Meet Our Principal
Raine Hackler was born in a small, rural town in Southern Alberta, Canada. When he graduated from high school, Mr. Hackler moved to a nearby city to attend the University of Lethbridge for 5 ½ years. He received two degrees at the end of his studies: a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts with Minors in Drama, Music and Literature. He began teaching 4th grade six months before his official graduation at a multi-cultural school in the heart of the city.
Mr. Hackler continued to teach grades 1-5 for the next 12 years, serving on national committees, developing a Pan-Canadian Language Arts curriculum, multi-cultural curriculum and ESOL handbook.
Eventually, the winds of change began to stir in his heart and he could no longer ignore his strong desire to see the world and so, with a little planning, he sold everything he owned and bought a traveling backpack. He left his home country a few days after Christmas and began to tour the planet.
He visited over 15 countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Tai Pei, Amsterdam, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi, Angola, and Kenya. His favorite country, however, was Zimbabwe , and that is where he decided to live and work.
His teaching position was in a beautiful college in Harare , Zimbabwe . It was there that he learned to speak Shona, (an African dialect), cook African food and live like a true Zimbabwean. He taught students from many surrounding African countries - some were the sons and daughters of kings and presidents.
After living and traveling in Africa for some time, Mr. Hackler came to America to attend his sister’s wedding in Atlanta, Georgia. He was so delighted to meet such friendly people and enjoy such warm weather…he decided to make another change in his life. In 2000 he applied for a job teaching in a neighborhood school and quickly became a proud family/community member.
Over the next 10 years Mr. Hackler worked as a classroom teacher, a computer lab instructor, a curriculum specialist, a resource developer, a workshop presenter, a motivational speaker, and an author. He also graduated from Georgia State with a Master’s degree and honors in Educational Leadership.
During the last four years Mr. Hackler has been a thankful recipient of awards including Atlanta Public Schools System Wide Teacher of the Year, 11 Alive News “Class Act” Teacher of the Week, EdTech Tinfoil Star Award, and Atlanta Families Teacher of Excellence.
As a cancer survivor, Mr. Hackler is a strong believer in hope and optimism. He believes that children are “the dreamers of the dreams” and that as instructional leaders, we have the remarkable opportunity to facilitate their journeys and aspirations into excellence and beyond. He is truly proud to be a member of The Main Street Academy family and celebrates the hard work of the parental visionaries and educational architects who helped build The Main Street Academy into the communal compass it is today.
As we launch into new stratospheres of academic success, Mr. Hackler sincerely thanks the Tri-Cities community of navigators, parents, partners, learners and educators for their endearing and life-changing support.
Email Principal Hackler
Raine Hackler was born in a small, rural town in Southern Alberta, Canada. When he graduated from high school, Mr. Hackler moved to a nearby city to attend the University of Lethbridge for 5 ½ years. He received two degrees at the end of his studies: a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts with Minors in Drama, Music and Literature. He began teaching 4th grade six months before his official graduation at a multi-cultural school in the heart of the city.
Mr. Hackler continued to teach grades 1-5 for the next 12 years, serving on national committees, developing a Pan-Canadian Language Arts curriculum, multi-cultural curriculum and ESOL handbook.
Eventually, the winds of change began to stir in his heart and he could no longer ignore his strong desire to see the world and so, with a little planning, he sold everything he owned and bought a traveling backpack. He left his home country a few days after Christmas and began to tour the planet.
He visited over 15 countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Tai Pei, Amsterdam, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi, Angola, and Kenya. His favorite country, however, was Zimbabwe , and that is where he decided to live and work.
His teaching position was in a beautiful college in Harare , Zimbabwe . It was there that he learned to speak Shona, (an African dialect), cook African food and live like a true Zimbabwean. He taught students from many surrounding African countries - some were the sons and daughters of kings and presidents.
After living and traveling in Africa for some time, Mr. Hackler came to America to attend his sister’s wedding in Atlanta, Georgia. He was so delighted to meet such friendly people and enjoy such warm weather…he decided to make another change in his life. In 2000 he applied for a job teaching in a neighborhood school and quickly became a proud family/community member.
Over the next 10 years Mr. Hackler worked as a classroom teacher, a computer lab instructor, a curriculum specialist, a resource developer, a workshop presenter, a motivational speaker, and an author. He also graduated from Georgia State with a Master’s degree and honors in Educational Leadership.
During the last four years Mr. Hackler has been a thankful recipient of awards including Atlanta Public Schools System Wide Teacher of the Year, 11 Alive News “Class Act” Teacher of the Week, EdTech Tinfoil Star Award, and Atlanta Families Teacher of Excellence.
As a cancer survivor, Mr. Hackler is a strong believer in hope and optimism. He believes that children are “the dreamers of the dreams” and that as instructional leaders, we have the remarkable opportunity to facilitate their journeys and aspirations into excellence and beyond. He is truly proud to be a member of The Main Street Academy family and celebrates the hard work of the parental visionaries and educational architects who helped build The Main Street Academy into the communal compass it is today.
As we launch into new stratospheres of academic success, Mr. Hackler sincerely thanks the Tri-Cities community of navigators, parents, partners, learners and educators for their endearing and life-changing support.
Email Principal Hackler
