As we look ahead to the fall, I am delighted to share with you the talented individuals who will be joining our team for the 2022-2023 school year. Some are new to James River while others have been with us but will take on new roles. I look forward to welcoming them this Monday as they join us for that day of meetings.
Nugent Koscielny, parent of Jefferson (rising 5th grade) and Eloïse (who just graduated), has been hired to teach middle school French and 6th- and 7th-grade art. Nugent has a B.F.A. in painting and printmaking from V.C.U., an M.Ed. in community counseling from the University of Lynchburg, and an M.F.A. in studio art from the Maryland Institute College of Art. She has extensive experience teaching both art and French and worked this past year at St. Anne’s-Belfield teaching middle school visual art. Nugent’s unique set of talents fit the bill perfectly as we were looking to partially fill the spot made available by Anne Royer’s retirement as well as fill in for Kasey Forehand, who is taking some time off.
Carly Lawrence has been hired to teach kindergarten. Carly has a B.S. in elementary studies from Ferrum College and worked as a lead pre-K teacher at St. John’s Pre-School for five years. Carly has been substituting for us this year and has proven to be a solid professional. She is replacing Erica Lemasters, who will return to her former role as Substitute Coordinator and academic support staff.
Hollyday Marks, parent of Brody (rising 2nd) and Landon (rising 6th) has been hired to teach first grade. Hollyday has a B.S. in health and exercise science from Gettysburg College and an M.S. in special education from the University of Phoenix. She has many years of elementary teaching experience, the most recent being at Boonsboro Elementary since 2018. Hollyday will be replacing Betsy Layne who will continue to work with our younger students full-time as a reading specialist.
Regina Stone has been hired to teach 4th grade. Regina has proven to be a dependable veteran, working this year in a variety of teaching/tutoring roles here at school. Before that, she worked for many years as a 3rd- and 4th-grade teacher at Forsyth School in St. Louis, MO. Regina will be replacing Jeannie Heishman, who will be taking on the role of Curriculum Coordinator here at James River.
Casey Eccles has been hired to teach middle school English. Casey earned a B.A. in English from Lynchburg College and an M.F.A. in literature and writing from Bennington College in Vermont. She comes to us from Campbell County where she has most recently been a Library Media Specialist at Rustburg High School. Prior to that, she taught English at Altavista Combined School. She will be replacing Haylie Ogden who will be leaving both James River and the field of education for another opportunity.
I look forward to the fall knowing we have a superb team of educators and administrators ready to receive your children when they return. In the meantime, have a wonderful summer!