South Atlanta educator named city’s teacher of the year
A Cleveland Avenue Elementary School teacher of gifted students, Rita Simmons, has been named the teacher of the year for Atlanta Public Schools.
Simmons, who teaches students in kindergarten through fifth grade at the south Atlanta school, is the founder of a mentoring organization for girls, and she previously taught fifth grade in Cobb County.
Simmons was chosen for the teacher of the year award over Nathaniel Snyder of KIPP Ways Academy and Danielle Gilley Costarides of North Atlanta High School.
About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
