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The Little School of
Hillsborough, NC
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Preschool Room
Lauren Caccese
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Middler Room Silva
Stumpf, Toddler Lead TeacherSilva joined The Little School team as our Pre-School Lead in the Spring of '07. She came to us from Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute where she was an Infant and Toddler lead teacher. Silva has a bachelor's degree from UNC at Chapel Hill in German and received her 4 year Early Childhood training in her second favorite town of Freiburg, Germany, where she lived from 1990-98. Before returning to the U.S. she taught as lead teacher in pre-school (= German Kindergarten). Silva is passionate about Reggio programming and improving educational outcomes for all the Little School children.  Denny Wilkerson
My name is Denny Wilkerson. I came to The Little School in January
of 2007 after leaving Lakewood Avenue Children's School in Durham,
where I was a floater. In May of 2005, I graduated from UNC-Chapel
Hill, where I got a BA in philosophy and psychology. Now, I am
taking education classes at Alamance Community College. I am almost
a local - I don't know Hillsborough well, but I grew up in Durham
and moved to Chapel Hill in 2001 for college. I've worked with kids
ever since I was a kid myself. I started baby-sitting in middle
school and worked my way through college baby-sitting, plus I have
worked at Camp New Hope and volunteered at the Durham Arts Council
camp.Since August of 2002, I've been working at University Presbyterian Church in Chapel Hill taking care of the children during the church services. Though I've always lived around here, I have traveled to Mexico, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic to volunteer doing building work and working in orphanages or children's homes, and I've traveled to Italy as a tourist. I'm a fan of UNC basketball and will confess to teaching your children to say "Go Tar Heels!" or sing Carolina's alma mater. I like to swim, hike, and read and can occasionally be found being craftsy, especially making paper. I enjoy going to the Really Really Free Market in Carrboro and being a pack rat. In the summer, I spend much of my free time picking blackberries wherever I can find them. I love being at The Little School. I especially love that children have many opportunities to be creative and that the activities are more child-centered than teacher-centered or schedule-centered. I enjoy reading about educational philosophy and have especially enjoyed reading John Holt's books and A S. Neill's book "Summerhill." My last school was also a Reggio-inspired school, and I look forward to continuing to learn about this philosophy and to seeing your children grow!  Jessica
Page
I have been working with children for about ten years. I started
baby sitting when I was twelve years old until I moved away for
college. I am originally from Rochester NY but in the past four
years I have lived in Ohio ,then New York , and now North Carolina.
I began my undergrad at Kent State University and then transferred
to the University at Buffalo. I graduated in May of 2008 with a BA
in psychology, and a BA in philosophy. While attending school in NY,
I participated in three years of research and in clinical and social
psychology. I was also fortunate enough to work at Summit
Educational Resources in Amherst NY. I started out as an intern and
was then employed to collect data on children from three different
classrooms. I enjoy working with children because they have young
developing minds and can be impacted upon so easily. In January I
will begin taking classes towards my PhD in philosophy at UNC at
Chapel Hill. I love going to school and cannot imagine my life
without belonging to a school. I have always had great teachers that
made a difference in my education which truly inspires me to
encourage and educate others.
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Toddler Room
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Infant
Room Shannon Borland,
Infant Lead TeacherShannon Borland has been with the Little School since it opened its doors in 2005. Originally an assistant teacher in the Middler Room, Miss Shannon is now the Infant Room lead teacher. Shannon has worked with children in many capacities in the past including running a home-based child care center, working as a para-professional with children with autism, and as an assistant teacher in another local center. Shannon is a very creative person who can tackle nearly any task from building furniture, to sewing, to wedding cake creation. In her spare time, Shannon likes to be at home with her family and her dogs! Brandie Hayes Miss Brandie came to the Little School from the Tiny Tots center in Hillsborough in January of 2008. As an assistant teacher in the Middler Classroom, Miss Brandie is the leader of a care group as well as a very vibrant member of the Middler Team. Miss Brandie has worked in childcare for seven years in a variety of capacities while she is simultaneously pursuing her degree in teaching. In her spare time, Miss Brandie is a very active member of the youth group at her church and a devoted aunt to her nieces and nephews. In the future, Miss Brandie hopes to transition to elementary school teaching. Chelsea Gates My name is Chelsea Gates and I am 23 years old. I am working as a co-teacher in the infant room. This is my first time working with this age group and I love it! I have a 2 year-old child of my own. Her name is Ruby and she is a miniature weenie dog, or Daschund, and she is the love of my life. I am furthering my education in child development and focusing on a degree in early childhood education. I am a very family oriented person. I love hanging out with my toddler nephew and watching him grow. In my free time, you can usually find me cruising on a boat at the lake, reading a book on the beach at Emerald Isle, or riding four wheelers in Orange Grove. I am extremely excited to work at The Little School and build relationships with all these special children and families, all the while looking forward to growing at the new establishment. | ||||||||||||
Half -Day Classroom Sean KehoeSean is a new resident to North Carolina having moved last year from his home state of Minnesota. Sean began at the Little School in February of 2006 as the go-to-guy helping out wherever needed. When a teaching position became available in the preschool Sean immediately enrolled in the North Carolina-required coursework for teachers and applied for the job. Sean began in the preschool room in August of 2006. To the children, Mr. Sean is the gravel pit builder, playground fixer, story reader and naptime friend. The children and parents adore him and he in turn loves his job at the Little School. In the past, Sean has worked as a volunteer and as paid staff for 3 years in a Minneapolis-based child care center offering respite care to homeless and impoverished children. Sean has also worked as a babysitter and a nanny. Sean is completing his freshman year of college and looks forward to earning his bachelors and beyond. | ||||||||||||
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Special Friends Ms. Mimi  Miss Mary (also known as Miss Mimi
to the children) has been a very special friend of the Little School
since its inception in 2005. In fact, Miss Mary was here as a helper
on our very first day! Miss Mary is a former speech therapist working with the Urban League in Colorado where she resided until re-locating to North Carolina in 2005. Miss Mary has also worked as a caterer in the past., a fact that is obvious to all of us at the Little School as she often arrives in the morning carrying something delicious for the entire staff to eat.
Miss Mary is also a master gardener, working behind the scenes with
the children to expand the Little School gardens. According to Miss
Mary, working in the garden fosters a sense of the importance of
caring for things, nurturing their growth and seeing things come to
fruition that is particularly significant in early childhood. Her
love of working with children in the garden is a tradition carried
over from her time at the Urban League where the children were very
poor and their gardens together were often the only gardens in the
children's lives. | ||||||||||||
I've known since I was very young that I wanted to work with kids. I
come from a family of teachers who have inspired me constantly! I
have been working with children in various settings since I was
almost a
child myself. I was a babysitter and nanny throughout high school
and college. I went to college to become an elementary school
teacher. I took many education classes and concentrated in special
education and full inclusion. I ended with a B.A. in psychology. A
few things I have done include working at daycare centers, as a big
sister volunteer, as a camp counselor, as a teacher, and as an
AmeriCorps volunteer for a year starting and running an after school
tutoring program.
Blair
Waggett joined the Little School in September of 2009 and is an
assistant for the preschool room. He came to us from New Hope
Elementary School where he was a fifth grade teacher for two years.
Before being at New Hope he had teaching experiences at Efland
Cheeks Elementary School, Frank Porter Graham Elementary School, and
McDougle Elementary School. Blair graduated from UNC at Chapel Hill
in 2007 with a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education with a focus
on Social Studies. While being at UNC he played 3 years of varsity
baseball and transferred to Campbell University where he continued
his study of Education and finished his baseball career.
