I have taught at Caddo Middle Magnet since 1985. This is my 13th year teaching LA History. I taught English here for 13 years before switching to social studies.

Paul Blankenship is one of three National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) in social studies in Caddo Parish and one of 79 in Louisiana.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama with dual majors in history and religion/philosophy. He earned three masters degrees in psychology, education, and social work. He completed his teacher certification at LSUS. He shared the The Louisiana Center For Law and Civic Education’s President's Education Award as Outstanding Law-Related Educator with a teacher from Episcopal High School in Baton Rouge in 2006. He is a third-generation educator. He has experienced gifted education from both sides of the teacher’s desk.

For ten years, I taught American History and Louisiana History at Bethune Middle Academy. I am certified to teach Social Studies at the secondary level and Mathematics at the middle school level. In 2007, I earned National Board Certification in Early Adolescence in Social Studies. I completed my Masters Degree in Reading from Louisiana Tech University in 2009. This summer, I had the opportunity to participate in a week long Teacher's Institute at Williamsburg, Virginia. In my spare time, I like to read, travel, and spend time with my nephew.

My name is Lisa Hedges and I have taught 6th Grade Gateway Social Studies here at CMM for 10 years. I taught for 6 years prior to staying home to rear my 3 wonderful children. Since returning to the profession, I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching, learning, and growing with CMM Stallions. I received both my undergraduate and my Master of Teaching degree from LSU-Shreveport.

Master of Arts, Teaching, Centenary College
Bachelor of Arts, History, Louisiana State University-Baton Rouge
I can't wait to explore the world with you this year!

My name is Nellie Lyons and I'm thrilled to be part of the 6th Grade Gateway Team at CMM! Go Stallions! This is my 4th year of teaching as both an art and social studies teacher. In my second year of teaching I was privileged to be nominated for 2010-2011 Caddo Parish Teacher of the Year. I hold a BA in History from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts and I'm only 12 hours away from my Masters in Education from Louisiana College in Pineville. I have also studied abroad in Spain and in Mexico City.

This year I celebrate 8 years of marriage to Havard Lyons. My step-son Stafford is at UT Austin (Go Longhorns!) and my near and dear nephew Anthony is in the exciting process of plotting his college plans in Los Angeles, California (my hometown). Navigating the world of education and all its possibilities with these two wonderful boys has been an incredibly rewarding journey. I hope to play a significant role in your child's educational journey, as well.

I began teaching in the spring of 2007.  I taught English at Byrd High School for three and a half years. I came to CMM in the fall of 2010. I am a 7th Grade American History teacher and I also teach an elective, Travel USA. An interesting fact, I’ve never taught at a school that I didn’t actually attend! I graduated from LSU-Baton Rouge in 200O with a BA in General Studies with minors in French, Speech Communication and English. I graduated from LSU-Shreveport in 2007 with a BS is Secondary Education with minors in English and History. I am married to a wonderful man and we have two beautiful little girls. My interests are reading, spending time with my family, and laughing!

I am originally from New Orleans and have been living in Shreveport since 2004 (a year before Katrina). I moved here because I wanted to find a better school system for my son, Chandler, and I was tired of all those hurricanes and all those evacuations!!  I graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, LA with a Master’s in Education (1976),  and from Tulane University in New Orleans, LA with a Master’s in Social Work (1991).  I love working with Gateway students because they are so much fun.  I enjoy  “teaching with movies and music”, because my students seem to remember the lessons better. I have been teaching at CMM since 2005 and I love CMM!!

This will be the twenty-eighth year we have been teaching at Caddo Middle Magnet and our twentieth year to team teach.   We share sponsorship of Student Council at CMM.  Mrs. Phelps teaches English, creative writing, and Newspaper Staff. Mr. Phelps teaches American history and Living Law, an elective, to 8th grade students.  Mr. Phelps also sponsors the Chess Club.  We have four children!   Our eldest has completed her Master of Arts in Teaching and can be found teaching sixth grade world history on the Discoverers Team at CMM. We have a son who graduated from Centenary this year with a degree in social studies education and is working on his Masters in Liberal Arts with an add-on gifted certification. We have a son who is a junior engineering major at Louisiana Tech, and our youngest son is a junior at Caddo Magnet High.

Jenny Traweek has been teaching at Caddo Middle Magnet for four years – three of those as Ms. Gallant. She received her Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in English at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA. She will graduate in May with a Masters in Gifted Education from Northwestern State University.

With both of her parents being teachers, summers were always an adventure. She has been to all 50 states, studied abroad in England, and has visited France, Italy, China, Japan, Switzerland, and The Netherlands. She has attended several workshops all over the country. This past summer, she was accepted among twenty teachers in the nation to attend a workshop in Washington DC about the founding fathers. She brings all of this and more to the classroom to teach American History.

She lives with her husband and two dachshunds Ike and Bella!