Dalton, GA : Northwest teacher killed in crash on Sunday, 30th October 2016

The Northwest Whitfield High School community is mourning the loss of a popular teacher and a family is also devastated after a fatal automobile wreck Sunday night in Chattanooga.

Dawn Alexander, 43, was a special education teacher at Northwest. Principal Britt Adams said even though she was in her first year at the school and as a certified teacher, the impact she was having on her students and fellow teachers and administrators was significant.

"She was great. This was a second career for her, and she loved kids," Adams said. "In this job, you have to love kids. She was a hard worker and she was getting into every little bit. To do special ed right, you have to do a lot of work, and she was doing everything that we asked. She was doing a great job of digging in and getting into each child's issues to help them make academic gains. It was a positive attitude and a smile every day with a positive outlook on life."

According to reports by Chattanooga television stations, the crash occurred around 7 p.m. on I-24. Investigators said Alexander's Cadillac Escalade collided with a Toyota Prius. The Escalade rolled several times up an embankment. The driver of the Prius was uninjured.

Adams said while the school is suffering a loss, his prayers are more focused on a family without its mother.

"She had five children, so kids were not any stranger to her," he said.

Adams said Alexander lived in Catoosa County and was originally from East Ridge, Tenn., near Chattanooga.

Adams met with his staff Monday morning and grief counselors were available for both teachers and students. Adams, Superintendent Judy Gilreath and Assistant Superintendent Karey Williams met with Alexander's students.

"We went to all of her classes and talked to them and with the other teachers as well," Adams said. "If they needed to see someone and talk we were more than willing to let them. I touched base with her students pretty much throughout the day."

"The saddest thing is her family," he said.

"I just hate it for her kids and her family. In a blink of an eye everything changes. It is hard when it is fresh and right there on top of you, but these things will pass, but we will never forget the lessons she passed on to her students."

Source :
Northwest teacher killed in crash