Fannin County High School Class of 2000 graduate Sarah Welch has helped countless students grow through her several roles within the Fannin County School System, from teacher to district leader. She will soon take her dedication to serving people to the next level through her new role with the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE).
Welch has been selected to work with GaDOE as the Secondary English Language Arts & Literacy Program Specialist as the state finalizes its review of math standards and looks ahead to English Language Arts (ELA) standards.
“I’ve already been working a bit on the foundation for this review through my work with the ELA Advisory Council, so it will be exciting to work with it through completion,” Welch said. “A great deal of my work over the next few years will focus on the coordination of that review for the sixth through twelfth grade standards and the accompanying roll-out. My other main focus will be coordinating and delivering quality professional learning opportunities for Georgia teachers and administrators, and I’m pretty excited about that.”
Welch says her main goal is to be of service as she concentrates on secondary literacy; however, she will also coordinate and deliver professional learning
based to best meet educator needs, support teachers and administrators, continue to work on disciplinary literacy, coordinate the review/development of cohesive, appropriate ELA standards to prepare future generations of Georgians for the demands of this literacy-rich world, help other systems develop a literacy-based community involvement framework modeled on what has been developed in Fannin County, and, of course, find “at least a few events” where she can dress in costume.
Without her time in Fannin County, Welch said she would not be where she is today.
“It has all been this crazy kismet of events that began when Erik Cioffi (former Fannin County High School principal) strongly encouraged me to apply for the Innovation in Teaching Grant; I ended up being recognized as a Round I winner, which led to Georgia Public Television filming one of my classes.
Welch was selected as Fannin County Teacher of the Year later that year, and went on to be a finalist for the Georgia Teacher of the Year.
Georgia Speaker of the House David Ralston also selected her as a teacher representative on the Georgia House of Representatives Study Committee on the Role of the Federal Government in Georgia’s Education. There, Carolyn Waters, who was, at the time, the ELA Program Manager, saw Welch speak at a House event, and requested she join the ELA Advisory Council.
“When I had to leave the classroom as a result of my flawed immune system, my world was shaken, but it also expanded,” she said. “I spent 13 years teaching English to eighth graders through seniors, and then my paradigm had to shift about how I could make a difference. I was able to spend time working with teachers and professional development, and I was able to work on coordinating and composing our initial L4GA grant, for which we were awarded over $1,000,000 to support our literacy in Fannin County. Through this grant, I have been able to work with educators at all levels and closely with our community partners, which has been an incredible blessing.”
Growing up as a native of Fannin County has greatly shaped Welch as not just an educator, but as a human as well.
“The people of Fannin County have literally woven the fabric of my personhood,” she said. “The educators here have served as role models for me; honestly, I have never witnessed teachers give more than I have seen with the professionals in Fannin County.
“I feel that being a Fannin County native has developed my empathy, and I also am passionate about my support of rural communities, who may not have access to certain services that other communities do. This perspective and area for advocacy is one that I will certainly be taking with me to GaDOE.”
Welch has been “overwhelmed and humbled by the support of this community,” and spoke to the compassionate people serving the community as she expressed the honor she’s felt working alongside them.
“To be honest, Fannin County has helped me to realize my nerdy dreams, in very concrete terms,” she said. “Without the enthusiasm, assistance, and dedication of friends, families, colleagues, and community members, our literacy events would not have been able to take place. My friends and family have supported me in all my awkwardness, in all my costumes, in all instances of my horrific singing. However, while I am personally/selfishly indebted, I am more grateful I live in a place that is so supportive and wants to help its fellow humans, especially its children.”
While her job title is changing, she will remain in Fannin County as she works remotely, and she’s excited to continue living in Epworth with her husband Chris and her “mini-me,” Addie.