Ms. Alyssa Belles is thrilled to begin the journey with you at Rea Farms STEAM Academy this August. She loves spending time with her family and friends, reading books, cooking, traveling ...and most of all, teaching! Ms. Belles earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from The University of Tampa and a Master of Science in Education in Special Education from Long Island University at Post. She has had the pleasure of teaching for ten years.

Mrs. Rudisill is in her second year at Rea Farms as a front office secretary.  She came to Rea Farms after 25 years working at a preschool as a teacher and later, the office administrator.  Mrs. Rudisill and her husband Jim, a retired Charlotte Fire captain, live in Waxhaw and have two grown sons.  Mrs. Rudisill enjoys reading, baking and football in her free time. 

Becky Roman grew up in the Detroit area. She spent her childhood active in sports, music and sailing trips with her family. Becky earned her Bachelor’s degree at Western Michigan University and her Master’s Degree at Oakland University. After getting married and spending 4 years teaching in Michigan, Becky and her husband Jeff moved to Cape Coral, Florida. While in Florida, Becky taught as both a classroom teacher and as a Reading Coach. During this time their sons Brendan and Jack were born, and they stayed busy visiting the beaches and pools of south Florida. In 2013 they moved to Charlotte, and Becky worked as an Intervention Specialist in Union County before becoming a classroom teacher at Polo Ridge Elementary. When Becky is not in the classroom, she spends her time running, reading, taxiing her boys around and going on adventures with her family.

Beth Alexander is the middle school academic facilitator at Rea Farms STEAM Academy. She joined RFSA for its inaugural year after serving as a master teacher at the Health Sciences Academy at Monroe Middle School until 2018. As a master teacher, Mrs. Alexander was able to teach English Language Arts and be an instructional coach for teachers. From 2015-2018, she worked as a 7th grade Language Arts teacher at Kennedy Middle School. She has also taught at Carmel Middle School (2012-2015) and Lake Norman Charter School (2009-2012). Mrs. Alexander graduated from The University of South Carolina with a degree in Middle Level Education concentrating on English and History. She received her master’s degree from Gardner-Webb University in Executive Leadership in 2015. Mrs. Alexander also holds her National Boards for Professional Teaching Standards in Middle Level English Language Arts. She loves the Rea Farms students, faculty, and community!

Wenxiao Cheng earned a B.A.Degree in English Language and Literature from Hebei Normal University and an MBA degree from University of Illinois at Chicago. He has 16 years of teaching experience and has taught in China, Canada and the U.S. He alway works hard with his ESL friends and helps them to learn English and enjoy school. He is married and has a son. His family loves national parks.

Hello, my name is Maria Rojas. I am from Peru, and I have been teaching for the last 26 years. Me and my family moved to the US after I got a teaching offer in 2007. I have many years of experience working with ELs in different schools and levels, including Raleigh. I also have some years of experience teaching Spanish in Middle School. Being an ESL Teacher is my passion and I believe that all my students can learn. I am not only helping with the language barrier, but to embrace many cultural backgrounds. Teaching is a thrilling and challenging profession and I feel determined to continue guiding and inspiring my students, but most of all I want to make a difference. So excited to be part of Rea Farms Steam Academy family!

Cheryl joins Rea Farms as a seasoned Resource Teacher/Compliance Facilitator coming from Piney Grove Elementary. While at Piney Grove, she lead a team of four resource teachers, three teachers of self-contained, seven teacher assistants, and two speech teachers. Cheryl came to Charlotte from Brooklyn, N.Y., where she was a teacher of cross-categorical students for many years. She has a master’s degree in special education from Brooklyn College, and is presently a National Board Renewal Candidate. Cheryl is married to Dan, has two adult children, Julia and Jake, and a dog named Rusty. Her hobbies include running, hiking, camping, travel, and reading.

Ally Kleinsorgen is joining the Rea Farms STEAM Academy staff as a K-3 EC Teacher. Ally grew up in New Jersey but moved to Boise, Idaho when she pursued swimming in college at Boise State University. While at Boise State, she received her Bachelors' degrees in both elementary and special education. After graduating, she taught EC in Idaho for two years. Ally recently moved to North Carolina to be closer to her family. When Ally is not in the classroom, you can find her relaxing near a beach or lake, cooking, reading a good book, or finding ways to be active. Her favorite part about teaching is her students, the team of staff members she gets to work with, and spirit weeks. 

Jennifer Thompson is excited to join the Rea Farms STEAM Academy family as the K-2 EC Resource Teacher. She comes to Rea Farms with various teaching experiences in Special Education, including 7 years as an Exceptional Children’s teacher for CMS. She graduated from Virginia Tech (Go Hokies!!) in 2001 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and attended UNCC from 2003-2005 where she completed her K-12 certification in Special Education. Jennifer started her career as an EC teacher at McAlpine Elementary teaching all grade levels. She then decided to take a little time away from teaching for CMS to stay at home and raise her children. During this time, Jennifer worked as the Curriculum Facilitator for Speech Garden Summer Program for 9 years and as an EC Support Staff at Union Academy. Jennifer is happy to be back teaching again for CMS where she can continue her passion for working with children with special needs.  

Jennifer’s husband Jason stands alone in a house full of females with their three daughters Emma, Avery, and Lily as well as their two dogs, Violet and Sofie. Their family is a very busy sports family, as her daughters play travel soccer, year-round competitive swim and travel club volleyball. When she’s not cheering for her kiddos on the sidelines, she enjoys traveling and spending as much time as she can outdoors and at her favorite place…the beach! She also loves to run, and is obsessed with her Peloton, however her favorite times are the days when things slow down and there is no schedule, no sports, no busy, and she gets to enjoy fun, quality time with her family! 

In 2002, I moved from Erie, Pennsylvania to Raleigh, NC to teach at Conn Active Learning and Technology Magnet School. There I served as a 5^th grade teacher, Technology Facilitator, Magnet Coordinator, and Academic Facilitator. In 2005, I married Dominic, who also moved from Erie, Pa. 

Mrs. Robinson-Pope received her Bachelors degree from Fayetteville State University in Psychology. After realizing she wanted to contribute more to the younger generation, she decided to pursue a Masters in Education degree at North Carolina State University with a concentration in School Counseling. She is excited to have found a role that allows her to help children of all ages to become successful students and individuals.

This is Mrs. Heine’s 6th year as a school counselor. She attended the University of North Carolina- Charlotte to obtain her school counseling degree. She was previously a school counselor at Indian Trail Elementary in Union County and at Polo Ridge Elementary.Outside of school, Mrs. Heine stays busy with her husband and two children (11 and 13). Most of her time is spent on a baseball field or watching swimming meets. She also likes to run and read. Mrs. Heine grew up in Kansas and is an avid Kansas Jayhawks/college basketball fan. She is very excited to serve the families of Rea Farm

Mrs. Hinton is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist in the state of North Carolina and holds a Certificate of Clinical Competency from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).  She graduated from the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York with a Master of Science in Education: Speech-Language Pathology.   She earned a Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of New Hampshire.Brianne enjoys building relationships with the students and teachers, as well as being a part of the school community. She is dedicated and passionate about working with her students and fostering progress with their speech/language skills in order to enhance their academic success.  Outside of school, Brianne likes spending time with her family, attending theater and live music events, and is a self-proclaimed “foodie”. 

Hello! I'm Mrs. Gartner. I relocated to Charlotte from New York City in August of 2019 with my husband and two daughters. I grew up in Winston-Salem but moved to the Northeast in 2004, after completing an undergraduate degree in Psychology at UNCC.

I am a graduate of Drexel University, with an MA in Creative Arts Therapy. My specific training and interests revolve around childhood development and attachment theories. This allows me to cultivate both verbal and nonverbal forms of communication through movement and play. In turn allowing for self-discovery, while promoting autonomy and growth. It has been an ongoing desire of mine to bring my skillset into an educational setting. In December of 2022, I will receive a Post Graduate Certificate in School Counseling from UNCC!

My free time is spent with family and friends. I love doing anything outdoors, from swimming to hiking to sporting events. I make it a personal mission to exercise frequently (bike, barre, pilates, HIIT). I also enjoy reading, when I can make the time!

My name is Ms. Oliveri and have been working with children with disabilities for 15 years.My first nine years were spent as an ABA therapist in a private school for students with autism ages 5-21 in New York City. I moved to North Carolina and spent two years as a Resource teacher in CMS. I taught at Winget Park Elementary for six years, first in AU, then in the new Extensions program. During my tenure there, I obtained my NationalBoard Certification for Teaching as an Exceptional Needs Specialist and am on track to finish my masters degree in Special Education at UNCC Charlotte this summer.In the classroom, my assistants and I use a combination of strategies from ABA to TEACCH, and place emphasis on learning academic,behavioral, and functional skills. I love seeing the growth that takes place in our students over the school year! I hope that you all a wonderful summer and see you in August!

Heather Rich is an EC Extensions Teacher’s Assistant. She is originally from Charlotte (go Panthers) and resides in Ballantyne with her husband, 12-year-old son, Lobben, and two 13-year-old rescues, Olive and Bella. She was a Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities Case Manager and changed professions to spend more time with her family. She has been with CMS since February 2020. Heather enjoys traveling, cooking, live music and being outdoors!

My name is Renee Perez. I am from a small town outside of Buffalo, NY called Darien. I went to Keuka College and received a degree in Marketing and Management. When I moved to Charlotte, I worked behind a computer all day. I realized that wasn’t for me, and went back to college at UNC Charlotte and received a Masters in Teaching. 12 years later and I haven’t looked back once! While I have taught several grades, the Kindergartener’s have my heart. I am a 2013 Meck Ed Teacher, and part of the 2014 Teaching Fellows Institute. I currently live in Matthews with my husband , 2 sweet children and one big fluffy Great Pyrenees. Our extended families moved down here with us, so Charlotte will be our home forever more.

Emily Bullard is originally from Greensboro, NC. After trying out a few other states, she is happy to be back home and surrounded by family in Charlotte. Mrs. Bullard originally graduated in Finance from LSU. She worked for a few years as a tax consultant before realizing she was called to be a teacher. She returned to LSU for a degree in education and has been teaching now for 17 years. Though she has taught grades from Pre-K to 7^th, kindergarten has her heart. When she is not teaching, you can find her having fun with her husband and two girls, reading a book, or crafting.

Wendy Mays was educated in Charlotte herself. She has taught kindergarten for 25 years, with 23 of those years in Union and Mecklenburg counties. Miss Mays loves seeing the transformational growth in her young learners as the school year progresses, and the confidence that comes with it. She has three children, ages 14, 12, and 4, who fill her moments when she is not in the classroom

Ellie Mueller is excited to join our first grade team! She comes to us from Elizabeth Lane Elementary School where she was part of the first grade team for three years. She has over 14 years of classroom experience and has had the unique opportunity to teach all grades K-5. Most of her career she taught in Maryland where she was born and raised. She got her undergraduate degree from Elon College (Yes, so long ago it was still a college) in elementary/special education. Then she continued and got her master’s degree in teacher development and leadership and in administration supervision from Johns Hopkins University. Mrs. Mueller moved to the Ballantyne area three years ago with her husband and son Evan. Evan will be a fifth grader at Rea Farms. She loves spending time with her family, going to the movies, crafting, walking and traveling.

Originally from Chapel Hill, Savannah moved to Charlotte 8 years ago for college. She has a bachelor's degree in public health and a master's degree in education from UNC Charlotte. When she is not teaching, Savannah is a wedding planner on the weekends and loves to hike, try new restaurants, and spend time with her two cats, Scout & Goose.

The first grade team welcomes Laura Hasian. She most recently, for the past five years, taught first grade at Elizabeth Lane Elementary School. She has over 23 years of classroom teaching experience in first, second, fourth and fifth grades. She also served as an assistant principal for Gaston County Schools. Originally, from Northern Ohio, she began her teaching career in Oberlin, Ohio. She got her undergraduate degree in elementary education at The Ohio State University. She continued her education and received two master’s degrees in curriculum and instruction and education administration from Ashland University. Mrs. Hasian lives in Pineville with her husband and three dogs. She is excited to be welcoming two grandbabies to her family. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, gardening, reading, crafting, walking and traveling.

Hello my name is Amy Klass and I will be teaching first grade at Rea Farms for the 2020-2021 school year. I am extremely excited to be starting out at Rea Farms and being the first staff in the new building. I am coming from Sharon Elementary where I have been teaching for the last seven years. I am very much looking forward to the change!

I graduated from The State University of New York at Cortland in 2003 with a dual degree in Elementary education and Special education. I went on to complete my Master’s degree at Canisius College where I graduated in 2005 with a degree in Special Education. I spent the first two years of my teaching career in Buffalo working as a special education itinerant teacher. I then relocated to New York City where I taught for 7 years in the special education field. I have been teaching Kindergarten/first at CMS for 10 years and I am excited to be starting at Rea Farms.

On a personal note, I grew up in upstate New York in a very small town named Rome. I lived in New York City for seven years and that is where I met my husband, Ian. We decided to relocate to Charlotte about 9 years ago because we were ready to start a family and we needed a slower pace of life. We now live in South Charlotte, have an eight year old daughter named Olivia, who will be a third grader at Rea Farms. I also have a five year old daughter named Maggie, who will start kindergarten at Rea Farms and Penny who is 19 months old. We also have our dog named Morgan who we just recently rescued here from an agency in South Charlotte.

I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and chasing around my daughters. I am enjoying motherhood and I strive to give Olivia, Maggie and Penny everything I can. I spend most weekends spending time outdoors with them. I also enjoy running and working out and try to fit that in whenever I can. I get up most days at 5:30am to work out at Burn Boot Camp, it gets my day started off right. I am also a very big Buffalo Bills fan and love watching football when my Bills are playing.

Alexis Finch is a native Charlottean and has worked with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools for 8 years. She is coming to Rea Farms STEAM Academy from Sharon Elementary. At Sharon, Ms. Finch served as a 1st grade teacher for the last 4 years. Ms. Finch earned her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2017. She received her Masters of Arts in teaching Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2020. Ms. Finch enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling to new places, all things music, cooking, shopping, and learning new things. She is very excited to join the Rea Farms Family this coming school year!

Mrs. Faltin is very excited to be a part of the first grade team at Rea Farms STEAM Academy! She has taught 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades and was most recently the Media teacher at Polo Ridge. She is a mom to three boys, and loves to read. Mrs. Faltin is looking forward to a great year with all of our Rea Farms Falcons!

Holly Walsh was born and raised here in Charlotte, NC. She graduated in 2017 from The University of North Carolina at Asheville after studying psychology and elementary education. She has taught first grade at Polo Ridge Elementary for the past three years. When she's not teaching, she enjoys reading, spending time with friends and family, and traveling to new places. She is excited to be a part of building a strong school community together at Rea Farms!

Born and raised in Gainesville, Florida, Kylee Cannon is extremely excited to be joining the Rea Farms family! Ms. Cannon graduated from the University of Florida's Proteach program in 2018 with both a Bachelor's and Master's in Elementary Education. Since graduating, she has spent the past four incredible years teaching in a 2nd grade STEM classroom in her hometown. Outside of the classroom, Ms. Cannon enjoys playing with her blue heeler, Ru, spending time with friends and family, reading, and discovering new restaurants/coffee shops. She's excited to explore this new city, experience real seasons for the first time and get to know her new students! It's going to be a great year!

Chloe Davis has been teaching for nine years. She grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ms. Davis graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education degree from Western Carolina University in 2012. She began her teaching career teaching first grade at Spartanburg Preparatory School in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Ms. Davis taught six years in first grade before moving to second grade at Lead Academy in Greenville, South Carolina. She has been teaching second grade at Rea Farms for three years! Ms. Davis lives with her daughter, Gwendolyn, and two dogs, Chase and Poochie, in Charlotte. She enjoys cooking, reading, watching movies, and spending time with her daughter and dogs.

Maggie Lesiak has been teaching for 20 years, 18 in CMS and 2 in her home state of New Jersey. She spent the past eight years at Polo Ridge and ten before that at Steele Creek Elementary. Mrs. Lesiak has taught Kindergarten, first, second, third and fifth grades, with most of her experience in 2nd grade. She has a Master’s Degree in Teacher Leadership from Walden University and is a National Board Certified Teacher. She lives with her husband of 19 years, Scott. Mrs. Lesiak enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading mysteries, working in her yard and anything to do with the beach.

Barbara Palko is thrilled to be teaching at Rea Farms STEAM Academy. She is teaching second grade this school year. She loves spending time with her family and friends, going on vacations, exercising, and most of all, teaching! Mrs. Palko earned her bachelor's degree at Keene State College. She had the pleasure of teaching Creative Writing for the past two years at Rea Farms. Mrs. Palko has been married for 22 years and has three boys. 

Katie has taught in CMS for the past 13 years, with 12 of those years being at Polo Ridge Elementary. She has taught second through fourth grade, but her heart has been in third grade for the last 7 years. Mrs. Grubb grew up on Long Island, NY. She moved to Charlotte in 2004 to attend The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She earned her Bachelor’s in Elementary Education in 2007. She began teaching that same year.Mrs. Grubb enjoys spending time with her husband, Brandon, and their baby boy, Aiden. They have three dogs named Zoey, Harley, and Minnie! She also loves Run Disney races, football season, the beach, reading, working out, and hanging out with all of her friends and family. She is excited to have the opportunity to open another brand new school!

Mrs. Elizabeth Laur is a native Charlottean. She graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in Elementary Education. She and her husband have a seven year old son and twin daughters that are four. She has been teaching since 2008 at Piney Grove Elementary School, where she taught both second and third grade. Mrs. Laur loves sports, especially football and hockey. She also loves to travel and enjoys photography. She is super excited to be teaching third grade at Rea Farms STEAM and looks forward to getting to know the whole school community.

Mrs. Last is thrilled to be part of the Rea Farms family. She comes to our school from Polo Ridge where she has taught 3rd and 5th grades. After graduating from San Diego State University, she began her career as a high school teacher and taught for several years in California and Massachusetts before staying home with her 3 children. Together with her husband, she has a 13 year old son, 11 and 8 year old daughters and 2 dogs. She returned to the classroom as a preschool teacher before joining Polo Ridge last year. In her free time, you’ll find Mrs. Last reading, running and spending time with her family.

Sarah Calcutt was born and raised in Lake Forest, Illinois. She graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a degree in education and went on to earn her Masters of Elementary Education. After completing her student teaching in Minneapolis, she is thrilled to be moving to Charlotte this summer! When she is not in the classroom, Ms. Calcutt loves hiking, traveling, baking and spending time with family and friends. 

Mrs. Lindsey Morse was born and raised in the Midwest (Michigan & Indiana), but has lived in Charlotte for almost 13 years. She graduated from Purdue University in 2007 with a degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management. She later decided to follow her childhood dream of becoming a teacher and earned her Master of Arts in Teaching from Queens University in 2012. Mrs. Morse taught for a number of years in CMS before staying home to raise her three children; Michael, Harper & Nora. Mrs. Morse loves football, exercising, reading, and spending time with her friends, family & sweet dog Charlotte

Kim Barton has been teaching for 3 years, 1 in CMS and 2 in Florida where she grew up. She has taught first grade, third grade and second grade. Mrs. Barton has a business degree from The University of North Florida and her teaching certificate from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She lives with her husband, Kyle, two children, Isaiah and Hadlie and her dog, Millie. Mrs. Barton enjoys spending time with her family outside, reading and anything crafting or DIY related.

My name is Toni Cruickshank, and I have been a 4th grade teacher at Rea Farms STEAM Academy since 2020. Born in Texas, I moved to Charlotte with my family during my freshman year in high school. I attended North Carolina A&T State University where I earned my BS in Education. After college I decided to enter the banking industry where I worked for Wells Fargo Technology Department as a business analyst for nearly 10 years. During this time, I also earned an MBA from Gardner-Webb University in 2008. After taking time off to raise my family and realizing my desire to work with our youth, I enrolled in the CMS Teacher Residency Program to renew my teaching credentials and completed a year of training to help prepare me to be a successful educator. My passion is continuing to work with our youth through education and community service. I served as an Ambassador for Samaritan’s Feet by helping to raise funds for the Barefoot Gala to bring awareness and hope to children with new shoes. I also love traveling to new places, painting, and spending time with my husband and 3 kids, Weston, Ashton, and Carsyn. 

Megan Mehta is excited to join the Rea Farms community as the grades 3-6 Math and Science Facilitator! Megan is a proud military brat and has lived in multiple states as well as England for a few years, but claims Yorktown, Virginia, as her hometown. After earning her bachelors in Psychology, she completed her Masters in Education at Old Dominion University. She started her career in education in 2000 in a suburb of Washington, DC, and joined CMS in 2002. She has taught grades 1, 3, and 5, served as a STEM Coordinator, and most recently been in the role of Personalized Digital Learning Specialist with CMS’ central office. 

In 2006, she earned her National Board Certification in Middle Childhood/ Generalist and recertified in 2015. Megan is a passionate educator who strongly believes in preparing students for their futures through problem finding and solving, design thinking, collaboration, and helping students understand themselves as learners. In her spare time, you might find her trying not to sing along too loudly with a favorite musical, hiking up a waterfall with her spouse and two kids (ages 11 and 13), with her nose in a book, or giving pep talks to the plants in her garden.

Jessica Cosma is a local native who grew up in Indian Trail, NC. She attended East Carolina University where she obtained both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. In her thirteen years as an educator, she has taught students from grades Kindergarten through 12th grade. From 2007-2012, she taught high school English at Porter Ridge High School in Union County, coached swimming and cross country, and also sponsored the SADD club. From 2012-2014, she taught 5th grade at Indian Trail Elementary, also in Union County. She remained there in 2014-2015, serving as a K-5 Media Specialist. During her time at ITES, she coached Girls on the Run and served as a Journalism club sponsor. From 2015-2020, she taught 5th grade Literacy and Science at Piney Grove Elementary in CMS. She also coached Girls on the Run while at PGES. When she is not teaching, she can usually be found playing softball, running, or hanging out near a pool – she likes to stay active and strives to bring that same energy level and excitement to her classroom every day.

Ms. Slater has known from a young age that she wanted to be a teacher. She has always loved helping people and embraces the opportunity to serve her community through educating. She holds a Bachelors in Elementary Education as well as a Masters in Educational Leadership. In 2015, she was presented with the Outstanding Student Teacher Award from The University of South Carolina - Upstate. In 2017, she represented her school as the Emergent Teacher of the Year. When she is not working, Ms. Slater enjoys spending time with her family. They love watching movies, going out to eat, and traveling to new places. She is excited to be a part of Rea Farms STEAM Academy and looks forward to a great school year!

Stephanie Robinson has been a teacher at Polo Ridge Elementary since 2011. She taught 3rd grade from 2011 to 2019 and 5th grade during the 2019-2020 school year. Prior to teaching, Mrs Robinson worked at Bank of America before staying home with her young children for several years. Robinson earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Elon University and a graduate certification in elementary education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.Mrs. Robinson has a husband, Sam and 2 sons, Sam and Ben. Both of her children attend Myers Park High School. She also has a dog, Ginger. Her interests include spending time with extended family, reading, gardening and exercising.

Michele Baxley has been teaching for more than 20 years. During that time, she has taught grades 2 through 8. She has taught in Virginia, Georgia, Texas and El Salvador.She has taught 6th grade math at Community House Middle School for the past 8 years. During that time she has served as a member of the School Leadership Team, a representative to the Faculty Advisory Committee and sponsored several student clubs.Mrs. Baxley earned her Bachelor of Science in Education from Norwich University and her Masters degree in Curriculum from Framingham State College.

I’m very excited to begin my next chapter at Rea Farms teaching Math Grade 8 and Math 1.   I have 14 years of experience teaching middle school math, 10 years in New York and 4 years in Charlotte. Growing up, I always wanted to teach middle school and can not picture myself working with any other group of students.  My two year old, Cayden, keeps me busy. Cooking, kickboxing, traveling, crafting and spending time with my family are on my daily favorite things to do list!

Hello! My name is Megan Jacobs and I am currently a 7th grade ELA teacher at Rea Farms. I have been a middle school teacher for 22 years, and absolutely have found my passion. I am originally from Buffalo, Ny …Go Bills! And love reading and spending time with my family on the weekends.

My name is Bethany Fawcett. I was born in Charlotte, moved to Long Island, New York in 1988 for 2.5 years and came back. I went to Barringer Elementary, Carmel Middle School, and Myers Park High School. In 2003, I graduated with an undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education from UNC Charlotte, I received my National Board Certification in 2010, and graduated with a Masters in Elementary Education from Gardener Webb in 2012. I have been teaching for 17 years. Pre-k through 5th grade. In 5th grade I taught ELA and social studies.I have two daughters, 4 and 7. They are going into kindergarten and 2nd grade. They will be joining me at Rea Farms this year. We have one dog, Duke (and no, he is not named for the college). He is part Boxer and part Great Dane. He is a big boy!I LOVE sports (watching or playing)! I was a swimmer and softball player for most of my life and picked up tennis in High School. We are die hard Panther fans, Charlotte 49er fans, and we love the NY Yankees! I am very excited to start this new journey at Rea Farms with all of you! Go Falcons!!

Aleanna Young was born and raised in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. She graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in History and earned a Master’s in Elementary Education degree from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. In 2015, Young moved to Charlotte, and has been a Literacy/Social Studies teacher in CMS for the last seven years.Mrs. Young and her husband have a toddler son, Liam. She loves spending time with her family, eating out and cheering for her favorite college sports team - the Florida Gators! Mrs. Young is excited to become part of the Rea Farms STEAM Academy family! Shanna Havrilak was born and raised in Vernon, Connecticut and Columbus, Georgia. She has lived in Charlotte for over twenty years. In her twenties she changed course from her career in banking and decided to pursue a career in middle school education. She received her B.A. in Middle Grades Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and has been teaching 7th and 8th grade mathematics in CMS and Union County for sixteen years. For the past seven years she has taught Math I at Marvin Ridge Middle School in Union County and has been part of the Curriculum Writing Team for Math I in Union County for five years.

Mrs. Havrilak resides in Waxhaw, NC with her husband, son (Andrew-18), daughter (Ainsley -15) and her “zoo” (2 dogs, 1 cat and a parrot – all rescues). She enjoys running, hiking with her family and diving into a good book while relaxing on the beach. Mrs. Havrilak is super excited about becoming a member of the Rea Farms STEAM Academy Family. GO FALCONS!

Bharathi Balaji is very excited to join Rea Farms as a Middle grades science teacher. She graduated with a Master’s degree in Biochemistry from India. She worked as a biochemist in England for some time before moving to New Jersey. She stayed home to look after her daughter and son for a few years until she walked into a Montessori classroom and fell in love with teaching. She joined Princeton Meadows Montessori and taught a 3-6 year old multi- level classroom for 3 years before moving up to teaching the 6-9 year old classroom. She moved to Charlotte in 2014, joined the Highland Mill Montessori family and has been teaching 5th and 6th graders for the last 6 years. She also finished upper Elementary Montessori training in the year 2016. She currently lives with her husband, two children- one a college student and the other a junior in high school- and her Labrador retriever Cato. She is looking forward to sharing her passion for hands on learning and science with all of you!

Sharon Mitchell is originally from NY but has lived in Charlotte since 2000. She has taught in both the Elementary and Middle School settings for 25 years. Sharon, holds a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education, National Boards Certification in Literacy, and a Master's degree in both Literacy and Special Education.  She and her husband have a son and two daughters. Sharon loves reading, and writing, and musical theater. She also loves hockey (go Islanders) and football (go Panthers)  and spending time at the beach or the mountains with family. 

Mrs. Williams is excited to join the Rea Farms family. She spent her first four years teaching at Crestdale Middle School, and the next two years at Mint Hill Middle School. She is a huge family person, and having seen how quickly you can lose someone, too many times, believes that family is irreplaceable.

A Catamount at heart, she attended Western Carolina University for undergraduate studies. She obtained a teaching license and Bachelors degree in Health and Physical Education. The mountains hold a special place in her life, and she visits frequently. In all true Carolina fashion, she went from the mountains to the beach, and completed her graduate degree in Physical Education at East Carolina University.

Mrs. Williams will be teaching Health and Physical Education, and is excited to find creative ways for students to be active in and out of the classroom. She enjoys meeting new students and helping them foster a love for health and wellness. She finds that her students are her world, and each and every one of her former students have made an impact on her life, and the way she approaches the classroom, always striving to be better. She is eager to embark on this new journey, because at the end of the day, we are better together.

In her free time, Mrs. Williams finds herself at the gym, doing bootcamp style workouts, and finding fun ways to incorporate that back into her classroom. Mrs. Williams and her spouse have two amazing dogs, who completely rule their home. Mrs. Williams knows that she has found the school, in the same district she grew up in, to make her home. She is eager to start her journey at Rea Farms!

Mrs. Munnell was born and raised in Lima, Perú and moved to the United States in 1991.She holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Foreign Language from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She taught high school Spanish 1, 2, 3 and IB Spanish in northern Virginia before staying home to raise a family. She moved with her husband, three kids and two dogs from the Washington, DC Metro area to Charlotte in 2019 to be closer to family. They are happy to have found a great community here in South Charlotte where their kids, Emma (13), Andrew (10) and Ethan (7), have been able to make many new friends. She is thrilled to become a Rea Farms Spanish teacher!

Hello! My name is Courtney Riley, and I am excited to be teaching K-5 Visual Arts at Rea Farms STEAM Academy! I graduated from UNC Charlotte, and have spent my career in CMS teaching Pre K, Kindergarten, First Grade, Technology, Coding and Visual Arts. I live in Stallings, NC with my husband (a teacher at Butler High School) and my son, who is a 2^nd grader at Rea Farms. In my free time I enjoy creating digital art, working with plants, and doing anything involved with Star Wars. I am a firm believer that art should be fun and messy!

Susan L. D. Smith has taught Theatre Arts in North Carolina for over to 30 years. She taught middle school theatre arts for 3 years in Cabarrus County before moving to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg system.

Ms. Smith lives in Rock Hill, SC and is heavily involved in community theatre. She holds a B.A. in Music and a B. A. in Dramatic Arts from the University of Lynchburg in Virginia. She also has an M. A. from the University of Maine (concentration in Acting and Directing). She is a past president of the South Carolina Theatre Association, Rock Hill Community Theatre, was chair of the Community Theatre Division for Southeastern Theatre Conference, has served at the SC representative to the American Association of Community Theatre and is a lifetime member of the North Carolina Theatre Conference.

She is the mother of two children. Her son, Kennon, recently graduated with his Ph.D. from the University of Florida, and daughter Meghan who has graduated from with Winthrop University with a major in theatre arts and is now working on her Master’s in Education.

Besides theatre she enjoys music, traveling, and is desperately trying to find time to learn more about photography!

Paul Buksbazen loves teaching music! He holds a Master’s Degree from the College of St. Rose and has National Board Certification in Music Education. During his 26 years career he has opened 3 schools and is honored to be opening Rea Farms as their General Music Teacher.
He is excited to continue teaching many of his Polo Ridge students as they transition to Rea Farms, and is looking forward to growing the Music and Arts departments into something very inspiring and impactful.

Parker Comella is originally from Grand Rapids, MI, but has been in North Carolina since he started middle school. Mr. Comella has been teaching band at the middle school level for two years and teaching private lessons on saxophone for eight years. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2018 with a degree in Music Education. While there he studied saxophone under Matthew McClure and conducting under Dr. Evan Feldman. He was a part of a wide range of ensembles including the UNC Wind Ensemble, NC Saxophone Ensemble, Company Carolina, The Marching Tar Heels, of which he was Drum Major his senior year, UNC Men's Glee Club, PMA a cappella, and a co-founder of the UNC Saxophone Quartet. He is a proud member of the NC Music Educator’s Association (NCMEA), National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and Phi Mu Alpha Men’s Music Fraternity (PMA).

Performing music has taken him to stages and events across the country, from Bowl Games in Texas, to Carnegie Hall in New York City. Now as an educator, Mr. Comella wants nothing more than to spread the same joy and opportunity to his students through the study of music that he received and still experiences daily!

When Mr. Comella has free time, he enjoys going to antique stores and finding instruments to fix, practicing his instruments, gardening, and spending time with his family and significant other, Emily Taylor. He and Emily live in Stanfield with their toy poodle, Ollie.

This is her 21st year in education.  She was a classroom teacher (3rd and 4th grades) for 6 years before moving into the media center. She earned her elementary education degree at UNC Chapel Hill, and her Master’s in Library and Information Science at UNC Greensboro.  She is National Board certified in Library Media and renewed in 2019. She and her husband Kevin have 4 children--Aidan (17), Ian (13), Elena (8), and Ewan (3).

Ms. Yokeley is a graduate of UNC Charlotte with a BS in Psychology who loves growing the mind and promoting positive attitudes. A true Carolinian, she was born in S.C. and grew up in both South and North Carolina; hence, a huge lover of football, magnolias and porches. After many years of teaching preschool, Transitional K, and K in church academies, joined CMS at Ballantyne Elementary. After a brief time in Wilmington at Codington Elementary, returned home to Charlotte at Elon Park Elementary later transferring to Polo Ridge Elementary where she has been for 7 years. Being the avid reader she is, has been reading books, sharing stories and promoting the love of reading in the Media Center. She has a daughter and son along with two beautiful granddaughters.

Elaine Meacham has been an Instructional Assistant for about 16 years. She has worked with K-5 grade students at several great schools in Charlotte and the surrounding area. Her wonderful schools include Pineville Elementary, Hawk Ridge Elementary, Elon Park Elementary, Polo Ridge Elementary and Billingsville Elementary.

She shares a love for teaching children and enjoys seeing them learn and grow! Elaine loves biking at the Greenway’s all over Charlotte, cake decorating for all occasions and spending time with her family and with our grand dogs Bella and Gizmo! Elaine has 2 grown children Michael 32 and Whitney30 :)

Joanne Browning has been an Instructional Assistant at Polo Ridge Elementary since 2015. She has supported students in grades K-5 in all academic areas in classroom, small group and one on one settings. Prior to moving to Charlotte she was a preschool teacher and K-6 TA for more than 15 years on Long Island, NY. A life long learner herself, Joanne inspires her students to love learning and achieve a sense of pride in their accomplishments whether big or small. In her time away from school Joanne enjoys walking, playing and caring for her three dogs. She also volunteers at a local animal shelter. Her dream would be to win the lottery, buy a big farm and rescue all of the animals in shelters. Joanne is an avid gardener and works diligently to combat the insects and varmints competing with her for her veggies and flowers. She enjoys spending time with her adult children traveling, restauranting and relaxing. Joanne is a huge NASCAR and NHL fan and enjoys spectating at these events whenever possible. She also enjoys reading and sewing. Joanne looks forward to being part of the new experience coming for all at Rea Farms STEAM Academy!

My name is Narinder Kaur, but everyone refers to me as Rosy. I was born and raised in Delhi, India where I received my bachelors degree in arts at Delhi University. I came to the USA in 2000 with my husband, and have lived in Charlotte, NC since then. I have two handsome energetic sons both the ages of 18 and 12. Teaching kids has always been my passion. Throughout my career, I have been teaching at many levels for the past 15 years. I love to see children grow academically and become good human beings over time. In my free time I love to cook and travel to many places.

My name is Cathy Siliakus and I am completing my 8th year as a Teacher Assistant, including most recently at Olde Providence Elementary. I love working with students helping them learn and thrive in their elementary years. I am originally from New York but have spent most of my life in North Carolina. I am a UNC Chapel Hill graduate and worked for several years in Marketing and Advertising before becoming involved in elementary education. In my free time I like reading, walks, Pilates and Barre classes, and rooting for the UNC Tarheels and Carolina Panthers. I have one daughter, Cara, who just graduated from UNC. I am very excited to join the Rea Farms staff and cannot wait to meet all the Rea Farms students and families.

My name is Carla Propst and this is my first year at RFSA and as a teacher assistant. However, I have worked with children for many years. A native of Raleigh, I attended Appalachian State University and studied Early Child Development. After getting married, I was a stay-at-home mom and had the blessing of raising our wonderful daughter, Kayla. While she was growing up, I was involved with children in many ways at church, including serving on nursery staff, as a Sunday School teacher, and as a youth counselor. At my daughter’s school, I was a room parent and library volunteer for many years and then went on to become a substitute teacher and substitute office assistant. I also worked at a bookstore and in administrative positions at a neurology practice and for my husband’s business. After a move to Charlotte and a change in my husband’s role, I decided to get back to my roots of working with children. I am so happy to be a part of Rea Farms and to have the opportunity to help our wonderful students learn and grow everyday. In my free time, I love serving in our church and community, reading, traveling, and spending time with my husband and our family, especially our daughter who is now married and the proud paw-rent of our sweet grandpuppy. I look forward to getting to know you and your children!

My name is Jai Deo. I was born and raised in Pune, India. I did my bachelors in science(Electronics) from Pune University, India. I came to the USA in 2009 with my husband who is an IT professional. I lived in Atlanta for 4 years and relocated to Charlotte in 2013. I have two kids, a son who is 11 years old and will be joining Rea Farms STEAM Academy this year and a daughter who is 3 years old and will be joining preschool.

In India I worked for WNS for 2 years. After a long break I worked in USA with H&R BLOCK for some time. Also, last year I enjoyed helping kids in Science Olympiad. In my free time I love cooking, reading, watching movies, gardening and spending time with my kids.

I am totally excited to being part of the new experience at Rea Farms STEAM Academy!