AIM Academy Director

Greetings Spartans!

Mr. Mathews has been in education since 2006 and at South Paulding High School since 2018. He is married to Amy Mathews and has two sons, Grayson and Hudson. They reside in Franklin, Georgia. This year, Mr. Mathews will be the AIM Academy Director and serve as an Assistant Principal for Buses, Parking, and Advanced Placement Testing. Prior to being an administrator, Mr. Mathews was a Mathematics Teacher and coached Baseball, Basketball, Football, Softball, Tennis, and Wrestling. He is an avid Auburn Tigers fan (War Eagle!) and music junkie.

AIM Honors Algebra II and AP Statistics

Ms. Dedman has been teaching at South Paulding High School since it opened. She is part of a math/engineering family and thus loves to introduce those disciplines to her students. She enjoys waterskiing, tennis, traveling, and making/re-finishing furniture.

AIM Honors Geometry

Ms. Martin is a proud graduate of the University of West Georgia and Kennesaw State University. She teaches Honors Geometry for our AIM students, but has taught everything from Foundations of Algebra to Algebra II. She has been teaching for 7 years, all of which have been at South Paulding High School. In her spare time, she enjoys vacationing, reading, and spending quality time with her family.

AIM Honors Biology, AIM Honors Scientific Research II

Jeff Newman is the AIM Biology and Honors Scientific Research II teacher for the AIM Academy. Although he initially pursued a path in pharmacy, his passion for education emerged through various teaching roles, including working as a skating instructor, a teacher's assistant in a juvenile detention center, and as a lab assistant in college science labs. Encouraged by his wife, an educator, he shifted his focus to teaching and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Physics and Middle School Science, followed by a Master's Degree in Biology Education. In his spare time he enjoys working on cars and building things.

AIM Honors Chemistry, AP Chemistry, AIM AP Physics I

Dr. Lyric Portwood has been teaching at South Paulding High School for 20 years. She is a quadruple alumna of Kennesaw State University with all her degrees having a focus in Chemistry. She enjoys reading, watching movies, and spending time with her three sons.

AIM AP Pre-Calculus and AIM AP Calculus

Ms. Shoemaker is a Paulding County native and a 1993 graduate of PCHS. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics from Old Dominion University, a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from Kennesaw State University, and a Specialist's Degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis in Mathematics from the University of West Georgia. Ms. Shoemaker has her STEM Endorsement through NW Georgia RESA. Ms. Shoemaker has 25 years of teaching experience and this is her 7th year at South Paulding High School. When she isn't teaching, she can be found poolside in her backyard, in the stands at a baseball game, or camping. She is the mom of two boys, a Freshman at South and a University of North Georgia cadet, and the wife of a mechanic with a very long honey-do list.

Foundations of Engineering and Technology, Concepts of Engineering, Applications of Engineering

Ms. Turner is excited about her second year at South Paulding High School in the AIM Academy as the Engineering Instructor. She graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. She is currently pursuing her Master of Arts in Teaching Secondary Science at Kennesaw State University. In her spare time, she enjoys kayaking, golfing, and spending time with her family, including her bulldog.

AIM Honors Algebra I

Mrs. Walker has taught Math in middle school and high school for 10 years. She has a Bachelor's degree in Finance from Georgia State University and a Master's degree in the Art of Teaching from Mercer University. She has recently completed her STEM endorsement from NWRESA. When she isn't teaching, she can be found golfing, gardening, or raising chickens. She is the proud mom of two young men: one a student at Kennesaw University (Marietta Campus - Southern Polytechnic), and the other a student at the University of West Georgia. Her husband is an engineer working with fiber optic cable.