Hi, I'm Alex Marbut, and I am thrilled to be part of the New Hope family!

I graduated from The University of Georgia (GO DAWGS!) with a degree in Special Education—Adapted Curriculum. I received my master’s in Special Education and an Autism endorsement from Georgia Southern University. I am working towards a specialist degree in Special Education. Last year, I was a Skills-Based Autism teacher at Shiloh Point Elementary, where I taught for the last five years.

I am from Winder, Georgia, and moved to Cumming when I married my high school sweetheart, Brett, in 2016. We recently had a precious baby girl, Stella, and all of our time is spent chasing her around the house! I LOVE to read and listen to podcasts when I have free time.

There is so much excitement in opening up a new school and building a community! I cannot wait to meet my New Hope family and students!

Hi, I'm Leigh Lisiewski, and I'll be teaching Pre-K at New Hope.

I earned my degree in Early Childhood Education at Kennesaw State University. I received my master's in Special Education from St. Joseph's University. I also hold an ESOL certificate and a reading endorsement. I was most recently a 6th grade teacher in Florida. 

I was born and raised in Gwinnett County. I moved to Forsyth 12 years ago. I am married to my husband Matt, and I have 3 boys. One is a Freshman at UNG, one is a Freshman in high school, and my baby is 8 years old. We have 3 shih-tzus that we could not imagine life without. My hobbies include reading, baking, walking the Greenway and playing with my kids and dogs.

I can't wait to meet all the new teachers and students at New Hope. I'm excited to call a brand new school home!

Hi, I'm Elizabeth Thomas and I am a teacher for the Special Education PreK class!

I graduated from the University of South Florida with my master's of Science in Education. I most recently taught  PreK at Silver City Elementary School.

I grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, but moved to Tampa for college. During grad school, I met my husband, Ian. We have two girls, Isabelle (14) and Gabrielle (11). We also have 2 Goldendoodles, Indiana Jones (who serves as Silver City's therapy dog) and Dolly Doodle. We also have two cats! I love running, traveling and painting in my free time. A fun fact about me is that I have been to 49 of the 50 states!

I can't wait to get started with building my new work family and school community. I look forward to meeting all my new students and families very soon!

Hi, I'm Laura Chapman, and I am so excited to join the Pre-K team at New Hope Elementary as a paraprofessional.

I grew up in Clemson, SC and earned a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Clemson University. Upon graduating, I moved to California and worked in IT consulting for several years before moving to Atlanta, GA where I worked for Emory Healthcare for 10 years. Following that I taught Pre-K for 11 years at a private, state-licensed and accredited preschool in Forsyth County. I obtained my Paraprofessional certificate in 2019 and worked at Sharon Elementary School in a kindergarten classroom. Most recently, I have enjoyed two wonderful years at Silver City Elementary as part of their Pre-K team.

My husband, Don, and I have twins, Colin and Emily, who are now in college. We also have a beagle mix named Foster whom we all adore! I enjoy spending time with my family, being outdoors, exercising and working in the yard.

I love working with children and can't wait to help shape the Pre-K program at New Hope!

Hi, I'm Aubrey Eckman and I'll be part of the Pre-K team at New Hope as an Instructional Assistant!

I received my bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee. While in college, I was the program assistant at an early intervention center. I was most recently a Kindergarten Educational Assistant at Ocean City Elementary School in Ocean City, MD.

I was born and raised in Tennessee and met my husband there in college. After graduation, we moved to his hometown of Ocean City, MD, where we have spent the last 12 years. We just recently relocated to Georgia. We have two boys, Cooper and Beau, and a puggle named Paisley. We enjoy going to the beach, exploring nature, and my kids love to play soccer. Cooper will be starting kindergarten this year at New Hope!

I am looking forward to meeting all our new students and working with an incredible staff.

Hello!  My name is Robin Still and I am excited to be part of the Pre-K team at New Hope as an Instructional Assistant.  

I received my degree from Memphis State University (University of Memphis as it changed names after I graduated) in Communications and Broadcasting.  I have been blessed to teach in the preschool sector for 15 years and am so excited to be joining New Hope Elementary!

I have lived in various states in the southeastern United States but call Georgia home after 25 years.  I met my sweet husband just before college and have been married for 30 years.  We are blessed to have 4 children-2 daughters, Karianne and Natalie, and 2 sons, Joshua and Dominick.  Karianne is a 2nd grade teacher, Natalie is a nurse at Duke Hospital, Joshua is a junior and attends The University of West Georgia and Dominick is a freshman at Mercer University.  

We have a rescue zoo at the Still House - 3 dogs and 4 cats and a fish!  When I have spare time, I enjoy gardening, hiking, reading, crafting and organizing.  

New Hope Elementary Nighthawks are going to soar places and I am excited to fly along with them.