Southland Academy welcomes five new faculty members

Published 1:00 pm Saturday, August 25, 2018

AMERICUS — Southland Academy welcomes five new faculty members for the upcoming school year. They are Heather Grinolds, music teacher; Kasey Ivey, third-grade teacher; Sheila Kirkland, middle and upper school English teacher; Amy Leverett and Heather Yeiser, 5K-aides.
Heather Grinolds has been married for seven years to Matt and has two daughters: Jessa, 5, and Annalise, 2. She will be teaching lower school music and working with the upper school chorus. At the present time, she is also attending Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) to obtain a master’s degree in music and vocal performance with a minor in education. She lists her activities as spending time with her family and singing. About her coming to Southland, Grinolds says, “As a teacher the staff and personnel are amazing and so kind. As a parent the teachers are amazing, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
Kasey Ivey has been associated with the Southland family for many years as the parent of Ellis and Anna Kate, but she joins the faculty this year as a third-grade teacher. Ivey is married to Todd, who attended Southland from 5K through graduation. She holds a master’s degree in elementary education from GSW and lists her interests as boating, music, and serving at church. About Southland Ivey says, “We love the family atmosphere, supportive staff, and extracurricular opportunities.”
Returning this year to teach part-time is Sheila Kirkland, a 1975 graduate of Southland. Kirkland obtained her bachelor’s, master’s, and specialist’s degrees as well as a gifted endorsement in middle grades education from GSW. She lists her interests as cooking, baking, gardening, and cheering on the University of Alabama. Kirkland says, “Coming back to Southland is a dream come true. I enjoyed substituting last year, but my love for teaching outweighed retirement. My first nine years of teaching started at Southland, and I hope my teaching career ends here, also.”
One of the new 5K aides this year is Amy Leverett, who graduated from the University of Oklahoma. Married to Brian, they have three children: Isabella, 9, Sophia, 7, and Malachi, 4. She lists her interests as crafting, painting, photography, and graphic design. About Southland Leverett comments, “Southland has a solid education with lots of extracurricular activities.”
The other new 5K aide is Heather Yeiser, who graduated from the University of Georgia. She is married to Jay, and they have two daughters: Mary Adelaide and Lanier. Her interests include reading, walking, going to the beach, and volunteering at church. Yeiser had this to say about coming to Southland, “I am excited to be part of the Southland family and am thrilled our girls will be part of this great school!”