2023-2024 STAFF AND FACULTY

  • 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.”

  • 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.

  • DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY

    Born and raised here in Burlington, NC, Mr. Brumble earned his B.A. degree in Theatrical Design and Production at Elon University. Prior to joining the staff at TBS, he worked as a consultant providing IT support for the school. He enjoys managing the technology and systems to provide an excellent educational experience for our students and support for our staff.

    Mr. Brumble enjoys spending time at the beach with his family and cruising to destinations around the Caribbean. He also enjoys building his extravagant over-the-top holiday light displays at his home.

  • DIRECTOR OF EXTENDED DAY & TEACHER ASSISTANT

    Ms. Edwards is The Burlington School’s Director of Extended Day and Summer Camp, as well as the PS3 Teacher’s Assistant. This is her third year at The Burlington School, previously as the Extended Day leader and PS3 Teacher’s Assistant. She is currently enrolled at Guilford Technical Community College to receive her Associates in Early Childhood Education with Licensure.

    Ms. Edwards spends her free time painting, adventuring and teaching dance classes at the Centre Of Performing Arts!

  • 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.

  • SCHOOL MEDIA LIBRARY COODINATOR

    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!

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS

    Growing up, J.B.'s family lived in five states before finishing high school in Hendersonville, NC. He went on to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he graduated with a degree in Business Administration. As a walk-on member of the UNC Tar Heels basketball team, he advanced to the 2008 Final Four and won the 2009 National Championship. J.B. earned his Master of Education - Sport Leadership in 2011 and spent ten years coaching college basketball at VCU, UNCG, and Elon.

    He and his wife Kristi (TBS Middle & Upper School Academic Dean) live in Burlington and have four kids (ages 7, 5, 3, & 4mo), three of which attend TBS. Away from school, he enjoys Donut Saturdays, being outside (mowing/gardening/grilling/hiking), and woodworking in his garage shop.

LOWER SCHOOL FACULTY

  • DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS & YEARBOOK ADVISOR

    Stephen is a BS of Business Management graduate of Wingate University. Born in Michigan, he moved to Matthews, NC when he was 7, and then Burlington in 2007.

    Stephen lives with his wife Rachel and daughter Georgia (Class of 2036). Outside of TBS, Stephen spends a lot of time with his family, enjoys playing golf, watching football (go Blue on Saturdays, and go Panthers on Sundays), and disappearing into creative hobbies such as: woodworking, cooking and smoking food, knife making, photography/videography, and programming/creative design.

  • DEAN OF STUDENTS

    Chris Yeager, a native of Montana, is proud to have two children graduate from TBS, served as a substitute teacher in all divisions, and was an assistant coach for the Upper School soccer teams. He spent one year as the sophomore English teacher at The Elon School and now serves as the Dean of Students and 12 grade English teacher. He also has over 10 years of experience teaching history and English at St. Francis High School in Kentucky. He earned his bachelor's degree in theology from Bellarmine College and holds a master's degree in secondary education from the University of Louisville.

    He supports Aston Villa in the English Premier League and loves traveling to Iceland.

  • LOWER & MIDDLE SCHOOL ART

    Tori was born and raised in Burlington, NC. She grew up in a local private school, Burlington Christian Academy where her mother still works. 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. She is excited to be apart every creative journey in her students and always wants to encourage patience in the process and the freedom of expression.

  • THIRD GRADE

    Born and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Ms. Akben earned her B.A. in American Studies from The George Washington University in Washington, DC. She taught kindergarten at Success Academy Union Square in Manhattan, NY while earning her M.S. in Elementary Education and Special Education from Touro College of Education. Ms. Akben completed her M.S.Ed. in Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education in Philadelphia, PA. While in Philadelphia, Ms. Akben taught kindergarten, first grade, and third grade at KIPP North Philadelphia Academy.

    Ms. Akben resides in Burlington with her husband Mustafa, son Augustus and cats Albie and Pretzel where they enjoy hiking, playing tennis, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

  • FOURTH GRADE

    Martha Barefoot-Yeager is originally from Snow Camp, NC where she attended BDS in elementary school and graduated from TBS in 2018. She recently received her BA in Anthropology and Art from Earlham College in Richmond IN. She has worked at a wilderness summer camp in Brevard NC, for four years where she was most recently a Head Counselor.

    When not at school Martha enjoys hiking, paddling, weaving, and cuddling with her two cats.

  • LOWER & 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.

  • THIRD GRADE

    Tim is originally from Burlington. He received a BA in theatre at Lenoir-Rhyne University and his Masters of Elementary Education at Elon University. He also has his certification in theatre education. Having taught for over 25 years, he has worked in both Alamance and Guilford counties. He also spent three years overseas in Albania where he taught first grade and theatre to 6-10th graders in an international school.

    When not in the classroom, you can find Tim working in his yard or on the stage. He loves performing and helped start Studio 1!

  • 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 third year teaching kindergarten and her second year at TBS.

  • FIRST GRADE

    Born and raised her in Burlington, Mrs. Furr earned her Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education at Appalachian State University. She has also earned her Global Educator's 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.

    Mrs. Furr and her family live here in Burlington with their many pets. She enjoys reading, gaming, and baking. Both of her boys are proud to be students here at TBS.

  • SECOND GRADE

    Born in Iowa, Mrs. Kirk moved to Hillsborough, North Carolina with her family 25 years ago. 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 third year at TBS and second year teaching second grade.

    She 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.

  • 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.

  • FIRST GRADE

    Stephanie McCabe (“Mrs. Mac”) is a first grade teacher at TBS. 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. She spent the first four years of her career with the Alamance Burlington School System before returning to The Burlington School in 2017. Mrs. Mac was recognized as “Teacher of the Year” in 2018-2019 and also won the Independent School category for Alamance County in 2019.

    In her free time, Mrs. Mac enjoys gardening, reading, and spending time with her daughter (Caroline ‘35), family, and two dogs, Maggie and Katie.

  • 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 fifth year at TBS.

    She enjoys traveling back to her hometown each summer with her husband to visit family and friends.

  • LOWER & MIDDLE SCHOOL ART

    Tori was born and raised in Burlington, NC. She grew up in a local private school, Burlington Christian Academy where her mother still works. 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. She is excited to be apart every creative journey in her students and always wants to encourage patience in the process and the freedom of expression.

  • KINDERGARTEN

    This will be Rebecca’s second year teaching Kindergarten and 8th year at TBS. Rebecca has 21 years of experience working with young children and is passionate about making sure children have a strong foundation and love of learning! Rebecca is originally from Middlebury, Vermont. She moved to North Carolina in 1998. Initially earning an Associates degree in Early Childhood Education, Rebecca went on to earn both her undergraduate degree in Human Development and Family Studies and her master’s degree in Birth-Kindergarten Interdisciplinary Studies in Education and Development from UNC-Greensboro.

    Rebecca enjoys spending time with her husband and their kids. Her favorite things to do are travel, read, watch movies, and listen to music!

  • 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, who is the Offensive Coordinator at NC A&T.

  • 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!

  • MIDDLE & UPPER SCHOOL ROCK ENSEMBLE

    Doug Baker has been a musician ever since he realized he had a choice in the matter, with the Beatles and the Beach Boys being his earliest influences. He started his first rock band during high school in the 70’s, and hasn’t stopped since. He majored in Music Theory at UNCG, returning some years later to add his education credentials.

    Although he has dabbled in other styles, including jazz, latin, avant-garde, and traditional old-time music, rock ’n roll and song craft have always been closest to his heart. He released an album of his own songs in 2021, and still performs around the triad both as a solo artist and with various ensembles, sometimes including his son, a percussionist and band director.

UPPER SCHOOL FACULTY

  • MIDDLE & UPPER SCHOOL ACADEMIC 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 14th year of teaching MS science, 7th 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 (7, 5, 3, and 4 months) and most of her free time is spent with the kids, cheering on the Tarheels, or hiking and playing outdoors.

  • HEALTHFUL LIVING, MIDDLE SCHOOL ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, BOYS & GIRLS HEAD VARSITY SOCCER COACH

    Coach Frampton is going into his seventh year at TBS and 27th year teaching. he was born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware. He received his BS in Physical Education and Recreation from High Point University. Upon graduation, North Carolina never let him leave, he has lived in the state for 35 years. In his teaching career, Coach Frampton in both middle and high school, and has have worked in six different schools in his 26 years in education. He has twice been a member of Who's Who in American Teachers, and has been voted Coach of the Year eight times.

    Outside of TBS, Coach likes to spend time with his wife Jamie, and son Julian, who is a TBS ninth grader. He loves to play, or watch any and all sports and also read non-fictions books. He also likes to play with his three dogs: Umbro, Hobie, and Penn.

  • MIDDLE SCHOOL MATHEMATICS

    A native of Burlington, Mr. Gerlach earned his B.A. degree in Mathematics at Elon College. This will be his 33nd year teaching and his third at The Burlington School.

    Mr. Gerlach is married and has two sons in college.

  • MIDDLE SCHOOL HUMANITIES

    Abby Shoe 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. She returned to Burlington to teach third and fifth grades at Smith Elementary for three years before joining The Burlington School in 2020. She taught second grade for three years but is excited to now be teaching fifth grade!

    Miss Shoe enjoys coaching spin classes at The SpinBarre, coaching the boys and girls middle school soccer teams, and spending time outdoors with her dog, Annie.

  • 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 at TBS before joining the Upper School this year.

  • MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE

    Originally from Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, Mr. Riley earned his B.A degree in Geology and his M.A. degree in Teaching at Earlham College. He assisted teachers at an independent school in Philadelphia before starting his M.A. and student-teaching in Indiana.

    Mr. Riley and his fiancé live in a cozy home in Hillsborough with their two cats.

  • 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.

  • MIDDLE & UPPER SCHOOL ROCK ENSEMBLE

    Doug Baker has been a musician ever since he realized he had a choice in the matter, with the Beatles and the Beach Boys being his earliest influences. He started his first rock band during high school in the 70’s, and hasn’t stopped since. He majored in Music Theory at UNCG, returning some years later to add his education credentials.

    Although he has dabbled in other styles, including jazz, latin, avant-garde, and traditional old-time music, rock ’n roll and song craft have always been closest to his heart. He released an album of his own songs in 2021, and still performs around the triad both as a solo artist and with various ensembles, sometimes including his son, a percussionist and band director.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • UPPER SCHOOL STUDENT LIFE COORDINATOR & SPANISH

    Ms. Danishanko grew up outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and earned her B.A. at King’s College in English Literature & Spanish as well as Certifications in English Secondary Education & Spanish K-12 Education. She has been at TBS for 7 years and has taught a variety of Humanities and Spanish courses. In her free time she enjoys traveling, hiking, and baking.

  • 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 fin 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.

ADMINISTRATION AND SUPPORT STAFF

  • 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.

  • BUSINESS MANAGER

    Mrs. Donna C. Jones joined TBS with a wealth of experience. Most recently, she worked for the Hospice of Alamance-Caswell as a controller and as a partner at the local CPA firm, Stout, Stuart, McGowen, and King. Both Mrs. Jones’ husband, Keith, and son, Will, teach middle school, so now the whole family works in education.

  • UPPER SCHOOL AP COORDINATOR & MATHEMATICS

    Staring her 21st 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.

  • LOWER SCHOOL ACADEMIC DEAN

    Mary grew up living in both North Carolina and Virginia. She earned a Bachelor's of Science in Elementary Education with Reading Certification K - 12 and a minor in Sociology. She went on to earn a Master's of Education from East Carolina University in Education with a focus on Curriculum and Instruction. She has worked in public, charter, and private schools in North Carolina, in PS3 and grades K - 3rd.

    Mary has three children; Hayden, (UNC Charlotte graduate), Lauren, (NC State graduate), and Caroline, (Senior at TBS). Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with her children and hosting STEM career exploration events through her outreach group, Key Up Education.

  • PS4

    Originally from Durham NC , Mrs. Champion earned her B.S. degree in Early Childhood Education at the University of Mount Olive. She has taught in the early childhood field for over 25 years. Her experience includes licensed child care and public school with ages preschool to second grade; including children with special needs.

    Mrs. Champion is married, has four children and five grandchildren. She enjoys making jewelry and raising chickens.

  • 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!

  • LOWER & MIDDLE SCHOOL SPANISH

    Shaneika Hemmings holds a Diploma Primary Spanish Education, a Bachelors in Education; Spanish major , from the University Of The West Indies. She has extensive education and experience in Spanish. She has spent several years teaching the language in her home country Jamaica.She has been with TBS for 8 years now.

    When not teaching, she enjoys traveling and crafting.

MIDDLE SCHOOL FACULTY

  • MIDDLE & UPPER SCHOOL ACADEMIC 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 14th year of teaching MS science, 7th 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 (7, 5, 3, and 4 months) and most of her free time is spent with the kids, cheering on the Tarheels, or hiking and playing outdoors.

  • LOWER & 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.

  • MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH

    Kris Lohr is happy to be the new Middle School English teacher!

    She is the mother of two boys, Matthew and John. She is a recent empty nester so is ready to devote her time to The Burlington School. She also shares her life with her dog named Jack and her horse named Blitz.

    Kris graduated from Auburn University with a degree in secondary education and from North Carolina State University with a degree in Biology. She has taught for 25 years in Guilford and Alamance Counties.

    In her free time, Kris enjoys reading, going for walks with her dog, riding her horse, and spending time with her family. She is a lifetime educator and is looking forward to teaching at The Burlington School.

  • 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 two sons also attend TBS. Brantley, a rising Junior, is an Eagle Scout and active in the Civil Air Patrol. Henry is a rising fourth grader, an Arrow of Light scout and enjoys kayaking with the family.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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, and History of Film 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 sixth 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.

  • 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.

  • SCHOOL COUNSELOR & DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE COUNSELING

    Samantha is very excited to be joining the TBS family as the new Director of College Counseling. 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.