Classroom Teachers

Kelsey Beckstedt

Teacher - Kindergarten

Kelsey Beckstedt was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio and moved to Raleigh in the summer of 2021. She graduated with her BA in Early Childhood Education from Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has previously worked with children for the past 5 years coaching volleyball, tutoring, and teaching. Kelsey loves project based learning and integrating as many content areas as possible to really allow the students to make many different connections while engaging in active learning. In her free time she loves to travel, kayak, hike, and camp. Kelsey is a licensed teacher and is excited to be starting her 2nd year at TES!

Nanina Ferguson

Teaching Assistant - Kindergarten

This is Nanina's second year at TES and she is thrilled to be joining Ms. Beckstedt with our Kindergarten friends this year. Nanina lives in Burlington with her husband and her five beautiful children. For fun, Nanina loves to play board games and cook with her family. Her favorite thing to do is travel, she has visited more than half of the United States along with Jamaica, Costa Rica, Bahamas, Mexico and Haiti.

Jeanine Saline

Teacher - Kindergarten

Jeanine Saline graduated from the University of Scranton with a B.S. in Health Administration and a minor in Business Administration. After a few years of working in the healthcare field, she went back to school to get her Masters in Elementary Education and is a current licensed teacher. Jeanine has taught for 16 years on Long Island, NY. In 2018, she moved to North Carolina with her husband and daughter to be closer to family. In her free time, Jeanine enjoys reading, baking, hiking and watching sports.

Holly Crabtree

Teaching Assistant - Kindergarten

Holly grew up in South Carolina and graduated from Clemson University. After an adventure as an army wife that included working as a behavioral therapist for children with autism, living all over the country, and starting a family, she and her husband have settled here in Hillsborough with their now four children. She discovered a love for being in the classroom while volunteering at her children’s schools and spent five years teaching 4 year old preschool in Chapel Hill. Holly is happy to be spending her third year with TES in kindergarten. Her favorite things are books, board games with family, and good conversation with friends. She also enjoys teaching ESL online to kids in China.

Amy Daniels

Teacher - Grade 2

Amy Daniels has over twenty-five years of teaching experience in public, charter and homeschool settings. Born in Durham, she graduated UNC-CH with a Bachelor of Arts in Early Education. After teaching fourth grade in Virginia for a year, she returned to Durham, finding her true love teaching first and second graders in Person and Durham counties. Amy was the Durham Jaycee’s Outstanding Young Educator of the Year, Club Boulevard Teacher Assistant of the Year and also the first educator to pilot a multi-age 1st/2nd grade class for Durham Public Schools. Her enthusiasm for project-based learning and calm presence creates a classroom of engaged learners. She is a current licensed teacher. Amy loves doing anything and everything with her family.

Jenny Scott

Instructional Assistant - Grade 2

Ms. Scott is starting her 4th year at TES working as an Instructional Assistant for Ms. Daniels’ 1st/2nd grade classroom. She enjoys working with many students in a variety of ways and values the relationships she has made within the TES community. It is a great place to work and learn! Ms. Scott enjoys gardening (her father had a magical green thumb), taking hikes in the beautiful North Carolina woods, and spending time with her husband and puppy dog, Oliver, where she lives in Chapel Hill.

Laura Velkey

Teacher - Grade 2

Laura Velkey graduated with a B.S. in Elem Ed from Belhaven College in Jackson, MS. Laura taught in the gifted program through Jackson Public Schools for several years. In 2004, Laura and her husband bought an organic blueberry farm in Cedar Grove, NC. During the school year, Laura was a T.A. at Estes Hills Elementary in Chapel Hill. In 2011, Laura and her family relocated to Fairhope, AL. Laura organized and led homeschool groups for her youngest son and other 4th-6th graders. She then taught 1st-4th grade at a small, private progressive school in Fairhope. She is a current licensed teacher. Laura and her family have moved back to the area to be closer to her family. They have a small farm outside of Carrboro. She is looking forward to family dinners & teaching at TES!

Emily Day

Teaching Assistant - Grade 2

I am beginning my second year at TES as a TA, but I have had children here since TES opened. Efland has been my home since my husband and I were married 17 years ago, the longest I have lived anywhere. I have lived in Utah, California, Washington State, Alabama, and Virginia. Back before my kids I taught 4th grade in Falls Church, VA and then 5th grade in Chapel Hill for a couple of years. Before teaching, I worked in Child protective Services in Utah, and in Winston-Salem. I love working in a Responsive Classroom school and being with the 2nd grade students. My hobbies include sewing, gardening, and canning, but my kids keep me too exhausted to spend much time doing them.

Cassie Roberts

Teacher - Grade 1

Cassie is a current licensed teacher.

I am originally from Mt. Airy, NC and moved to the area two years ago to work at TES. I went to Lees-McRae College to gain my Bachelors in Elementary Education. I enjoy being able to work at a school like TES and love being able to call teaching my job. I love spending my free time doing art, hanging out with my two cats (Sam and Felix), and finding new coffee/boba shops.

Colleen McKenna

Teaching Assistant - Grade 1

Colleen McKenna was born and raised in Mebane, NC. She is currently enrolled at Lees-McRae College working towards a degree in Elementary
Education. She previously worked as a preschool teacher in many different roles. While not at TES she loves spending time with her husband, two kids (15 & 6) and animals.

Kaitlyn Grizzard

Teacher- Grade 1

I am originally from outside of Richmond, VA! I went to James Madison University where I earned both my undergraduate and graduate degrees! Go Dukes! I lived in Virginia Beach for the next 5 years. I love being outdoors and being at the beach! We moved to Chapel Hill recently and loved the change of scenery, but still love the beach! I am an avid yogi and also have my 200 hour yoga teaching license. I love to travel and see new places and try new foods! Kaitlyn is a current licensed teacher.

Laquenta Caldwell-Moody

Teaching Assistant - Grade 1

LaQuenta is a native of Concord, NC and relocated to the Raleigh-Durham area with her family in 2021. She has a Bachelors of Business Administration/Project Management from Strayer University. LaQuenta is in her 3rd year at TES and is excited to work with her 1st grade friends this school year! In her spare time, LaQuenta enjoys spending time with family, shopping, and working alongside her husband in ministry.

Meredith Hailey

Teacher - Grade 4

Ms. Hailey has been teaching at TES for four years in the 3/4 classrooms. She is originally from Boone, NC and taught in Texas for 5 years before moving back to NC. She loves the community of Hillsborough and the culture of TES. She looks forward to many more years of teaching at TES. Meredith is a current licensed teacher.

Laquenta

Robin Thurston

Instructional Assistant - Grade 4

Robin Thurston received her Bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College and her Master’s in Education from Harvard University. Her first teaching career was as a Middle School Latin and Social Studies teacher. After taking time off to be home with her two children (now 26 and 29), she returned to the classroom working with Middle School students with social and emotional challenges. She and her husband moved to Durham from Maine to escape the cold winters. In her spare time she enjoys playing soccer, hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, and camping.

Rachel Harris

Teacher - Grade 4

Rachel is from Minnesota and moved to North Carolina in 2000. She has 25 years of teaching experience in a variety of positions; including classroom teacher, EC teacher, and interventionist. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and Special Education from Winona State University and her Master’s degree in Teaching and Learning from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. Rachel is thrilled about returning to TES as a current licensed third grade teacher! In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and five children.

Liz Varner

Teaching Assistant - Grade 4

Liz is originally from the mountains of NC, but settled in Graham 11 years ago with her husband and 3 kids. She began volunteering at her kids' preschool and fell in love with working with children in the classroom. Liz spent the past eight years teaching four-year olds at a preschool in Graham, NC. She is excited to join the TES crew as a fourth grade assistant. When not at work, Liz enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time outdoors with her family and pets.

Emily Alton

Teacher - Grade 3

Emily Alton graduated from Lenoir-Rhyne University with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, and is a current licensed teacher. She taught fifth grade prior to coming to TES in 2021. Emily loves the values and strong school community here! In her free time, she enjoys reading and spending time with her friends and family.

Joshua Churchill

Teaching Assistant - Grade 3

Joshua Churchill graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in History. He is a graduate of the NC TEACH program at NC State University, and is certified to teach K-6yh grade. He loves teaching and working on projects with the students in Ms. Alton's class! A Durham native, Joshua loves to travel and hike with his family, construct things with his son, write poetry and fiction, read, and watch his favorite shows.

Tash Copening

Teacher - Grade 3

Tash Copening graduated from Union College in Nebraska with a B.S. in Elementary Education and a minor in Business Administration. She then taught as a math interventionist and 4th grade teacher for 2 1/2 years in Lincoln Public Schools before coming to TES in 2015. She became a Nationally Board Certified teacher in 2021. For fun Tash loves to travel and have new experiences. She also enjoys a fun challenge, playing at the beach and a good paddle on the river!

Ayden Ring

Teaching Assistant - Grade 3

Ayden Ring graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Biology. After spending some time working in the biomedical research field, she found that sharing her love of learning with students was more fulfilling. She started this December as a 3rd grade Teaching Assistant here at TES and has enjoyed every moment with the students. Watching their curiosity grow has cemented her decision to become a teacher. In the next school year, she hopes to be teaching upper elementary science/math to share her love of science with students.

Angie Archbold

Teacher- Grade 6

Ms. Archbold loves to instill a love for investigative learning in her students. She previously taught in schools in Chapel Hill, London, Madrid and Valencia. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of East London. As our resident British expert, Ms. Archbold enjoys reading and traveling the world.

Leah Mahony

Teacher - Grade 6 ELA/Social Studies

Leah has a BA in Latin American Studies from Sarah Lawrence College and MEd in Integrated Learning from Antioch University New England. She has taught 3rd, 5th and 6th grades with a focus on project-based learning and racially equitable teaching (which she continually strives learn and practice). She is a current licensed teacher. Originally from Durham, Leah worked as an environmental educator in the Adirondacks of New York, the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and Southern coastal Maine before returning to her hometown to teach. She loves reading, writing, learning about history, practicing Spanish and long-distance running.

Erin McInerney

Teacher - Grade 5 Math/Science

A 2015 graduate of Duke University, Erin has student taught in Durham and at TES before working here as a licensed 3rd and 4th grade teacher. She is excited to practice the project based learning philosophy and to interact with the wonderful families and faculty that form the community of The Expedition School. In her free time, she enjoys watching Jeopardy and anything Duke sports related!

Tara Mortimer

Teacher - Grade 5 ELA/Social Studies

Tara came to North Carolina by way of Wisconsin in 2014 and joined TES in 2016. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in English from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and obtained her Master’s Degree in Teaching from North Carolina State University. Tara is a current licensed teacher. She loves dogs, coffee, poetry, and soccer. She likes to spend her free time hiking in the woods or reading in a hammock. Tara lives in a tiny house on a farm in Hillsborough.

Lilly Pilkington

Teacher - Grade 7/8 ELA

Lilly is originally from Boone, NC and received her Bachelor's Degree in English from Appalachian State University in 2020. She immediately went back to school and received her certification in Middle School ELA in 2022. She is a current licensed teacher. Lilly grew up going to a charter school and when she heard about The Expedition School she immediately knew that that was where she was going to be! She came to TES in December 2022 and worked as the 6th grade ELA apprentice teacher as the school year finished up. This year she is so excited to be back and take on the role of 7/8 grade ELA teacher! Lilly loves finding new coffee shops, everything Disney, and her four pets - her cats Lorettta and Toast (who live with her in Chapel Hill) and her two dogs Pip and George (who stayed with her twin sister back up in Boone). She cannot wait to see what this year will bring!

Sara Riek

Teacher - Grade 7/8 Social Studies

Ms. Riek was a North Carolina Teaching Fellow at Elon University and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Middle Grades History education. She then spent two years teaching English in Ecuador and after returning spent four years in Durham Public Schools. Ms. Riek is licensed in Middle Grades Social Studies, Middle Grades Language Arts, and ESL, is Montessori certified, and has her National Board certification. She also received a Master’s Degree in Secondary Education from Xavier University with an emphasis in Montessori in the upper grades. Ms. Riek is starting her sixth year at TES, helps run Student Council, has been on the TES Equity Team for five years, and has led a travel abroad trip to Italy. In her spare time, Ms. Riek loves traveling, volunteering, and spending time with her husband and two cats.

Michele McDuffie

Teacher - Grade 7/8 Science

Ms. McDuffie is excited to return to The Expedition School! Prior to teaching at TES, Ms. McDuffie taught 7th and 8th grade for 13 years in Orange County. She brings with her experience as a North Carolina Museum of Art fellow in which she integrates art standards with the science standards. She has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering with a Bioscience Concentration from North Carolina State University and returned to NCSU to complete her teaching licensure. Ms McDuffie lives in Durham with her husband and several pets! She looks forward to visits from her two sons. When Michele is not engaging students to think like a scientist, she enjoys spending time with her family at the beach, exploring, boating, and fishing.

Katherine Lavine

Teacher - Compacted Math, NC Math 1

Katherine is a fourth-generation teacher. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College with Highest Honors in Mathematics and holds a Master of Science in Mathematics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Arts in Teaching STEM from Western Carolina University. She is a current licensed teacher as well. Before coming to The Expedition School in 2019, Katherine spent six years teaching math to high schoolers in Durham, Chapel Hill, and the Seattle, WA area. In her more than a decade in education, she has taught math to students at a variety of ages and stages, from middle schoolers to math majors. Katherine is originally from Knoxville, TN and now lives in Chapel Hill with her Durham-native (and fellow math major) husband and their two young sons.

Photos courtesy of Laura Wessell at Honor Roll Portraits.