From February 2008:

With her enthusiastic and adventurous personality, Leisa Scoggins is a perfect choice for Chamblee High School’s 2008 Teacher of the Year.
“She’s a very engaging speaker,” said Hannah Choi, one of Scoggins’ students. “She’s not really afraid of anything. She doesn’t usually bring up a lot of controversial topics, but when someone else does, she’ll jump right into it.”
Scoggins was named Teacher of the Year in a vote by the faculty members at Chamblee. At the beginning of ​​next school year, DeKalb County will hold a dinner for the winning teachers of all the schools in the county. A DeKalb County teacher of the year will be named at this dinner.
Chamblee will hold a reception in Scoggins’ honor later this year. Scoggins has also received flowers and the right to use the teacher of the year parking space near the front of the school.
“I’ve wanted to be a teacher ever since I was in the fourth grade and I never wanted to do anything else,” said Scoggins. “It was just something I felt.”
Scoggins has been teaching for 22 years. She received the teacher of the year award once before, when she taught at Meadowcreek High School in Norcross.
“I love the interaction with the teenagers,” said Scoggins. “I think I learned as much from them as they learned from me. It’s different every single day.”
The first year that Scoggins was a teacher, she taught general math, history and English. Since then, however, she has taught only English. Scoggins has experience teaching every grade level in high school, and has taught students with every range of abilities, from students in remedial classes to the Chamblee magnet class. She now teaches Chamblee’s magnet freshmen.
“When they asked me to teach freshmen, I was hesitant because I taught seniors for so long,” said Scoggins. “But they are full of energy and full of life, and it’s nice to see. They love to have fun and just enjoy.”
Scoggins is also the sponsor of Interact Club, a service organization affiliated with the Rotary Club. The club is mostly run by the students involved, but Scoggins works with the Rotary Club members to coordinate projects for her students.
“Ms. Scoggins is very personable and she’s very involved,” said Whitney Burton, a member of Interact Club, “and she’s great to work with because she’s so much fun.”
When Scoggins is on vacation, she enjoys scuba diving and skiing. She has been scuba diving for 10 years, since she got married, and has been skiing for 12 years. She and her husband have a house in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, which is about three hours from Atlanta. While there, they ski at the Cataloochee Ski Range.
Scoggins also enjoys reading books and spending time with her family. While she does not have any children, she does have nieces and nephews, and often holds slumber parties for them. Scoggins, who is a huge dog person, also has a shepherd mix named Alby, who she got from the Humane Society. She is considering getting a second dog over the summer, so she will have time to train it.
“I would have five dogs if I had a house big enough,” said Scoggins.
Being named teacher of the year is, to Scoggins, a huge honor. She was surprised when she got the nomination because there are so many good teachers at Chamblee, but was also incredibly pleased.
“Vivacious, sparkling, dedicated and very professional,” said Dr. Dahlia Pottinger, head of the Chamblee English department. “She’s a team player; she works well with everybody. She’s a person who goes the extra mile for her students. I’m just thrilled she’s in my department.”