CARROLLTON, GA — A Carrollton Elementary School teacher with extensive knowledge and experience in cheerleading will lead the varsity cheerleading program for Carrollton High School as Kelsey Shannon steps back to focus on her role as assistant principal at Carrollton Middle School.

Taylor Griffin has been named as program director and head football and competition coach for the Trojans. 

A Carrollton native, Griffin is a 2015 graduate of Carrollton High School. She was named the Georgia Cheerleading Coaches Association runner-up for Cheerleader of the Year in 2014 and was a member of the Trojans’ 2011 state championship team. Griffin also helped Carrollton launch its current 14-year region championship streak, which began in 2012. Trojan cheerleading runs deep in her family; she is a third-generation Trojan cheerleader. 

Griffin is a graduate of the University of West Georgia, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in early childhood education. She is a kindergarten teacher at Carrollton Elementary School.

She began her coaching career in 2018 with the Trojan cheerleading program, serving as a community coach for Carrollton Middle School and the Carrollton junior varsity teams. In 2022, she earned her first head coaching position at Bremen High School, where she led the school’s competitive cheerleading and gymnastics programs from 2022 to 2025.

While at Bremen, Griffin’s cheer teams finished fifth in Class 3A in 2022, fourth in 2023, and won the 1A Division 2 state championship in 2024. Her gymnastics teams placed second in Class 1-4A in 2023 and 2025 and finished third in 2024. For the 2025 fall season, she assisted Carrollton’s cheer program under Coach Shannon, helping the Trojans earn top-six finishes in both competition and gameday cheer. 

“I am deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as head coach of Carrollton cheerleading,” Griffin said. “This program played a significant role in shaping who I am, and to now have the privilege of leading it is truly humbling.”

CHS Athletic Director Elizabeth Sanders said she knows Griffin is a great fit for the job.

“I have known Coach Griffin for years–first as a student-athlete and later as an assistant coach–and I have seen firsthand what she is capable of,” she said. “I believe she will do an excellent job leading our athletes, and I look forward to seeing what she accomplishes as the head of our cheerleading program at CHS.”

Griffin is eager to build on the program’s strong tradition while leading her athletes.

“I am committed to honoring the traditions, investing in our student-athletes, striving for excellence and giving back to the community that has given me so much,” said Griffin. “I am excited for the future of this program and proud to be a Trojan.”

Taylor Griffin will lead the Carrollton High School varsity cheerleading program next fall.