Superstar on Staff: Teacher, cheerleading coach grateful for support at Dalton

Briana Reed, intervention specialist

Reason for nomination:

She works patiently with her students. She is positive and encouraging. She works very well both in person and online with all of her students.

What do you love about working at Dalton Local Schools?
Everyone always says that Dalton is a very special place and this couldn’t be more true. I have found the support given by administration, teachers and families to be what I love most about working at Dalton Local Schools. My students are very important to me and their success means the world. Through the support of administration, other teachers, bus drivers and families, I am able to give my students opportunities to access real-world opportunities through community based field trips. My students are able to explore jobs in their community, connect with resources to help provide transportation, driver’s education, employment opportunities, and cook in the classroom. When speaking with teachers from other schools, many times I hear “Wow, you are so lucky to work in a district that allows you to do all of these things.” They are ABSOLUTELY correct.

How did you get to where you are today (education/ experience/inspiration)?
I graduated from Tuslaw High School in 2012 and then went to Kent State University for 4 years to obtain my bachelors degree in K-12 Intervention. Since graduating, I have been teaching at Dalton High School for the past five years. In my five years, I have also been given the opportunity to coach the high school cheerleaders with one of my best friends, Amanda Novak. At the beginning of the 2019 school year, I became the high school Student Council Advisor.

Many people have inspired me in my life from previous coaches and teachers at Tuslaw and co-workers here at Dalton High School. It is a privilege to work alongside people who value the same things as you do.

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself that people would be surprised to hear.

Many people think that Amanda Novak (Hershberger) and I have been friends or have known each other prior to coaching cheerleading. This is in fact false. Amanda graduated from Dalton in 2012 and I graduated from Tuslaw in 2012 as mentioned above. We cheered against each other all through high school for both football and basketball and we both attended Kent State University from 2012-2016. While our paths crossed several times, we never “knew” each other. Fast forward to the Summer of 2016 and we both take over the cheer program as strangers. Since then, we have become really close friends and in the year of 2020, both got married and we were bridesmaids in each other’s weddings. This is one thing that I will always be grateful for in coming to Dalton. I have met some pretty incredible people.

Another interesting fact is that I am a big fan of wrestling. My dad coached and my brother wrestled ever since he was 5 years old. Wrestling was my life for many, many years and still till this day, I enjoy going down to Columbus to watch the State Wrestling Tournament at the Schottenstein Center.

Staff member of the week is sponsored by: