- Sharon Elementary
- Meet the 2nd Grade Teachers

Phone: 121216
Email:
Degrees and Certifications:
Mrs. Melissa Benson
I am thrilled to begin my 19th year in education and am so happy to be a part of the second-grade team at Sharon Elementary. I love working with the staff and students at Sharon and am looking forward to another amazing school year! Teaching is such a rewarding profession, and I absolutely love what I do.
I am a native of Grosse Pointe, Michigan (a suburb of Detroit). My husband and I relocated to Forsyth County in the summer of 2015, and we love our home in Georgia. We live in Cumming with our energetic son, Griffin, beautiful daughter, Adelyn, and our adorable dog, Dixie.
I graduated from Albion College with a Bachelor's Degree in Education and English, and earned a Master’s Degree from the University of Michigan in Education with a concentration in Early Childhood Education. I believe that education is the foundation of our community, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to help students learn every day. I’m very excited to share my passion for learning with the students at Sharon Elementary.
When I’m not teaching, I enjoy spending time with my family, reading, shopping, and cheering on my favorite Detroit sports teams. I also love to travel the world. I have been lucky enough to visit countries on 5 different continents. I’m always on the hunt for my next adventure!

Phone: 121232
Email:
Degrees and Certifications:
Mrs. Kim Eades
Welcome to second grade at Sharon Elementary! I love making a difference and helping children learn with love and kindness. Children are special to me, and they deserve a warm and caring environment in which to learn. I foster creativity and individuality in my classroom. I strive to provide all my students with opportunities to use their areas of strength and to develop in their areas of weakness. My goal is to teach my students important skills and knowledge so they will be successful in the real world. I have a deep desire to continue to learn and grow professionally. I couldn't imagine working in any other profession!
I have been an educator in Forsyth County Schools since 2000. I look forward to my thirtieth year of teaching and my twenty-second year of teaching in Forsyth County. I have taught kindergarten, first, second, third, and fourth grade. I have truly enjoyed establishing relationships with my students, staff members, and Sharon families over the last nineteen years that Sharon has been open.
In my role as a second-grade teacher, I mostly enjoy diving into teaching and learning every day with my students. I challenge myself to meet the individual needs of my students by giving them fun opportunities to learn. I have a passion for learning the standards/curriculum and staying current on best instructional practices.
I hold a BS degree in Early Childhood Education from Georgia Southern University and a Reading and Literacy master's degree from Walden University.
I reside in Forsyth County with my husband, Justin, my daughter, Ella (13), and have two handsome stepsons, Cody (24) and Cooper (21). Ella will be in eighth grade at Riverwatch Middle School. Cody attended Mississippi State University and is now working in landscape and architectural design in the real world. Cooper attends the University of Kentucky. This will be his senior year at UK. During the summer, my family has lots of fun in the sun on Lake Lanier and spends time together at St. Augustine Beach.
I can’t wait to meet my new second grade students! Go Sharon Knights!
Phone: 121229
Email:
Degrees and Certifications:
Mrs. Jennifer Magee
This year is my 23rd year in Elementary education, my 17th teaching 2nd grade, and my 14th here at Sharon! I am absolutely thrilled to be part of the Sharon family, and love being part of the 2nd-grade team! Sharon is truly a fabulous place to teach and LEARN! Over the years I've been afforded wonderful professional learning opportunities--learning directly from nationally recognized experts. Most recently, I had the opportunity to train at Columbia University’s Teachers College Reading and Writing Project in NYC, and last summer I attended the 7 Mindsets University in Orlando where I also presented on creating empathy through literacy! I am an avid learner and also love to share! I’ve also presented at The National Science Teachers’ Conventions in Los Angeles and Atlanta. In 2019 I was named to the Forsyth K-12 Math Advisory committee and have attended several Greg Tang workshops. I’ve been lucky enough to redeliver what I’ve learned to my colleagues, and facilitate school and district level professional development. I also earned my Gifted Endorsement and pursued my Leadership Endorsement. It’s been a busy 13 years for me here at Sharon! It’s simply because I believe in being a lifelong learner, and am passionate about bringing the best practices in education to my classroom. Quite honestly, I love what I do! I’m truly grateful to be a teacher.
I’ve known since I was little that I had teaching in my blood. I believe teaching is truly a calling, and I come from a long line of educators-- both of my grandfathers were professors-1 Math and 1 English--it explains a lot! I grew up in an atmosphere where a passion for learning was not only expected, but cherished and cultivated. Learning and exploring new ideas was as much a part of my life as breathing. My mother was the complete embodiment of this philosophy. She is, by far, the person who has most influenced the way I teach. Every day as a child I watched her approach life with humor, passion, and an insatiable thirst for knowledge, eagerly watching for what we, her 5 children loved to learn about as individuals. All of these qualities are at the heart and soul of my teaching. I bring a joy for life, a love of learning, and an excitement for new experiences to the classroom EVERY day. I look forward to sharing these experiences (and MANY stories of my own childhood) with your children throughout our year together!
I began teaching where I grew up-- on the beautiful Jersey Shore! After graduating from Rutgers University I taught for 5 years for The Princeton Review. I soon found my passion in elementary ed. teaching Summer Science & Math Enrichment, then 1st and 2nd grade at one of the most prestigious private schools in NJ. I then met and married Stephen and moved to the cliffs overlooking Manhattan in north Jersey. I taught 2nd grade for 3 years in Millburn-Short Hills, consistently ranked the best district in the state, and a literacy lab for Columbia's Teachers College. In 2003, we made the move to beautiful Portland, Oregon where I taught for 3 years, and we welcomed our first son, Shane in 2004! In late 2006 I was delighted to bring all that I’d learned and experienced here to Georgia. We welcomed our 2nd son, Ryan, in May of 2007 and I began my career at Sharon in August! In 2011 we welcomed our 3rd child Mackenzie, who will be in 3rd grade at Sharon this year! Shane will be a Sophomore at Lambert and Ryan will be in 8th at Riverwatch. We are thrilled to have planted our roots here in Georgia and thoroughly enjoy the warm southern hospitality-- not to mention the warm weather. We live right here in Forsyth County with our fab chocolate lab, Wally.
Phone: 121220
Email:
Degrees and Certifications:
Mrs. Elizabeth Schwenk
I love being a part of the Second-Grade team at Sharon Elementary! I have been teaching 2nd grade here at Sharon since 2006. I can’t imagine a better place to work with such a phenomenal administrative team, talented and hard-working teachers and paras, and exceptional office, custodial and cafeteria staff.
I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. Growing up in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, I had some outstanding role models for teachers. I attended the University of Kentucky where I earned a BA in Early Childhood Education. Following college, I was looking for an exciting new adventure and relocated to Atlanta, where I began my teaching career and earned a Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education from Oglethorpe University. I completed a Gifted Endorsement through Forsyth County and have incorporated much of what I learned into my classroom. I have a total of twenty-eight years of teaching experience in first, second and third grades. I truly love teaching second graders! They have just the perfect mix of love for learning, motivation, humor, determination, and independence.
I currently live in Cumming with my husband. We have 3 wonderful adult children; two daughters and a son. They are all successful graduates of Sharon Elementary! In my free time I enjoy spending my time with my family, playing tennis, cheering on the Kentucky Wildcats, reading, and watching movies.
Phone: 121214
Email:
Degrees and Certifications:
Mrs. Kimberly Thompson
Hello! My name is Kimberly Thompson. I grew up just down the road in Peachtree Corners, and, as a child, I always knew I wanted to teach someday. Following high school, I moved to Athens and worked to earn my B.S. in Education from the University of Georgia. GO DAWGS! After graduation, I began my career teaching second grade here at Sharon Elementary in 2003. I completed my Master’s Degree in Elementary Reading and Literacy through Walden University. I have taught at Sharon since its inaugural year, and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be!
Presently, I live in Cumming in a home I share with my husband, Jonathan, and our daughters, Emerson and Rylan. We also have two four-legged “children” - a cat named Luna and a dog named Bentley. In my free time, I enjoy reading, shopping, playing with my girls, cooking with my husband, watching college football, and doing anything that lets me spend time with my family and friends.