Arielle Hunsucker is a BHS alumna from the class of 2008. Arielle was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, but her family moved to Gwinnett County in 1993. She was raised by her loving parents, Win Hunsucker and Tish Hunsucker, and she has two siblings — Trey Hunsucker (BHS class of 2007) and a step-sister, Nikki Romeo.
Arielle started at Buford City Schools in 2005, her sophomore year of high school. Before then, she attended McKendree Elementary School, Dacula Middle School and Dacula High School as a freshman. Arielle transferred to Buford from Dacula because her brother was a sophomore at BHS playing varsity football. She realized she wanted to attend the same school as her brother so she could support him and cheer for him at his football games.
During her time at BHS, Arielle had a very full extracurricular schedule. She was a varsity cheerleader for the football and basketball teams for all three years she was at BHS. She notably cheered for the 2007 state champion football team, as well as at the Kirk Herbstreit National Kickoff Classic. In addition to cheerleading, Arielle was a member of the BHS chorus for all three years, and she was in the chamber chorus as a senior. She was also the co-editor of the yearbook as a senior. Arielle competed in Miss Buford Pageants and FCA, and she was voted Miss Senior Cheerleader by members of the squad. Arielle was also honored as an NCA All American Cheerleader.
While in high school, Arielle’s favorite class was yearbook, but her favorite academic subject was math. Her favorite teacher at the high school was her U.S. history teacher and yearbook advisor for three years, Tony Wolfe. Arielle said he always believed in her and knew she would do great things.
“Despite my academic struggles, Coach Wolfe still believed I would have a bright future,” she said.
One lesson that has always stuck with Arielle came from her cheer coach, Coach Lockhart. Arielle remembers that Coach Lockhart was always strict on Friday nights. She was very particular about the girls’ appearance, hair in a ponytail, no nail polish, white socks and no talking or messing around. She was never mean, but she always wanted the girls to look their best. Her methods worked, and the BHS cheer squad always looked better than their opponents. Arielle carried this philosophy with her when she coached JV cheer, and she also applies it in her classroom as a teacher. She always pushes her students to do the best they can.
After graduating from BHS, Arielle attended Gainesville State College and the University of North Georgia (UNG), where she graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education with endorsements in reading and ESOL. She later attended Piedmont College to earn a master’s and specialist degrees. While at UNG, Arielle was secretary of the Education Club, a member of Kappa Delta Pi: International Honor Society in Education, as well as the university’s Merit List.
Arielle works as a second grade teacher at Buford Academy. She lives in Flowery Branch with her baby girl, Ruth Anne, and their dog, Jonas. Ruth Anne recently won the Baby Miss Sweetheart of Georgia Pageant in February.
Despite all of her accolades, Arielle is open about her academic struggles through high school and college. After struggling during her freshman year in college and being on the verge of flunking out, she was tested and diagnosed with a learning disability. Arielle was then able to receive accommodations through her college classes, and she graduated with a 3.5-plus GPA. Two years later she went back and earned a master’s and specialist degrees while teaching. Arielle always tries to use her experiences to encourage students with disabilities not to give up and also gives hope to parents who have children with learning disabilities.
“Hearing that your child struggles is a hard pill to swallow, but I am a living testament that success is possible,” she said.
Arielle is an excellent example of a Buford community member who has used the lessons she learned at BHS to not only achieve her goals, but to give back to her community. We are proud to call her a BHS alumna. Once a Wolf, always a Wolf!
The Buford High School alumni spotlights are made possible by the generosity of the City of Buford.
