2025 IDA-GA Teen Board

Artwork by Jack Lockett, Atlanta

The mission of the IDA-GA Teen Board is to connect with Georgia students who have dyslexia and provide them with support and assistance throughout their school years.

Our 2025 Teen Board meets on the third Tuesday of every month and is working in teams on various projects. Additionally, several teen board members have chosen to work on independent projects. 

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  Join Brennan and Payton West for storytime at The Bookshelf in Thomasville on October 4 at 11:00 am. They will be reading Brilliant Bea, an inspirational story about a girl with dyslexia. Learn more about this event and the book: https://ga.dyslexiaida.org/event/storytime-thomasville/

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  2025 Teen Board Members will be at this year’s Dyslexia Dash volunteering and managing other teen volunteers. Come on out for a morning of fun on October 18.📢 New this year at the Dyslexia Dash! Teen Board Shout-Outs: Keep an eye out for our Teen Board Dash Scouts! Teen Scouts will capture joy-filled moments and hand out fun shout-out tokens throughout the morning. Participants might just be spotted for their spirit, spark, or sense of style! If you receive a token, you will be included in our Race Day video recap!

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  Teen Board Member Kenzie Leonard is creating a video interview series called Conversations with Kenzie. 
  
  Hi! I’m Kenzie Leonard, and welcome to the IDA College Q&A series. Here, we explore tools to help navigate the transition from high school to college for students with learning disabilities. I created this project after struggling to find information on how accommodations, testing, and accessible services differ in higher educational environments. Stay tuned for more exciting interviews about navigating college life and the application process as a student with a learning disability. 
  

  View Kenzie’s interview with Erin Benson at UGA. 

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  Stay tuned for more updates about the amazing work this group is doing to further their mission and the mission of IDA Georgia! 

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  Our 2025 Teen Board 
  Aadi Jain, Suwanee, Lambert High School • Ann Lane Rue, Columbus, Brookstone School • Arianna Hopkins, Dallas, North Paulding High School • Ava Salter, Marietta, Marietta High School • Bray Holcomb, Cumming, West Forsyth High School • Brennan West, Thomasville, Thomasville Middle School • Caleb Cambell, Atlanta, Mt. Vernon School • Callie Letbetter, Atlanta, Mount Vernon School • Carolina Greider, Fulton County, North Atlanta High School • Carrington Manous, Atlanta, Woodward Academy • Claire Marbach, Marietta, Pope High School • Dylan Kate Simontacchi, Buckhead, Mount Vernon School • Ellery Wang, Roswell, Blessed Trinity Catholic High School • Emily Thompson, Dunwoody, Mount Vernon School • Finn McCarthy, Smyrna, Campbell High School • Finnegan Gawley, Milton, King’s Ridge Christian School • Grace Gibson, Marietta, Saint Francis •Jack Lockett, Atlanta, Lovett School • Josie Archila, Dekalb, Lakeside High School • Karli Stemple, Atlanta, The Paideia School • Kenzie Leonard, Candler Park, The Paideia School • Kyler Smith, Smyrna, Mill Springs Academy • Layne Huey, Dekalb, Chamblee High School •Leighton Scott, Dunwoody, Mount Vernon School • Matthew Frank, Atlanta, Riverwood International Charter School • Max Bell, Atlanta, Westminster Schools • McCully Means, Peachtree Corners, Wesleyan School • Michael Buckley, Atlanta, Westminster Schools • Nate Santy, Morningside, Woodward Academy • Natalie Buck, Canton, Sequoyah High School • Payton West, Boston, Thomas County Central High School • Phia Calvo, Sandy Springs, Mount Vernon School • Sara Engler, Atlanta, The Weber School • Tess Glenn, Atlanta, Mount Vernon School

  Team Captains: Anna Hollis, Arianna Hopkins, Bray Holcomb, Carolina Greider, Kenzie Leonard, Natalie Buck

  Adult Project Advisors: Wendy Raynor and Janet Street (Co-chairs), Lindsay Stewart, Erin Lockett, Samantha Flowers, Kelly Kirkland, Ann Marie Lewis

Thank you, Arianna, for volunteering to be our 2024 Day-of Dyslexia Dash photographer. Arianna, a senior in high school, was invited to display her work at the Authors & Artists table at the Dyslexia Dash 2024. View here. 

Click HERE to access INFOGRAPHICS Created by IDA-GA Teen Board Members

Check out the projects of previous teen board members:

International Dyslexia Association Georgia YouTube Channel

• Teen Talk 2023 (April): How to Prepare for Exams 
• Kickoff to Dyslexia Awareness Month 2023 (September): Interview with artist/author/animator Ryan Sias about his fascinating career and his dyslexia.
• Thinking Differently: An Inside Look at Dyslexia – Thank you, Kahmara, for your dedication to working with IDA-GA throughout your senior year of high school and from that hard work, producing a truly valuable resource for IDA-GA to offer to the public. Learn about this project and watch the interviews at https://ga.dyslexiaida.org/thinking-differently-with-kahmara/
• Teen Board Member Kahmara interviews Teen Board Member Natalie.
• Teen Talk 2022 (August): Facing the Daunting: Navigating Middle and High School
  Learning how to stay organized, plan ahead, participate in group projects, and take tests can be daunting for any student, and it is especially important if you have learning challenges. The IDA Georgia Teen Board members discuss how they have successfully navigated these waters throughout their school journeys. 

For more information about the prior years’ IDA-GA Teen Board and their events and projects, click HERE.