Mr. Sterling Brantley: February 2021

Mr. Sterling Brantley is an honor graduate the class of 1995 from Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia. Mr. Brantley loved school so much that he never really left. Currently he is half-way through his 26 years as a public school educator. Upon graduation from high school, he began working as a substitute teacher for Echols County Schools, Lowndes County Schools, and Valdosta City Schools from August of 1995 until September 1999. In September of 1999, he accepted a position as an 8th Title I Math and Reading Paraprofessional at J. L. Newbern Middle School. In September of 2002, he accepted a position in the Program for Exceptional Students as Resource and Inclusion Paraprofessional serving grades 6-8 in Math, ELA and Science. In August of 2007, Mr. Brantley was transferred to Valdosta High School where he served as the Community Based Instruction Coordinator/Paraprofessional and also worked with students in the small group setting in math and science. In August of 2009, Mr. Brantley transferred back to J.L. Newbern Middle School and provided supportive instruction in 8th grade math.

 August of 2011 brought another promotion for Mr. Brantley, as he accepted a position as the Assistant Special Transportation Coordinator for the Valdosta City Schools Transportation Department. He served as the Assistant Special Transportation Coordinator and also assisted on the training of new bus drivers in evacuation procedures, special equipment handling, and much more until May of 2015. He was selected by his coworkers as Bus Manager of the Year for the 2012-2013 school year and also placed 3rd place in the South Georgia Special Needs Bus Rodeo. In July of 2015, he accepted a position here at Gray as an Instructional Support Paraprofessional in the Program for Exceptional Children until May of 2018. Mr. Brantley went on to teach 6th Grade Reading and Language Arts at Willie J. Williams Middle School where he co-sponsored the LEO Club and Partnerships for Success. He returned home to Gray in August of 2019 where he has taught Algebra 1 and Math Support. He currently teaches 8th Grade Math, Algebra 1, and 8th and 9th Grade Physical Science. He has served as a hospital homebound teacher and currently drives a bus each afternoon for Willie J and Gray.

Mr. Brantley is a graduate from William Booth College in Atlanta Georgia with an Associates of Arts in Theology with Emphasis in Children’s Ministry. A Summa Cum Laude graduate from the University of Arizona with Bachelors of Arts in General Education Studies, Masters of Education in Special Education General Curriculum from Liberty University, and is currently a Doctoral Candidate in Education Leadership at Liberty University.  He is very active in various educational and community organizations. He is a member and coach for the Colquitt County Special Olympics team, the Moultrie Lions Club where he serves as Secretary, and the Colquitt County Association of Educators where he serves as the Vice-President/President-Elect, and is Gray’s Building Representative. He is also a member of Georgia Association of Educators, Georgia Council for Teachers of Mathematics, Georgia Science Teachers Association, and the Council for Exceptional Children. His favorite subject is of course math.

Mr. Brantley’s favorite quote is by the late Rita Pierson: “Every child deserves a champion—an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.”