GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga.,None — The state's biggest school district is getting even bigger.
On Monday, Gwinnett County Public Schools welcomed 350 new teachers at its annual orientation.
The freshman class of teachers was spilling into the hallways of Peachtree Ridge High School in Duluth where the orientation was held.
The district's continued growth brings the need for more teachers. This year, GCPS will educate an estimated 1,700 new students, bringing the student population to over 162,000.
Among this year's crop, Channel 2s Kerry Kavanaugh found two people who never imagined they would end up teaching: 22-year-old Khaliff Davis and 33-year-old Toni Weir.
Weir said after spending eight years practicing law, she decided to leave the courtroom for the classroom.
I really look back at some of my teachers as people who made a tremendous difference in my life and I started thinking, I also wanted to make that kind of change." She is getting certified through Teach for America. So is Davis, who recently graduated from Penn State with a degree in economics.
Khaliff said as an elementary educator, he wants to be a face minority students can connect with.
"It really helps younger students to see that connection, to see other opportunities, Davis said. I want to be a positive role model.
The teachers will fill openings across the district as GCPS opens a new school in Lawrenceville and its online campus for high school students.
Teacher orientation doesn't end on Monday. All new teachers will be paired up with veteran teachers in a mentor program that lasts for three years.
WSBTV
