Mrs. Catherine L. Cooper was born in Empire, Georgia. She graduated from Dodge County High School and received a Bachelor of Science in Education from Georgia College in 1987. She later earned a Master of Education degree from Georgia Southwestern State University and a specialist degree from Troy University.

Mrs. Cooper began her teaching career in Bleckley County in 1987. In 1992, she transferred to Houston County to serve as an Interrelated Resource teacher at Bonaire Elementary. She also taught at Bonaire Middle and Matt Arthur Elementary.

Throughout her career, Mrs. Cooper took on many leadership roles and served as an advisor to numerous clubs. She was named as the Matt Arthur Elementary Teacher of the Year and Houston County Gifted Teacher of the Year. She retired from the District in 2018 after 31 years in the classroom.

Since retirement, Mrs. Cooper has continued to make an impact on the youth of Houston County by mentoring young ladies at Huntington Middle School. She and her husband, Michael, have been married for 33 years and live in Kathleen. Mr. and Mrs. Cooper have three children.

Mrs. Jane D. Cooper was born in Carrollton, Georgia. She graduated from Central High School in Carrollton. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics Education from Georgia College and State University in 1977 and later received a Master of Education from Georgia College.

Mrs. Cooper began her teaching career at Perry Middle School in 1993 as a science and social studies teacher. She also taught at Feagin Mill Middle School and Houston County High School.

She was an active member of several professional organizations and served as chairman of the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) Board of Directors. As a long-standing leader in FCCLA, she guided her students to consistent success at both state and national competitions.

Mrs. Cooper retired from the Houston County School District in 2015 after 22 years in the classroom. During her tenure, she received numerous honors, including District Teacher of the Year and multiple FCCLA Advisor awards. Mrs. Cooper and her high school sweetheart, Patrick, have been married for 48 years and live in Perry. They have two children and four wonderful grandchildren.

Mrs. Barbara Gilmore was born in Fort Valley, Georgia. She graduated from Peach County High School. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Fort Valley State University.

She began her teaching career at Perry Middle School, where she taught for 25 years before retiring. During her tenure at Perry Middle, she taught social studies, technology, and computers. She retired from the Houston County School District in 2020.

In 2001, she was named the Sallie Mae Teacher of the Year at the state level, and the following year, she was named the 2002 Perry Middle School Teacher of the Year. Also during her career, Mrs. Gilmore assisted in writing social studies standards for the state of Georgia and shared her lessons and strategies with other teachers with the train the trainer approach to professional learning.

Mrs. Gilmore and her husband, Raymond, have been married for 45 years and reside in Fort Valley. Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore have four children and two grandchildren.

Mr. Wally Shaw was born in Great Lakes NAS, Illinois. He graduated from Appling County High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Valdosta State University in 1981. He later received a master’s degree from Georgia Southern University and a specialist degree from Columbus State University.

Mr. Shaw began his teaching career at Appling County Junior High School. In 1991, he became the band director at Houston County High School, where he served until his retirement in June 2015.

During his time in the District, he received numerous honors, including Teacher of the Year, Georgia Music Educator of the Year, and Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) Volunteer of the Year. In retirement, Mr. Shaw continues to inspire students by mentoring in his church praise band and serving as a judge for GMEA. He supports school districts and colleges throughout the Southeast through his continued adjudication work and remains actively involved in the Wellston Winds Community Band.

Mr. Shaw and his wife, Julia Nell, have been married for 43 years and live in Perry. They have two daughters and one son—all of whom work in education—and three amazing grandchildren.

Mrs. Kelly G. Voss was born in Huntsville, Alabama. She is a product of the Houston County School District where she graduated from Warner Robins High School. She received a Bachelor of Science in Middle Grades Education from Valdosta State University. She later received a master’s and specialist degree in Middle Grades Education from Georgia Southwestern.

Mrs. Voss began her teaching career at Tabor Middle School in 1988. She taught math and language arts at Perry Middle School for eleven years before joining the staff at Kings Chapel Elementary, where she retired in 2020.

During her career as a teacher, she was named as the school level Teacher of the Year twice - once at Perry Middle School in 1991 and again at Kings Chapel Elementary in 2003. While Mrs. Voss was a teacher, she also served as a sponsor for cheerleading, the prayer club, newspaper club and student council. While teaching, she also held the roles of team leader, grade chair and mentor teacher.

Mrs. Voss and her husband, Richard, have been married for 37 years and live in Perry. Mr. and Mrs. Voss have two daughters, two sons-in-law, and one granddaughter.