Ed Morris has been in the Paulding/Cobb area his entire life. He grew up in the Cobb County school system, where he eventually met his wife, Laura Beth, at a high school state tournament baseball game. They dated all through high school and into college, where they both went to Kennesaw State University.
Ed graduated from Kennesaw State University with a degree in Secondary Education, later receiving his Masters in Business Education from University of West Georgia. He has also received his Masters Add-On Certificate in Educational Leadership from Kennesaw State. Ed began his teaching career at his alma mater – McEachern High School, and stayed there for 11 years. When Hillgrove High School opened in 2006, Ed transitioned and became the Head Boys Basketball Coach.
Laura Beth graduated from Kennesaw State University with a Bachelor’s and MBA in Marketing. She began her career in the marketing department of The Weather Channel. She later went on to work for The Collegiate Licensing Company as the Events Manager. After their daughter, Chloe, was born, Laura Beth stayed home for 16 years and ran her interior design business. She eventually went back to work as the Athletic Tutoring Coordinator for Kennesaw State.
Ed is now stepping into the role of Head of School at Dominion Christian School, after having a long and successful career at Hillgrove. Laura Beth currently works as the Office Manager for a local family business.
They have two wonderful children, Cal and Chloe. Cal just finished his sophomore year at Mississippi State University, where he is studying Building/Construction Science. He enjoyed playing both tennis and basketball in high school. He has always loved Legos and his parents attribute that to why he is studying Building and Construction. Cal is currently serving as an intern with a large general contracting company for the summer. Chloe will be a senior at Hillgrove High School this upcoming school year, where she is a Football and GameDay cheerleader. She hopes to study Nursing after she graduates.
The Morris family are active members of North Metro Church serving as Life Group Leaders and in the Cafe each month. Ed loves to play golf, and Laura Beth loves to plan a good party! Any time a special event comes up, she goes all out (and is so good at it!).
For summer vacation, the Morris Family usually takes a beach trip over the 4th of July with friends. They also try to visit Charleston, SC every year. To add to the summer fun, after 10+ years of Cal and Chloe begging for a dog, they finally talked Ed and Laura Beth into a new puppy. Training will be at the top of their list!
Ed beginning his new journey at Dominion Christian School is a huge honor! We had the pleasure of hosting a Q&A with him to learn a little bit more about Dominion Christian and his role there.
Q: What are you most excited about with this new career opportunity as the head of school at Dominion Christian School?
A: I think I am most excited to see what God is going to do at Dominion Christian School. I am so humbled to have a front row seat to watch God work. The people I have met there have such a heart for sharing the love of Christ with the students and the community. I learn something new each day. Working alongside them will be an honor.
Q: How have you seen God’s hand in this decision to transition out of the public school system and into Dominion Christian School?
A: When I look back over the last couple of months, I can see God’s fingerprints all over this decision. To me “just happens,” doesn’t just happen. I really don’t think there is any coincidence here. It was a very tough decision for me to resign my coaching position at Hillgrove because God led me to that job 15 years ago. But, I think God was really leading me to do that. I truly believe that He had another assignment for me, but I had to step out in faith and make the jump. I was talking to my daughter about how tough my decision to resign would be. She said, “Dad, it’s okay. God is just writing you another story.” She was right. Once I resigned, God opened the floodgates and He did it quickly. I am amazed at how He worked it all out and honestly, I had nothing to do with it. He guided every step in the process. There is a song by Josh Baldwin called Evidence. The chorus says, “I see the evidence of Your goodness, all over my life, all over my life. I see the promises in fulfillment, all over my life, all over my life.” I am getting to live this out each and every day. I will never stop telling people of the goodness and faithfulness that God has shown me and my family in the whole process.
Q: Tell us some of the ways that Dominion Christian School, with its current staff and family dynamic, line up with your personal value system?
A: Dominion Christian Schools mission statement is: To glorify God as we prepare students in mind, body, and spirit to meet life’s challenges with a Christ-centered Biblical worldview. This is what I tried to do each day. My students and my players always knew where I stood when it came to my beliefs and my faith. I have always tried to use their experiences to prepare them to be productive citizens in our society and to instill in my students and players to Do what’s right. Do your best. Treat others the way you want to be treated. These same concepts are taught every day at Dominion Christian. The best part about Dominion Christian is that everything we do is Christ-centered and we get to show that to the students each day. Whether we are teaching math, science, English, or fine arts, we do it all through the lens of Jesus Christ. This is the most important thing we can do for our students. Show them the love of Jesus and how important a relationship with Him is
Q: You’ve had a notable career teaching, coaching, and administering over the youth in West Cobb. How are you excited in this new opportunity for Godly influence over the youth in West Cobb/Paulding?
A: I have never looked at teaching and coaching as just my job. I always looked at it as what God wanted me to do and now He has moved me to my current position. We go through different seasons in our lives and God is just moving me to another season. This is a great opportunity and I am both humbled and honored that God is allowing me to be a part of it.
Q: Tell us how you view Dominion Christian School and its array of academic and extracurricular opportunities if you were describing those to a prospective family?
A: I think Dominion Christian is a hidden gem in West Cobb. Although we are small, we have great facilities both athletically and academically, with outstanding faculty and staff. The one thing that really stood out to me during the whole interview process was how much the staff truly love this school. Everything we do (whether it is academic, athletics, or arts) is presented in a God-centered, Biblically-based setting. We believe this is key to a student’s development. Learning English, math, science, social studies, etc. is important, but more importantly we teach our students about Jesus Christ and how life flows from a relationship with Him. We get to show the students that not only can God do anything, God can do everything. So, the students get an academically excellent education, they also get to learn about the world from a Christ-centered perspective.
To learn more about Dominion Christian School, visit dominionchristian.org.