I’m Alex Marbut, and I am thrilled to rejoin the New Hope family this year! I graduated from the University of Georgia (GO DAWGS!) with a degree in Special Education and continued my studies at Georgia Southern University, where I earned both my master’s and specialist degrees in the same field. Teaching special education has always been my passion; there's truly something extraordinary about working with exceptional learners.

I moved to Cumming in 2016 after marrying my high school sweetheart, Brett. We’re blessed with two little girls, Stella and Maddie Brooke, and our days are spent chasing them around. I enjoy reading and listening to podcasts in my free time.

I am so happy to be back at New Hope! I look forward to making more memories in my home away from home!

Hi, I’m Elizabeth Thomas, a teacher for the Special Education PreK class. I graduated from the University of South Florida with a Master of Science in Education and earned a Teacher Specialist degree from Thomas University. Most recently, I taught PreK at Silver City Elementary School, and now I’m excited to be a part of the New Hope Elementary School community. Before teaching PreK, I spent 13 years in a specialized instruction classroom.

 I grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and moved to Tampa for college. During grad school, I met my husband, Ian. We have two wonderful daughters, Isabelle and Gabrielle, and our family also includes two Goldendoodles, Indiana Jones (who serves as New Hope's therapy dog) and Dolly Doodle, as well as two cats.

 In my free time, I enjoy running, traveling, and painting. A fun fact about me is that I have visited 49 of the 50 states. I’m really looking forward to building my new work family and school community, and I can’t wait to meet my new students and their families soon!

Hi, I'm Laura Chapman, and I serve as a Special Needs Pre-K Instructional Assistant as well as a director of the SOARIN’ After School Program.  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. After my twins were born in 2023, I taught Pre-K at a private, state-licensed and accredited preschool in Forsyth County. In 2019 I obtained my Paraprofessional certificate and worked at Sharon Elementary School as a kindergarten IA. I also enjoyed two wonderful years at Silver City Elementary as a Special Needs Pre-K IA prior to joining the team at New Hope Elementary.

My husband, Don, and I have twins, Colin and Emily, who are now young adults. 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 am very happy to have found a new home at New Hope Elementary!

Hi, I’m Aubrey Eckman and I am an Instructional Assistant in Pre-K at New Hope! 

I received my bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee (Go Vols!). While in college, I was the program assistant at an early intervention center. Before moving to Pre-K, I had the privilege to serve as an IA in Kindergarten. 

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 spent 12 years before relocating to Georgia. We have two boys, Cooper and Beau, and a puggle named Paisley. We enjoy going to the beach, hiking, UT football, and my kids love to play soccer and baseball. 

I am looking forward to another great year at New Hope with the most amazing staff!