Hi Mariners!  My name is Dara Blalock. I have been teaching over 20 years and I love watching young minds grow!  I have an associate’s degree from Young Harris College and my bachelor and master’s degrees in early childhood education from the University of North Georgia. My husband and I, along with our cute pup, live in Forsyth County and enjoy being outdoors, kayaking, fishing, and spending time with family and friends. I can’t wait to meet all of you. It’s going to be a great year in 3^rd grade!!

Hi! My name is Theresa Brown and I am so excited about teaching 3rd grade again this year. I graduated from The University of North Georgia with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Special Education. This will be my second year at Matt Elementary and I am beyond excited. 

I am excited to begin my 30th year of teaching! I graduated from Ga Southern with a Bachelor of Science in Education and a Masters in Education Leadership from Troy State University. I enjoy spending time with my husband, David, and two children, Grayson and Emma. We are going to have a fabulous year in 3rd grade!

This will be my 10th year teaching 3rd grade at Matt Elementary. I previously taught for 10 years, but then stayed home to raise my two boys! When I am not teaching my students, I love spending time with my family and friends, exercising, boating and being outdoors!

Hi Mariners! My name is Jenni Hardy and I am excited to join Matt Elementary on the third grade team this year.  I am originally from South Carolina where I graduated from Clemson University-Go TIGERS!- with my degree in Elementary Education and obtained my Masters degree in Divergent Learning from Columbia College.  I have 7 years of teaching experience in third, fourth, and sixth grades and spent this last year as a long-term substitute in the district after staying home for few years with our kids.  Our kids joined the Matt Elementary family when we moved to the area in 2015. My husband, Jason, and I will celebrate our 20th anniversary this year and we have three children, 2 of whom have graduated from Matt and now attend Liberty and one second grader who is excited to have mom at her same school this year.  When I am not at school, I love reading, crafting and painting, college football and building Lego.  I am looking forward to a fun year in third grade!

Hello! My name is Celeen Hill, and I am so excited to be teaching 3rd grade this year! I recently graduated from the University of North Georgia with a Bachelor's in Elementary and Special education along with a reading endorsement. I am so excited to start my first year of teaching at Matt Elementary! Outside of school, I love hiking, traveling and spending time with my loved ones. This is going to be an incredible year!

Hello everyone! My name is Melissa Quesada, I am so excited to join the 3rd-grade team at Matt Elementary this year! I have been teaching elementary school for 12 years and have experience in 3rd through 5th grades. I love building a sense of learning, confidence, and community in my students, and can’t wait to meet my new school family! Outside of school, I love spending time with my home family, my husband, and our two kiddos. We love to do all things outside- hiking, camping, kayaking, etc. We also have a big family of pets- two dogs, a cat, and recently a bearded dragon.