Dr. Kathie Elliott raised her family in Cobb County and spent 33 years teaching and leading in the Cobb County School District. She had a strong passion for helping students reach their potential, and she also loved teaching and leading fellow educators. Even in her retirement, she continued to mentor educators so that they too could live a rewarding life connected to educating students.
Sadly, Dr. Elliott passed away just over one year ago, but her legacy is living on through the support of her daughter, close friends, and family.
“My mom raised our family here in the county and attending Cobb schools from kindergarten to high school,” shared Dr. Elliott’s daughter, Jessica Coleman, the Director of Special Education Compliance for Cobb County School District. “My mom had a philosophy of always being honest, fair, and making decisions that were in the best interest of students. She wanted to make students happy and help them enjoy learning. She also loved working and supporting other educators.”
To keep her legacy alive, family and friends created a scholarship in honor of her life’s work, The Dr. Kathie Elliott Educational Leadership Scholarship. They recently announced and surprised the first recipient of the scholarship, Emily Rhineheart, at Sope Creek Elementary School.
Ms. Rhineheart is attending Georgia Southern University and is working to earn her Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction so she can ultimately assist teachers and staff in their ability to provide necessary instruction to students with exceptionalities.
“It was a bit of an emotional day for Jessica and her family, having experienced the loss of her mom just a year ago, but it was an incredible honor to work with her to get the scholarship to this point. Many of us knew or were aware of Dr. Elliott’s work here at CCSD. She left such a positive mark on so many other educators throughout Cobb, she is highly regarded,” shared Sope Creek Principal Doug Daugherty.
The Cobb Schools Foundation has a scholarship fund in Dr. Elliott’s name; if you would like to contribute to this amazing legacy, click here. The Cobb Schools Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization and is the philanthropic arm of the Cobb County School District with the mission of together taking student success to new heights. For more information, visit www.cobbschoolsfoundation.org or email.
