Congratulations Towers HS Employees of the Year!!
Employees of the Year Biographies
Monique Ewing- Teacher of the Year 2020-2021:
Ms. Monique Ewing, born to John and Anna Ewing in Kingstree, South Carolina, is an innovative teacher/coach and a loving mother
to Najee. Monique graduated from Aiken High School. While she was there, she became a tri-sport powerhouse playing Varsity
Basketball, Varsity Volleyball and Varsity Softball. While she enjoyed all three sports, basketball stole her heart, causing her
childhood dream of becoming a college basketball coach to consume her being. Monique was awarded a Basketball Scholarship to
South Carolina State University, where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Health and Physical Education and racked up
stats on defense and offense for the Women’s Basketball team. Monique’s personal hobbies include going to sporting events,
reading, working out, spending time with family and friends, traveling, volunteering, and she is also an entrepreneur as a real estate
agent/investor.
After obtaining her Masters in Counselor Education from SCSU, Monique started her teaching career at Bowman Middle High School,
where she was a Physical Education and Health teacher.
At Orangeburg-Wilkins High School, Monique not only taught, but she was
the Head Varsity Softball Coach and the Assistant Varsity Basketball Coach. In 2004, Monique entered the DeKalb County School
System (now District) and continued enriching herself professionally working with the students, staff, families, and administrative
teams at Redan Middle and Towers High Schools.
During her tenure at Towers, she continued coaching Varsity Softball and Varsity Volleyball, and she added Varsity Swimming to her
coaching resume. Other professional contributions beyond her job duties and responsibilities here, have been Department Chair,
Leadership Advisory Board Member, Athletic Liaison, 504 Chair (works on Instructional Teams that help students with disabilities get
accommodations) which gives students better access to core and elective content. She and her teams have volunteered at Peace
Baptist Church, putting boxes of food
together to feed the hungry; and she has worked in partnership with local athletic organizations to get her teams and other students
access to Professional Games and Player Mentorships.
It was during these occasions where Monique is authentically able to displace her unique attributes of service to others, understudyship to her profession, and her thrust of lifelong learning. She builds thriving relationships with colleagues, students, and the
community.
She is openly willing to lead, help lead, and lend a helping hand; all while thoroughly enjoying working with students and
teaching them to find their passion for sports.
Monique’s philosophy of education/motto is:
Student do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.
It is my responsibility as an educator to help my students become healthy, productive citizens once they leave Towers High School
through discipline and hard work.
My mission is to embed in my students’ academic sportsmanship, teamwork, sound character, and confidence for the rest of their
lives.
Kalley Young- Educational Support Professional of the Year I
I am Kalley Young, a native of Atlanta Georgia. I am the youngest son of Herschel Sr. and Kathy Young. I grew up on the Westside of
Atlanta where my love for sports and supporting and helping others was developed. As a young boy, I attended West Manor Elementary
school, and I played sports at the local recreation center and in the streets of my neighborhood. My high school career began at Mays High
School, where my years of being a Raider was nothing short of amazing. I was not only a student; I was also a Three Sports Athlete. As a
Mays Raider, I received several accolades for my talents on the football field, basketball court, and in track and field. These and other
attributes attributed to me receiving a full financial scholarship to Morris Brown College. Although my tenure on the field and court at
Morris Brown was short lived, as a result of a car accident, I will always cherish the opportunities and the friendships that I made during
those times for the rest of my life.
Accepting that I would never return to the field or court was difficult; however, my love and commitment to sports led me to coaching. In
2013, I not only was given the opportunity to work for the DeKalb County School District, I was also offered the chance to work as one of
the girls’ basketball coaches at Redan Middle School.
These assignments gave me an opportunity to learn and share my knowledge of the game with aspiring athletes. Realizing that I could and wanted to do more, I inquired and joined the Varsity Coaching Staff at Towers. In addition to working as the In-School Suspension Instructor, and now Campus Supervisor, I decided I wanted to help rewrite the narrative of Towers High School. This huge undertaken began with football. I joined forces with other male coaches, who too played on the colligate level, in helping to build a competitive program. During my first season as Offensive Coordinator, the Titans Football team went from a 2 and 8 season to a 5 and 5 season; and over the course of my coaching career over 10 athletes received athletic scholarships to colleges and universities throughout the Southeast. After a challenging yet rewarding football season, I joined the coaching staff of the Lady Titans Basketball team, and later became the Head Coach. This appointment was a true honor and a testament of my hard work and commitment to the game, athletes, and Towers High School. During my tenure as Head Basketball Coach, the Lady Titans showed improvement. Additionally, I also worked with the track and field program at Towers for many years, cultivating student athleticism as the new normal. I am a strong believer in working hard for what you want. This has helped to develop my philosophy of education: I truly believe that knowledge should be shared. If you are blessed to know something that could help someone else, share it. I further believe that when students are involved in extra curricula activities, it helps to build their character, confidence, and makes them accountable.
Additionally, obtaining a good education and being a well-rounded student are vital to a student’s success.
Likewise, I believe as a vessel in the educational setting it is my responsibility to encourage all students to stay committed to their dreams
and do their best every day in every situation.
In the words of Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays,
“whatever you do, strive to do it so well that no man living and no man dead and no man yet to be born could do it any better”.
“Commitment means staying loyal to what you said you were going to do long after the mood you said it in has left you”.
~Inky Johnson
Rodericus Rogers- Educational Support Professional of the Year II
In Greek mythology the name ‘Titan’ signifies ‘Strainers’, referencing the constant struggle of the Titan
against the traditional order of things. In other words, Titans champion the struggle for right while
fighting against the forces that oppose it. My education support philosophy rests in this very sentiment:
‘Excellence, without excuses’. The titans we serve are unique in that they fight battles that many other
students don’t have to fight. In spite of instances of poverty, community and family dynamics as well as
a lack of equity in education, I believe they must strive for EXCELLENCE without EXCUSES. Birthed out of
this very concept is my motto, the great motto: ‘THE TITAN WAY’.
I am proud to be the longest serving administrator at Towers High School, who has helped bridge the
gap of two administrations. As an assistant principal and educational support finalist, I am known as ‘Mr.
EVERYTHING’ around the building. From dealing with disruptions that may arise, to ensuring order in the
hallways and cafeteria, to handing out keys, to ensuring our facilities are clean safe and secure, to
lending a helping hand to all my colleagues in need as well as still scratching the ‘itch’ I have to teach
math, even as an administrator, I indeed fill in any gap that needs to be filled in Towers High School.
My
accomplishments include being a former Teacher of the Year at Towers, serving as the department chair
of the exceptional education department, serving as a member of the school leadership team and
serving as a co-advisor to the College AIM program. Out of all these accomplishments I am most proud
of my involvement with College AIM. Many of our students are walking in the shoes of being first
generation college students in their families. My involvement in College AIM helped take the aggregate
college scholarship amount of our senior class from $200,000 to over 14 million dollars. This allowed
students not just to have the rights of education but also the resources.
I believe I embody the spirit of a Titan which is what our students need to consistently see in order to
fight the battles they encounter on their journey towards matriculation. I am proud to represent Towers
High School as the Educational Support Specialist for the 2019-20 school year. ‘TITAN WAY!’.