Our Teachers
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Our dedicated faculty (or teachers) is committed to providing an early childhood program that embraces the individual child’s unique learning style. Each teacher tailors our play-based curriculum so that each child will love to learn and seek to find deeper meaning in their play. They regularly participate in professional development to deepen their knowledge and find fresh ways to engage and inspire the children in their care.
Meet the St. Mary's Faculty and Staff
Susan Rawls
Director
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Credentials
- Family and Child Development with an emphasis in Elementary Education - Virginia Tech
- M.Ed, Early Childhood Curriculum and Instruction - Virginia Commonwealth University
Favorite Quote
“It’s the things we play with and the people who help us to play that make a great difference in our lives.” – Fred Rogers
Wendy Dixon
Assistant Director
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Credentials
- B.S. Early Childhood Education - Radford University
- Graduate Reading Endorsement Certificate K-12 - Radford University
Favorite Quote
“If a child is to keep his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in” – Rachel Carson
Emily Bingham
Lead Teacher
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Credentials
- Speech Pathology - Longwood University
- M.ED Special Education - Liberty University
Favorite Quote
God gives every child many gifts. As teachers, it is our job to discover them, nature them, and help them bloom.
Beth Phipps
Lead Teacher
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Credentials
- BA in Journalism - University of Richmond
Favorite Quote
“Children cannot bounce off the walls if we take away the walls.” – Erin Kenny
Sarah Lawrence
Assistant Teacher
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Credentials
- B.A. in French and Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction both from George Mason University
Favorite Quote
“Children are not a distraction from more important work. They are the most important work.” Dr. John Trainer
Mary Lewis
Lead Teacher
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Credentials
- BS Communication Studies - The University of Texas at Austin
- Certified Level I Catechist - Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Favorite Quote
“Birds in the treetops sing their songs.
The angels watch over us while we play.
Flowers, they bloom all day long,
So why shouldn’t we praise God all day?”
– Unknown Hymn
Mary Curtis Powell
Lead Teacher
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Credentials
- BS in Sociology - James Madison University
- Elementary Education Certification - California State University North Ridge
- Certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorders - Virginia Commonwealth University
Favorite Quote
“Know all the questions instead of the answers. Look for the different instead of the same. Don’t walk where there’s room for running. Don’t do anything that can’t be a game.” – Zilpha Keatly Snyder
Samantha Koehler
Assistant Teacher
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Credentials
- B.S. in Business Administration and Communication - University of North Carolina Wilmington
Favorite Quote
“A person’s a person no matter how small.” Dr. Seuss
Christy Thompson
Assistant Teacher
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Credentials
- B.A. Early Childhood Education K-7 - University of Richmond
Favorite Quote
“I like being part of a child’s first experience away from home and helping them tell their story.”
Sarah Anders
Lead Teacher
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Credentials
- B.A. Psychology - Kenyon College
- Masters of Teaching - College of William and Mary
Favorite Quote
“Come with me and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination. Take a look and you’ll see into your imagination. We’ll begin with a spin, traveling in the world of [your} creation. What we’ll see will defy explanation.” Sung by Willy Wonka and lyrics by Anthony Newly & Leslie Bricusse
Brenna Fetzer
Lead Teacher
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Credentials
- Bachelor of Arts in English and Elementary Education
- Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning: Gifted Education
Favorite Quote
“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” – John Muir
Eileen Beane
Assistant Teacher
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Credentials
- BS Elementary Education, K-7 - University of Richmond
- M. Ed. Early Childhood Education - Virginia Commonwealth University
Favorite Quote
“Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see.”
Jennifer Lynch
Lead Teacher
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Credentials
- B.S. Environmental Science - Mary Washington College, Masters of Teaching - Virginia Commonwealth University
Favorite Quote
“A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning.” – Brad Henry
Amy Nelson
Lead Teacher
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Credentials
- Early Childhood Education, Community College
Favorite Quote
“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” Fred Rogers
Mariana Peterson
Assistant Teacher
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Credentials
- Interdisciplinary Degree - Liberty University
Favorite Quote
“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” Albert Einstein
Kayla Powell
Assistant Teacher
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Credentials
- Pursuing undergraduate Business degree at Virginia Commonwealth University
Favorite Quote
Be the change you wish to see in the world!
Shannon Daly
Lead Teacher
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Credentials
- B.S. Psychology - Randolph-Macon Women's College
- Master in Early Childhood Education - Virginia Commonwealth University
Favorite Quote
“When we treat children’s play as seriously as it deserves, we are helping them feel the joy that’s to be found in the creative spirit. It’s the things we play with and the people who help us play that make a great difference in our lives.” – Fred Rogers
Ashlynn Brooks
Assistant Teacher
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Credentials
- B.A in Theatre and Creative Writing - Virginia Tech
Favorite Quote
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stopped playing.” George Bernard Shaw
