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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 5th-year faculty member.
Debbie Lolla, Language Arts/ Social Studies, has earned Bachelors and Masters degrees in Education from the State University College at Buffalo, NY. She has taught children in elementary and middle school grade levels over the past 12 years, and her primary areas of focus have included creative writing and reading. Debbie is proficient in developing thematic-based units that tie together different elements of reading and writing in a captivating format. Having joined Woodlawn in 2002 as one of the co-founding teachers, she laid much of the groundwork for the school's programs. Debbie and her husband reside in Huntersville with their 4-year-old daughter, Carmen.
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Kim Lysne, 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 9 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. 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, Math/History, is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Furman University. For the past 8 years, she has taught middle school 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. To engage her students in mathematics, Sarah connects math to a variety of subjects and combines traditional instruction with hands-on activities. 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 6 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 9 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. She and her husband live in Davidson.
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Jerod Jones, Math/Science/Art, has 8 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 and has successfully coached several seasons of middle school girls basketball.
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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 6 years she has taught Spanish to both elementary and middle school students at a Charlotte-area charter school and at Woodlawn. Laine has successfully led two international student trips while at Woodlawn (Costa Rica and Italy).
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Tim Helfrich, Language Arts, 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.
He is the current owner/operator of Summit Coffee in Davidson and has made community outreach a priority. He teaches upper school Language Arts at Woodlawn.
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Angela McKenzie, Language Arts/Social Studies/Lower School Coordinator, earned her Bachelors degree in Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and her Masters degree from the University of Central Florida. She has been a teacher in elementary and middle school classes for the past 11 years, as well as a national presenter to K-8 teachers for 4 years. She joined Woodlawn's faculty in 2006, and she and her husband reside in Huntersville.
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Ray Burrows, Math, has taught middle school Math for 4 years in Massachusetts, where he also worked as a Trainer with the Appalachian Mountain Club. Since moving to the Lake Norman area, he has served as a swim instructor/coach at the YMCA and has substituted several times at Woodlawn. Ray holds a masters degree in Finance from Boston College and has partially completed his masters in Education from Salem State College. Ray and his family reside in Cornelius.
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Melanie Bonnefoux, Math/Science/Art, received degrees in English and Theater from Fordhan University and is currently pursuing a Masters in Education from UNC-Charlotte. After teaching ballet for several years in New York City, she moved to Charlotte where she taught at a local private school. She joins Woodlawn this year to teach in the 2nd and 3rd grade classes.
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Melanie Dalton, Humanities, has taught middle school Language Arts at schools in Virginia, and, most recently Piedmont Open IB School in Charlotte, where she was selected Teacher of the Year. Melanie earned her English degree from Roanoke College. She and her husband live in Charlotte with their new daughter, Elizabeth.
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Patty Sullivan, Life Skills/Life Sports, has taught pre-Kindergarten classes at two Charlotte schools, as well as religious education classes at several local churches. She received her Bachelors degree from UNCC and played soccer at the Division III college level. She currently plays on the Charlotte Gaelic Football team.
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Andrew 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.
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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.
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. For the past 6 years, she has taught music theory, history, singing, and dance at a Charlotte-area charter school.
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Dwayne Bowman, Director, 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 