Lindsay Justice has always been encouraged to chase her dreams. 

And after almost two decades coaching basketball, the sport where she excelled throughout her own playing career, it is now complete, in order to take another job with the Hall County Schools district. 

Starting in the fall, Justice will take the role of district level leadership in special education for Hall County schools, which has been her area of specialty for almost all 22 years working in education. 

“Working with special education students is very important to me,” said Justice, who started working in Hall County when Flowery Branch opened in 2002. “It’s important to me that they’re served as best possible.”

Justice said the influence of Cherokee Bluff principal Denise Ramsey provided the encouragement to pursue the role at the district level.

The district position for leadership with special education had previously become available, she said, but Justice wasn’t certain she was ready for that responsibility yet. 

However, this felt like the right time to move into a job with the central office. 

When she was offered the position Friday, Justice said she took the weekend to talk about it with her family and pray for God’s guidance.

On Monday, she informed Cherokee Bluff’s administration that she would take the new job, along with speaking with her basketball players about the decision.  

As for Cherokee Bluff’s girls basketball program, it will begin its search immediately to fill the position, its athletics director Kenny Hill said. 

While he’s going to miss having Justice in the building, he knows the new position is one where she’ll thrive. 

“We’re very excited for Lindsay and excited to see her excel in her new position,” Hill said. “She’s been our only (girls basketball) coach at Cherokee Bluff and her standards and morals built the program to what it is today.”

Justice, who got a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, got her start teaching at the last minute at a middle school in Clayton County. 

A few days into the 2001 school year, a position became available as a social studies teacher. 

One of Justice’s friends, who was on staff at the same school, encouraged her to apply for it. 

“I really fell in love with working with students,” Justice said.

After getting started in education, Justice became certified to teach, then pursued a master’s degree in special education, then obtained a specailist’s degree in leadership. 

The new coach at Cherokee Bluff will certainly have a lot of talent to work with next year, including rising sophomore Claire Carlson and rising seniors Kaitlin Cook and Carson DeMars, among others. 

“We have some phenomenal young talent, along with Kaitlin Cook and Carson DeMars, who have really both stepped up,” Justice said.