The sound of a trumpet and French horn cut through the peaceful chatter of the French room in the modules, heralding the multitude of administrators and student journalists who burst in with balloons, signs, and flowers to celebrate Renata Barsanti, the Athens Drive Teacher of the Year.
The process of selecting the teacher of the year is quite thorough; all 127 teachers vote and elect a candidate for the award, and once all votes are put in, the administration shrinks the pool down to five candidates. From that much smaller list, teachers vote again to select the Teacher of the Year. For the 2025-2026 school year, and on Nov. 6, French teacher Barsanti was the lucky winner.
“My first few years at Athens have been full of joy. My students make me laugh every day and are willing to try every activity or game I throw at them, no matter how silly it seems. Our kind and supportive admin team has worked wonders at healing the intense observation anxiety I experienced at the beginning of my teaching career,” said Barsanti, “My world language colleagues have shared so many brilliant ideas and activities with me and have made me feel like a valued member of our team from my first day here. Teaching is always challenging but being part of a fantastic team makes all the difference!”
Barsanti has been at Athens Drive for two years, replacing the previous French teacher, Stacy Nordquist. She teaches French I-AP French. In her past two years at Athens, her students have consistently described her as a great influence and a sweet person.
“I’ve had her as a teacher since she came in my sophomore year. She brightened the atmosphere of French class, and she was super supportive of everyone in the class, like if they were fasting for Ramadan, or if they couldn’t listen to music because of religious reasons,” said Ella Johnson, senior.
Barsanti was not the only teacher honored with an award, however. First-year Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher Michael Rhodes was also surprised with balloons, a banner and a miniature Carolina Panthers helmet as a gift for winning the Athens Drive first-year Teacher of the Year award. Rhodes teaches Sports and Event Marketing I – a class that teaches students the fundamentals of marketing within the sports and entertainment industries. He took over the class, which used to be taught by fellow CTE teacher Tyler Granger.
“My initial reaction was shocked when the admin came into my room. I was completely caught off guard and did not suspect anything,” said Rhodes, “My first year at Athens so far has been a great learning experience, both professionally and personally. It has been great interacting with the students, admin and staff.”
Both winners have been elected by their fellow teachers as highlights of Athens Drive through their teaching, their relationships that they build with their students and coworkers and with their overall addition to the rich culture of The Drive.
“To the teachers who nominated me, I am grateful to you for believing in me when Teacher of the Year wasn’t something I would have even imagined for myself. To administrators: thank you for celebrating us teachers every day of the year – what is happening in the classroom would not be possible without your warm support,” said Barsanti, “To all of our teachers: you are phenomenal, you inspire me, and I am grateful for your kindness every day. To my students: it is the greatest privilege and honor to get to be even the tiniest part of your high school journey. When people ask about my work, I say that our Athens students are the best and that they make me love what I do, and I mean it!”
