Christine Anderson - Teacher's Assistant
Grade 1, Track 2

Ms. Anderson holds a bachelor's degree in communications and is currently only three classes away from obtaining her teacher's license from ECU. She wanted to become a teacher to make a difference in a child's life and to do something every day that made her feel satisfied and fullfilled.

"What I enjoy most about teaching is learning something new from the kids," she says.

Ms. Anderson's family includes her fiance, Shane, and her stepsons Koty, 10, and Paxton, 4. They also have a toy poodle named Theodore.

She enjoys spending time with her family, planning her wedding, cooking and reading. "During track-out, I would like to relax. However, I'm currently taking classes and working another part-time job," she says.

A fun tidbit about Ms. Anderson: "I'm really a California Valley Girl."

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Lori Archer
Grade 1, Track 1

Ms. Archer earned her bachelor of science degree in elementary education with a concentration in Spanish from Ashland University in Ohio . She and her husband Shane have a daughter named Aubrey, who is a kindergartner at Turner Creek.

Ms. Archer decided to become a teacher because she loves kids. Her mother was also a teacher.

"I enjoy working with the kids each day. I love watching their excitement about learning new things," she says.

Ms. Archer enjoys scrapbooking and reading, especially during track out when she can catch up on both.

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Sara Bowers
Grade 3, Track 4

Ms. Bowers decided to become a teacher because she knew it was a rewarding profession. "Watching my mom teach children all my life inspired me to want to make a difference in children's lives," she says. "Reaching students, helping them succeed, and getting to know them personally and academically are what I enjoy most about teaching."

She attended SUNY Plattsburgh, an upstate New York university, and earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education/science. She is currently attending NCSU for her master's in curriculum and instruction.

Ms. Bowers is married to Matt and they have a cat, Maggie. She lists running, camping, hiking, and spending time with her family among her favorite hobbies. During track-out, she likes to travel.

An interesting fact most people don't know about Ms. Bowers: She played rugby in college.

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Trish Brown
Grade K-5, Rainbow Track

Ms. Brown holds a bachelor’s degree in political philosophy and sociology and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. She and her husband Mike have three children: Paul, 17, Alyssa, 16, and Danny, 12. The Browns also have a beagle named Cleo.

What Ms. Brown especially enjoys about teaching is “seeing children get excited about learning, discovering and trying new things and taking risks.”

Reading, dancing, singing, traveling, learning the piano, and water sports are just a few of her favorite pastimes. During track-out, she loves traveling.

She can also entertain a crowd: “I used to play Alice in Wonderland at Six Flags over Georgia!”

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Betsy Driver - Teacher's Assistant
Grade 1, Track 4

Ms. Driver earned her bachelor's degree in English. She and her husband Barry are the parents of two children: Curtis, 18, and Grayson, 14.

"I enjoy being a teacher assistant because I love seeing the kids learn and grow during the year," she admits. During track out, Ms. Driver likes to read, take long walks and sleep late. One of her favorite pastimes includes watching ballets.

She's also very family oriented. "I am compiling family history to hopefully one day write a book about my parents' childhoods," she says.

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Wanda Hanley
Grade 4, Track 4

Ms. Hanley graduated from Buffalo State College with a bachelor’s degree in education. She earned her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction in reading at NCSU. She and her husband Tim have three sons: Brendon, a third grader; Daniel, a first grader; and Sean, who is four years old.

“I wanted to become a teacher because I enjoy children and volunteering. I took a couple of teaching courses and got A’s, so I tried the profession and haven’t looked back,” she admits. “I also like talking with kids about their reading and writing.”

Exercising is her favorite hobby. “Every day at 5:30am I am at the gym lifting weights,” she says. She also enjoys quilting and scrapbooking. During track-out, Ms. Hanley likes to garden, relax, sleep in, and go camping.

Ms. Hanley also speaks fluent Portuguese. She spent a year in Sao Paulo, Brazil as an exchange student.

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Sarah Hargrove
Grade 4, Track 3

Ms. McDonald is the youngest of seven children who earned her undergraduate degree in accounting and master's in teaching at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky. She decided to go into teaching because of her love for children. "I worked for two years as an auditor/tax accountant and hated every minute, so I went back and got my master's," she says. "I enjoy the challenges that teaching brings, and I like being able to teach children new things and seeing them apply it."

During track out, she enjoys sleeping in, going out to lunch and traveling to Kentucky to visit her family. Ms. McDonald is one of our many teachers getting married soon. When she ties the knot on December 30 with her fiance Ryan, a Ph.D. student at NCSU, her new name will be Mrs. Hargrove! (No relation to our Jan Hargrove, though.)

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Denise Heeks
Grade 4, Track 1

Ms. Heeks earned her bachelor of science degree in elementary education from the State University of New York at Geneseo and her master of arts degree from East Carolina University. She is nationally board certified.

"I have always wanted to be a teacher," she explains. "I played school as a child and I can't imagine doing anything else. Every day is different. I love being around children and making a difference, even a small one. It is never boring." Her enthusiasm for the profession has paid off: She was recently awarded TCE Teacher of the Year for 2006-07.

During track out, she enjoys visiting family and friends, going to hockey games and sleeping in. Running, yoga and reading are among her favorite pastimes. She has two brothers, two sisters, two nephews, and a bird named Jenkins.

Ms. Heeks worked as a youth leader for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines for two years and enjoyed meeting people from all over the world and traveling to many different places.

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Jen Holycross
Grade 2, Track 3

Ms. Holycross is one of our new teachers at Turner Creek this year. She earned a bachelor's degree in education from Indiana University. Ms. Holycross' mom, dad and sister live in Indiana, but her fiance, Matt, is here with her. She decided to become a teacher because she wanted to make a difference in children's lives and wants them to know that someone cares about them. She especially enjoys helping children learn and also building their self-esteem.

During track out, Ms. Holycross likes to fly home to Indiana to visit her family. Her hobbies include reading, watching movies, running, cleaning, and spending time with Matt. She also loves Notre Dame football: "I am from South Bend, Indiana and I grew up an Irish fan!"

"Turner Creek has made me feel very welcome," she adds.
"Thank you to everyone."

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Andrea Kazemzadek
Grade K-5, Rainbow Track

Ms. Kazemzadek grew up in Argentina, a large country located in the southern region of South America. She likes traveling and lists foreign movies, foreign literature and collecting foreign money as her hobbies.

Besides earning a bachelor's degree in teaching, Ms. Kazemzadek also holds education certificates in K-12 Spanish and K-12 ESL (English as a Second Language). "I love teaching and working with small children," she says.

Ms. Kazemzadek is married and has son named Stephen, 19, and a daughter, Maryan, 11. She also is a very good skier and loves the outdoors.

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Bambi Lockhart
Grade K, Track 3

Ms. Lockhart earned her bachelor's degree in early childhood and family studies from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1997. She and her husband, Eric, have been married for two and a half years and have a cat named Chloe.

"My mother was an outstanding educator for 36 years and she inspired my love for teaching from the age of five. I really enjoy 'seeing the lightbulb' of learning go off and how each child grows during the year," she says.

When she's not teaching, Ms. Lockhart enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and working out. Her hobbies include running, gardening and shopping.

And how did she get her storybook name? Ms. Lockhart explains, "I was named by my sister when she was seven years old, who named me after her favorite book, Bambi Gets Lost."

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Karen Marquard
Grade 1, Track 4

Ms. Marquard earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida and her master’s degree from the University of New York at Buffalo. She and her husband Steven have two sons, Nathan, 10, and Andrew, 5.

Ms. Marquard wanted to become a teacher because she loved school as a child and wanted to work in a happy place.

“What I enjoy most about teaching is watching children learn and getting to know so many nice families,” she says.

During track-out, Ms. Marquard likes to travel with her family. She also likes relaxing and being at home. Her many hobbies include running, exercising and reading.

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Becky Meekins
Grade K-2, Rainbow Track

Ms. Meekins holds a bachelor of arts degree from Mars Hill College and a master's of education degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. She and her husband Chris have a fifteen-year-old daughter, Megan.

"I have always enjoyed children. When I was younger, I babysat and worked with vacation Bible schools," she says. "I did my student teaching in college, though I almost changed my mind since I was not used to having to be a disciplinarian. Luckily, it all worked out."

"I enjoy seeing children progress academically and socially, and with self-esteem, and helping all children realize that everyone is a star and everyone has strengths," she adds.

Her many hobbies include reading, gardening, walking, and cooking "when I have the time, not when I HAVE to." On trackout, Ms. Meekins enjoys traveling and having time to get things done around the house. She considers spending time with her family most important.

"Since I've been married, my husband has earned three academic degrees and is working on his fourth, his doctorate. My daughter is a sophomore at Enloe High School. I am never far away from students," she admits.

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Gail Murrain - Teacher's Assistant
Grade 2-3, Track 4

Ms. Murrain is the mother of two children: Travis, a sophomore at NCSU, and Candis, who works for General Dynamics in Guantonoma, Cuba.

She is presently attending AIU University in Georgia online. She decided to become a teacher because she loves small children. "I take my job as ministry and not just coming to work each day," she says.

During track-out, Ms. Murrain likes to visit old friends and go to the movies. She counts bowling and singing among her favorite hobbies.

Something most people wouldn't know about Ms. Murrain: She is an ordained minister.

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Patti Neptun
Grade K, Track 4

Ms. Neptun holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Northern Illinois University. She and her husband Doug, a clinical chemist and director of Antech Diagnostics, have two daughters, Kristi and Michelle. Kristi lives with her husband, Adam, in Anchorage, Alaska, while Michelle resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with her husband, Richard. Ms. Neptun and her husband have two golden retrievers: Zoe, 11, and Colby, 7.

Ms. Neptun’s decision to enter the teaching profession was based on a positive role model, her third grade teacher, whom she adored. “When I went to fifth grade, she moved to that grade level. I was delighted to be in her class again,” she says. “I enjoy teaching because of the children. Each child brings something special and unique to the classroom.”

During track out, Ms. Neptun likes to travel, garden and read. She also enjoys feeding the birds in her backyard.

An interesting fact about Ms. Neptun: “My four grandparents are from Greece. They taught me to speak Greek as a child, which I do not have much of an occasion to use, so I have lost a lot of it. But the reason my mom’s parents taught me to speak Greek is so that they could teach me to play cards and be the peacemaker when disagreements came up.”

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Erin Phillips
Grade 5, Track 4

Ms. Phillips holds a bachelor's degree in women's studies from UNCG and is currently working towards her K-6 licensure from Meredith College. She decided to become a teacher because she enjoys working with children and wants to make learning as interesting as possible. "I wanted to have a career that would make a difference in the life of a child," she says. "The moments in which children achieve learning or success and are proud of themselves are what I enjoy most."

Ms. Phillips enjoys choir singing, scrapbooking and cooking. Her parents still live in her hometown of Asheboro, N.C., and she and her mom share a tradition of enjoying tea at a tearoom at least twice a year.

And what does she like to do during track out? "I enjoy visiting with family and friends," she says. "However, I often find myself in class at Meredith."

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Sara Self
Grade 2, Track 2

Ms. Self earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education from ECU in 2000. She also holds a master's in curriculum development and supervision with a minor in special education from NCSU. What she enjoys most about teaching is that "it's never boring."

During track-out, she likes to read, travel and hang out with her three dogs: Daisy and Lily, both beagles, and Ellie, a rottweiler. Soccer, reading, and outdoor activities are just some of her many hobbies.

Ms. Self and her husband, Ryan, whom she has known since second grade, are expecting their first child. The baby's name will be Taryn Anne.

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