CAREER TECHNOLOGY
Carol Davies, Career Technology Department Chair -- email
Carol Davies is the department chair of Career Technology at Alpharetta High School. She comes to Alpharetta High from Roswell High where she has more than 20 years of teaching experience and was Roswell High's Career Technology department chair. In addition to her teaching experience at Roswell, she served as the school's technology specialist for seven years. Mrs. Davies received her Bachelor of Science Degree from The University of Tennessee and her Masters Degree from Georgia State University. Her primary course assignments are Information Technology (IT) and Cooperative Business Education (CBE). The Information Technology class is a self-paced virtual technology lab with hands-on experience. It is designed to provide students with the foundation knowledge and skills required for careers in Information Technology. Students can prepare for certification in areas such as A+, i-Net+, and Net+. The Cooperative Business Education course is designed for students who want to gain work experience in an office environment and still attend school. It provides on-the-job, site-based training experiences where students are compensated and earn school credit toward their high school diploma. Prior to moving to this area, Mrs. Davies taught in the Chesterfield County School System in Virginia.
Vicky Foster, Business Management Instructor -- email
Vicky Foster is teaching Computer Applications, Business Management and Entrepreneurship. She received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Business Education from Georgia State University, and her Ed.S. in Business Education from the State University of West Georgia. She has taught in the Atlanta area for over 10 years. Mrs. Foster’s extensive business background has included working for a bank and a law firm in downtown Atlanta and for Delta Air Lines and John Wieland Homes as a legal assistant. Mrs. Foster is the mother of three: a married son, a daughter who attends graduate school at GSU, and a son who attends Georgia Tech. She also has a three-year old granddaughter. In her spare time she enjoys gardening. She looks forward to working with the Career Tech students this year.
Tom Hatcher, Business Management Instructor -- email
Tom Hatcher is teaching Computer Applications, Multimedia and Business Law. He received his Bachelors of Business Administration with a major in accounting from the University of Georgia . He is a new teacher at Alpharetta High School after deciding to change careers after twenty years in the corporate financial management environment. His extensive business background includes being the District Chief Financial Officer for Ikon Office Solutions. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the state of Georgia . Tom lives in Roswell with his wife Sharon and has two boys. He looks forward to the opportunity of sharing his knowledge and business experience with the students at Alpharetta High.
Greg McCollum, Electronic Media Instructor -- email
Greg McCollum earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Georgia . He began his career in television as a news photographer, covering everything from car wrecks to Presidents. He later worked for a local cable TV station, and spent several years on the campus of Emory University producing educational and training videos. Mr. McCollum started his teaching career in 1996 as the Electronic Media instructor at Milton High School .
Students enrolled in the Electronic Media Career Technology program learn video production skills such as camera operation, audio engineering, and videotape editing. In Alpharetta High School 's TV studio, they learn how to direct live studio productions, produce a television newscast, and write a television commercial. Other coursework includes shooting video “film style”, blocking and staging actors, news reporting, and interviewing. In the editing rooms, students use their videotaped footage to learn editing skills, adding music, sound effects, titles, and other extras. Electronic Media students also produce news stories and features for the school's video yearbook. Students enjoy the “hands on” experience of using a variety of video production equipment in a nontraditional, creative learning environment, working with small groups of classmates, and having an end product as a result of their efforts.
Tracy Sicchitano, Family and Consumer Sciences Instructor -- email
Sicchitano is teaching Child Development and Parenting, Interior Design, and Foundations of Family and Consumer Sciences. She received her Bachelors of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences from West Virginia University ; her original career was Fashion Marketing. She moved to Georgia 15 years ago and together with her husband, she has raised two children who are now 13 and 11 years old. After volunteering at her children's schools, she decided to go back to school to pursue her teaching certificate at the University of Georgia . Mrs. Sicchitano worked at South Forsyth High School while completing her certification. Her student teaching was completed at Milton High School . Mrs. Sicchitano enjoys the classes she teaches because they are valuable “life skills” courses no student should be without.
Heather Sjogren, Career Technology Intervention Coordinator -- email
Heather Sjogren has been with Fulton County since 1996. Her original degree is a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing, and her original career was in sales and marketing. After moving to Georgia and volunteering with an adult literacy program, Mrs. Sjogren returned to the classroom to pursue a Master's Degree in Education. Both her student teaching and first job in education were at Milton High School in the special education department. She has also worked with Fulton County as an Instructional Support Teacher. Mrs. Sjogren is the Career Technology Intervention Coordinator and the Student Support Team/504 Chair at Alpharetta High School. She and her husband, Patrick, have three small children and two dogs.
Cathy Skott, Professional Foods and Family and Consumer Sciences Instructor -- email
Cathy Skott earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics Education from the University of Georgia. She comes to us with twenty-six years teaching experience, the past ten years at Pope High School in Cobb County, where she started the ProStart® Professional Foods Program. She was named the Georgia 2001 ProStart® Teacher of the Year by the National Restaurant Association.
The Professional Foods Program provides the opportunity to increase the quality and employability of today's high school graduated by providing them with training related to important job skills as well as opportunities for careers and higher education. The Educational Foundation of the National Restaurant Association awards industry-recognized certificates to students meeting high standards in hospitality education. This course has on-the-job training and experience, coupled with a dynamic and comprehensive curriculum. Prerequisite: Foundations of Family and Consumer Sciences.
Steve Sweigart, Pre-Engineering and Drafting Instructor -- email -- Mr. Sweigart's Website
Steve Sweigart earned his Bachelor's degree in Technology Education from Auburn University and his Master's degree in Integrating Technology into the Curriculum from Walden University. He is currently working on his Doctoral degree in Teacher Leadership through Walden University. Steve has been in Fulton County since 1999. He has served as the Diversified Technology teacher at Webb Bridge Middle School, and the Diversified Technology and Drafting teacher at Milton High School. Before coming to Fulton County, Steve was the Diversified Technology and Drafting Teacher at Rockdale County High School. Steve also coaches Varsity Football and Golf at Alpharetta High School.