AIM Academy Faculty
Mr. Chad Mathews
AIM Academy Director
Email: cmathews@paulding.k12.ga.us
Phone: 770-949-9221 EXT 40311
Greetings Spartans!
Mr. Mathews has been in education since 2006 and at South Paulding High School since 2018. He is married to Amy Mathews and has two sons, Grayson and Hudson. They reside in Franklin, Georgia. This year, Mr. Mathews will be the AIM Academy Director and serve as an Assistant Principal for Buses, Parking, and Advanced Placement Testing. Prior to being an administrator, Mr. Mathews was a Mathematics Teacher and coached Baseball, Basketball, Football, Softball, Tennis, and Wrestling. He is an avid Auburn Tigers fan (War Eagle!) and music junkie.
Ms. Lyn Dedman
AIM Honors Algebra II and AP Statistics
Email: ldedman@paulding.k12.ga.us
Ms. Dedman has been teaching at South Paulding High School since it opened. She is part of a math/engineering family and thus loves to introduce those disciplines to her students. She enjoys waterskiing, tennis, traveling, and making/re-finishing furniture.
Ms. Bethany Martin
AIM Honors Geometry
Email: bbmartin@paulding.k12.ga.us
Ms. Martin is a proud graduate of the University of West Georgia and Kennesaw State University. She teaches Honors Geometry for our AIM students, but has taught everything from Foundations of Algebra to Algebra II. She has been teaching for 5 years, all of which have been at South Paulding High School. In her spare time, she enjoys vacationing, reading, and spending quality time with her family.
Mr. Jeff Newman
AIM Honors Biology and AIM Honors Scientific Research II
Email: jnewman@paulding.k12.ga.us
Jeff Newman is the AIM Biology and Honors Scientific Research II teacher for the AIM Academy. Although he initially pursued a path in pharmacy, his passion for education emerged through various teaching roles, including working as a skating instructor, a teacher's assistant in a juvenile detention center, and as a lab assistant in college science labs. Encouraged by his wife, an educator, he shifted his focus to teaching and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Physics and Middle School Science, followed by a Master's Degree in Biology Education. In his spare time he enjoys working on cars and building things.
Dr. Lyric Portwood
AIM Honors Chemistry, AP Chemistry, and AIM AP Physics I
Email: lportwood@paulding.k12.ga.us
Dr. Lyric Portwood has been teaching at South Paulding High School for 20 years. She teaches Honors Chemistry, AP Chemistry, and occasionally Honors Physics. She is a quadruple alumna of Kennesaw State University with all her degrees having a focus in Chemistry. She enjoys reading, watching movies, and spending time with her three sons.
Dr. Jenny Shepherd
Honors Chemistry
Email: jshepherd@paulding.k12.ga.us
Dr. Jenny Shepherd graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Science, Technology, and Culture from Georgia Tech before earning her Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Life University. She practiced as a chiropractor for 10 years before following her true calling of teaching and sharing a love of science with students. Her unique background helps to shape the classroom experience with an emphasis on real-world applications. She is currently earning her STEM endorsement from Northwest Georgia RESA. When not busy in the classroom, Dr. Shepherd enjoys spending time with her husband and 3 children. Her son and oldest daughter are both students at South Paulding High School, and baby Charlie is an honorary Spartan.
Ms. Wynne Shoemaker
AIM AP Pre-Calculus and AIM AP Calculus
Email: wshoemaker@paulding.k12.ga.us
Ms. Shoemaker is a Paulding County native and a 1993 graduate of PCHS. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics from Old Dominion University, a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from Kennesaw State University, and a Specialist's Degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis in Mathematics from the University of West Georgia. Ms. Shoemaker has her STEM Endorsement through NW Georgia RESA. Ms. Shoemaker has 25 years of teaching experience and this is her 7th year at South Paulding High School. When she isn't teaching, she can be found poolside in her backyard, in the stands at a baseball game, or camping. She is the mom of two boys, a Freshman at South and a University of North Georgia cadet, and the wife of a mechanic with a very long honey-do list.
Ms. Payton Turner
Foundations of Engineering and Technology, Concepts of Engineering, Applications of Engineering
Email: paytonl.turner55@paulding.k12.ga.us
Ms. Turner is excited about her second year at South Paulding High School in the AIM Academy as the Engineering Instructor. She graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. She is currently pursuing her Master of Arts in Teaching Secondary Science at Kennesaw State University. In her spare time, she enjoys kayaking, golfing, and spending time with her family, including her bulldog.
Ms. Betsy Walker
AIM Honors Algebra I
Email: ewalker@paulding.k12.ga.us
Mrs. Walker has taught Math in middle school and high school for 10 years. She has a Bachelor's degree in Finance from Georgia State University and a Master's degree in the Art of Teaching from Mercer University. She has recently completed her STEM endorsement from NWRESA. When she isn't teaching, she can be found golfing, gardening, or raising chickens. She is the proud mom of two young men: one a student at Kennesaw University (Marietta Campus - Southern Polytechnic), and the other a student at the University of West Georgia. Her husband is an engineer working with fiber optic cable.