Meet The Team

Ms. Atkins trained in theatre at UNG and Gainesville Theatre Alliance and has danced since she was in 5^th grade. Ms. Atkins love for dance and performing arts has played an integral role in her life.

She got her start in theatre choreography when she choreographed Princess and the Pea, South Pacific, and the Sound of Music as a high school student. As a professional dancer she taught jazz, interpretive dance, and a personal favorite, line dancing. Ms. Atkins has appeared on the Country Music Channel and Trinity Broadcast Network as a featured choreographer and dancer. She has been in Dove Award winning productions. Her most cherished experiences have been sharing the stage with her two children. They performed before live audiences of over 6,000 and were opening performers for Christian music artists.

Ms. Atkins was the Dance Director and choreographer for a local mega church in Gainesville where she choreographed and performed in productions with a team of dancers ranging in ages 5 to 50 years of age. These performances were aired on over 60 TV channels worldwide.

With a heart for the performing arts, Ms. Atkins integrated her passion into the classroom where she taught middle school and high school drama for 2 years at a private academy before coming to NHMS. Ms. Atkins became a part of NHMS’s Drama Club during the 2021-22 season as choreographer while teaming up with Dr. Whelchel to share a love for all things theatre with our students at NHMS.

With all of her accomplishments on stage and TV, Ms. Atkins biggest accomplishment is sharing her love for the arts with the next generation supporting growth in their talents on and off the stage. She is excited to be serving as Artistic Director and Choreographer for another exciting year in the NHMS Drama Club.

Ms. Atkins can be reached at sonya.atkins@hallco.org

Dr. Whelchel is in her 14th year as a music teacher and her 5th year at North Hall Middle School (kind of...it's a long story) where she currently teaches Chorus. She holds degrees from Brenau University (B.M.Ed) and the University of Georgia (M.M.Ed., Ed.D.) As a choral conductor, she has served at Heritage Academy (now Lanier Christian Academy) and North Hall High and Middle Schools as well as a guest clinician for Districts 13 and 14 Honor Chorus. Under her direction, choirs have consistently earned Superior and Excellent ratings at Large Group Performance Evaluation and Gold Ratings at Heritage Festivals. She has also performed as a pianist and percussionist for Honor Chorus events throughout the state as well as All-State and Thespian events, and has also served as assistant director for the North Hall High School Trojan Marching Band. In 2020, she earned a Shuler Award nomination for Best Musical Direction for the Hollow Horse Players production of The Wedding Singer.

Here at the North Hall Middle School Drama Club, Dr. Whelchel teaches and directs music and handles the technical and organizational aspects of the club. These duties include coordinating lighting, sound, sets and crew, scheduling, administration and communications.

Dr. Whelchel can be reached at ashley.whelchel@hallco.org