Atlanta Educators Honored By Hawks, Clorox ‘Year Of The Teacher’ Initiative

ATLANTA, GA — Gaynell Troy waived enthusiastically Monday night from the floor of State Farm Arena as the Atlanta Hawks public announcer called her name and the crowd cheered.

The eighth-grade math and computer science teacher and track coach at H.J. Russell West End Academy is one of the nine Atlanta Public School teachers honored by the Hawks and Clorox as part of the Year of the Teacher initiative celebrated throughout this 2021-2022 school year.

The collaboration in September donated $10,000 worth of Clorox cleaning supplies to APS to kick off the Year of the Teacher school year. The reward to each of the teachers included Clorox cleaning supplies for their schools, two tickets to a Hawks home game, in-game recognition as the game’s honorary co-captains, and a $500 gift card for school supplies.

Troy was visibly excited by the energy of the game against the Portland Trailblazers and the VIP treatment she and the other teachers on hand were given – game tickets with all-inclusive premium experiences, access to special club-level food and beverages, her name in lights. Her eyes were wide and she spoke with frenetic energy about her students, her experiences teaching and her night out being recognized for her accomplishments.

“I'm typically used to being the coach, so I don't get to experience the game from that aspect because I'm focusing on what we're gonna be able to do,” Troy told Patch.

Aside from being “Coach Troy” to her students, Troy said she worked to help kids who were struggling during the worst days of the pandemic when some elementary students weren’t even logging in to receive virtual lessons.

“You're essentially looking at advanced sixth-graders,” she said. “I teach eighth grade, but I have a lot of kids that essentially missed that seventh-grade year. So it's been a challenging time trying to bridge the gap and kind of pull those kids up. But it's also been a rewarding time to see our kids grow.”

She created a curriculum that teaches her math students robotics and how to code, and more.

“Not only have I had the opportunity to introduce them to web development, the internet of things, and we built robots this school year,” Troy said. “We're also working with the Georgia Department of Education and Carnegie Mellon on artificial intelligence development. So, we're doing a lot and it's exposure more than anything that I'm excited about.”

And that’s just one teacher. Monday night, Troy was joined as honorary co-captain by Benita Simmons, a STEM Specialist from Usher-Collier Elementary School, and KIPP Woodson Park Academy second-grade teacher Ce’Zane Grant.

“It’s been an honor to recognize local teachers all season with our partners, the Atlanta Hawks,” said Tad Kittredge, Vice President and General Manager at The Clorox Company. “They are the heroes who give so much, especially in guiding students through the uncertainty of the last two years, and it’s a small way we can show our appreciation and lend support.”

This season’s honorees for ‘Year of the Teacher’ include:

• Charles Astin – Second Grade Teacher from F.L. Stanton Elementary School
• Dorothy Chu – First Grade English Teacher for the Dual Language Immersion Program from Morris Brandon Elementary
• Ce’Zane Grant – Second Grade Teacher from KIPP Woodson Park Academy
• Christine Mitchell – Science and Math Teacher from Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy
• Deserae Obong – Special Education Teacher from Humphries Elementary
• George Parker – Fourth and Fifth Grade Special Education Interrelated Teacher from Harper-Archer Elementary School
• Dr. Benita Simmons – STEM Specialist from Usher-Collier Elementary School from
• Gaynell Troy – Eighth Grade Math and Computer Science Teacher from Herman J. Russell West End Academy
• Yesenia Visoso – Dual Language Pre-K Teacher from Garden Hills Elementary