remained steadfast to The Schenck School vision of providing a solid educational foundation for children with dyslexia. Her departure will coincide with the end of the 2014-2015 school year and she leaves behind a shining legacy of accomplishment.

“Gena is well recognized throughout the country as a respected educator and dynamic leader,” said Andrew Sullivan, Chairman, Board of Trustees. “Gena will be missed for many reasons, but perhaps the most important is her passion for the children to whom she has so tirelessly devoted her life. Her desire to do everything she can for the School, students and community is widely known and reflected in the teaching staff that carries out this charge every day.”

In addition to her successful career as a classroom teacher, principal and administrator, Ms. Calloway is a sought after education speaker, thought-leader and advocate for children with dyslexia within the halls of Congress.

“Nearly twenty-five years ago, I walked through the front door of The Schenck School for the first time. That turned out to be one of the luckiest days of my life,” said Gena Calloway, Head of School. “There is nothing like that wonderful moment when a student looks up and smiles upon realizing he or she can now read. The best part of all is that it happens here every day. There just aren’t words to describe this gift that I have been privileged to experience hundreds of times over.”

Among her accomplishments, Ms. Calloway has expanded educational opportunities for children with dyslexia by initiating a kindergarten program at the School. Additionally, she executed plans to gradually grow enrollment from 150 to the current 250 students annually. Her efforts to enhance the student learning experience include the addition of staff specialists in the areas of occupational therapy, speech language pathology and the establishment of the Adult Dyslexia Program. During her tenure, the School achieved dual accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) as well as the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS). Additionally, the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators has accredited the School’s Orton-Gillingham classroom instruction and its popular teacher-training program.

Upon retirement, Ms. Calloway plans to marry her high school sweetheart and relocate to their new home in Virginia. She does plan however to continue pursuing her passion, improving the lives of individuals with dyslexia through her work with the Dyslexia Resource Trust. The Schenck School Board of Trustees is forming a search committee. It will launch a nationwide effort to find a successor to continue the important work started by school founder David Schenck and that Ms. Calloway has so diligently carried forward.

Gena Calloway Biography
Gena Calloway has been the Head of School of The Schenck School since 2000. She began her career at the School in 1990 as an Associate Teacher and continued as a Lead Teacher, Lower School Principal, Director of Summer Programs and Interim Head of School.

Ms. Calloway is a Fellow of the Orton-Gillingham Academy of Practitioners and Educators. She has served on the International Dyslexia Association – Georgia Branch Board of Directors and as a National Assembly Delegate. Additionally, she has served on the Board of the Atlanta Area Association of Independent Schools as Secretary, Vice President, President and Executive Board. She has presented at the International Dyslexia Association 50th and 53rd Annual Conferences and many area faculty in-service seminars.

Ms. Calloway attended The Westminster Schools. She received a B.A. in English and Elementary Education, Magna Cum Laude, from Agnes Scott College and a M.Ed. in Learning Disabilities and Educational Leadership, Magna Cum Laude, from Georgia State University where she also received Outstanding Masters Student in Special Education in May 2002.

Ms. Calloway is the mother of two daughters, one of whom is dyslexic.

About The Schenck School
The Schenck School is an accredited, independent school located in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded by David and Dee Schenck in 1959, the School’s mission is to build a solid educational foundation for students with dyslexia and develop their rich potential. www.schenck.org