Karen Garner of Couch Middle School is the 2017 Gwinnett County Public Schools Media Specialist of the Year. The award honors a K-12 library media specialist whose services have resulted in exemplary library media programs. Couch Middle School principal Devon Williams said Garner's "willingness to connect to teachers to enhance instruction, whether the lesson needs media center support, research expertise, or technology flair enhances our ability to reach students and improves teaching and learning."

About the Author

Keep Reading

Kara Amouyal, a parent of a Westchester Elementary school student, speaks as Decatur parents met with Education Planners, a consulting firm, on Nov. 13, at Beacon Hill Middle School in Decatur to discuss the possibility of one of the district's five K-2 schools closing. (Daniel Varnado for the AJC)

Credit: Daniel Varnado/For the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Featured

Inventor Lonnie Johnson stands with his Super Soaker water guns at JTEC Energy on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. Johnson, a former NASA engineer, is currently working on a new energy technology through his company’s JTEC device that turns thermal heat into usable energy. (Natrice Miller/AJC)