Carter comes to MDCS with a varied background. He obtained both a B.A. in English and an M.F.A. in Technical Theatre and Design from the University of Georgia. Before coming to MDCS, he worked in professional theatre and then for eight years as the sole proprietor of his custom metalworking business.

He became involved with the creation of MDCS in February, 2001 serving on both the committee that wrote the charter application and the founding board that began the process of making the application a reality. He stepped in to serve as co-director in October, 2003 and has been with MDCS ever since. He began serving as Interim Director in August, 2009.

“One of the many rewarding experiences I've had at MDCS is designing and implementing the mini-mester program and teaching the theater course. The kids really respond to being in the theater and it is such a great vehicle for math, computer skills, and science. It is very fullfilling to be able to deliver the kind of educational experience we envisioned when we wrote the charter and see first hand how experiential education promotes a deeper understanding of the topic and a much greater enjoyment of the experience for teacher and student. ”

Carter currently lives in Bryson City with his wife, Ellen, and his two boys, Holden and Colyn. Holden attends MDCS and Colyn has gone on to Swain County High.

Jill Blake

Jill Blake comes to Mountain Discovery with 24 years of experience in teaching exceptional education students. She has taught in self-contained, resource, and hospital settings. Jill has worked with students at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. She does not have a favorite group because she says there are wonderful qualities at each level.

Jill received her Exceptional Education Degree from Auburn University. She is always looking for opportunities to grow as a professional.

In August, 2009, an golden opportunity for professional growth presented itself when she was offered the chance to direct instruction as well as EC services. Jill is thriving in her new role.

Jill has been married to her high school sweetheart for 27 years. She has a 25 year old son who works in the building trade and an 18 year old daughter who is attends the University of South Carolina. With her free time, Jill enjoys reading, riding road bikes, and spending time outside with her family.

Gwen Horn, Office Manager

Gwen comes to us from Georgia, Ohio, where she attended school, and finally Florida. She has always worked in administration, and other than two short sabbaticals to obtain her real estate and health insurance licenses, Gwen has served in an administrative assistant position.

Prior to moving to NC she spent 16 years in the tourist industry in Florida. Gwen also spent ten years with the Walt Disney Company, working as an assistant, and six years with National Car Rental, also as an assistant to the City Manager.

For Gwen this has been a truly rewarding position, because she is able to utilize her office administrative skills, as well as interacting with the children and parents at MDCS.

Kristin Schrader

Kristin Schrader grew up in Southern California and moved to the coast of North carolina at the age of fourteen. After graduating High School, Ms. Kristin spent the next two years traveling The United States. She found her home in The North Carolina Mountains in 1994. She attended Western Carolina University and graduated with a Bachelors degree in Science of Education, Magna Cum Laude. She also has a DFA in Art.

Ms. Kristin has over sixteen years experience working with children. She began teaching Kindergarten at MDCS in 2003. Over the years, Ms. Kristin has contributed in many ways to the growth of the learning community at MDCS. She currently heads a committee which oversees the training of new teaching staff and the implementation of K-8 classroom expeditions and hands on learning.

“I am confident about the environment and routine my Kindergarten students live and learn in on any typical day in my classroom. I have been very successful at creating a safe, happy, respectful, and productive classroom community. My students are encouraged to take pride in both personal strengths and challenges they may encounter. Even the youngest students at MDCS learn to make their own choices, have time to do their best work, and are proud to present finished projects with others. I have a classroom full of confident Kindergartners who are very excited about learning. Everyday, parents tell me how much their child loves school.”, says Ms. Kristin.

Kristin lives in Dillsboro with her son, Harvest, who is thoroughly enjoying his experience in the MDCS middle school.

Jonathan Wertheim

Jonathan S. Wertheim is a native of North Carolina. His lifelong love of the theater led him to acceptance at the North Carolina School of the Arts fresh out of highschool. However, his interest in music found him living, playing, and recording in Chicago for several years. Eventually, he became involved in recording engineering in Arizona and Missouri and acts for no one but Kindergartners today.

He is a graduate of The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences and of Western Carolina University, where he received a BA in English Literature and minored in Journalism. In addition, Wertheim has written poetry, creative nonfiction and studied education, history, and cultural criticism. He is the Educational Assistant for Kindergarten at Mountain Discovery. Jonathan is also Program Director of the Junior Appalachian Musicians after school program, funded by a North Carolina Arts Council Folklife grant. He has worked at MDCS for four years.

Wertheim is a BMI-affiliated singer songwriter, found sound composer, and recording engineer. He has written, performed, recorded, and released commercially or independently many styles of music on varying instruments for twenty years. Jonathan’s main instruments are guitar, sampler, and voice. He employs all three currently in a melange of rural styles in a duo known as Moolah Temple $tringband with the distinguished fiddler, Ian Moore. They embrace African and Scots-Irish influences, combining these with Minimalist and Dada conceits in their own original country music and traditional arrangements. Jonathan has expanded upon the notions that he originated as founder/co-producer of the Smoky Mountain Drum’n Bass band, a group that dealt with among other things, the increasing loss of cultural identity in Appalachia. Luckily, the part-time nature of his current projects does not conflict with his duties in Kindergarten or JAM.

While reinforcing the Language Arts curriculum, Jonathan considers it a privilege to introduce students to dramatic play, puppetry, and American folk music, the very art forms that served as catalysts for his own work and play all those years ago. Jonathan has collaborated with Kindergartners on their own original songs that tie into their Learning Expeditions. Children perform and record their own CDs at the end of each school year such as, Farm Sounds and Ocean Songs. Families depart with a document of experiential learning that turns conventional children’s music on its ear! Traditional stories and songs always have a place in the MDCS Kindergarten curriculum. Yet nurturing children to truly create and then perform their own stories, plays, and songs is a priceless experience.

Though he has resided in such locales as Chicago, Phoenix, New York and outside Branson, MO, Jonathan likes calling Western North Carolina home.

Becky Henritze

Becky knows that teaching at this school is a fabulous way to utilize her skills in both creativity and in exploring topics of study in depth. She enjoys singing many different songs that coincide with topics of study, and some of her favorite projects with students have been: a study of the rainforest, dressing up as an historical figure and giving an oral presentation, and using drama and reader’s theatre to encourage reading and creative expression.

Becky grew up in Oxford, NC. Her grandfather was the school superintendent there for many years, her mother the music teacher, and a love of learning flows deeply in her blood. The Webb School in Bellbuckle, TN was founded by one of her relatives.

She attended UNC-CH for two years, then worked a year in Cambridge, Mass. at Tot Lot Daycare, and finished her bachelor’s at UMass-Amherst in 1976. She completed her Masters in Gifted (with a minor in English) at Appalachian State, where she got to take a whole course on creativity!

For thirteen years, she enjoyed teaching gifted and talented students in both North and South Carolina, working with Kindergarteners through Eighth Graders. With gifted students, she emphasized creativity, critical thinking, research, oral presentations, a love of reading, and taking responsibility for one’s own learning. “Become a lifelong
learner“ is her motto. She often told her students, “If you don’t use it, you lose it.”

She has enjoyed teaching at MDCS since 2004. After working with fifth grade for two years, she thoroughly enjoys teaching first grade. “I love the excitement, openness, and zest for learning that these students have.”

Patricia Crockett

Patricia is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and Boston University School of Law. She formerly served as a legal officer in the U.S. Coast Guard and as an attorney with the U.S. Department of Transportation. She has been pastor of Cherokee Wesleyan Church since 2001.

Until recently, Patricia and her husband, Doug, owned and operated Cooper Creek Trout Farm in Bryson City. They have four children which they homeschooled.

Gerry Murphy

Gerry was born and raised on Long Island in New York. As a service project in high school, she worked in a day care center and decided that she wanted to teach young children. She attended Harriman College where she earned her Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education. She then went on to St. Joseph's in New York to receive her Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education.

After tutoring many different school age students up to twelfth grade, she began teaching in elementary schools in Connecticut and New York. When she moved to the mountains with her husband and two children, she began teaching again. Before coming to MDCS, she worked for 6 years in an elementary school in Jackson County. This is her sixth year teaching second grade at MDCS.

Gerry loves teaching at MDCS, where she has the freedom to teach using creative ways to cater to the individual learning styles of each child."The way a child's eyes light up when they accomplish something they didn't think was possible, makes it all worthwhile."

Robin Champagne

Robin was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida. She attended St. Petersburg Junior College and Humana Nursing College. She taught Kindergarten in a private Christian school.

Robin moved to North Carolina in 1995 and attended Southwestern Community College. She started the after school program at MDCS in its first year and taught First Grade. She has been an Educational Assistant in second and third grade and is currently the third grade teacher; she is also the Librarian for MDCS.

Kimberley Griffith

Kim Griffith comes to Mountain Discovery with fourteen years of experience in teaching. Having received a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Bowie State University in Bowie, MD, she taught elementary-age students in New Carrollton, MD, just outside of Washington, DC, for three years.

After being a stay-at-home mom for five years, the teaching bug once again caught up to her and she spent the last eleven years teaching middle school math (Pre-Algebra and Algebra) in Columbia, MD, San Antonio, TX, and Aberdeen, MD. She is very excited to be at Mountain Discovery!

Kim has two daughters, Kelly and Madeline, and one puppy named Roady. She enjoys woodworking, stained glass, riding her motorcycle, and spending time with her family in her free time.

Donna Holcombe

Donna spent twenty years teaching kayaking, guiding rafts, managing, leading ropes courses, and leading adventure travel trips for Nantahala Outdoor Center. While this life was fun and exciting (drop by and she would love to swap adventure stories with you) something was missing. In 2003, Donna and her husband Jimmy flew to China and met their eighteen month old daughter Carolyn Xaioyao Holcombe.

After almost two years of being a stay-at-mom with Carrie, Donna dusted off the Elementary Education Certificate she received from Webster University in St Louis and came to Mountain Discovery Charter School. Many of her friends had been involved in the founding of the school and she had watched its progress with interest. Donna had minored in experiential education and been involved in outdoor programming for at risk youth before she joined NOC. It was just by fate that she ended up in fourth grade but it turned out to be a wonderful fit; she loves both the age group and the curriculum.

John Mordhorst

Bio Coming Soon

Janet Smith

Janet Smith, born in Michigan, received her Bachelor of Science degree at Grand Valley University in Michigan and received her Masters in Education from Western Carolina University. After graduating from Grand Valley, Janet taught several years in the Delton, Michigan school system before leaving to teach and travel in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Upon her arrival back in the States she took a summer job at the Nantahala Outdoor Center that stretched into a 20-year career in outdoor recreation. In the middle of her NOC career Janet went to South America to teach in Baranquilla, Colombia. There she was elected Teacher of the Year. After returning to NOC, Janet was in her 5th year as a Vice-President for NOC when she decided to resume her other career: teaching.

Janet taught Language Arts for four years at the Swain County Middle School. In 2002 she earned her National Teacher’s certification. She transferred to the Andrews Public Schools system where she taught Social Studies for three years. She began teaching at MDCS in the fall of 2007 as the 3rd grade teacher, a mentor and Curriculum Coordinator.

She enjoys being part of the MDCS. Having recently finished a 30-hour course in Reading Foundations, Janet is currently intrigued with learning more about how children become proficient readers. During the 2008– 2009 school year she plans to offer a class for teachers on “Teaching With Love and Logic”.

Randa Jobe LA/SS

Mrs. Jobe grew up in the small town of Jasper, Indiana and from there left after high school to attend Harlaxton University in Grantham, England for a semester, then went on to attend the University of Colorado while managing Mile High Energy, a successful Solar business, at the same time. She then moved to Washington D.C. where she worked for MCI Telecommunications as Finance Supervisor for seven years and at the same time completed her B.A. with a double major in English from the University of Maryland.

At the age of 32, Mrs. Jobe decided it was time to make a difference in her world, so she decided to go back to college to obtain her teacher certification because her first love has always been working with children and students. She moved back home to Indiana to care for her elderly parents and grandparents and completed her teacher certification as well as minors in Social Studies and General Science at Oakland City University. She taught high school English and managed the Yearbook and School Newspaper at Shoals Jr./Sr. High School for five years, then moved to Evansville, Indiana where she married her husband, Timothy, and began working for Signature Charter High School as English, World History, and International Relations teacher as well as maintaining the school's technology centers. Mrs. Jobe taught at Signature Charter School for six years.

Mrs. Jobe has one son, James, who attends MDCS. Mrs. Jobe loves living here and she is most happy to be teaching Middle School Language Arts and Social Studies as she wholeheartedly follows the philosophy of teaching methods used at Mountain Discovery and has used them throughout her eleven years of teaching experience.

Jim Killebrew-Science

Jim was born in Nashville, TN and grew up in LaGrange, GA. After graduating from

LaGrange Academy in 1988, he attended Centre College in Danville, KY, where he majored in Psychology and Religion. In 1993 he began working at an after-school therapy program in Harrodsburg, KY, working with at-risk youth ages 5-13.

In 1994 Jim moved to St. Paul, Minnesota to accept a teaching position at the Native American survival school, Red School House. Jim returned to college after this experience with teaching squarely in mind. After taking classes at the University of Minnesota in ecology and agriculture, Jim settled on science as his teaching focus.

From 2003-2005, Jim taught science at a charter school in Hawaii, with perhaps the longest official name in the entire national charter school system. Na Wai Ola “Waters of Life” New Century Public Charter School asked Jim to serve as Board Chair in the second week of school. He accepted. A few weeks later the school fell into a zoning dispute after it moved onto a 28-acre farm. After two years, several hearings, meetings with the State Attorney General, and a three-hour deposition, the school reached an agreement with the State that allowed it to use the farm for educational purposes. This was the end of Jim’s interest in boards and politics.

After returning to Minneapolis to finish his Master’s degree, Jim worked at SAGE Academy, a charter school founded on project-based learning principles. Jim completed his research thesis on mindfulness meditation as a coping technique for test anxiety in May of 2006. He received his Master’s degree in Education from the University of Minnesota later that year, and moved to Bryson City in June to begin work at Mountain Discovery Charter School.

Jim lives on Wesser Creek with his wife, Vanina, and their two boys, Cef and Pablo. Cef currently attends MDCS and loves it.

Brook Stillman-Math/PE

Brook grew up in the small town of Homer in upstate New York. She was always interested in learning- especially math. Inspired by her 7th grade math teacher, Brook decided that teaching math was her calling.

From 1998-2002 Brook attended Western Carolina University, where she studied Elementary Education and participated on the women’s golf team. While she was there she focused her studies on math. After receiving her license to teach K-6, she became certified to teach middle school math.

Brook completed her student teaching at East Elementary in 5th grade with Shirley Grant. Then she took her first teaching job at Canton Middle School teaching 7th grade math and science. In the spring of 2004, Brook was offered a job teaching Title I reading at MDCS. The following year, she taught reading and was a part time Educational Assistant in 1st grade. In the fall of 2005 Brook began teaching middle school math for MDCS.

Brook has incorporated her interest in drafting into a class that she teaches. She feels that it is valuable to expand students’ knowledge and introduce them to different forms of mathematics. Brook is also one of the PE teachers for the middle school. She loves sports and exercise and wants to share its importance with the students.

Lynn Varian

Lynn Has a Master's Degree in Psychology from the University of West Georgia. She has over 10 years experience working with youth and adolescents as a Therapist with an Experiential Learning focus. In addition, Lynn has enjoyed a 20+ year passion for yoga and has taught classes to a varied clientele. Lynn is currently teaching in the Exceptional Children's Department at MDCS and is Co-teaching the Our Whole Lives Course to the 7th and 8th graders. She is currently furthering her education at Western Carolina University pursuing a license in Special Education.

Lisa Murphy

Lisa works in the EC department and has one son, Dillan. She is also one of the MDCS school bus drivers. Lisa produces a haunted trail for Halloween.

Sarah grew up in Greensboro, NC where she attended UNC-Greensboro and graduated with a BA in Geography with a concentration in Earth Science. After college, Sarah spent almost 10 years living on the west coast in California, Arizona and Oregon working for companies including Kinko's, adidas and Timberline Software. Eventually, a longing for home sank in and Sarah returned to NC where she met and married her husband Matt, a professor at WCU. They live in Sylva with their dog and cat. Sarah began working at MDCS as a substitute teacher and was later hired as an EC Assistant. This is her first position working with children. Sarah is thrilled to have finally found a job that she is passionate about and is very happy to be a part of the MDCS staff.

Anne Jeter

Anne grew up in North Georgia, near Chattanooga TN. She attended Berry College in Rome, Georgia then transferred to Appalachian State University where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. Her concentrations were in child development, environmental philosophy and religion. When living in Chattanooga, Anne worked with the Girl Scout Council first as an Ameri-Corps member. She was later hired on as staff. Creating programs with girls in hard to serve areas was her specialty. Also while in Chattanooga, she had the great opportunity to work with Kids On The Block as a puppeteer. Anne is excited to be here at MDCS so she can share her love of nature right along with her passion for education. When not working, she loves to play with her family. They enjoy making music, crafts, and traveling. She has a son named Ravi who also spends his days at MDCS.

Todd Niedfeldt

Todd joined MDCS in April of 2009 after taking a year and a half off to be a full time foster parent. Todd and his wife continue to serve the community as a licensed foster home in Swain County.

Todd previously worked at Swain County High School as a Behavioral Interventionist. In addition to being a licensed foster parent, Todd has received specialized training in MAPP (model approach to positive parenting), Love and Logic, North Carolina Intervention (Crisis Prevention Intervention), first aid and CPR (adult and child), SAIP (youth sexual abuse intervention program), behavior modification, anger management, de-escalation techniques and social skills adaptation.

Todd grew up in a small farming community in Wisconsin. He served in the US. Navy and met his wife, Amy, while in the service. They relocated in 2005 to Swain County from Charleston, SC in order to help take care of elderly grandparents. His family vacationed in the Great Smoky Mountains for several years and Todd states that he loves living in the mountains and really enjoys the community. Todd volunteers part time at the Swain County Hospital and the Swain County Family Resource Center. Todd is excited to be a part of the Mountain Discovery Charter family.

Jenn Pitney, Title I

Jennifer Pitney was born and raised in sunny Clearwater, Florida. She moved to western North Carolina with her family in the summer of 2004. Jennifer is married with three sons. Her oldest son attends WCU and her younger sons are students at MDCS. Prior to joining the MDCS community as an EA, Jennifer was a stay-at-home mom for 5 years. She attained her AA in Elementary Education through St. Petersburg College at the end of 2007.

“We couldn’t ask for a better learning environment for our children. Mountain Discovery Charter School is a wonderful community and I’m privileged to be surrounded by such caring and dedicated people.”

Dana Hatfield

Dana was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, and her family still calls the Ohio River Valley home. A love for learning, giving, creativity, and making art started early for Dana. She always knew that her future would include those things. After being inspired by a number of her own art teachers in high school, she decided to give teaching art a try. She attended Hanover College in southern Indiana where she majored in studio art and received her teaching certification. While at Hanover, Dana grew as an artist, exploring through painting, printmaking, and conceptual art. During that time she traveled to Paris, France to study drawing, and to Italy to study early Christian art history. She graduated with her B.A. in the spring of 2006.

Dana has spent the last few years teaching middle school art in Indianapolis, IN. Just as she grew as an artist in college, Dana grew as a teacher in Indiana. She became confident that teaching was a necessary part of her life.

Dana joins Mountain Discovery with enthusiasm. She is excited to be a part of a school that honors creativity, thinking outside the box, exploring, and expression. In her free time Dana enjoys caring for her dog, drawing, painting, printing, looking at art, vegetarian cooking, listening to music, being outdoors, exploring new places, meeting new people, and talking about getting a masters degree.

Amy Palo

Amy has six years of experience teaching music and band. Born in Somers Point, New Jersey, Amy and her family relocted to Hendersonville to be closer to relatives.

Throughout high school she was very active in concert, marching and jazz bands, performing on the saxophone. Attending Western Carolina in 1989, she continued performing in the university bands as a biology major. After realizing that music is where her true interest for a career was, she became a music major with a performance focus on saxophone with a secondary in clarinet, and graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science in Music Education, and in 1997 with a Master of Music Education. While there she participated in a variety of ensembles, from the "Pride of the Mountains Marching Band" to saxophone quartet, and even took on the oboe for one semester. She also was a member of the marching band's colorguard for one year.

After student teaching at Swain County High School, she left to teach in the Lumberton/Laurinburg area of North Carolina for four years. After returning to Western North Carolina in 2000, she became the assistant band director at Smoky Mountain High School in Sylva, then the next year took the position as the Director of Bands. Her experience includes working with elementary music classes, marching band, colorguard and winterguard. Her bands varied in size from as few as five members and as many as eighty, with experience levels from beginner (Grade I) to more advanced (Grade VI).

Having taken some time off from teaching for family reasons and to return to school (she has partially completed a degree in Elementary Education), Amy will begin her seventh year as a teacher at Mountain Discovery. "I am very excited about this opportunity to teach at such a unique school. Mountain Discovery is so different from any school that I have worked at in the past. There is a great atmosphere of cooperation and caring, and focus on student success. I look forward to being a part of this great family." Amy will also be teaching computer technology classes for the middle grades.

She has a five year old son, Daniel, that will be starting Kindergarten at MDCS this year.

Dana Hatfield

	Meet Our Staff
Home Directors Kindergarten First Grade Second Grade Third Grade Fourth Grade Fifth Grade Middle School EC Art Music/Technology After School Happenings Calendar Outdoor Education

Carter Petty

Interim Director

Jill Blake

Gwen Horn, Office Manager

Kristin Schrader

Jonathan Wertheim

Becky Henritze

Patricia Crockett

Gerry Murphy

Robin Champagne

Kimberley Griffith

Donna Holcombe

John Mordhorst

Bio Coming Soon

Janet Smith

Randa Jobe LA/SS

Jim Killebrew-Science

Brook Stillman-Math/PE

Lynn Varian

Lisa Murphy

Anne Jeter

Todd Niedfeldt

Jenn Pitney, Title I

Dana Hatfield

Amy Palo

Dana Hatfield