From teaching her class of stuffed animals to organizing interactive lessons as a middle school mathematics teacher, Assistant Principal Dr. Jamie Gabel’s experience in the education field has helped her prepare to lead the NC Warriors.

“Naturally, when this opportunity opened up, I jumped at it because this is an awesome administration team and a wonderful school full of students and teachers,” Dr. Gabel said.

After her first semester as one of the eight assistant principals at NC, Dr. Gabel looks forward to learning about the students, creating strong bonds with her colleagues, and working with the seniors for graduation.

Dr. Gabel majored in Middle Grades Education at Kennesaw State University and completed her doctorate in School Improvement at the University of West Georgia. After her extensive schooling, she began her teaching career in South Carolina as a middle school math teacher.

“Afterwards, I started to explore avenues to see what my options were and one of them was school leadership. One of the things I’ve always enjoyed doing is jumping into leadership roles within the schools [where I’ve worked],” Dr. Gabel said.

Within in Cobb County, Dr. Gabel has had experience with students from sixth grade to twelfth grade, teaching general math at McClesky middle school and geometry at Lassiter high school. While at Lassiter, she took on various leadership roles within the school, including the school data analysis coordinator and a member of the Internal Review Board (IRB) for the school’s AP Capstone course. Dr. Gabel’s interests spanned the school, shown in her membership to STEM committee, school council committee, and safety committee.

“When I did my doctoral program, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do specifically with it. I started to help out with administration, which is where I developed my passion to work with school administration,” Dr. Gabel said.

With her experience in different schools, she felt that NC’s assistant principal position provided her with opportunity and prospect for growth. Her short-term goal, to eventually become a school principal, will help her develop the skills needed for her long-term goal, to become the Director of School Improvement for the Cobb County school system.

Dr. Gabel began her position during Homecoming Week, when students and teachers alike dressed up in Hollywood-themed outfits. This semester, Dr. Gabel holds multiple responsibilities in different areas around the school.

“I’m in charge of graduation this year, so I will be overseeing the graduation ceremony for our seniors. I’ve picked up some of the data analysis for the school, so I like to break scores down and look at them. Otherwise, I fill in wherever there are needs,” Dr. Gabel said.

Outside of school, Dr. Gabel enjoys playing the piano, researching topics to increase her knowledge, attending school sports games and performances, and hanging out with her husband and two kids. She loves reading books with her children and helping them learn more about the world around them. To fit everything into her busy schedule, Dr. Gabel implements an unconventional sleep schedule: She goes to bed at around 8 p.m. and wakes up at 3:30 a.m. every morning (even on weekends).

“When I started my Masters Degree, I didn’t want it to conflict with my personal time in the afternoon, so I got up early. My Masters Degree program was a two-year program, but I finished it in six months. To get everything done, I would wake up at 3:30 a.m. and work until I had to leave, and I just stuck with it when I started my Doctorate because it worked. Now, it’s just natural,” Dr. Gabel said.

Regardless of her location, Dr. Gabel always tries to seek improvement and growth both within herself and the school. Her main focus, creating student engagement, helps her create strong bonds with the students and her colleagues.

“I am most looking forward to where I can support others. I really enjoy serving others and just being in the cafeteria and talking with students, helping with anything from class changes, to being available if a teacher says they are doing a really awesome activity in their class, to supporting them in a game,” Dr. Gabel said.

Dr. Gabel will continue socializing with students, working hard to improve the Warrior community, and striving towards whatever opportunity will come her way.