Hi! I am Alex Marbut and I am so excited to be part of the New Hope family again this year! 

I graduated from The University of Georgia (GO DAWGS!) with a degree in Special Education and received my master’s and specialist in special education from Georgia Southern University. I have always taught special education—there is something special about teaching exceptional learners. 

I was born and raised in the small town of Winder, Georgia, and moved to Cumming when I married my high school sweetheart, Brett, in 2016. We have a precious little girl, Stella, and all our time is spent chasing her around the house! I love to read, listen to podcasts, and spend time outside!  

I am so happy to be back at New Hope! I am looking forward to making more memories in my home away from 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  and Gabrielle. We also have 2 Goldendoodles, Indiana Jones (who serves as New Hope'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 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! 

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 multiple years and am so excited to be joining New Hope Elementary!

I have lived in multiple states in the southeastern United States but call Georgia home after many years. My husband Timothy and I 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, Joshua attends The University of West Georgia and Dominick attends Mercer University.  

We have a rescue zoo at the Still House - dogs, cats and 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.