The Leadership Team

Katie Scali

Social Studies Department Chair

Quick Facts:

MAT Secondary Ed (Piedmont College)
BA Broadfield Social Science (Piedmont College
11 years experience

I love being in the classroom and helping my students learn about the social sciences. My favorite subject to teach is Economics, but I also love Comparative Religions.

Outside of school, I enjoy attending my husband’s baseball games (he’s the head coach at Piedmont College) and supporting my daughter Eva (age 7) in her love of theatre and dance. My favorite places are Disney World and Charleston, SC. In my classroom you can expect a lot of interaction, discussion, corny jokes, dimmed lighting, and good music!

Brittany Lundrigan

Math Department Chair

Quick Facts:

M.Ed Curriculum and Instruction (Georgia Southern University)
BS Mathematics with concentration in secondary education (University of West Georgia)
8 years experience

I have taught numerous math courses at JHS over the past eight years, but I’ve found my passion in AP Statistics and Accelerated Geometry. The past five years, I have had the opportunity to teach the JISA 9th graders. I love sharing my passion for math with my students and teaching them that math can be fun! Along with teaching math, I coached cheerleading for six years.

I am happily married to my husband, Patrick. We have two little boys, Jackson and Cameron. I love spending time with family, going to the beach, and cheering on our favorite football teams. I am looking forward to a new experience at Cherokee Bluff!

Richard Godfrey

Science Department Chair

Beth Purdy

12th grade Counselor/Graduation Coach

Quick Facts:

M.Ed School Counseling (Mercer University)
B.A. Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing (Piedmont College)
5 years experience

I have been a counselor/graduation coach at FBHS since the beginning of my career. I started with the caseload in counseling of last names P-Z and the past 2 years I have been the graduation coach/senior sponsor and worked with mainly seniors.

I am looking forward to working with seniors in BOTH the counseling and graduation coach realm; I am SO excited about the benefits for the students. I have a fun-spirited four-legged bulldog, Brody, with my husband, Jeremy. We are expecting our first child in late February and we couldn’t be more excited for the future!

Amy Hansen

ELA Department Chair

Quick Facts:

M.Ed. Teaching and Learning (Nova Southeastern University)
B.A. English, writing minor (Oglethorpe University)
11 years experience

I have always enjoyed literature and reading, and I love sharing this with our high school students. It is exciting to watch my 9th grade students get comfortable with high school and learn to settle in, but seeing my AP Language students learn to critically take on real problems and prepare for life after high school is rewarding as well. Sponsoring FCA is also a very meaningful part of my job.

On the weekends, you will find me hanging out with my sweet husband and 3 kids, enjoying the outside somewhere or more likely, finding a new awesome place to eat! My favorite place in the world (so far) has been Yellowstone National Park (my bucket list includes visiting all the national parks), but I am also partial to all things Disney.

I am so excited for this opportunity to shape and create a new community at Cherokee Bluff!

Craig Cantrell

Fine Arts Department Chair/ Band Director

Quick Facts:

Kennesaw State University (2003)
Nova Southeastern University (2008).
15 years experience as a Band Director in Hall County.

I have the unbelievably awesome honor of leading the inception of the band program at Cherokee Bluff. Geoffrey Lonberger, who will be the band director at Cherokee Bluff Middle, and I are committed to creating a thriving student-centered band that will make the Cherokee Bluff community very proud.

In addition to teaching band, I also teach AP Music Theory and love to collaborate in Musical Theater. I am very passionate about collaborating with others through music and serving the needs of students. Outside of school, I have an amazing wife, Michelle, and two awesome kids, Tyler and Julia. We love to travel, read, and LOVE supporting our sports teams. Cooking and eating together remains an irreplaceable pillar of our family heritage.

I have been so very inspired by meeting the Cherokee Bluff family. It is so refreshing to know that others are passionate about kids and find the calling of teaching as servanthood. GO BEARS!

Gary Martin

CTAE Department Chair

Jessica Mueller

Media Specialist

Quick Facts:

B.A. English (Georgia College & State University)
M.A.T. - Master or Arts in Teaching with an English concentration (Georgia College & State University)
Ed.S. Curriculum & Instruction; Online Teaching Certification (Valdosta State University)
School Library Media Certification K-12 (University of West GA)
14 years ELA teaching experience
2 years School Library Media experience

I have always had a passion for helping others, and I chose to become an educator because the profession of teaching is one that allows you to invest in the next generation.

I have been in the classroom for 14 years helping to encourage my students in learning English, gaining a love for reading, and developing a heart for serving our community. I am excited about the amazing opportunity to continue to expand my classroom to help teachers and students as I transition from a part-time to a full-time School Library Media Specialist at Cherokee Bluff High School next year.

In my free time, I absolutely love spending time with my family. My husband and I are especially talented at creating K’nex “monsters” and going on “dinosaur adventures” with our two boys (ages three and four). I am so very excited about this new adventure we all get to embark on together… GO BEARS!

Tommy Jones

PE Department Chair/ Head Football Coach

Quick Facts:

BA History
Furman University
MA Ed/History
Furman University
EdS Ed Leadership
University of Alabama
18 years experience

I am both blessed and humbled to be the first football coach for the Cherokee Bluff High School Bears! This is my 20thth year in coaching and 18th as a high school teacher.

Previously, I have worked at Furman University, Dacula, Lumpkin County, South Gwinnett, and Oconee County.

I have been married to Cory for 20 years and we have two daughters (Avery, 17 and Sydney, 15). We are unbelievably excited to be a part of the Bear Nation! Go Bears!

Lindsay Justice

Special Ed Department Chair/ Head Basketball Coach

Quick Facts:

B.S. Criminal Justice (University of North Georgia)
M.A. Education (University of North Georgia)
Current student at Piedmont College: Ed.S. Curriculum and Instruction CTI certification- University of Georgia
17 years teaching experience 3 years as Special Education Dept. Chair

Hall County is and always has been the place I call home. I have been teaching 17 years with 16 of them being in Hall County. All 16 of those years have been as a special education teacher.

I have served as a co-teacher, resource teacher, and most recently as the Career Technical Instruction Coordinator and Special Education Department Chair. I am passionate about helping students learn and focusing on their abilities!

The CTI club and leadership activities are also things I really enjoy being involved in with my students. I love all things sports and you can usually find me in a basketball gym outside the school day.

I am thrilled to be a part of the Cherokee Bluff family and the amazing atmosphere being created for our Bears!