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faculty
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Woodlawn is fortunate to have a dedicated and talented faculty with wide-ranging experience in both public and private education. Instead of merely teaching subjects, they teach students, whom they see "not as vessels to be filled, but lamps to be lighted." They choose to teach at Woodlawn for a variety of reasons, some of which are explained in this essay by a 6th-year faculty member.
Kim Lysne, Middle School Curriculum Coordination/Art, has a diverse background which includes working with Hispanic students in the Rio Grande valley and serving as a naturalist in the tall grass prairies of North Dakota. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota and teaching degrees from Moorhead State University. For the past 10 years, she has taught art, history, and science in elementary and middle school classes. Kim's extensive interactions with nature and with other cultures give her a unique perspective on the world, one which has allowed her to create an inspiring, project-based teaching style. As a co-founding teacher who helped launch Woodlawn in 2002, her influence can be seen in virtually every aspect of Woodlawn. She is also in charge of our International Travel Program, and has coordinated trips for middle/upper school students for the past 3 years. Kim and her husband make their home in Cornelius.
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Patty Armstrong, Math, graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS degree in mathematics and computer science and a specialization in education from Indiana State University. She also received her MS in mathematics from ISU. Patty has a broad base of experience both in academics and business which gives her the unique ability to apply mathematics to real world situations. She taught at ISU as an Instructor of Mathematics and Computer Science before going to work for IBM. Since then, she has taught mathematics at the middle school, high school, and college levels, and has taught at Woodlawn since the school's opening in 2002. These experiences have shaped her belief that application and integration of mathematical knowledge with other disciplines are key components of a middle/high school curriculum. She lives with her husband and two children in Davidson.
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Sarah Blackwell, Upper School Curriculum Coordination, is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Furman University. For the past 9 years, she has taught Math and History at Augusta (GA) Prep School and, since 2003, at Woodlawn. She enjoys coaching cross-country and resides in Charlotte with her husband and newborn son, Andrew. In 2007, Sarah taught Woodlawn's first Advanced Placement (AP) course, World History. She has written a mathematical play about order of operations that was published in Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School. As a MathCounts coach, Sarah's teams have consistently placed at the region competition, and several students have gone to the state competition. She has also written an insightful essay on why she is motivated to teach at Woodlawn.
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Adah Fitzgerald, Science, earned her Bachelors degree in Biology from Davidson College, and has taught for the past 7 years at Charlotte Country Day School and, since 2004, at Woodlawn. In addition to teaching middle and upper school science classes at Woodlawn, Adah has led several overnight camping trips. She currently resides with her husband in Mooresville, and she serves as a volunteer firefighter for the town of Davidson. She has also served on the Ada Jenkins After School Advisory Council.
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Cathy Denham, Science/Social Studies, Garden Coordinator, received her Bachelors degree from Davidson College in German and her Masters degree in Education from Queens University. She joined Woodlawn's staff in 2004, and has been the driving force behind transforming our garden plots into a wildlife habitat as well as an outdoor science classroom. Over the past 10 years, Cathy has taught in a variety of local elementary and middle school classrooms, in addition to home schooling. She resides in Davidson with her husband and two children.
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Beth Helfrich, Humanities, came to Woodlawn in 2005 from a family of educators, and she has excelled at every level in her academic career. She is intimately familiar with our local community, having graduated as salutatorian from the North Meck IB program, and then earning her Bachelors degree (cum laude) in Theatre from Davidson College in 2003. Beth coordinates our Drama program, now known as the Red Barn Players. She and her husband live in Davidson with their newborn daughter, Zoë.
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Jerod Jones, Math/Science, has 9 years of teaching experience in elementary/middle schools in South Carolina and, since 2005, at Woodlawn. He graduated magna cum laude from Winthrop University with a degree in Education. Being almost 7 feet tall, he is easy to spot around campus - he's also a big basketball fan.
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Laine Dedmon, Spanish, received two Bachelors degrees from UNC-Charlotte and recently completed her Masters degree in Spanish from Rutgers University. She joined our staff in 2005. For the past 7 years she has taught Spanish to both elementary and middle school students at a Charlotte-area charter school and at Woodlawn. Along with Kim Lysne, Laine has successfully led four international student trips while at Woodlawn (Costa Rica, Mexico, Spain/Portugal and Italy).
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Tim Helfrich, English, earned his degree from Davidson College studying English and Religion. Tim attended an independent school and has also taught and coached at the Loomis-Chaffee School in Connecticut. In addition to being an accomplished soccer player and runner, he is the current owner/operator of Summit Coffee in Davidson where he has made community outreach a priority. He joined our staff in 2005 and teaches upper school English. He and his wife Beth recently celebrated the birth of their daughter Zoë.
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Patty Sullivan, Athletic Director/Life Sports, joined Woodlawn's staff in 2007. Prior to that time, she had taught pre-Kindergarten classes at two Charlotte schools, as well as religious education classes at several local churches. She received her Bachelors degree from UNC-Charlotte and played soccer at the Division III college level. She currently plays on the Charlotte Gaelic Football team.
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Andy Agcaoili, Chemistry, received his Chemistry degree from Davidson College, where he was also a member of the cheerleading squad. While at Davidson, he implemented a science-based summer program for high school seniors sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Andy joined our staff in 2007 and is currently pursuing graduate studies at UNC-Charlotte.
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Abigayl Pansini, Spanish, is a native of Peru who received degrees in both Communications and Tourism Management. After moving to the U.S. and completing her MBA degree, she worked in the business world for several years before beginning her tutoring and teaching career. She has taught at Woodlawn since 2007.
email:
abipansini@bellsouth.net
Hedvika Miller, Music, attended the Czech Republic School of Arts and also received her teaching degree in the Czech Republic. After teaching music and dance there for 7 years, she moved to the U.S. Prior to joining our staff in 2007, she had taught music theory, history, singing, and dance at a Charlotte-area charter school for 6 years. She operates her own music school in Cornelius as well.
email:
hedvika@ludmilamusicart.com
Julie Ruble, Language Arts, graduated cum laude from Davidson College, where she double-majored in English and Biology. While at Davidson, she won both the Bell Creative Writing Award and the Cornwell Creative Writing Scholarship. After graduating, she taught at a Charlotte middle school before joining Woodlawn in 2008. Julie resides in Charlotte.
email:
jruble@woodlawnschool.org
Evelyn Metcalf, Language Arts/Social Studies, earned her Bachelors degree from Ohio Wesleyan University, and her Masters degree in Education from Kent State University. After graduating, she led a group of girls on a 200-mile bike and 60-mile canoe trip in Michigan. Before joining Woodlawn in 2008, she taught a 4th grade class in Ohio for 5 years, followed by 7 years of experience as a Gifted Specialist in both Ohio and the Charlotte areas for grades 2-8. She resides with her husband and three children in Huntersville.
email:
emetcalf@woodlawnschool.org
Paula Merchen, 2nd Grade Teacher, graduated cum laude with an Education degree from Texas A & M University. Before moving to the Charlotte area and joining our staff in 2008, Paula taught in both traditional elementary schools as well as a home school (for 4 of her children) for 9 years in Texas.
email:
pmerchen@woodlawnschool.org
Jeff Donnelly, World History/Language Arts, has taught history and composition classes for the past 5 years at Cape Henry Collegiate School in Virginia. He graduated with a Theatre Arts degree from Flagler College and with a Masters degree in Humanities from Old Dominion University. He has also done graduate work at Virginia Commonwealth and Tisch School of the Arts in France.
email:
jdonnelly@woodlawnschool.org
Bryan Stutzman, Math, graduated summa cum laude from Duke University (double majoring in Engineering and Economics). He then proceeded to earn both Masters and Doctoral degrees from Georgia Tech in Engineering and Operations Research, respectively. After 6 years in industry, he entered the education field and has taught classes (primarily math) for the past 7 years in elementary, middle and high schools in Georgia, Mexico, and the Lake Norman area.
email:
bstutzman@woodlawnschool.org
Beth Schaffner, Social Studies, has taught history and geography classes in South Carolina schools for 8 years. Additionally, she has served as a teacher consultant to the National Geographic Society and coordinator of the Close Foundation Grant for Geographic Education. Beth received her Bachelors degree from the University of Tennessee and her Masters degree in Education from Vanderbilt University. She and her family reside in Mooresville.
email:
bschaffner@woodlawnschool.org
Jackie Royce, Art/Life Skills, received Bachelors degrees in both Photography and Art Education from East Carolina University, which she attended on a swimming scholarship. While in high school, she was a state champion swimmer and won the Female Athlete of the Year award for Virginia Independent Schools.
email:
jroyce@woodlawnschool.org
Jordon Burton, Spanish, received his Bachelors degree in Spanish from Brigham Young University. He worked as a volunteer teacher for 2 years in Bolivia, and also taught Spanish in a Charlotte-area high school for the past 2 years.
email:
jburton@woodlawnschool.org
Karen Bowman, Publications, received her Bachelors degree in Technical Writing and Journalism from Ferris State University, where she also competed in cross country and track. For the past 5 years, she has coordinated Woodlawn's student yearbook, The Mighty Oak, and newspaper, The Lamplighter. She has also coached Woodlawn's boys and girls middle school cross country teams.
email:
karensbowman@yahoo.com
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Angela McKenzie, Head of School, earned her Bachelors degree in Education from 
Dwayne Bowman, Founder, recently retired from the technology/software industry. During his 14 years in that field, he helped build companies such as Apple Computer, Corbis, and Amazon.com, and was awarded 9 patents dealing with information retrieval. Along with his wife, Karen, he recognized the need for a new private school in the Lake Norman area, and founded Woodlawn in 2002. His educational background includes degrees from 