MountainDiscoveryCharterSchoolMeetourstaffpage

This is Chantelle Carroll’s 4th year as a co-director for Mountain Discovery Charter School. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Arts from Appalachian State University and received her teaching certification from Western Carolina University. She worked for one year with Richmond County Schools where she was the Indian Education Coordinator before moving back to Cherokee in 1986. She worked for 13 years with Cherokee Central Schools where her duties included teaching First grade and Kindergarten, assisting in the Title I and Special Education programs and facilitating the strategic planning process.

Mrs. Carroll has been involved with Mountain Discovery Charter School since 2002 when she quickly went from being the vice chair of the Parent Advisory Council to serving on the Board of Directors. The following year she became one of the school’s co-directors. She lives in Cherokee with her husband, Earl, and their two boys, E.J. and Cade who both attend MDCS.

“At MDCS, we strive to provide students with an innovative and engaging course of study where teachers are encouraged to think ‘outside the box’ to challenge their students. Our small community atmosphere nurtures our students and promotes their growth as caring and responsible individuals. It is such an honor to be a part of ‘building’ this school.”

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.

“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, both of whom attend MDCS.

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 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 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 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.”

This is her third year teaching at MDCS. After working with fifth grade for two years, she is thoroughly enjoying teaching the first grade this year. “I love the excitement, openness, and zest for learning that these students have.”

Patricia is an assistant in the EC Department. She 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 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 fourth 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."

Ms. Emily was raised in the tiny town of Eufaula, Alabama. After graduating from high school, she attended Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama and received her B.S. degree in Environmental Geographical Information Systems. This involved using GPS technology to create maps. As part of her science coursework, she studied invertebrates, specifically butterflies, in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest.

She returned to school near Atlanta, Georgia at Kennesaw State University to attain her B.S. in Early Childhood Education. She has taught 3rd grade for the past two years in Boulder, Colorado. Ms. Emily is currently finishing a master’s of arts in teaching (M.A.T.) online program.

She is excited about leading the 5th graders on their next expedition! Their high-energy level matches her own enthusiasm.

In her spare time, she enjoys trail running, road biking, backpacking, bird-watching, and hiking with her 3-year-old niece. She lives in Asheville with her parakeet, Jesse, and her fish, Deli.

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 also the Librarian for MDCS.

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 2002, Donna and here 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.

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 2007 – 2008 school year she plans to offer a class for parents on “Parenting With Love and Logic”.

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 is looking forward to moving to the Bryson City area which she has always loved, 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 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 will be in the MDCS kindergarten in the fall of 2008.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Kasey Nazare

Picture coming soon

Kasey Nazare was born in Georgia and raised in South Florida where she attended school. She spent seven years in Southern California where she worked as an assistant in a periodontist’s office and then spent several years as a stay at home mom. Kasey and her two children moved to WNC in spring of 2002. Her daughter is attending college in New Jersey and her son is a student at Mountain Discovery Charter School.

Kasey has many years experience working with special needs children and children at risk. ”I am very excited to be joining the MDCS staff. MDCS has been a wonderful learning experience for my son. We are both looking forward to this new school year.”

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.”

Corky grew up in Miami, Florida, where she began taking painting lessons at the age of 8. Art was an early passion, and she continued to take art classes throughout middle and high school. Her interest in art led her to receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Art Education from the University of South Florida.

After beginning her career in Vero Beach, FL, she taught for over 23 years in Florida, North Carolina, and overseas. Corky has been involved in local and state organizations to promote art education. Corky has been honored as the Teacher of The Year at two different schools. She was co-chair of The Children’s Art Festival in Vero Beach and taught children’s classes at the Asheville Art Museum and the Center For The Arts in Vero Beach.

Over the years Corky has continued to be a producing artist. Her interests are in painting and mixed media collage and assemblage. She also has been involved in quilt making and still sews when she has time.

Corky enjoys teaching at MDCS and is looking forward to expanding her students’ knowledge of the world of visual art.