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NCS Staff
Administration
Dr. Patricia Harris pharris@neusecharterschool.org
Nancy Peele npeele@neusecharterschool.org
Mrs. Peele is the Exceptional Childrens teacher at Neuse Charter School. She is married
to her husband, Gregory, and they live in Nahunta, near Goldsboro, on their farm.
She received her MaEd in Special Education in 2006. She is highly qualified and
licensed in Exceptional Children. This coming year will be her twelfth year
of teaching, which she loves very much. She is also a writer and an artist. She
attends Nahunta Friends Church where she teaches Sunday School to children and
adults.
Lisa Freitas lfreitas@neusecharterschool.org
Lisa was born and raised in Fort Myers, Fl. She attended Carson Newman College on a volleyball scholarship where she met her husband, Renato. Lisa is currently finishing her bachelor's degree at ECU in Elementary Education. She lives in Smithfield with Renato and their two dogs Skylar and Lady.
Ray King - rking@neusechaterschool.org
Ray is a Johnston County native and resides with his family in the home built by his great grandparents. He holds a BS in Social Studies from Atlantic Christian College and is currently pursuing a Masters of Education degree from Campbell University. Ray was the only middle school teacher selected by the Bill of Right Institute to help write and test their new curriculum on the Bill of Rights and the founding of the United States. He has functioned as an adviser to the Congressional youth Council in Washington, DC. He was a member of a seven man committee that conceived and erected a statue to General James Longstreet at Gettysburg national Military Park. He was nominated and included in Who's Who Among America's Teachers, 9th Edition. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Bentonville Battleground Association and the Johnston County Heritage Commission. He is a sought after speaker on the history and genealogy of eastern North Carolina. Ray is very happy to be joining the team of Neuse Charter School.
George Jordan
Kindergarten
Ana Andres aandres@neusecharterschool.org
Mrs. Andres was born July 23 in Manila, Philippines. She received a bachelor's of Elementary Education in Mathematics. She has her certificate in preschool education, and has completed over 30 units towards her Masters in child studies. She has been teaching for 19 years, 16 in the Philippines and 3 in North Carolina. An interesting fact about Mrs. Andres is she cuts her own hair!
Debbie King dking@neusecharterschool.org
Debbie is a Raleigh, North Carolina native and graduated with a BA in Religion and a Masters of Education from Campbell University. She has taught for 18 years in all settings from kindergarten to middle school and most recently at Johnston Christian Academy. She was nominated and included in the 9th edition of Who's Who Among America's Teachers. She has been a presenter on various educational topics at the Southeastern Lutheran Educator's Conference. Debbie was instrumental in the oversight of constructing the General James Longstreet monument on Gettysburg National Battlefield Park. She resides with her husband, Ray, and their two children in southern Johnston County. She is very excited to team teach kindergarten and Latin this school year.
Sheila Bruton - Teaching Assistant sbruton@neusecharterschool.org
Missy Foos mfoos@neusecharterschool.org
Born and raised in Smithfield, Missy has been teaching for nine years. She graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Sociology. She began teaching at Selma Elementary, then attended Campbell University to receive her teaching licensure and Masters degree in Elementary Education. She remained at Selma Elementary for eight years and taught at Fuquay Varina Elementary this past school year. She received National Board Certification in 2004. Missy is excited to be teaching kindergarten at Neuse Charter School.
Elizabeth McGeough- Teaching Assistant cmcgeough@neusecharterschool.org
1st Grade
Leigh Shearer lshearer@neusecharterschool.org
I was born in South Africa in the coastal town of Port Elizabeth. At 6 months of age my father's job with Coca Cola took us to the tiny town of Kuruman and then Kimberley (where the largest man made hole is - they were digging for diamonds!) We moved back to Port Elizabeth in my last year of high school. I attended University in Port Elizabeth where I got my teaching degree. My dad promised his two daughters 3 things in life - to pay for our education, our first car and our first aeroplane ticket out of the country. I decided to go to England where I substitute taught for 6 months. I had not seen enough of the world yet and decided to try au-pairing for a year. I was sent to a family in New York State - to the little town of Peekskill, an hour north of the city. I was there during the 911 attacks. My host dad worked in the city but came out unharmed. In 2002 I returned to South Africa decided to stay at home and teach for 2 and a half years. Then the travel bug bit again and I joined VIF (Visiting International Faculty) to come and teach in North Carolina, where I have been since 2005.
Angela Walker- Teaching Assistant awalker@neusecharterschool.org
Shevaun Powell- spowell@neusecharterschool.org
Ms. Powell was born and raised on the "paradise" island of Jamaica, located in the Caribbean. She grew up in the capital city, Kingston then later relocated to a small town in the parish of St. Catherine (near Spanish Town) with her family. Ms. Powell has earned a three year teaching diploma in elementary education from St. Joseph's Teachers' College (Jamaica), a Bachelor's degree in education from Nova Southeastern University (Florida) and a Masters degree at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is also Montessori trained. Ms. Powell enjoys her vocation and sets high expectations for herself and her students. For her, failure is not an option and all students can succeed. Ms. Powell has been teaching for over seven years and has taught at several grade levels. She is very excited to be a part of the NCS family! Ms. Powell enjoys learning, teaching, reading, writing, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.
Donna Johnson - Teaching Assistant djohnson@neusecharterschol.org
2nd Grade
Danyelle Johnson - ljohnson@neusecharterschool.org
Danyelle was born and raised in Smithfield. She is a graduate from Campbell University with a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. During her college years, she substituted in the Johnston County school system and completed her student teaching at Dixon Road Elementary. During the summers, Danyelle has worked at the YMCA as a counselor/teacher primarily with Kindergarten through second grades. Danyelle is a member of Sharon Baptist Church where she was Vacation Bible School director during July 2009 with a total of 79 children in attendance. Danyelle is very excited to begin her career as a 2nd grade teacher at Neuse Charter School.
Angela Crosier - Teaching Assistant acrosier@neusecharterschool.org
Hipolito (Paul) El Cairo Bueser Jr. - hbueser@neusecharterschool.org
Mr. Bueser was born on September 04, 1980 in Laguna, Philippines. He is the seventh child in the brood of eleven. He finished his Bachelor Degree in Elementary Education in March 2001 in Canossa College, Philippines. He later completed the academic requirements for Master of Arts in Elementary Education in Philippine Normal University. He has been teaching for nine years now. Six of which was in his home country and three years here in the United States. He arrived in the US in July 2006 to teach 3rd grade at Oakdale Elementary School of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools System through a cultural exchange program. In that short time, this young teacher made such an impression on his colleagues that they recently named Bueser the school’s Teacher of the Year. Mr. Bueser says that he connects with students by reinforcing their positive behavior. He believes that "Teaching is not a profession but a mission." A mission to make a difference in the lives of his students. Mr. Bueser is very excited to be a part of NEUSE staff as a second grade teacher. He looks forward to a fruitful and wonderful academic year at NCS.
3rd Grade
Denise Vassar dvassar@neusecharterschool.org
Denise Vassar was born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. After graduation she attended Muskingum College and earned a B.A. degree in Elementary, Special and Early Childhood Education. Mrs. Vassar has taught in Ohio, South Carolina and North Carolina. She also earned her National Board Certification in Mild/Moderate Disabilities in 2005. This is her fourteenth year of teaching. She has taught all grades in kindergarten through eighth grade in some capacity. She taught in Johnston County Schools for the past five years and is happy to have moved to Neuse Charter School this year. Mrs. Vassar lives in Clayton with her husband, two sons and a cat.
Keith Aguila kaguila@neusecharterschool.org
Keith Aguila was born in Homestead Florida but was raised in many different states due to his dad being in the USAF. Mr. Aguila has visited and lived in over 11 countries. Mr. Aguila has a degree in Elementary Education from Libery University and an MDiv from Southeastern Seminary. Mr. Aguila taught Math, English and PE on the middle and elementary levels. Mr. Aguila recently returned from overseas where he and his family served as humanitarian aid workers in Central Asia. Mr. Aguila lives in Goldsboro with his wife Joy and children Abraham and Abby.
4th Grade
Victoria Sumner vsumner@neusecharterschool.org
Ms. Sumner is beginning her 8th year of teaching. She has taught at Neuse Charter School since it's first year of opening. For the first five years of her career she taught in Wayne County teaching grades pre-kindergarten, fourth grade,and second grade. Ms. Sumner has been thoroughly trained by a state representative in the North Carolina Writing Module. Some of Ms. Sumner's interests are traveling, history, reading, and art. Ms. Sumner studied a semester in London, England while in college. She has also traveled to different countries including, Ukraine, Holland, France, Scotland, Wales, and England. For the past two years she has thoroughly enjoyed working at Neuse Charter School and is looking forward to all the things our school has in store!
Bonnie McDevitt bmcdevitt@neusecharterschool.org
Ms. McDevitt is originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, however she spent the majority of her life in North Wildwood, New Jersey. She graduated from Rutgers University with A BA in English. Ms. McDevitt was accepted into a 5 year Masters program at the Rutgers University Graduate School of Education, where she received a Masters in Elementary Education. While in college, she worked at Sylvan Learning Centers where she taught students of all ages. Ms. McDevitt was also a substitute teacher for an Elementary school in NJ, Where she subbed for grades prek-8th. During her graduate program she completed her internship in a 4th grade classroom, and also an eighth grade language arts classroom. While she's not teaching at Neuse Charter School, you can find her working at Sylvan Learning Centers in Clayton, teaching Academic and Beginning Reading, and Math. She is looking forward to teaching fourth grade at Neuse Charter School!
Blog: http://neusechartergrade4.blogspot.com
5th Grade
Christine Rennie crennie@neusecharterschool.org
Ms. Rennie has been teaching for ten years and still enjoys inspiring young
minds. She is originally from Canada and has taught in Taiwan, Costa Rica,
Canada, and the USA. Her personal interests include hiking, rock climbing,
singing, Spanish, learning about other cultures, traveling, and of course
Science. She is very excited to be teaching Grade 5-8 Science and be back
at Neuse Charter School for a second year.
Timolee Dohner tdohner@neusecharterschool.org
Middle School
Alejandrino Q. Rabutan - arabutan@neusecharterschool.org
Mr. Rabutan was born in Cebu City, Philippines. He finished his bachelors degree major in Mathematics at Cebu State College now known as Cebu Normal University and his Masters degree with specialization in Mathematics education at Philippine Normal University, Manila. He has been in this noble profession for 15 years now. Mr. Rabutan enjoys playing basketball and solving puzzles.
Gloria Brindle - gbrindle@neusecharterschool.org
Born and raised in Pennsylvania, I attended Lock Haven University and Glasgow College in Scotland for Journalism and Media. After a few years in PA and Washington, DC working in advertising, I returned to college to earn my Post-BA Certification in Education. A small town girl who always dreamed of travel, I again went abroad (this time with my husband). We taught in Switzerland and traveled for a year. Upon our return, we settled in North Carolina and have been here ever since. I am the mother of eight-year-old twins. I enjoy going to auctions and finding treasures. We reside in the Cleveland area with our two dogs-Potter and Pixie (yes, we enjoy the whimsical and fantastic).
Beth Marks-Berner - lberner@neusecharterschool.org
I was born in Ohio the year Walter Cronkite began anchoring the CBS news (a long time ago). I am married to an art teacher from Switzerland and have two beautiful sons, Henry, 14, and Austin, 18. I spent many years raising my sons, buying and selling mid-century modern furniture and running a house-painting business. When Henry entered kindergarten, I was offered a job at his elementary as a teacher’s aide. It was there that I found my calling in life. I earned my degree over 6 years, going to school at night, during school, on weekends and finally full-time, all while raising my boys, working and being a wife…and I graduated from Peace College in 2006 with a 4.0 GPA! I then enrolled and completed East Carolina University’s NC Teach program focusing on Middle School Language Arts. I taught elementary at a private school in Raleigh while at ECU. I aim to bring an open mind, a positive attitude, and high expectations to the classroom each day. i believe that I owe it to my students, and the community, to bring consistency, dedication, and warmth to my job in the hope that I can ultimately inspire and encourage such traits in my students. I enjoy traveling, tennis and the NC mountains.
Enrichment
Chinese
Wen-Ching Liu wliu@neusecharterschool.org
Mrs. Liu is originally from Taiwan. In 2006, she and her family moved to Cary, North Carolina. She has taught Chinese at the high school level for 16 years. Mrs. Liu loves Chinese culture and history, she especially enjoys sharing Chinese historical stories with her students. She has three boys, so she is a very busy mom! She is very excited to be here at Neuse Charter School, and hopes everyone enjoys Chinese!
Physical Fitness
Renato Freitas rfreitas@neusecharterschool.org
Renato was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He attended Carson Newman College and received a degree in Marketing. He is a certified Physical Education teacher and has coached soccer for seven years. He lives in Smithfield with his wife Lisa and their dogs Skylar and Lady.
Global Technology
Katie Strickland kstrickland@neusecharterschool.org
Blog: www.neusechartertechnology.blogspot.com
Born and raised in Smithfield, North Carolina Katie is a local. She is a recent graduate from East Carolina University where she received her bachelor's degree in Public Relations with a concentration in Global Communications, and also received a minor in International Studies. She lived abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark for a year and has traveled extensively throughout Europe. This is her third year teaching, and she is really enjoying being a part of Neuse Charter School. She loves the Beatles and has a dog to prove it...his name is George Harrison, he is the unofficial mascot of all her classes. She loves to travel and hopes to share her love and knowledge of the world with her students here at NCS.
Media Coordinator
Stephanie Souter ssouter@neusecharterschool.org
Blog: www.neusechartermedia.blogspot.com
Born in Baltimore, Stephanie Souter lived in 6 different states before settling in North Carolina with her husband Chris, 2 boys and Marquise, a golden retriever. Stephanie holds a bachelor's degree and has done graduate work in Communications at Eastern Michigan University. She is currently obtaining her Masters in Library Science from East Carolina Univeristy. She enjoys community service and has served as the Family Services Chair for Johnston County Habitat For Humanity. She grew up reading everything that she could get her hands on and is excited to be working with the Neuse Charter School library. Stephanie resides in Clayton with her family where she loves reading and making ice cream. She also enjoys playing tennis, walking Marquise but hates to empty the dishwasher. Stephanie and her family are loyal University of Michigan football and hockey fans. Go Blue!
Music
Greg Honeycutt - ghoneycutt@neusecharterschool.org
Part-time band instructor, is a native and resident of the Benson, NC community. Mr. Honeycutt received the Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music degrees in voice from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also completed non-degree graduate study in music education at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. Over the years Mr. Honeycutt has taught a wide variety of music courses in a variety of settings. His past experience as a band instructor included duties at Havelock High and Middle Schools, Selma Elementary School, Wilson's Mills Elementary School, Meadow Elementary School, and Benson Middle School. In addition, he has taught high school and middle school chorus, elementary and middle school general music, and collegiate level music appreciation, chorus and voice (private instruction). In addition to his teaching duties at Neuse Charter School, Mr. Honeycutt serves as adjunct instructor of voice at Johnston Community College in Smithfield, NC. His community involvement in music has included opera, musical theater, choral singing, solo vocal recitals, and concert band. At Pleasant Hill Church near Benson, Mr. Honeycutt serves as a volunteer choir director and keyboard musician.
