Team+Biographies



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= Mrs. Sullivan = I'm Alyson Sullivan of Chesapeake, VA. Born in Greenville, NC, I grew up in Chesapeake, graduating from Indian River High School in 1993. After high school, I worked and attended Virginia Wesleyan College, earning my bachelor's in 1998. I started my first teaching job in the fall of 1998 at James Monroe Elementary School in Norfolk. After attending tenure status at Monroe, I moved to Pitt County, NC and worked at Belvoir Elementary as a 4th/5th grade combination teacher for a year. I returned to Chesapeake in 2002 and have been teaching 3rd grade in the city ever since. I spent four years at Truitt Intermediate in the South Norfolk borough of the city and moved to Crestwood Intermediate in the fall of 2006. This summer I completed my master's degree through the University of Phoenix's online program and I live in Chesapeake with my small family: Jeff, Alana, our daughter, and a sweet, happy dog named Bear.

= Mrs. Gross = I'm Mrs. Gross. My birthday is December 14th and I teach at Hempstead High School. My hobbies include reading, quilting, playing with my new granddaughter, being with my husband, and playing with the alpaca babies. After graduating from a very small high school on an Army post, I attended my freshman year of college at Concordia Junior College in Ann Arbor, MI. However, after being distracted by marriage and a family for the next thirty years, I didn’t go back to school until 2001. I finished my Bachelors Degree in Oral Communication and my teaching certification through my Pedagogy and Professionalism Degree. After graduation, I started teaching at Hempstead High School. Since then I have taught 4 years of Communication Applications and Reading to those students who don’t pass the ELA portion of the TEKS. This summer I finished my Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction with Computer Technology. My husband, Mickey, and I raise alpacas (and yes, they do spit, but usually at each other). We currently have 29 with four more between now and Thanksgiving. They are the “balance” to my day. After screaming teenagers all day, the humming sound that alpacas make helps is more calming than swimming laps in a pool. We also recently had our first granddaughter. Our son, Joshua, and his wife, Amanda, had a little girl on July 22nd. She weighed in at 7 lbs, 1 oz. and was 20 ½ inches in length. Oh, did I mention that she is really beautiful? Her name is Devyn Elora, which means “Divine Light.”

= Mrs. Phares     = =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"> = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">Hello, my name is Mrs. Phares and I am from Trenton, Ohio. I started my first teaching job the year my son was born, 1987. I have been in the music classroom for 21 years. After graduating from Wright State University, I began teaching in the Madison Local School district. My duties included 5th grade band and 6th grade general music. Throughout my career I have been the director of bands and chorus. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">This summer I completed my master's degree through the University of Phoenix's online program. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">Currently I am a Technology Integration Specialist for the Edgewood City School district. It is my job to help teachers integrate technology into their classrooms. I love to read and scrapbook. I live with my husband John and dog Sunny and my "granddog" Winston. I have a 21 year old son, Christopher Robin, who is the light of my life.

=<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"> Ms. August =

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">Hello, I am Ms. August and I am from the Eastern Shore of Maryland. I attended Clarion University of Pennsylvania where I obtained a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in Special Education. Afterwards, I took a job in Preston, Maryland working for Caroline County Public Schools, a rural district on the eastern shore of Maryland. Since then I have taught 2 years of 5th grade and I am currently working my way through my 3rd year of teaching 4th grade. This summer I completed my Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction with Technology.

I am a mom to two adorable “kids”. My puppies, Jetta and Soha2, are two year-old white boxer/bulldog puppies. They are definitely spoiled. I am also involved with Girl Scouts as a Community Outreach Aid. I have had the opportunity to rekindle my love of scouting and look for the opportunity to devote time helping girls connect with nature and themselves.