Every year, Chamblee High School gives the Teacher of the Year award to a teacher, who then goes on to represent the school as a DeKalb Teacher of the Year nominee. This year, Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) teacher Colonel Gloria Dunklin, referred to as “Colonel” by her students, received not only the Teacher of the Year award at CHS, but also the Volunteer of the Year award from the City of Chamblee. 

After Colonel Dunklin spent 24 years serving in the military, she began teaching in Alabama before moving to teach at CHS. She has taught at Chamblee High for the past ten years. Colonel Dunklin had always harbored a passion for working with young people, and was determined to follow through with her wish. 

“Ever since I was in the second grade, I always wanted to do something with young people, [but] I ended up going into the military after graduating from college. In the army, [I was an] active duty officer, military intelligence. Then, my mentor [started] teaching JROTC after she retired.  I went and visited a couple of her classes, and it fell in line with the fact that I always wanted to do something with young people. I [got] to see how she was [not only] mentoring and helping other people using the skills that she had learned in the military, but also learning new skills, like how to relate with young people in the classroom,” said Colonel Dunklin. 

When Colonel Dunklin found out she was both Volunteer of the Year and Teacher of the Year, she was surprised to have been awarded both. 

“Volunteer of the Year … was really a surprise because although I’m with the kids every day, it is mostly my cadets that are volunteering. I sign them up to volunteer because if they stay busy, I stay busy. So… I really didn’t expect [to receive that award]. Teacher of the Year was an award [I was also] very surprised about just because of the other teachers who were nominated. [I am] very honored and very thankful,” said Colonel Dunklin.

Students of Colonel Dunklin, such as Lauren Gaul (‘27), believe she deserves this award for her willingness to connect with her students in and outside of the classroom.

“ I love Colonel Dunklin; she’s the best teacher I’ve ever had,” said Gaul. “She’s super friendly and she really connects with all her students. [Her] class is pretty fun.”

Colonel Dunklin enjoys building lasting connections with her students, and is passionate about making sure her students feel comfortable enough to come to her with any issues they may have.

“Recently I had a student who was in a [car] accident and he felt more comfortable calling me to ask for help, rather than calling his mom. I had to tell him to give his mom a call…but that just let me know how much influence I had on him in terms of just getting him to do the right thing,” said Colonel Dunklin.

Colonel Dunklin, a firm believer in serving others both in and out of active duty, believes that volunteering impacts how she teaches in the classroom. 

“One of my [beliefs] is that we were born to be servants to one another,” said Colonel Dunklin, “so being able to volunteer [and] give back is worthwhile [to me]. I truly believe that we are born to help one another.”

In terms of opportunities regarding volunteering, Colonel Dunklin and her students do a majority of work involving the betterment of Chamblee as a whole.

“Any type of community volunteer that we can do, we do. [For example, we’ve volunteered at] the Skyland, [an organization which] supports mental health for young adults. We also volunteer with Big Peach, … the Eli Clark Center, … and around here at the school. We also [help with]  High Rise, [which is] a new athletic volunteer [activity] that we do for the community,” said Colonel Dunklin.

Colonel Dunklin is involved in many activities around both CHS and the Chamblee community, and is grateful to be given two accolades for her work around Chamblee. She is inspired every day by her students, and not only does she work to help them grow as people, she also grows and learns with them.

“Teaching [JROTC] is not just teaching military stuff, [we’re] building better citizens and guiding [students] on their path,” said Colonel Dunklin. “[I’m] learning new skills, emotional intelligence, [and] how to relate with young people in the classroom.”