Ashaunti Samms 

Language Arts & Theatre  

Ashaunti Samms is a professional local actor, stage manager, and educator with over 12 years of experience in the entertainment industry and . She earned her BA in Theater Performance, English Writing and Composition, and Communications from Wesleyan College, and her MFA in Performing Arts from SCAD. Some of her credits include playing Grover in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief: The Musical, Sweetheart in Exit, Pursued by a Bear, and Miss Scarlet in Clue: The Musical. She teaches the Math, Science, and Acting courses at Hazelwood Prep. During her time pursuing her undergraduate degrees, she was a Science, English, and Math tutor for a nearby high school and a writing center tutor at Wesleyan's Student Help Center. She currently works as the social media and marketing manager for Open Seat Productions, a local production company to help actors with their demo reels, self-tapes, and producing films for film festivals. One of her hobbies, playwriting, was honed while at Wesleyan as she did a writing apprenticeship under Robert Fieldsteel. While at SCAD, she had won the SCAD 24 hour play festival 2 years in a row, with her plays Love on the Edge and Grounded. Her other hobbies include moderating guest panels for different nerd conventions (including DragonCon, AWA, Momocon, and KamiCon), voice acting, dancing, freelance modeling, and social media. 

Jordan Hermitt

History, Visual Arts, & Arts Integration 

Jordan Hermitt holds a degree in Theatre with a specialization in Performance and Dramaturgy, complemented by a minor in Traditional Art. This unique blend of academic and artistic training informs her approach to teaching, fostering a dynamic and interdisciplinary classroom environment.

Passionate about the power of narrative, Jordan teaches courses in Storytelling, English, History, and Music, weaving together these disciplines to inspire creativity and critical thinking. She encourages her students to uncover the connections between art, history, and culture, fostering a deeper appreciation for the stories that shape our world.

When not in the classroom, Jordan enjoys exploring artistic traditions, collaborating on theatre projects. And is known as a muralist and costume designer in the local community. 

Shaloncé Royal

Music & Executive Administrator 

Shaloncé Royal is the Executive Administrator at Hazelwood Prep, where she seamlessly blends her organizational expertise with her diverse passions. A graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Music, Shaloncé specializes in Opera Performance, and has performed on stages in countries including South Korea and Italy. Her background in music, particularly opera, complements her work in administration, bringing creativity and a strong work ethic to everything she does.

As Hazelwood Prep expands its Arts program, Shaloncé is excited to lend her talents and expertise to both the music and theater departments. Her multifaceted career and artistic background make her an invaluable resource for the school’s continued growth and artistic development.

Outside of her administrative duties, Shaloncé is an independent professional wrestler, balancing her athletic career with her love for modern and classical music, video game music, and creative pursuits like writing and filming. Whether performing, wrestling, or contributing to Hazelwood Prep, Shaloncé continues to inspire and innovate across multiple disciplines. 

Shatoyia Bradley

Entrepreneurship

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Grace Rietta

Math Tutoring

Grace, originally from Alabama, grew up in the metro Atlanta area. She was homeschooled at home exclusively until middle school when her parents enrolled her and her brother in a co-op program. She graduated high school from a local Homeschool program, went on to study at Georgia Perimeter College (now Georgia State University), and graduated from Mercer University with a degree in Business Administration. She has a former background in retail management and currently works in the healthcare sector aiding private practices with administrative, process development, and medical billing needs. - Regarding Grace’s experience with homeschooling, she says that a big benefit was flexibility, “my siblings and I could spend more time on concepts where we struggled, while if we grasped concepts quickly we could move on to the next. I feel like homeschooling set me up for what I would accomplish in the future.” While Grace did not always enjoy math, she found a love for the subject in high school, “I saw the patterns and started to understand the bigger picture the numbers were painting.” Now, Grace strives to help students overcome anxiety from the subject, find their stride, and start seeing the larger picture that math provides.  

Sara Satterfield

Public Speaking & Rhetoric

Born and raised in Michigan, Sara relocated to Georgia in 1999 after she met her husband, Matt. Traditionally public schooled, she graduated in 1997 from Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste Marie, MI, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing. She originally started homeschooling her oldest daughter, Sophia, to “try it out” and just stuck with it. Sophia graduated in 2025, earning a full-ride to her #1 school, Berry College. Her younger sister Chelsea will graduate in 2028. Sara is one of the Original or “OG” Hazelwood Prep parents, starting with the program’s inception in 2019. She is also a published editor for Cheese Press Publishing.

While not a formally trained teacher, Sara brings an array of experience in Speech and Debate, helping coach her daughters’ Speech and Debate club through another program with EAGLES Home Educators. Competing with Stoa Speech and Debate, Sara specializes in Interpretive speeches and general editing and speech citation help. As a parent and coach, she has helped her daughters and other students earn bids to the National Invitational Tournament of Champions (NITOC) each of the four years she has been involved. In 2023, Sophia went as far as earning a spot as a National finalist in Dramatic Interpretation, ending the year in 8th place out of 101. In 2025, Chelsea and her Duo Interpretation partner earned 3rd place at NITOC - at only 14 years old.

Sara has a passion for helping people of all ages overcome their fear of public speaking and learning to use their voice for causes and missions that are important to them.