FACULTY – PINE GROVE CAMPUS

Stepping Stones Classes I & II - Ages 18 months – 3 years-old

Jane Lawrence - Montessori Teacher
Jane received a BS in Child Development from East Carolina University
in 1974. She received Montessori training at Helen Alice Higgins Montessori and through World Montessori International. She became a directress at Helen Alice Higgins Montessori in 1984 and worked with children ages 2-6 from 1984-2002. She received her Kindermusik certification in the fall of 2001.  She joined the FSW faculty in 2002.

Susan Willis - Assistant Montessori Teacher   
Susan has worked with children for 15 years.  She has been a nanny
for 6 families, and worked at the Helen Alice Higgins Montessori
School for 5 years in the Stepping Stones Program.  During that time
she received her Montessori training certificate and helped with the Kindermusik program.  She joined the FSW faculty in 2002.

Stargazers - Ages 3, 4, & 5 year-olds (Kindergarten)

Ursula Flugel  - Montessori Primary Teacher  
Ursula’s love for children led her to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education and Music in her native country, Germany, where she taught model school for 12 years and where her family currently resides. 
In 1989 she came to the US and taught for 4 years at the Sunrise Montessori School in Vermont. From 1993 until 2002 Ursula taught at
the Helen Alice Higgins Montessori School in Wilmington NC, and
received her Montessori training with World Montessori International.
She is also a certified Kindermusik instructor. In 2003 Ursula
completed both the basic and the advanced Leadership Training at the Legacy Center in Morrisville, NC. Ursula has traveled extensively
throughout Europe, Australia and the US. Her far-reaching travels have reinforced her beliefs of unity and diversity. Ursula is a dedicated Heifer International volunteer for the Southeast region, and in the summer of
2008, she was the recipient of the Heifer International Educators Tour through Honduras. Ursula enjoys music of all genres, and takes
pleasure in singing in a classical choir, dancing, gardening, hiking,
running and the practice of Yoga and meditation. Ursula is committed
to live long learning and making a difference in her immediate
community as well as the world community at large.

Cheryl Blackwelder - Montessori Primary Assistant Teacher
Cheryl joined FSW in 2008, assisting Ursula with the Stargazers.  She
has an extensive Montessori background and recently owned and
operated Magic Trunk Theater Company, where she wrote and created interactive and educational shows geared towards children ages 3-9.
Cheryl has a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with a minor in Creative
Writing.  She is happy to be back in the classroom in a supporting role, using her creative skills to enhance the Stargazers learning experience. 

Elise Zalesky  - Montessori Primary Teacher                          
Elise joined FSW in 2006 and brought 11 years of experience teaching
at  HAH Montessori School and Wilmington Montessori School.  She earned a BA in English from Chapel Hill in 1978 and received her elementary certification from the University of Maine in Orono in 1989.

Becky O’Toole - Montessori Primary Assistant 
Becky joined the FSW staff in 2006 after spending 10 years as a stay-at-home mom to FSW students Emily and Savannah Cornwell.
Becky holds a BS in Chemistry from Centre College and is excited
about joining FSW permanently after substituting full time in Ursula’s
class at the end of 2005.

Beth Garrett - Montessori Primary Teacher              
Beth came to FSW in 2007 with a combined 9 years of teaching experience from Helen Alice Higgins Montessori School and Virginia Shuman Young Elementary School in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Beth
earned her BS in Science from NC State University and in addition to
her work as a teacher has also worked as a nature instructor at both Carolina Ocean Studies and the City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation.

Renee Zukerman  -  Montessori Primary Assistant
Renee joined FSW in 2008 in the Stargazer classroom. She received
her Bachelor of Arts from UNC-Chapel Hill, and has most recently
served in her role as the ‘On-site manager’ of a busy household with
two children who currently attend FSW. Prior to joining the faculty,
Renee was a very dedicated parent volunteer, logging in more hours
than any other parent volunteer!  Having served as a substitute and volunteer, she is excited about being part of a Montessori classroom
where children are embraced as individuals.

Seahorses - 1st/2nd Grade Teachers

Suzy Boyko  -  1st/2nd Grade Teacher
Suzy received her BA in Elementary Education and American Studies
from St. Michael’s College in Vermont. She enjoys working with
students of all ages, and also has experience in special education,
English as a second language, and in athletic and camp settings.  She joined FSW in the fall of 2007after teaching at Charlotte Elementary in Vermont and Saint Mark Catholic School in Wilmington.

Erin Johnson  -  1st/2nd Grade Teacher                                     
Erin received her BA in Elementary Education and Psychology from the State University of New York at New Paltz, NY, and her MS in Reading
from Adelphi University in Garden City, NY.  She taught preschool for
one year in New York and Kindergarten for two years in Maryland.  Erin joined the FSW faculty in 2003.

Karen Linehan  -  1st/2nd Grade Teacher
Karen earned her BA in Zoology from UNC-Chapel Hill and pursued additional graduate studies in Biology at UNC-Wilmington.  During her
20 year career as an educator, Karen has worked to connect children
of all ages with the natural world.  From 1993-2003 she was employed
by NC Museum of Natural Sciences as an outreach educator in both
public and independent schools with a special focus on grades K-5. 
During this time she created an inquiry-based series called Naturalist
in the Schools.  Prior to joining the FSW faculty, she worked as a
science educator at the Wilmington Children's Museum.  As a
musician, Karen enjoys bringing her love of music and songwriting to
her classroom.  She is a NC certified Environmental Educator and a
Red Cross certified lifeguard who began teaching at FSW in 2003.

Susan Turner   -   1st/2nd Grade Teacher
Susan joined FSW in 2007.  She holds a BA in Biology from UNCW,
and received her NC Secondary Science Teacher Certification in 1994. 
She comes to us with several years of experience working with children
 in both Colorado and North Carolina and has taught dance and yoga
for children for the past several years.

FACULTY –  PEIFFER CAMPUS

Sandpipers  -  3rd/4th Grade Teachers

Tim McAuliffe  -  3rd/4th Grade Teacher
Tim received a BA in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in May 2007. Tim is an avid surfer who has held prestigious titles such as East Coast surfing Champion. He was also surf camp director for the Wrightsville Beach Surf Camp in 2007. Tim has a long connection with the Friends school. Both of his sister-in-laws graduated from the Friends school in 2001. He learned about the Friends School through fascinating stories told by them. Tim began teaching at the
Friends School in 2008.

Sheri Welsh  -  3rd/4th Grade Teacher                                 
Sheri received a BFA in Art Education from East Carolina University. 
She has taught art at the Boys and Girls Club of Knoxville, Tennessee,
and in after school art programs in Carteret County.  As a faculty
member she also helped establish an independent school in Beaufort, North Carolina during its first years of operation. After the birth of her daughter, Ellie, in 1996, she ran a preschool out of her home.  In 2000,
she taught art in a K-8 school in Carteret County.  She has been at the Friends School of Wilmington since 2002.

Great Egrets - 5th /6th Grade Teachers

Jana Jones  -  5th /6th Grade Teacher                                       
Jana joined FSW in 2008.  She graduated from Christopher Newport University with a Bachelor of Art’s degree in English and is completing
her licensure in Middle Grades Language Arts and Social Studies at UNCW’s Watson School of Education.  Jana served as an EC Para-educator at Codington Elementary working with students with
learning disabilities in mainstream classrooms.  She recognizes the importance of preparing her students academically and culturally and counts as her most triumphant moments those times when her
students overcome academic obstacles, gain confidence in their own abilities and challenge themselves to reach their fullest potential.

Daniel Kay  -  5th/6th Grade Teacher
Daniel joined FSW in 2007 with 7 years of experience teaching grades
4-8 in both the United Kingdom and New Zealand. He has a BA in
Business from Massey University in New Zealand and a postgraduate diploma in teaching from Wellington College of Education. Daniel’s extensive experience teaching in multicultural environments along
with an enthusiasm for a variety of extracurricular activities such as
chess, drama, soccer and tennis make him a wonderful addition to
FSW’s team.

Ospreys - 7th /8th Grade Teachers 

Cameron Francisco  -  7th /8th Grade Teacher
Cameron earned a BA in History (geography minor) and an MS in Education from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.  He conducted
his year of student teaching at Farragut High in Knoxville, TN, and
began teaching Social Studies at FSW in 2003.

Jessica Jackson  -  7th /8th Grade Teacher
Jessica joined FSW in 2006 with 5 years of teaching experience and certifications at both the elementary and middle school levels.  She received a BA in Business Administration and Economics from
Marshall University in Huntington, WV and a MAT in teaching from
Johns Hopkins University in Rockville, MD.  Her lively energy makes
her a wonderful addition to our Middle School team!

Bruce Kenney  -  7th/8th Grade Teacher                                  
Bruce received his doctoral degree in Botany from Duke University in
1985 after researching seaweed physiological ecology at Duke Marine
Lab for 5 years.  He received a MS in Botany from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee in 1977 and a B.S. in Biology from Bates College
in Lewiston, Maine in 1974.  He taught marine biology, oceanography
and environmental science courses while conducting research on
marine algae and phytoplankton ecology for 15 years at the Duke
Marine Lab.  He has served as a research consultant to companies
involved in aquaculture and marine biotechnology, and has
strengthened his interest in sustainability and appropriate-scale technology.  After 4 years teaching Science in the public schools,
Bruce began teaching Science at FSW in 2004.

Specialist Teachers

Sharon Ely  -  Art Teacher
Sharon earned her BA in Creative Arts from UNC-Wilmington, studied
art education at Appalachian State University for one year, and then received her Master of Fine Arts from UNC Greensboro.  She worked
in the “Artist in the Schools” program in Guilford County for a year,
taught drawing and painting at Cape Fear Community College for 3
years, and was a preschool teacher at Parent’s Community Preschool
for 7 years. Sharon has a well-established reputation for excellence in
the Wilmington community, both as an artist and as an educator.  As a textile artist, her silk-work has been shown in numerous museum
shops, including the NC Museum of Art in Raleigh, the Mint Museum in Charlotte, and the Sawtooth Gallery in Winston Salem.  Sharon is a member of the North Carolina Association of Art Educators and began teaching at FSW in 2004.

Sarah Howard  -  Music Teacher
Sarah has a BA in Music Performance from West Connecticut State University and is a certified Kindermusik teacher! She is also an accomplished flutist who has spent the last three years teaching music
at both the high school and preschool levels. Sarah joined FSW in
2006.

Laurel Johnson  -  Spanish Teacher                              
Laurel is a graduate of Earlham College, a small Quaker liberal arts
college in Indiana. She has a B.A. in Anthropology and Sociology and
has spent several years studying Spanish at the college level as well
as through immersion experiences in both southern Mexico and the US-Mexico Border. She has also worked for five years as a trip leader
with Teen Adventure, the Baltimore Yearly Meeting Camping Program. Laurel joined the FSW community in the fall of 2007.

Tracy Tertzagian  -  Physical Education Teacher
Tracy received her Bachelor of Science in Health, Physical Education
and Recreation from High Point University in 1994.  In addition to one
year’s experience as a preschool teacher, she has eight years of experience as a PE teacher. She has coached youth volleyball, soccer, golf and basketball teams (and led one team to their league’s championship!)   Tracy began teaching at FSW in 2004.