Connections Biographies

Mia Athanas
Band

Ms. Athanas is the Assistant Band Director at Mabry Middle School. An alumnus of Mabry Middle School, she is thrilled to be working at her alma mater. Ms. Athanas graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Kennesaw State University. She is a member and librarian of the Cobb Wind Symphony. Ms. Athanas has worked on the Lassiter Marching Band staff since 2011. The KSU School of Music awarded Ms. Athanas the Phi Beta Mu, Zeta Chapter, Outstanding Music Education Award and Most Outstanding Senior. Her professional affiliations are the Georgia Music Educators Association and NAfME.

Jill Barnocki
Band

Ms. Jill Barnocki is a native of Toledo, Ohio and graduated from Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, Alabama with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Music Education. She also holds a Masters Degree in Music Education from Vander Cook College of Music, Chicago, Illinois. Ms. Barnocki has received 6 “Citation of Excellence” awards from the National Band Director’s Association. She was selected as “Star Teacher” at Adairsville High School, “Teacher of the Year” at Adairsville Middle School and “Panel of Exceptional Teachers” at Smitha Middle School. Her primary instrument is trumpet and piano and currently plays with Cobb Wind Symphony.

Chris Doemel
Orchestra

Chris Doemel is Mabry’s Orchestra director. Mr. Doemel, born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, earned his Bachelor of Music degree from Southeast Missouri State University and his Master of Music degree from Florida State University. He spent 4 years in the US Army in the Army Forces Command band. Mr. Doemel has been a professional musician since 1984. He has been a member of the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra since 1988. He began teaching in Cobb County in 1993. He has taught at Nash MS, Campbell HS, Campbell MS, Dodgen MS, and Mabry. He has taught at Mabry since 2001.

Felicia Fredericks
Project Lead The Way Robotics

Ms. Fredericks is the Business and PLTW teacher here at Mabry. She has taught at both the middle and high school levels. She received her B.S. and M.Ed. in Business Education and Adult Education Administration respectively from Florida A&M University. She also has an Ed.S, in Curriculum and Instruction from Nova Southeastern University. Ms. Fredericks is from St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, and plans to return after she retires. She loves music, singing, traveling, and spending time with her son.

Tim Graber
P.E.

Mr. Graber has been teaching Physical Education at Mabry since 1998. He is proud that all of his teaching experience has been at Mabry. Mr Graber earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Health Promotion from Auburn University in 1994. He returned to Auburn and earned his Masters in Health and Physical Education in 1997. Mr. Graber can often be spotted at Sweat Mountain or Harrison Parks coaching one of his four sons’ baseball teams. Mr Graber has always cherished his time working in the Mabry Intramurals program extending the Physical Education Curriculum. He is extremely proud of the Flag Football Leagues he started in 2001 that still thrive as one of the most popular activities among Mabry students.

Leslie Harris
Math Connections

Leslie Harris teaches math connections for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade at Mabry. Please check back soon for more information about this valued member of our team!

Tracy McCall
P.E.

Coach McCall started teaching in 1989 in Vero Beach, Florida. She coached Volleyball and Basketball for 9 years and was awarded teacher of the year for Gifford Middle School in 1996. Coach then moved to Gainesville, Florida earning her Master’s degree while teaching. There was no middle school sports programs in Gainesville so she started her own, by having sports tourneys within the school and then challenged other schools. She was awarded Middle School Teacher of the Year for Alachua Co. in 2000. She has worked at Mabry Middle since 2001 and was awarded the 2009 Middle School Physical Education Award.

Kacie Mummert
Art

Mrs. Mummert started teaching in January 2010. Her degree is in P-12 Art Education from Kennesaw State University. She serves as the Cobb County teacher lead for middle school art teachers. At Mabry, she sponsors yearbook and art club. She also participates in the Technology Think Tank and Love is Louder. As an active member of the Georgia & National Art Education Associations she has presented at several state conferences and will be presenting at the 2016 National conference. Mrs. Mummert was awarded the GAEA 2015 Middle School Art Educator of the Year. She was also recognized as the 2015-2016 Cobb County Middle School Art Specialist of the Year.

Leigh Nielsen
Project Lead The Way Design

Mrs. Nielsen is the Technology Teacher at Mabry. She teaches the pre-engineering and Project Lead the
Way Design and Modeling courses. She has enjoyed experiencing the technological changes that have been introduced in our school system. She started with the Selectric 3 typewriter and now works with Robots and 3D printers. She works with the Broadcast and Robotics Team.

Chad Oates
P.E./Health

Coach Oates has been teaching since 2009. He graduated from Kennesaw State with a B.S. in Health & Physical Education, Coach Oates has taught taught in multiple counties, in all grade levels and a variety of content areas, in the Greater Atlanta since calling Mabry home. He has been recognized multiple times, in multiple counties, as Teacher of the Month. Outside of the classroom, he serves as a personal trainer, member of Think Tank, and event coordinator.

Jennifer Stepp
Chorus

Jennifer Stepp was born in Texas but grew up singing in Gwinnett County. After High School she attended Piedmont College in Demorest, Ga where she earned a BA in Vocal Performance and an MAT in Music Education. As an undergraduate, she participated in several performing ensembles including Opera Workshop. Her most memorable role was that of a middle school boy in Amahl And The Night Visitors by Gian Carlo Minotti. Mrs. Stepp began her teaching career at Mabry in 2008 and since then, the choir has grown to 300 students. She believes that if you can walk you can dance and if you can talk you can sing. Along with singing, she enjoys hammocking and reading Harry potter with her husband and son.