Meet a 2023 School Teacher of the Year: Dara Gramling of Hickory Flat ES!

Our teachers are amazing, which is why we share the story of a school’s Teacher of the Year every week ... please help us celebrate 2023 Hickory Flat Elementary School Teacher of the Year Dara Gramling!

Dara Gramling grew up in the Cherokee County School District and made some of her favorite memories on soccer fields and cheerleading sidelines.

Through those experiences, she learned the value of competition and teamwork and the positive impact they can have on self-confidence and academic success.

Now in her 10th year as a CCSD teacher, Ms. Gramling coaches her second-grade students to learn these same lessons along with state academic standards.

“I am continually encouraging my young students to try something new in order to learn some of these lessons that can only be learned through competition.  And the students know that I will be there in the crowd cheering them along,” she said, noting that if they do join an athletic team or performance group, she attends their games and recitals.

Her advocacy for her students to succeed in learning and in life is why many parents and colleagues now are Ms. Gramling’s cheerleaders.

“Dara strives to build relationships and connections with every student who enters her classroom.  Her ability to instill responsibility in every student is an accolade for sure,” shared a colleague, whose children also have been in her class.  “It is clear that teaching is Dara’s calling.  She encourages not only her students, but all of us, to embrace the opportunity to be better than yesterday.”

In her own words: “Since focusing first on relationships, my students have grown academically, socially and emotionally.  The impact of creating meaningful relationships with your students is undeniable.”

Special thanks to our 2023 Legacy Makers: CCSD Teachers of the Year Celebration's Presenting Sponsors: Cherokee County Educational Foundation, Credit Union of Georgia, Northside Hospital Cherokee and Shottenkirk Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Canton. 
#CCSDfam