A Cobb County middle school teacher is being honored by an Atlanta Falcons program that recognizes educators who build trust and invest in students.

Jerry Richerson, a health and physical education teacher at Hightower Trail Middle School, is getting a $1,000 donation for classroom books and supplies because of his selection as a Symetra Hero in the Classroom.

The award, by the Falcons, Symetra Financial Corp. and SunTrust Bank, honors 16 teachers in Georgia each year. Richerson, named late in November, runs a morning weight-lifting clinic that draws nearly 50 boys and girls.

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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