ADMINISTRATION AND SUPPORT STAFF
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HEAD OF SCHOOL
Starting his 42nd year in education, Mr. Wall (or RWall, as he is commonly known) has served as principal at Turrentine Middle and Smith Elementary, as well as Assistant Superintendent of the Alamance-Burlington School System. He has been with TBS since July 2014.
“My passion is the best education for young people, and we are very excited to welcome you to the 2023-2024 school year! Please do not hesitate to reach out to our wonderful staff if you have any questions. We are all here to make sure your kids are safe, successful, and thrive.”
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DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
Mrs. Coffey is an Alamance County native. She holds a BSBA from Western Carolina University and brings a background in finance, operations, and nonprofit leadership, with a passion for keeping things running smoothly and supporting the school community. Outside of work, Kasey enjoys reading, baking sourdough, spending time with her two dogs, and being with her family.
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DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES
A native of Burlington, Mr. Edwards graduated with an Associate of Applied Sciences degree from the Technical Institute of Alamance (now ACC). He earned a Master’s Certification in Project Management from the Stevens Institute of Technology and the certifications of Real Property Administrator and Facilities Management Administrator from the Building Owners and Managers Institute International. He spent the first 33 years of his career employed by Western Electric, AT&T and Lucent Technologies. Mr. Edwards joined the staff of The Elon School during the winter of its inaugural school year.
In addition to his property management role, Mr. Edwards also volunteers at many of the school functions and activities. He is currently the assistant golf coach.
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DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS
Jennifer Gravely brings more than 20 years of experience in education to her role as Director of Admissions at The Burlington School. She holds a BA in Literature and K–6 Education, an MS in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Reading Education, and additional licensure in Educational Administration.
Jennifer’s career includes teaching at the pre-K and elementary levels, as well as serving as a Reading Recovery specialist, teacher support coach, and curriculum facilitator. Most recently, she taught in a 3rd grade classroom at TBS. This combination of classroom experience and leadership allows her to thoughtfully guide families through the admissions process.
As Director of Admissions, Jennifer is passionate about sharing the value of a TBS education and building meaningful relationships with prospective families as they find their place in the TBS community.
Outside of school, Jennifer enjoys cooking, reading, and indoor cycling. Her three daughters are proud Spartans, and she is grateful to continue serving a school community that feels like home.
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SCHOOL MEDIA LIBRARY COORDINATOR
Jenn Litwa is thrilled to be the School Librarian Media Specialist for TBS!
She is the mom of three boys, Jackson, Maddox, and Bennett, all of whom will be attending TBS this upcoming school year, and a dog mom to an adorable Doberman named Penny. Along with her husband, Jon, they have made Burlington our home for the past 13 years, but are originally from the suburbs of Philadelphia. Go Eagles!
She graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Elementary Education and later went on to earn a M.Ed. in Reading K-12. She has worked as an elementary classroom teacher, reading interventionist, and school literacy coach. Jenn is excited for this new chapter in her career!
In her free time, she enjoys reading, taking walks on the beach, and cheering for her kids in various sporting events. Jenn looks forward to meeting all of the TBS families. Come see her in the library!
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ATHLETIC DIRECTOR
Mr. Marshall was born in Durham, NC, and graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor's of Science in Economics. Previous to TBS, Mr. Marshall spent 11 years at Henderson Collegiate, a public charter school in Henderson, NC where he was the Athletic Director and Head Coach of the varsity boys basketball team. Starting his second year at TBS, Coach Marshall led the Varsity Boys Basketball team to their THIRD state 2A State Championship!. He has a beautiful wife, Ella Bess, and two wonderful toddlers at home, Trey (4) and Charlotte Grace (3).
Outside of coaching basketball, he loves taking my kids to breakfast and seeing them play at the park.
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ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Mrs. Cindy Pruette worked for 36 years in the Alamance-Burlington School system prior to coming to The Burlington School. She worked in the classroom for 19 years, then joined the administrative team as a secretary.
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DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT & CHORAL DIRECTOR
Marshall Qualls is a native of Graham, NC and graduated from Elon College with a degree in Music Education and received an MFA in Theatre from The University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Mr. Qualls is a past recipient of the Alamance County Teacher of the Year. His choirs have performed by Presidential invitation at The White House and at The Vatican. Many of his former students have careers in music from Broadway to Opera. Mr. Qualls enjoys traveling.
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DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Alex serves as Director of Communications at The Burlington School, where he oversees the school’s communications, marketing, and storytelling efforts across print, digital, social media, photography, video, and web platforms. He manages The Oracle weekly newsletter, campus-wide communications, website content, social media strategy, event promotion, and visual media that highlight student life and the school’s mission across academics, arts, and athletics.
In his role, Alex works closely with school leadership, faculty, students, and families to support institutional messaging, promote school initiatives and strengthen community engagement through clear and consistent communication. He also leads photography and video production efforts that document and celebrate daily life at TBS.
Before joining TBS, Alex worked in the film and media industry in production and post-production roles, including collaborating locally with Cornelius Muller Productions as a producer and editor. He is a graduate of Elon University.
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REGISTRAR & ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Mrs. Debbie Strickland is has two Associate degrees from Alamance Community College in Business Administration and Accounting. She was the Parish Administrator at Holy Comforter Episcopal Church for 12 years and worked as the financial secretary at the Alamance County Historical Museum for ten years.
Debbie enjoys baking, gardening, and going to the movies. Her husband, Norm, and daughter, Madison, are strong supporters of TBS.
LOWER SCHOOL FACULTY
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LOWER SCHOOL DEAN
Stephanie McCabe (“Mrs. Mac”) has eleven years classroom experience and is beginning her twelfth year in education as the Lower School Dean. After graduating from Burlington Day School in 2003, Mrs. Mac earned both her Bachelor of Arts degree in English (2011) and Master of Education in Elementary Education degree (2013) from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Mrs. Mac was recognized as The Burlington School’s “Teacher of the Year” in 2018-2019 and won the Independent School category for Alamance County in 2019. She is also a 2020 graduate of the Emerging Leaders Cohort through NCAIS.
In her free time, Mrs. Mac enjoys gardening, reading, and spending time with her daughter (Caroline ‘35), family, and dog, Maggie.
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LOWER SCHOOL VISUAL ART
Tori was born and raised in Burlington, NC. After living and teaching in Germany and parts of South East Asia, she wanted to further her knowledge for art and artistic practice at Appalachian State University. There she earned her Bachelors of Fine Art concentrating in Fibers Arts and Photographic processes. While there, she worked as a instructional assistant and was very invested in the academic community.
Tori now resides in Burlington with her partner, a fellow creator, Jonathan and their plott hound Boone. Outside of the art studio, she is proudly known as Coach Red for Spartan Volleyball and Swim at TBS. She is excited to be apart of every creative journey in her students and always wants to encourage patience in the process and the freedom of expression.
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FIRST GRADE
Emily Bivins is a retired educator with over 35 years of experience. She is currently an adjunct professor at East Carolina University in Educational Leadership. She has been a principal for fifteen years in dual language schools in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She was a central office administrator and primary teacher in several rural and suburban areas of North Carolina. She holds a BA in from Wake Forest University, a masters from Elon University and UNC-Chapel Hill and a doctorate from UNC-Chapel Hill. She holds a North Carolina teaching license in elementary education, special education, gifted education, English as a Second Language, curriculum specialist and educational leadership. She has contributed to several books and is an active blogger about leadership and curriculum.
She is married with three children, Petyon (21), Ellie (19), and William (18). She has a dog (Dhazhou), a cat (LeeLee) and three chickens. She enjoys reading, boating and being outdoors.
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LOWER SCHOOL DRAMA
Tim has been teaching for over 25 years. He has a BA in Theatre and K-12 theatre education certification from Lenoir-Rhyne University and a Masters in Elementary Education from Elon University. He has taught nationally and internationally in first, third, and fourth grades. He also taught theatre in Albania to 6-10 graders. He is an accomplished actor and director around the triad. He has served on the board of directors for Alamance Children's Theatre, Gallery Players, and Studio 1. He is most excited that he helped start Studio 1 with his friend Tami Kress. When not in the classroom or at the theatre, you can find him working in his yard!
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Fourth Grade
Joyce Bulot grew up in central Ohio and received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in elementary education from Ohio University. She has 31 years of teaching experience in kindergarten through 6th grades. She has taught in Virginia and North Carolina.
Mrs. Bulot lives in Graham with her husband Mark, her son Nolan (Class of 2027) and their dog, Blue. She enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, baking, reading and playing the piano.
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KINDERGARTEN
Kate Christine was born and raised in Huntersville, North Carolina and earned her bachelor’s degree in Education of Young Children at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Kate moved to Mebane shortly after completing her degree. This year is her fourth year teaching kindergarten and her third year at TBS.
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THIRD GRADE
My name is Sarah Farrell and I will be teaching third grade this school year. I have been a teacher for the past 33 years in Texas, Hawaii and North Carolina. I just retired after being a teacher at Sylvan Elementary for the last 29 years. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Reading from ECU and a Master’s degree in Elementary Education from Elon. I also have National Board Certification in Early Literacy.
I have been married to my husband Kevin for 30 years and we have four children. We own a small hobby farm in Snow Camp, NC called Saralina Farm. I enjoy gardening, baking, beekeeping and taking care of my ten chickens.
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FIRST GRADE
Born and raised here in Burlington, Mrs. Furr earned her Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education at Appalachian State University. She has also earned her NC DPI Global Educator Digital Badge. Mrs. Furr taught second and fourth grade at charter and public schools here in North Carolina before moving to The Burlington School in 2019 to teach first grade.
Mrs. Furr and her family live here in Burlington with their many pets. She enjoys reading, gaming, and going on adventures with her family. Both of her boys are proud to be students here at TBS.
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PS3
Originally from New York, Valentina Lens had found her passion in education while attending college and volunteering for the New York City public school system. After relocating to North Carolina, she continued her pursuit for a degree in Early Childhood Education at Alamance Community College. She previously worked at First Presbyterian Childcare Development Center as a Teacher Assistant, where she enjoyed making connections with local families and educators. She joined The Burlington School community last year as a Substitute and teaching in the Extended Day program. She specialized in preschool where she focused on enrichment, childhood development, and inclusion.
Ms. Lens resides in Burlington, where she enjoys exploring new places in North Carolina and is always on the lookout for a new BBQ place to try. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and watching soccer matches; especially the Premier League, Go City! She is so excited to embark on this journey with her rising PS3 class, where she has many adventures in store!
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FOURTH GRADE
Mrs. McDonald grew up in the small town of Madison, Maine and received her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from the University of Maine in 2011. She taught third and fourth grades in her home state until moving to North Carolina in 2016, where she continued teaching upper elementary in Granville and Alamance Counties. This will be Mrs. McDonald’s sixth year at TBS.
She enjoys traveling back to her hometown each summer with her husband to visit family and friends.
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LOWER SCHOOL SPANISH
Shaneika Millen-Hemmings holds a Bachelors in Education; Spanish major , and has extensive education and experience in teaching Spanish. This will be her 9th year at TBS.
When not teaching, she enjoys traveling and crafting.
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PRESCHOOL 4 ASSISTANT / DIRECTOR OF EXTENDED DAY
Jenna is originally from southern Maine and proudly served in the United States Air Force after graduating high school. Following her service, she discovered a passion for working with children and spent several years at a childcare center, supporting a wide range of age groups through after-school and summer programs.
She and her husband relocated to North Carolina two years ago with their two sons, Atlas (Class of 2039) and Asher, and she quickly became part of the TBS community as a substitute teacher during the 2024–2025 school year. Jenna is currently pursuing a degree in Early Childhood Education and is excited to step into her new role as the PS4 Assistant/Afterschool & Summer Camp Director.
Outside the classroom, Jenna enjoys gardening, traveling, and spending time adventuring with her family and their pets. One of her favorite North Carolina experiences so far has been camping in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
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PRESCHOOL 4
Bria VanBuren is thrilled to be a part of the TBS family as the PS4 teacher this coming school year. She sees herself as a global baby having been raised in a military home, but has called Greensboro her home for the past 11 years. Bria earned her bachelor’s degree at University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Early Childhood Education. She also holds a post-bachelor’s certificate in Birth through Kindergarten licensure, post- bachelor’s infant/ toddler specialist certification, as well as a Master's degree in Early Childhood Leadership and Program Administration. With nine years of teaching under her belt, she has been fortunate enough to have cared for children of various ages, with her most recent role as an NCPrek teacher for the last four years. She believes that, with a nurturing environment, thoughtful guidance, and encouragement, the possibilities for hands-on learning and exploration in the classroom are limitless.
Outside of school, Bria enjoys almost any activity outside, from kayaking, hiking, rappelling or simply gardening. She also enjoys painting, thrifting, traveling (anywhere new with warm weather and a beach), playing video games with her sister and having weekend excursions with her family and friends.
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PRESCHOOL 3 ASSISTANT
Carley White grew up in Raleigh, NC and graduated from Raleigh Charter High School. After completing a BA in Spanish Language and Literature at NCSU, she went on to earn a Master's in Arts Education from WCU and was recognized with an Outstanding Prospective Teacher award. Carley spent 6 months in Capetown, South Africa working for a nonprofit organization and volunteering in local schools before returning to NC. She has 5 years of teaching experience in public schools as an Art teacher for both elementary and high school.
Carley resides in Graham with her husband and two girls, Lucy (Class of 2035) and Wilder (Class of 2038). She enjoys working in a local ceramics studio, seeing live music, reading, and spending time at home with her family and two dogs, Ruby and Casserole.
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LOWER SCHOOL HEALTHFUL LIVING
Born and raised in Syracuse, NY, Coach Heather earned her B.S degree in Human development family studies with a concentration in childhood and adolescence from The University of Connecticut. Coach Heather earned regional All-American status as four year starter for the huskies women's lacrosse team. Prior to TBS, she was a Division I Head Coach at Davidson College (3 years) and Colgate University (13 years).
Coach Heather has four children, Ela, Mia, AJ & Charli and enjoys spending time outdoors with them, coaching their sports teams and cheering on her Husband Chris' football teams.
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MIDDLE SCHOOL DRAMA
Tim has been teaching for over 25 years. He has a BA in Theatre and K-12 theatre education certification from Lenoir-Rhyne University and a Masters in Elementary Education from Elon University. He has taught nationally and internationally in first, third, and fourth grades. He also taught theatre in Albania to 6-10 graders. He is an accomplished actor and director around the triad. He has served on the board of directors for Alamance Children's Theatre, Gallery Players, and Studio 1. He is most excited that he helped start Studio 1 with his friend Tami Kress. When not in the classroom or at the theatre, you can find him working in his yard!
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HEALTHFUL LIVING, MIDDLE SCHOOL ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, BOYS & GIRLS HEAD VARSITY SOCCER COACH
Born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, Coach Frampton has a rich background in both education and soccer. He earned his B.S. in Physical Education and Recreation from High Point University, where he excelled as a goalkeeper and captain of the men’s soccer team. After college, Coach Frampton continued to make his mark in the sport as a professional player with the Carolina Dynamo and was a proud member of the 1994 National Championship team.
With 28 years of teaching experience across middle and high schools, Coach Frampton has also dedicated 30 years to coaching at the classic, high school, and collegiate levels. His passion for the game and commitment to education is evident in his extensive career.
Outside of his role at TBS, Coach Frampton enjoys spending time with his wife, Jamie, and their son, Julian, a TBS sophomore. A sports enthusiast, he delights in both playing and watching various sports and playing with his dogs—Umbro, Hobie, and Penn.
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MIDDLE SCHOOL HUMANITIES
Abby was born and raised in Burlington, NC. She then went on to earn her B.S. in Elementary Education with a STEM concentration from North Carolina State University. This is her 5th year at TBS and will be her 8th year teaching. Mrs. Shoe is excited to be teaching middle school English this year!
Mrs. Shoe enjoys coaching spin classes at EMPOWER FitLab, coaching the boys and girls middle school soccer teams, cheering on her favorite sports teams, and spending time outdoors with her dog, Annie.
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UPPER SCHOOL HUMANITIES
Ms. Fennell received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in English from UNCG. Before immersing herself in education, Ms. Fennell worked as a writer and editor at Our State magazine, was a beat reporter for state newspapers and periodicals, a book editor, and an editor for various international pedagogical publications. Her experience in administration and marketing at both UNCG and Elon University School of Law prompted her to become more involved in education, in which she has worked full-time for the past several years. Ms. Fennell has taught Rhetoric and Writing & Inquiry at the college level, as well as American Literature, World Literature, European Literature, Rhetoric, US History, History of Film, AP English Literature, and AP Seminar at the high school level. She is involved in several clubs at TBS including the Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA); Debate Club; and Cooking Club. This is her seventh year at TBS.
In addition to reading and writing, Ms. Fennell, a native North Carolinian, enjoys creating art, especially printmaking and large format photography, and performing. When time allows, Ms. Fennell also enjoys the outdoors, traveling, gardening, cooking, the arts, film, animals (especially cats!), and the Oxford comma.
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UPPER SCHOOL MATHEMATICS
Mrs. Lopatka grew up in Dunmore, Pennsylvania and earned her B.A. at Bloomsburg University in Mathematics and Secondary Education as well as a minor in Educational Technology. This is her second year here at TBS after teaching Mathematics at a public school in Pennsylvania for three years. This past summer she got married, changing her name from Sebastian to Lopatka.
In her free time, Mrs. Lopatka enjoys walking her dog at Gold Park, going to farmers markets, travelling, and spending time with loved ones.
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UPPER SCHOOL ART
A native of Elon in Alamance County, Mr. Moser received his BFA from UNC Chapel Hill. He also received his MS Medical Illustration from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Mr. Moser has been teaching for 22 years at The Elon School and TBS. He was also one of the founding faculty members of The Elon School. He is a nationally recognized Watercolorist, a Signature member of both The NC Watercolor Society and The National Watercolor Society.
Outside of TBS, Mr. Moser enjoy gardening, traveling, my pets and spending time in my art studio.
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ROCK ENSEMBLE
Sean Mulcahy is a multi-instrumentalist and composer from Charlotte, NC. He moved to
Greensboro in 2016 to complete a Bachelor of Music in Composition at UNC Greensboro with
additional studies in ethnomusicology.
Sean has worked with various North Carolina-based arts organizations including UNC
Greensboro, Duke Arts, Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center, Arts and Science
Council, Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, Children’s Theatre Charlotte, Greensboro Project
Space, Rhinoleap Productions, Central Piedmont Community College, McColl Center, and UNC
Charlotte.
His compositional output ranges from film, theatre, dance, and videogame scores to songs and
sound installations for art galleries. He has collaboratively composed and performed live scores
for the Nouveau Sud Circus Project since 2015. He has played in a variety of bands and as a
featured accordionist with the Winston Salem Symphony.
Sean has been teaching private lessons for guitar, ukulele, bass, accordion, and piano since
2010 and currently teaches Guitar and Modern Band classes for Young Musicians of Alamance.
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DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT & CHORAL DIRECTOR
Marshall Qualls is a native of Graham, NC and graduated from Elon College with a degree in Music Education and received an MFA in Theatre from The University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Mr. Qualls is a past recipient of the Alamance County Teacher of the Year. His choirs have performed by Presidential invitation at The White House and at The Vatican. Many of his former students have careers in music from Broadway to Opera. Mr. Qualls enjoys traveling.
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UPPER SCHOOL SPANISH
I was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia. However, for the past 11 years, I have made my home in Burlington, North Carolina, where I live happily with my husband and two children.
I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Bilingual Education, which has allowed me to engage with students in meaningful ways and foster a love for languages. Additionally, I obtained a Master's Degree in Literacy Education from Edith Cowan University in Australia, further enhancing my skills and knowledge in teaching literacy to diverse learners. These academic experiences have shaped my approach to education and continue to inspire my work as an educator. Prior to joining TBS, I was a Spanish Immersion teacher for the Alamance-Burlington School System.
In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family. We truly value our moments together, whether it’s gathered around the table playing board games or having fun singing karaoke.
I am excited about joining the Burlington School community. My two children, Tomas, 2nd grade, and Amelia, PS4, share in my enthusiasm and are eager to become part of this wonderful educational family.
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UPPER SCHOOL HUMANITIES
Mrs. Weiffenbach moved to Burlington in 2018 from the Chicago area. She earned her undergraduate degree at Rockford University where she majored in history and English literature and minored in secondary education. She earned her M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from National Louis University in 2010. She has taught at two other schools before joining The Burlington School team where she will be teaching Advanced Placement US History, Advanced Placement Psychology, US history and general psychology.
Mrs. Weiffenbach has three children and two bulldogs. In her spare time, she enjoys concerts, sporting events, and volunteering for several Down syndrome organizations. She is excited for a great year.
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UPPER SCHOOL COUNSELOR & DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE COUNSELING
Samantha is very excited to be back for year two with the TBS family as the Director of College Counseling and also the Upper School Counselor for 9th-12th grade. Originally from Indiana, she moved to North Carolina after she graduated from Purdue University to pursue her masters in School Counseling from UNCG. She has worked at both Western Guilford High School as well as Western Alamance High School over the past 13 years as the lead school counselor.
Samantha has two sons, Jack and Hayes, who will also be joining her at TBS. In her free time she likes to travel, work out, and cook.
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LOWER AND MIDDLE SCHOOL COUNSELOR
Iesha Robinson is excited to join TBS with over 30 years of experience in the field of education. Her career began in 1996 at Turrentine Middle School, and over the years, she has served in various educational roles at Hawfields Middle, Broadview Middle, Alamance Community College, Duke Summer Sessions, and Williams High School. Mrs. Robinson holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Appalachian State University and a Master of Science in Counseling Education from North Carolina A&T State University.
Outside of her professional life, she enjoys staying active at Gold's Gym, indulging in crunchy snacks, and spending quality time with her husband and two daughters. She looks forward to building meaningful connections with the TBS community and families.
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SECOND GRADE
Born in Iowa, Mrs. Kirk moved to Hillsborough, North Carolina with her family when she was 9 years old. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development from Meredith College in 2013. She has previously taught preschool, transitional kindergarten, and first grade. This will be Mrs. Kirk’s fourth year at TBS and third year teaching second grade. S
he lives in Graham, NC with her family. She enjoys spending her free time with her husband, two young sons, and dogs and in the winter, coaching the TBS middle school girls basketball team.
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LOWER SCHOOL MUSIC
Beth Jordan was born and raised in Texas (go Cowboys!). She earned her Bachelor's degree at Texas Lutheran University in music, English and education, and holds a Lifetime teaching certificate there. Her Master's degree is from Concordia University in Mequon, WI, in sacred music and choral conducting. She attended Carnegie Mellon to study Arts Management, and holds a certificate in early childhood music education from Music Together. Ms. Jordan is a classical pianist, and has taught private students in voice and piano for many years.
She enjoys reading, writing, hiking, gardening and spending time with her family, all of whom live in NC.
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SECOND GRADE
Corrinne Surratt graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in Elementary Education in December of 2020. She has spent the previous 13 years working as a registered veterinary technician, so education is a second career for her and one that she is truly excited about. She believes there is nothing quite as wonderful as watching young minds grow and seeing the excitement in little faces as they begin to learn they can conquer anything.
She believes her job as an educator is to create a safe, open, and loving environment for all students. By cultivating a positive relationship and making them feel safe, children won’t be afraid of making mistakes and that is where they can really begin to learn.
She lives in Mebane with her husband, two daughters, and her fur babies. She enjoys reading, the beach, and regularly trains in jiu jitsu.
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KINDERGARTEN
Corrie Su is new to teaching Kindergarten but not new to teaching. Mrs. Su has been teaching Drama for 19 years all over, including Raleigh, Durham, Chicago, and Graham, and she most recently taught Drama at North Graham Elementary School. Mrs. Su has experience teaching PreK students all the way to high school students, and she is very excited to be working with Kindergarteners this year.
Mrs. Su graduated from UNC-Greensboro with a BFA in Theater Arts Education. Working with elementary age students has always been Mrs. Su's passion, and she is excited to use her expertise in the classroom for Kindergarteners to help her students shine.
Mrs. Su's family includes Dr. Su, a professor at Elon University, and two little girls (5 and 7), who both enjoy ballet and crafting. You can find Mrs. Su crocheting, refinishing furniture, painting, and collecting new hobbies.
MIDDLE SCHOOL FACULTY
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MIDDLE SCHOOL DEAN
Kristi grew up in the mountain town of Hendersonville, NC before graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with her Bachelor of Arts in Middle School Science Education and later her masters in Curriculum and Instruction. She has just finished her 15th year of teaching MS science, 8th here at TBS. She spent many years in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California working as a counselor at Gold Arrow Camp, an experience she says still shapes her as an educator today.
Kristi is now the Mom of four kids (8, 6, 3, and 1) and most of her free time is spent with the kids, cheering on the Tarheels, or hiking and playing outdoors.
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MIDDLE SCHOOL VISUAL ART
Tori was born and raised in Burlington, NC. After living and teaching in Germany and parts of South East Asia, she wanted to further her knowledge for art and artistic practice at Appalachian State University. There she earned her Bachelors of Fine Art concentrating in Fibers Arts and Photographic processes. While there, she worked as a instructional assistant and was very invested in the academic community.
Tori now resides in Burlington with her partner, a fellow creator, Jonathan and their plott hound Boone. Outside of the art studio, she is proudly known as Coach Red for Spartan Volleyball and Swim at TBS. She is excited to be apart of every creative journey in her students and always wants to encourage patience in the process and the freedom of expression.
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MIDDLE SCHOOL HISTORY
Originally from Upstate New York. Mrs. Leiser earned her B.S. degree in Music Education K-12 and her M.S. degree in Voice Performance/Choral Conducting at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y. She taught Elementary and Middle School Music for 9 years before moving to North Carolina and staying home with her 5 children. All five children have attended or are currently attending TBS. She spent several years as a substitute teacher at TBS in all grade levels, as well as serving as the PA President, before being hired as the History teacher in 2019.
Outside of school, Mrs. Leiser is very active in the theatre community at Studio 1, where she currently serves on the Board as the Director of Education. She is also the Director of the Voices@1 Children's Choir, which is an auditioned group of Middle School and High School students.
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MIDDLE SCHOOL MUSIC
Beth Jordan was born and raised in Texas (go Cowboys!). She earned her Bachelor's degree at Texas Lutheran University in music, English and education, and holds a Lifetime teaching certificate there. Her Master's degree is from Concordia University in Mequon, WI, in sacred music and choral conducting. She attended Carnegie Mellon to study Arts Management, and holds a certificate in early childhood music education from Music Together. Ms. Jordan is a classical pianist, and has taught private students in voice and piano for many years.
She enjoys reading, writing, hiking, gardening and spending time with her family, all of whom live in NC.
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MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
Shaneika Millen-Hemmings holds a Bachelors in Education; Spanish major , and has extensive education and experience in teaching Spanish. This will be her 9th year at TBS.
When not teaching, she enjoys traveling and crafting.
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MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH & SCIENCE
Katie is from Baltimore, Maryland and came to North Carolina to attend Elon University. This will be her fifth year teaching. This summer, she went to Hilton Head with her family, spent lots of time with her dachshund Winnie, and rooted for the Baltimore Orioles!
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DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT & CHORAL DIRECTOR
Marshall Qualls is a native of Graham, NC and graduated from Elon College with a degree in Music Education and received an MFA in Theatre from The University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Mr. Qualls is a past recipient of the Alamance County Teacher of the Year. His choirs have performed by Presidential invitation at The White House and at The Vatican. Many of his former students have careers in music from Broadway to Opera. Mr. Qualls enjoys traveling.
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MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH
After having lived in several towns across North Carolina growing up, Mrs. O’Day settled in the Burlington area after graduating from Salem College with a B.A. in Communications and Spanish. She previously taught at Western Alamance High School and Turrentine Middle before joining the staff at Burlington Day School in 2008. Mrs. O’Day has taught Preschool 3 through Upper School Spanish while teaching at BDS/TBS, was the 2020 TBS Teacher of the Year and a finalist for the Alamance County Teacher of the Year. Mrs. O’Day and her family are active in Scouts BSA and love to camp together.
Mrs. O’Day, her husband and sons all enjoy the outdoors, gardening and spending as much time together as possible. Her oldest son Brantley is a TBS alumni and freshman at NC State. Henry is a rising 6th grader and is actively involved in Scouting.
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MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH AND HISTORY
Mr. Sisco is excited to be joining The Burlington School for the 2025–26 school year, his 36th year teaching in North Carolina!
Growing up in a military family, Mr. Sisco had the opportunity to live in several states before putting down roots in North Carolina in 1987. He graduated from high school in Hawaii and attended multiple universities along the way, including the University of Arkansas (go Razorbacks!). He earned his bachelor’s degree from East Carolina University in 1989 and went on to complete his master’s at NC State in 1995.Mr. Sisco and his wife, Teresa, live in Mebane, NC. They have two adult children who now live in the DMV area (Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia). While there are no grandchildren just yet, they proudly claim a few grand-dogs and grand-cats!
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MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE
Raised here in Burlington, NC, Ms. Ring graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a BA in Biology, minoring in Neuroscience. After spending some time working in the biomedical research field, she found that sharing her love of science was her true passion. Last year, she worked as a Teaching Assistant at The Expedition School in Hillsborough and found joy in sparking students' curiosity. It was this experience that cemented her decision to become a teacher. She is excited to join the TBS community for her first year of teaching! Ms. Ring is working to obtain her teaching license for Middle School Science through NC Teachers of Tomorrow.
In her free time, Ms. Ring loves to spend time with her family here in Burlington and hang out with her cat, Nellie.
UPPER SCHOOL FACULTY
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UPPER SCHOOL DEAN
Starting her 23rd year in education Denise has a Masters degree in Secondary Math education as well as school administration and leadership from UNC Greensboro. She has additional certifications to teach academically gifted K-12 students as well as Advanced Placement Statistics and IB Math.
Denise lives in Burlington with her husband Matt. Her daughter, Caroline is a 2022 graduate of TBS and her son Richie attended TBS and now lives in Raleigh. In her spare time she likes to spend time enjoying the mountains of NC.
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UPPER SCHOOL DRAMA
Mrs. Baker was raised in Texas, then attended Catawba College where she earned her B.A. degree in K-9 Education. She taught in public school, worked in sales and as an actor and director in the area, and received her master's degree in K-6 from Elon College. She was the director of Teen-to-Teen Theater and working as an actress when she was recruited to Burlington Day School in 1999 to start a new theater program.
Mrs. Baker resides in Graham with her husband Joe, and is proud of her two children, Margit and Austin, who are both alumni of the school.
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UPPER SCHOOL SCIENCE & MATHEMATICS
Dr. Bonessi (Doc) has lived in North Carolina most of his life, from the mountains to the coast and settling in the piedmont. He earned a B.S. in Physics from UNC Wilmington and his Ph.D. from Wake Forest University in Physics, with a concentration in optics. He joined The Elon School in 2008 right out of grad school.
He enjoys board games with his friends and family and working with technology.
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UPPER SCHOOL SCIENCE
Originally from the atomic city of Oak Ridge, TN, Mr. Bostick earned his B.S. degree in Biology at Guilford College and his M.S. degree in Biology at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, where his research focused on the ecological responses to climate change in arctic Alaskan lakes. In addition to designing biology education products for Carolina Biological Supply Company, Mr. Bostick’s teaching experience ranges from outdoor education to teaching at the middle school, high school, and university level. Mr. Bostick’s goal is to make sure that students enjoy engaging in science while developing a sense of environmental stewardship.
Mr. Bostick, his wife, and two young sons live in Greensboro, North Carolina.
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UPPER SCHOOL MATH AND SCIENCE
Mrs. Cannell is a native of Alamance County and earned her B.A. in Chemistry and Secondary Education from Salem College. This is her 25th year of teaching high school science. Mrs. Cannell began her teaching career in Loudoun County, Virginia, where she taught Chemistry and Leadership Development for 6 years before moving back home to Burlington. She has since been teaching Chemistry, AP Chemistry, Physical Science, and Forensic Science at Eastern Alamance High School.
Mrs. Cannell loves fostering school spirit and student leadership through her involvement as a Student Council advisor. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Association of Student Councils as the Membership Director. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, crafting, reading, and spending time with her 10-year-old daughter, Kat, her husband, Rob, and her 2 dogs, Dixie and Cricket.
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UPPER SCHOOL SPANISH
Paola Contreras is excited to be joining The Burlington School Community as the Upper School Spanish Teacher. She is from Colombia, South America, and has been teaching Spanish for 15 years. During the last 12 years, she taught in the United States as a Spanish Immersion teacher. Paola holds a bachelor's degree in Spanish from the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, and in 2016 she earned her Masters of Education from Elon University.
She has a talented husband, Oscar, who is an elementary music teacher along with two fun, smart kids, Samuel and Martin, who will be also joining the TBS family, and an adorable boxer named Paco.
She is a true believer that learning another language is an essential tool to become a citizen of the world, which helps us to see the world through other perspectives. Paola is very excited to become part of the TBS school community and looks forward to meeting her students and helping them to develop their Spanish communication skills.
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COORDINATOR OF SGA, ADVISORY, SPECIAL EVENTS AND UPPER SCHOOL HUMANITIES
Originally from Clearwater, FL, Ms. Craske earned a Bachelor's in English with an emphasis in Editing, Writing, and Media from Florida State University. She previous taught Middle School English in St. Petersburg, FL before joining TBS, where she taught two years with the Middle School before transitioning to the Upper School.
Outside of school Ms. Craske can be seen performing with the local community theater group Studio 1 and taking various styles of dance classes, as well as supporting and cheering on her students in their various athletic and artistic endeavors.
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UPPER SCHOOL HUMANITIES
Dr. Fasan spent his formative years in Omaha, NE where he received a BA in Philosophy from Creighton University. He went on to earn an MA in Religious Studies rom Temple University and a PhD in Japanese History from the University of Chicago. Dr. Fasan taught at various colleges and universities before joining the faculty of TBS in 2015.
In his spare time, Dr. Fasan enjoys playing the violin and spending time with family.