Special education teacher Gwen Crenshaw, who also takes on the role as an integrated science teacher, has returned home to begin her career. 

   She was a 2018 graduate from GCHS and completed college at the University of Southern Mississippi in 2022.

   Crenshaw knew that she was destined to be a teacher from the eighth grade.

   “In eighth grade, the CTE director came to the middle school and was talking to my class. He explained to us that we could start the program in ninth grade. I just looked at it and was like yes this is the one,” Crenshaw said.

   Crenshaw is originally from Augusta, Ga., but has spent most of her life moving from place to place, one of the most remarkable being Hawaii.

   “I used to live in Hawaii, so when my grandma came to visit we went to this pineapple plantation,” Crenshaw explained. “There’s a stand where we would select clams or oysters and they would crack them open and if you get one of the rare colors they will let you get another for free. I kept choosing the rare colors, so we went home with a handful of pearls that day.”

   In her free time, Crenshaw prefers to spend time with her friends and her pets or play video games.

    Crenshaw describes the high school as having a good sense of community and says that everyone always lends a helping hand.

   She also looks forward to overall surviving the year and discovering her own style of teaching.

   “First year teaching is always a huge learning experience because you can sit in a classroom and learn how to teach,” Crenshaw said. “Not until you actually get in the position to do so, you don’t know your own style or how you put forth yourself”. 

   Although it is Crenshaw’s first year of teaching, she walks through the double doors everyday with a friendly smile on her face, ready to teach.