From Milton to Wesleyan, people have always appreciated the joy and the high spirits Anna Myrick exudes. High school chemistry and varsity lacrosse coach, Myrick, is a beloved faculty member at Wesleyan. Myrick grew up in the Greater Atlanta area, graduated from Milton High School, and later graduated from Georgia Tech with a business finance and pre-med major. During her time at Georgia Tech, she began tutoring students in calculus, physics and chemistry.
During her sophomore and junior year at Georgia Tech, she began community coaching girls’ lacrosse at The Westminster School. She loved the relationship she formed with the players, and through tutoring and coaching, she said she was inspired to teach in a classroom setting.
Myrick was constantly looking for ways to stay involved with lacrosse because she played since her 9th-grade year at Milton.
She said, “I immediately loved the fellowship of being on a team and the competitiveness of working to earn a spot to play. Lacrosse showed me that hard work and commitment pays off. It caused me to be more driven in every aspect of my life and gave me confidence because I knew I was part of a bigger goal. I was surrounded by a community of people who supported who I was and believed in my abilities to succeed as a player and student. After my first season of lacrosse as a freshman, I don’t think a day has gone by where I have not thought about how the sport of lacrosse has positively influenced my life.”
Myrick had a friend at Georgia Tech who introduced her to Chip Myrick. The Myrick fell in love and got married. When describing some of his favorite qualities in Mrs. Myrick, Mr. Myrick said, “She has a great sense of humor and is fun to be around, she is intelligent / hard working, she makes me happy, she pushes me to be a better person and she is a great mother and role model for our daughter.”
Mr. and Mrs. Myrick worked at Westminster together prior to coming to Wesleyan.
Mr. Myrick’s cousins, Brian and Sara Moye, attended and graduated from Wesleyan, and this ultimately sparked the idea of working there because it sounded like a good fit for Mr. and Mrs. Myrick as teachers and as coaches. Mrs. Myrick has been teaching at Wesleyan for six years alongside her husband, Physical Education Department Chair, Varsity Football Defensive Coordinator and Varsity Track and Field assistant coach. Mrs. Myrick has taught middle school science, but now she teaches high school chemistry and, still, coaches girls’ varsity lacrosse. Recently, Mrs. Myrick has been offered the position of the head of the Science Department; she accepted and will be starting this role in fall 2017.
Wesleyan lacrosse is a big part of the Myrick family and her uncle, Ed Dudley, Wesleyan high school World History and Economics teacher, coaches with her.
Dudley said, “I like the way she handles the girls. She is very professional and very organized. I am lucky to have the chance to coach with her.”
Junior Lindsey Hayes, who has had her as a teacher and a coach, said, “My favorite part about Mrs. Myrick as a teacher is that she is willing to work through the material with you and is always looking for you to succeed. As a coach, she is passionate and motivated to help everyone on the team to play to the best of their ability. She is always willing to listen and help you with anything you need on and off the field.”
The Myrick’s have a daughter, Mary Beth, who is two-and-a-half-years-old. Mary Beth is well known at Wesleyan due to her cuteness and her never ending smile.
Mrs. Myrick said, “Wesleyan has helped strengthen our faith as a family. It has taught me to look more optimistically at the challenges that life presents, and while it is often an exhausting schedule…Working at Wesleyan rarely feels like work, because I love being around the teachers, students and families every day.”
Many Wesleyan students say that Mrs. Myrick is an amazing teacher who vests her time in her students and her players. She is appreciated, and Wesleyan is better because of her.
