Riverwood Charter School Names Teacher, Professional Of The Year

SANDY SPRINGS, GA — Riverwood International Charter School has announced its Teacher and Professional of the Year: Patricia Lawrimore, Teacher of the Year; Gordon Ellison, Professional of the Year.

The Riverwood faculty and staff nominated and voted for this year’s recipients and the honorees received their awards at a March faculty meeting.

Lawrimore serves as the Science Department Chair and this is her fourth year at Riverwood.
She teaches IB Environmental Systems, Environmental Science and Biology, holds a position
on the school’s Governance Council, and is a Sponsor of the Environmental Club. She has
been working in Fulton County Schools since 1994 with previous stops at Milton and North
Springs High schools and a one year stint at St. Benedict’s in Smyrna.

Lawrimore earned a Bachelor of Science focused on the Biological Aspects of Conservation
from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She later obtained a Master of Science in Biology
Education from the University of North Georgia as well as a Master of Science in Leadership
from Kennesaw State University.

In addition to her many school activities, Lawrimore serves on the advisory board for Youth
Leadership Sandy Springs and plays tennis at The Riverside Club. Aside from tennis, she
enjoys reading, biking, and gardening. She and her husband of 20 years, Todd, have a teen-
aged son, William.

“At school, my pride is the garden and the classroom hydroponics tanks," Lawrimore said in a release. "Funded by grants, this brings something I am passionate about to the kids and it makes teaching easy.”

Lawrimore’s energy and passion for science shows in all that she does. She spearheaded Riverwood’s new outdoor classroom and garden program, replacing a garden which closed in 2015 due to construction of the school’s new facilities. Recently, she had her students growing plants with seeds from space and led her IB Environmental Science students on a canoe trip at the Chattahoochee Nature Center.

The Teacher of the Year receives more than a plaque. The Riverwood PTSA gave Lawrimore
$300 for school supplies, the school granted an additional $400 to fund classroom expenses,
and she has an assigned parking space close to the front door for the next school year. Another
perk is a stipend from the school to attend a conference of her choice, and a Riverwood
Teacher of the Year ring.

Gordon Ellison is Riverwood’s Professional of the Year. Ellison is the Virtual Lab Coordinator
and serves and supports students enrolled in online classes. The Virtual Lab is open all day and
for many hours after school as well as on Saturdays. The lab provides access to higher level
courses that are not offered on campus and gives students the opportunity to catch up on
credits needed to graduate. One of his major goals is to improve the pass rate and work
completion in these classes.

“With the affordable deployment of high speed internet and with every student in Fulton County Schools having access to a tablet and the access to free online classes, the infrastructure is in place to dramatically change how students are taught," Ellison said. "From a personal perspective, my goal is to have Riverwood viewed as a leader in the creative utilization of technology to change the face of student instruction.”

A faculty member that nominated Ellison for the award said, “Ellison is always willing to go above and beyond. Kids flock to him and he connects real-world experience with student learning.”

This is Ellison’s third year at Riverwood, arriving on campus as a long-term substitute from Tri-
Cities High School and then transitioning to a full-time role in Riverwood’s Virtual Lab. He
commented, “These tools are the new wave of teaching.”

Before working in education, Ellison had a career in Systems Engineering and IT consulting with IBM. An Atlanta native, he earned his undergraduate degree from Morehouse College. In his spare time, he enjoys playing golf and travel. For more than 30 years, Ellison spends much of each winter officiating college basketball games.

“I am very fortunate to be part of a faculty, staff, and administration led by Mr.
Gardner that supports the Virtual Lab," Ellison said. "I enjoy working with the students and appreciate being part of the efforts to leverage the technology investment made by Fulton County Schools.”