This year, Chamblee High school is welcoming Gabrielle Gross, an Environmental Science teacher to her ]first year at our high school. Mrs. Gross is looking to make an impact this year with her instructional teaching in a school she thinks has a lot of promise. The school’s diverse community and magnet program are just some of the features that led her here. 

“It’s a really diverse school,” said Gross. “The fact that it has the magnet program means that if you’re interacting with students from all over the county, that you might not be able to get to from other schools.” 

Prior to her job at Chamblee, Mrs. Gross has had a lot of teaching experience. Before she got her degree, she was in the classroom helping to assist kids aged middle to high school.

“I really enjoyed working with kids in that aspect,” said Gross. “So it kind of spurred me to get into teaching.”

While originally intending to pursue a Biology degree at Emory University, she would go on to realize that she preferred an Ecology pathway instead.   

 “It was very pre-medicine focused,” said Gross. “So I quickly realized that I wasn’t interested in biology for the medicine aspect, but I did enjoy the environmental ecology aspects linked to biology.”

As a teacher, Gross is very involved in the content and classroom management. 

“Even if you’re a quieter student, don’t feel that you’re not being seen” said Gross. “You’re still a presence in the classroom.”

Along with teaching, Gross is involved with the Chamblee’s, Earth Tomorrow. This club is affiliated with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), an organization that specializes in providing sustainable environmental practices and preservation. They are determined to make an impact on bettering the environment and educating more people on the importance of environmental safety. 

“[The club] focuses on environmental justice and sustainability. It’s kind of student-led, so we involve ourselves in whatever students are interested in. We participate in cleanups and other service projects, and are focused on informing the club and school about other environmental issues,” said Gross.

Gross also believes that the students and staff should be entitled to more opportunities both technology and scholarship wise. 

“I think [students and staff] should have more opportunities. For career tech, they should have it in every school so it’s more available to all students who might not be interested in pursuing post secondary degrees,” said Gross.

As well as participating in Earth Tomorrow, Mrs. Gross has various other hobbies she keeps up with outside of school. 

“I like to hike, camp, and biking,” Gross said. “I also like baking and cooking”. 

As she continues teaching about the environment, she understands the importance of leading by example as a conscious activist for the protection of our school’s ecosystem. Mrs. Gross is planning on helping her students to the fullest extent, and she is sure to make this 2022-2023 school year a special one.