Trinity's New Faculty and Staff 2013

The last two days I've had extended time with our new faculty and staff.  We have a great group of new teachers this year, and I am especially thankful for the combination of faith, experience, skill, and love for Trinity's mission that these people embody.

We met on Monday for a full morning to explore the mission, history, and core values of Trinity.  A school led by people who get this will be a strong school.  Here is our handsome and talented corps:

Left to right, first row: Marlindy Douglas, Anna Spangler, Ashley Raabe, Courtney Gilliam, Christine Johnson, Amanda Briscoe, Cliff Pearce
Second row: Avril Caldwell, Kelly Lipford, Lindy Mathis, Stacy Elliott, Kelly Hahne, Sarah Urdzik, Kimi Smith, Kristi Echstenkamper, Allison Furr
Third row: Aaron Jones, Minda Zambenini, Katherine Lavine, Will Goss, Bryan Chestnutt, Shantel Moore

On Tuesday we talked about partnering with parents for the sake of the students. Then the teachers met with their respective Division Directors.  Here is a picture of Lower School Director, Robin Lemke, with her crew:

Then we all enjoyed lunch together at our home near school.  It was a good way to welcome them to this community of learning called Trinity.

Introducing Our New Faculty and Staff

2013–2014

Amanda Briscoe will teach Middle and Upper School Drama. She entered West Virginia Wesleyan College as a theater major and was deeply involved in many shows there as actor, director, or stage hand, and she has an extensive background in sound, lighting, and set design. In her junior year, she switched her major to Exercise Science and Biology to pave the way for a career helping people. She also holds an M.A. in Public Health and has completed most of a second M.A. in Teaching, with an emphasis on grades 9–12 Biology. She is thrilled to be back with her first passion, the stage, and to be using all she's learned from her subsequent studies to work with Trinity's thespians.

Avril Caldwell will teach third grade for us. She comes most recently from C.C. Spaulding Elementary School in Durham, where she taught fourth and fifth grades. Before that, she taught second grade at Colfax Elementary and third and fifth at Bethesda Elementary—nine years of teaching experience in all. Avril earned a B.A. in Sociology from UNC–Chapel Hill and is certified in the state of North Carolina. She is excited to be teaching now in a Christian school, and her daughter, River, will be attending Trinity as well.

Bryan Chestnutt is volunteering his time and talents to teach New Testament Greek to our Upper School students. Bryan is the pastor of Grace Evangelical Lutheran church and the father of two Trinity students, Catherine (12th) and William (10th). He has a B.A. in Religion, with minors in Greek and Philosophy, from Wake Forest University, and an M.Div. from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Bryan has served in several churches and as a clinical chaplain at UNC Hospital and at Central Prison in Raleigh.

Marlindy Douglas will serve as a third grade Teacher’s Aide this year. She is moving here from New York, where she taught first grade at the Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy Charter School. She also taught second and fourth grades at M.A.C.A.D.E.M.Y. School of Science and Technology in Brooklyn. She has a B.A. in Liberal Studies from the University of La Verne, in California, and an M.A. in Childhood Education from New York University.

Kristy Echstenkamper will serve as our new Receptionist for the Lower School and Administrative Assistant to the IT Department. Kristy recently graduated from North Carolina State University with a B.A. in Art Studies. During her time at NCSU, she was involved in Cru Bible studies and summer projects. She also played intramural soccer. Kristy’s younger brother, Todd, graduated from Trinity this past year.

Stacy Elliott joins Trinity as our College Counselor. She was the Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Rhodes College (Memphis, TN) for three years before moving to Christ Presbyterian Academy (Nashville, TN) as College Counselor. Stacy went on to serve as the Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Queens University (Charlotte, NC) for a year and then returned to her preferred work with high schoolers at Davidson Day School (Davidson, NC), where she has been College Counselor since 2010. A 2002 graduate of Baylor University with a B.A. in Applied Music and Voice, Stacy holds an M.A. in Higher Education Administration from Boston College.

Allison Furr will be teaching Middle School Math this coming year. She grew up in North Carolina and attended North Carolina State, where she earned a B.S. in Accounting. Most recently, she graduated from UNC–Charlotte, where she earned a Graduate Certificate in Secondary School Mathematics. Allison taught Pre-Calculus and Advanced Functions and Modeling at West Stanly High School this past year, and she served as an Accounting Tutor during her time at UNCC. While at NCSU, she was involved in the leadership of Cru.

Courtney Gilliam will teach Middle School Latin and Art. She graduated from Baylor University, where she earned a B.S. in Family and Family Studies. During her time at Baylor, she taught at a Waco public high school and worked as an assistant teacher in a child development center. Courtney took five years of Latin at Brentwood Academy, where she went to high school; and she continued her Latin studies while at Baylor. She has also studied art and enjoys painting as an avocation.

Will Goss will teach one section of Middle School Physical Education, will supervise our older elementary students who arrive early, will assist the Middle School boys soccer team, and will teach one section of introductory Latin to our new Middle School students. Will graduated from High Point University with a B.A. in Spanish. He is also conversant in Italian and proficient in Arabic. During college, he was an ESL Tutor in the Winston-Salem Forsyth County School and also spent a summer in Spain, where he was an English instructor and tutor. Will is the eldest son of our Middle School Director and Associate Head for Advancement, Mason Goss.

Kelly Hahne will teach fourth grade this year. She comes to us from Whitaker Elementary in Winston-Salem, where she was a Grade Level ELA representative for Common Core training. Before that, she taught fourth grade at Moore Magnet School in Winston-Salem, fifth grade at Woodlands Elementary in Florida, and fourth grade at Holly Hill Elementary in Florida. Kelly’s eight years of classroom experience have given her ample opportunities to design lessons, incorporate technology into learning, and pursue professional growth in many areas. She is especially excited to be joining a school that “exhibits high standards of excellence, as well as a desire to instill a love for Christ in students.”

Christine Johnson joins the Athletic Department as our athletic trainer and Administrative Assistant to the Athletic Director. She has a B.A. in Athletic Training from UNC–Wilmington and an M.A. in Kinesiology from Southeastern Louisiana University, where she served as a graduate assistant trainer. Christine also worked as an athletic trainer for a semi-professional soccer team, the Carolina Railhawks, and for the NCCU football team. She has worked as an athletic trainer since high school and has taught classes through her college and graduate education.

Aaron Jones will teach Upper School Humanities, the Shakespeare's Tragedies English elective, Rhetoric, and Theology II. He graduated magna cum laude from Milligan College (TN) with a B.A. in English and Humanities and was honored as an inductee into the Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society. Aaron recently completed an M.Div. and Certificate in Anglican Studies at Duke Divinity School, and he taught a senior English elective on Shakespeare's Tragedies at Trinity last spring. He is a writer of songs, poetry, and fiction and performs his own music compositions. As a senior at Milligan, he directed and produced a 16mm “film-poem” for his senior project.

Katherine Roddy Lavine will teach Upper School Geometry and Pre-Calculus. She graduated magna cum laude with high departmental honors in Mathematics from Dartmouth and has just completed an M.S. in Mathematics from UNC–Chapel Hill, where she received high marks teaching undergraduate math. No stranger to the independent school world, Katherine attended the Webb School (Knoxville, TN), where she was valedictorian of her class. She rowed all four years at Dartmouth and was honored in her sophomore, junior, and senior years as a National Scholar Athlete.

Kelly Lipford joins the Trinity staff as Administrative Assistant to the Admissions Department. She comes to us most recently from the Kenan Institute of Ethics at Duke, where she was the International Programs Coordinator, supporting the Associate Director. Before that, she served as administrative assistant at the Navy Hale Kiki School, an independent school in Honolulu, HI. She has an associate degree and a B.S. in Psychology from Chaminade University in Honolulu. Kelly says that she is especially pleased to be returning to a school community, where she can serve children and their families.

Lindy Mathis will serve as a third grade Teacher’s Aide this year. She is the mother of Trinity student Jake (2nd) and has served as a Fitness Teacher and substitute at Duke Memorial Weekday School, as well as serving on their board. Lindy earned a B.S. in History from Appalachian State University, where she led a special archiving project for the Chancellor. As the owner of High Five Sports, she has run camps and recreational activities for children. She is also a Dale Carnegie Training Specialist.

Shantel Moore joins us to teach Middle School Physical Education, to help coach our volleyball teams, and to supervise early morning arrivals for our youngest children. She is a graduate of North Carolina Central University, where she majored in P.E. and Health. Originally from Jamaica, she was the recipient of a volleyball scholarship at NCCU. Shantel has taught P.E. at Hillside High School and has coached club volleyball.

Ashleigh Raabe will teach Upper School Humanities, Senior Capstone, Rhetoric, and senior English electives. She holds a B.A. in Art History summa cum laude from Florida State University and a Ph.D. in Art History from UNC–Chapel Hill. Ashleigh has taught a number of art history courses to undergraduate students at Carolina and has served as a teacher and curriculum specialist in the “Scholars to College” program at the Emily Krzyzewski Center.

Kimi Smith will teach Upper School Physics and Chemistry. She has taught science at Cressett Christian Academy for the past six years, including Chemistry, Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, and Health. Kimi holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from UNC–Chapel Hill and has a deep love for teenagers. She and her husband are bringing their two children to Trinity as well, Caleb (6^th) and Mackenzie (8^th).

Anna Spangler will teach third grade. She hails from Winston-Salem, NC, where she attended Redeemer School, a Charlotte Mason school, which is well known to many of us in the Trinity community. Anna graduated from UNC–Chapel Hill with a degree in Education and certification in elementary education. She did her student teaching at Frank Porter Graham and McDougal Schools in both pre-K and Kindergarten. During her time at UNC, she was also a leader in Reformed University Fellowship, Campus Y, the International Friends Leadership Team, and Kids Across America, and she was a Koinonia Tutor for refugees.

Margaret Thielman returns to Trinity this year to teach one section of Middle School Bible. She is well known in the Trinity community, having taught in our sixth grade and, most recently, in the Upper School (Theology and Yearbook). She earned a B.A. in Bible from Wheaton College. Margaret’s passion is teaching Bible, and she is glad to be able to continue to offer her gifts as a member of the Trinity faculty again this year

Sarah Urdzik will teach several sections of Middle School Latin and one section of eighth grade Math this year. She attended high school in Goldsboro and participated in the N.C. Governor’s School. This past spring, Sarah completed her B.A. in Mathematics and Classics at UNC–Chapel Hill. During her time at there, she served as a Catechesis Instructor and a Small Group Instructor at the Newman Center, as President of the Carolina Students for Life, and as an instructor in Tae Kwon Do.

Minda Zambenini will teach Upper School Humanities, Yearbook, Senior Capstone, and Rhetoric. A cum laude graduate of Asbury University with a B.S. in Secondary English Education, Minda has studied abroad at Oxford University and in Costa Rica; has been a Teacher Fellow with The Kentucky Writing Project and a board member of the Kentucky Women Writers Conference; and has taught high school English (grade 9 through AP level) for five years in Kentucky before moving to the Durham area.