Staff Spotlight - Shari Little

Every kid deserves the opportunity to believe they can do it. 

There's something to be said about the pride someone feels after eating a meal they've prepared, from vegetables they've grown and a shopping trip they've recently learned how to optimize. It's a bit like finishing a painting, working on a mural, or putting the finishing touches on a project you've been working on for months. When Fairborn Digital Academy students spend time with Shari Little, they feel that pride, sometimes for the first time. And that is why she is the school pride officer.

That sense of pride is important. It lets them know they can do something they maybe never thought themselves capable of, and giving them that feeling, that chance to believe in themselves, is what makes Shari proud of the work she is doing at the school.

Shari has a way of showing students what they are made of. She teaches gardening, art, and leadership, but the lessons underneath those programs run deeper. Students learn how to grow their own food, how to plan a recipe, how to shop on a budget, and how to prepare something nourishing with their own hands. They learn to clean their workstation, take responsibility for their tools, pay attention to details, and trust their instincts. These skills add up quietly, shaping students who often come to FDA carrying doubts about what they can do.

Many of Shari’s students have been told in one way or another that they are not enough. Some have moved through schools where their potential was overlooked, their confidence chipped away, or their creativity dismissed. Shari sees the weight of that when they walk into her classroom, and she treats each student as someone worth investing in. She understands that what they need first is someone who will see their effort and stand with them.

"I am these kids. I grew up just like them," she said.

Her gardening program is a perfect example of what FDA makes possible. The school has limited green space, so she worked with students to build raised beds in the parking lot. She brings the gardens to life in every season and keeps them thriving through evenings and summers. Students come in because they want to be there. They want to see what they planted, learn what comes next, or show Shari what they cooked at home with ingredients they grew themselves.

What moves her most is watching students grow into themselves. She loves seeing them take ownership of their projects, stand a little taller, and begin to imagine a future they once doubted. That transformation stays with her. She keeps in touch with nearly all her graduates because the relationships matter. The trust is real.

“I am just so honored to be a part of this school. I am honored to be a part of their stories, and I hope they look back and say Ms. Shari taught me that I can do anything.”