- HOME
- ABOUT US
- Our School
- Vision & Mission
- Principal’s Message
- SMS Team
- Leadership Team
- Admin Department
- Clinic Department
- Student Support & Services
- English Department
- Math Department
- Science Department
- Arabic Department
- Islamic Department
- Humanities
- P.E. Department
- IT Department
- Social Studies Department
- Art Department
- Career Counsel Department
- Early Years Teachers
- Class Teachers
- Assistant Teachers
- Operation Department
- Why SMS
- Virtual Tour
- National Agenda
- LEARNING
- ADMISSIONS
- SCHOOL LIFE
- FACILITIES
- PARENTS
- MEDIA
- CONTACT
Dr. Stephanie Chattman
Principal
For over 25 years Dr. Stephanie L. Chattman has dedicated her entire professional career to serving kids, families, and communities. She has made it her personal mission to be a professional educator and to promote personal empowerment, social development, and perpetual progress through the power of education. She believes that education is a continuous journey, that every experience, endeavor, and obstacle that one encounters is an opportunity to enrich one’s understanding of self and to gain additional knowledge. Education isn’t just her profession, it’s her passion, her mission, and her mechanism to help make the world a better place.
Her career started in her native state of Alabama where she served as a social worker assisting families in ways that improved their lives through training, housing, and financial assistance. The driving force behind every decision was the question, “what is best for the children.” She soon realized that the best thing she could do for children was to ensure that they received a quality education. That epiphany led her to pursue a career as an educator. But her dedication to transforming lives required that she be more than a teacher but rather she become proficient at the art of educating and become a professional educator.
After securing a teaching position in the state of Georgia, she relocated there with her family. While she taught in an elementary school, in the Dekalb County School District, she continued to pursue her own professional development. She leveraged every opportunity to acquire additional certifications, professional development, and valuable experience all while obtaining her masters degree and doctoral degree in Educational Leadership. Her drive, her passion, and her personal pursuit of excellence was immediately noticed by her peers who voted her Teacher of the Year after only two years at the school. Her commitment to serving students, working collaboratively with coworkers, and dedication to the community made her a valuable asset within the district .
Dr. Chattman was chosen to serve in several areas while teaching including Curriculum Designer, Professional Learning Facilitator, and Director of the after school program. Soon thereafter, she was appointed Assistant Principal of Laurel Ridge Elementary, where she served, thrived, and helped improve the performance of the school for three years. Under her guidance the administration established a culture of inclusion, increased students’ performance, and empowered the staff to reach their full potential. Due to the successes that she was able to achieve at Laurel Ridge she was appointed Principal at Evansdale Elementary. At Evansdale she had the opportunity to make a substantial impact in the lives of students.
Dr. Chattman’s leadership, along with her team, was able to transform Evansdale into one of the highest performing schools in one of the largest school districts in Georgia. Recognizing and celebrating the diversity of the student population, several programs were implemented in order to meet the individual needs of students. She developed one of the first dual language programs in Georgia, implemented a STEM program, which led to an AdvancED STEM certification. Dr. Chattman’s efforts led to a significant increase of thirteen points on the state report card index and Evansdale became a Title I Reward School.
Dr. Chattman was a part of the leadership team at the Universal American School of Dubai from August 2018 until July 2022. While there she rose from Elementary Principal to High School Principal and Deputy Director. Her time at UAS is indicative of her leadership philosophy of growth through collaboration, mentoring, and empowerment. While there, she took an integral part in restructuring the Arabic program to be more engaging in students. Throughout her time there, students raised their achievement in the Arabic language significantly. Also, it was under Dr. Chattman’s supervision that the first extended day program was started at the school to enhance the learning experience of her students. Dr. Chattman believes that learning is a lifelong endeavor, that every teacher, administrator, and stakeholder should constantly find ways to improve, grow, and thrive. Because ultimately a more informed and educated staff leads to more informed and better educated students.
Dr. Chattman has come to the School of Modern Skills with the mission to build on the foundation that has been laid. Her objective is to maximize the potential of each student with a holistic approach, working collaboratively with the staff, board, and parents to ensure students' needs are met. Her vision is to position the School of Modern Skills as an outstanding school according to the KHDA ratings. Dr. Chattman understands that to achieve all of this requires everyone to work together to make excellence the standard by which everyone operates.
