Wednesday's Woman: Lawanna Owens-Twaites

Overseeing a faculty that’s gathered from a number of different areas to be part of a new institution, principal Lawanna Owens-Twaites is working – among many other things in her active life -- to create a sense of family.

To Owens-Twaites, cohesion is an achievement worthy of celebration.

“I really believe that things are coming together,” said Owens-Twaites, 46, who is originally from the Bronx.

Anderson-Livsey Elementary School  has about 80 faculty and 722 children in grades kindergarten through fifth grades. The school's goal of  "providing learning that lasts a lifetime" is something Owens-Twaites takes seriously.

"That’s really the job of an elementary school, to lay that solid foundation so they’re ready for middle school and high school. They're learning what type of person they want to become."

The school is already is already off to an impressive start. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s nephew spoke during Black History Month. Programs such as “Literacy Night,” and the volunteer group “Watchdog Dads” as well as events such as mother-son and father-daughter dances have had strong turnouts.

“There are so many families that are so committed,” Owens-Twaites said.

She’s seen the flip-side of this uplifting environment at her first teaching job, at a school in the south Bronx. She was in an area dubbed “the devil’s playground,” because of the drug infestation present. But, as all truly dedicated educators, she willingly faced the challenges anyway.

“I wanted to teach in the South Bronx because that’s where the need was,” Owens-Twaites said. She relished chances to help the children see life beyond their environment, such as a catching the ferry to Ellis Island "so we could get out and walk," she recalled.

She encouraged several of her friends to become teachers, too, spurred on by “the love for kids and the deep conviction about the need to serve society and really make a difference in the lives of children,” she said.

Owens-Twaites said she decided to come to Georgia years ago because she was ready for a change. She also  had friends in the state and was hearing a lot about it as the 1996 Olympics were drawing near.

Owens-Twaites was hired on the spot at a job fair and became a teacher in Alpharetta, where she would spend five years. Her first impressions of her new place of employment: how much different it was from the South Bronx school where she’d taught, from the working water fountains to the carpeted floors and the air conditioning.

A Gwinnett resident, Owens-Twaites wanted to be a bit closer to home, so she found a teaching position in her county in 2000.

Along the way, she’s embraced opportunities to further her own education, getting leadership certifications and participating in training programs. Soon, in addition to a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master's degree in elementary education, her accomplishments will include completing a doctoral program.

While she enjoys seeking higher education, she said her greatest inspiration comes from a higher power.

“I am inspired by God and motivated by the fact that He is Lord of my life,” Owens-Twaites said. “This simply means that I desire for Him to direct every path, every detail, and every aspect of my life.  My ultimate goal is to stand before Him and have him say ‘Well done good and faithful servant.’ 

"Therefore, I am inspired to be a great wife, mother, daughter, friend, and employee.  Sometimes I don't quite make the mark in a given day, but He is faithful and I pray and read daily so that I can be focused on doing better the next day.  I am only here for a short time so I have to be focused daily on bringing glory to Him.”

With that faith surrounding her, the busy wife and mother of two daughters finds a way to make all the many pieces work together in her life. “I have a very high energy level,” Owens-Twaites said. “I love to be on the go and love to be involved. I just love life. I have a passion for life.”

(Editor's Note: We have suspended all comments on this story, due to a substantial number of posts that were defamatory and general abuse of the comment section.  If you have any questions, contact Snellville Patch Editor Joy L. Woodson at joy.woodson@patch.com. Thank you.)