Welcome Mr. Keely

Nathanael Greene Academy students have been blessed with Mr. Ken Keely as their new history teacher for this school year. Looking over what he has spent his time doing in his lifetime you can definitely tell that his gift to the world is his love for  youth and music. The good Lord  has made it his mission to share his faith through music and teaching. He was born in New York and grew up in Cape Coral, Florida. He graduated from North Fort Myers High School and then graduated from Edison Community College in Fort Myers Florida with an A.A. in Music. While attending Edison Community College, he was a founding member of what would later become the Baptist Campus Ministries. He continued his education at Palm Beach Atlantic College at West Palm Beach, Florida ; studying music education and church music.  In 1980 Mr. Keeley  became Minister of Music, Youth, and Sr. Adults at Russell Park Baptist Church in Fort Myers, Florida  where he continued his education earning a B.A. degree in History and a minor in elementary education from the University of South Florida. Later , he completed his Master of Religious Education degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. While at the Seminary Mr. Keely not only served as minister of music and youth at Enon Baptist Church in Jayess, Miss. but also was a DJ for a Christian radio station in New Orleans. After Seminary, Ken returned to Florida, serving as minister of music and youth at First Baptist Church in Punta Gorda for over twelve years.  In the past, he was a substitute teacher while in the Ft. Myers area. He also was a substitute teacher at Athens Christian, and worked one year with the elementary music and the middle school choir.                                                                                                                                                              Mr. Keely and his wife, Karen, of 25 yrs live in Greensboro  and have two children- Grace who is a Jr. at UNG Dahlonega and Lee who is a Sophomore at UNG Oconee. They have been attending NGA events throughout their 19 yrs. here in Greene County.  He enjoys model trains, reading, gardening and spending time with family. He has been very busy with serving on several church staffs in the area ministering through music and Christian education. Over the years he has been a conference leader,  teaching and training new lay teachers with the Florida and Georgia Baptist Convention. He has served on church staff at Lakeside as  Associate Pastor, Minister of Music and Education -at First Baptist in Greensboro serving as Minister of Music and Education -at Lake Country Baptist in Eatonton serving as interim music minister  and serving as the Minister of Music and Education at Nicholson Baptist Church . He is currently the pastor of two historic rural churches- Shiloh Baptist in Greensboro and Antioch Baptist in Stephens.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           As Mr. Keely says ” Most of my ministry has involved young people. I am  excited about teaching history at NGA. History has been more than my undergraduate degree. It is a subject of which I have a great interest.  I am also excited about working with the fine arts, assisting Mr. Hutto in drama, and working with young people as they prepare for music competition and festivals, school events and programs.” The students already are seeing his great love for history as he brings it alive for them! They are excited to be working with him with the fine arts and other programs too. Nathanael Greene welcomes Mr. Keely into the NGA family for the 2018-2019 school year.