Meet the Virtual I-SS Teachers
Amanda Sarver
Spanish I and II
I've been teaching for ISS for five years, all at South Iredell High School. I have been teaching virtually for four years. I teach Spanish 1 and 2 online but Spanish 1-3 at South. Prior to working in ISS, I taught in MGSD and in Virginia.
Lydia Dancy
Interior Design
My name is Lydia Dancy and I graduated from Appalachian State University in 2021 with a degree in Career and Technical Education- Family and Consumer Sciences. I have been teaching at South Iredell High School for over 3 years now and have been teaching through VISS for 2 years. I teach Interior Design Fundamentals and Interior Design Studio.
Heather Dougherty
Chemistry and Chemistry Honors
Hello, my name is Heather Dougherty and I teach Chemistry for VISS and AP Chemistry and IB Physics at South Iredell High School. I graduated from NCSU with degrees in science education and Chemistry. After working at Outback Steakhouse for 12 years and being a stay at home mom for a few years, I decided to return to teaching and got a Master's Degree in Teacher Leadership from UOP. I have a husband and 3 children. I love all things science nerdy, Harry Potter, anything pink, and the beach.
Jonna Ramsey
Math II and Math II Honors
Math II Yearlong
My name is Jonna Ramsey and I have taught high school math for 18 years. I am happily married to my husband, Trey Ramsey, and we have two girls, Alexis and Payton. I teach face to face at Lake Norman High School and have taught everything from Math 1 through AP Statistics. I love teaching and coaching volleyball and I'm excited to get to know my students each semester, both in person and online.
Alicia Conklin
Math III
Alicia has a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Mathematics Instruction from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.
She has taught high school mathematics for the last 14 years. She currently works as a High School Instructional Math Coach in Iredell County. Alicia has provided insight to the Iredell County High School Math Curriculum Guides and worked in collaboration with the state to develop instructional frameworks and resources for various high school math courses and has been a presenter at NCCTM. She is married to Benjamin Conklin (a Social Studies teacher at WIHS and fellow VISS Instructor) and they have 2 children.
Paula Dusharm
Anatomy Honors
Biology
As a Biology major and a Certified Medical Technologist( ASPC), I have extensive experience in the medical field concentrating on the specialties of Chemical, Urinary and Hematological analysis of blood and how it correlates to disease. I have crossmatched blood in a Blood Bank and worked in the Microbiology department of a local hospital for many years. My teaching experience includes teaching Science at Lakeshore Middle School. I also have taught Biology as well as Anatomy and Physiology at Lake Norman High School. I spend my spare time traveling to the mountains with my two aussiedoodles to camp hike, kayak, bike and explore nature.
Sandra McAuley
Math I
Hi! I'm Sandy McAuley and I've been teaching math for 26 years.
I have taught every math course from 7th grade math to Honors Pre-Calculus. Math 1 and Honors Pre-Calculus are my favorites!
When not playing with numbers, you'll find me hanging out with my family, especially my grandson.
Emily Mathew
AP Human Geography
Emily has a Bachelor’s of Art Degree in History and a minor in Secondary Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Emily is a Mooresville native and graduated from the Iredell Statesville Schools System before returning to teach at West Iredell High School and her alma mater, Lake Norman High School. She loves all things history and helping students understand how the world is interconnected with the past.
Catherine Baker
English II
Catherine Baker earned her undergraduate degree in Communications concentrating in journalism from Appalachian State and a Master of Arts in Teaching (Secondary Education English) from UNC-Charlotte. She has been with Iredell Statesville Schools since 2010 teaching all levels of high school English. She is entering her 7th year teaching face to face, but she is also going into her third year teaching virtually. Catherine has served as a Curriculum Development Leader for eleventh grade for ISS, and she has written the English I and English II curriculum for VISS. She plan to always continue her education while also caring for her husband, two children, and two pugs.
Genevieve Hays
Middle School Math 6th, 7th and 8th
Hi My name is Genevieve Hays, and I am in my 5th year of teaching in North Carolina. I received my undergraduate degree from Central Penn College in. Summerdale, Pennsylvania. I teach 4th and 5th grade classes for the I-SS Virtual Academy.
In 2019 my family moved from Pennsylvania to Mooresville. I am also a mom to an 18yr old, 8yr old, and 6yr old. In my free time I love to travel, garden, and read.
Don Beatty
Drafting I
Mr. Beatty holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from Gardner-Webb University and has been teaching drafting at Lake Norman High since 2007. He began his drafting career in 1988 spending the majority of his pre-teaching career with large telecommunications companies as a mechanical designer/project manager developing satellite earth stations, terrestrial point to point microwave antennas and cellular base station antennas. He has also used AutoCAD to create blueprints for over 150 new homes constructed in NC.
Chris Carroll
Sports Marketing
Chris teaches Personal Finance and Sports & Entertainment Marketing I & II at Lake Norman High School. He has been at Lake Norman since 2007 and at Olympic High School and Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology for the previous six years. Prior to teaching Chris worked in professional sports for the Columbus Clippers, Charlotte Knights, and Carolina Panthers. He still works part-time for the Panthers in event operations and he works for the Wells Fargo Championship each May. Chris graduated from Western Carolina University with a B.A. and Ohio State University with a M.A. Chris likes to travel, attend sporting events and go to the beach with his wife Lezlie, who is also a Virtual Online Teacher.
Kathryn Cogdell
Accounting
Kathryn has a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Education and a Minor in Marketing from Appalachian State University. Kathryn began her teaching career in 2012 at North Gaston High School. After moving to Mooresville in 2013 she began teaching at Lake Norman High school and has enjoyed growing the accounting program ever since.
Tanya Topazio
Adobe Visual Design and Adobe Video Design
A graduate of Emerson College in Boston for Television and Film production, I have worked on productions in Los Angeles, NYC, Charlotte and throughout New England. After years of freelancing I found my former high school was hiring a video teacher. Thus began my teaching career! I currently teach digital filmmaking, television studio production, and audio/radio production at CATS, as well as graphic design and video editing online for VISS. I love working with creative students to bring out their inner digital artist.
Outside of school I enjoy time on the lake or at the beach. I am a signed actress with Marilyn's agency, teach group fitness courses, and own a small business. I've also been known to enter a pageant or two :)
Charles M Francisco
Forensic Science
Charles is the science department chair at Statesville High School where he has taught a variety of science classes over the years including Chemistry, Physics, AP Physics, Earth Science, Physical Science, Forensic Science, along with Advanced Functions and Modeling in the math department. Charles's favorite courses are Physics and AP Physics which he has been teaching for over 30 years. In a close second place is Forensic Science due to how all the other science courses come into play in the Forensic Science class.
Lauryn Johnson
Grades 2nd and 3rd
Lauryn has a Bachelor’s of Science in Elementary Education and a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Educational Technology. She also has an ESL K-12 certification. Lauryn began her career in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, continuing later in Cabarrus County, NC. Her family relocated to Mooresville in 2021 and she soon became a part of the ISSVA family. Her passion is teaching the whole child and building positive relationships that will impact a student’s character development and academic growth.
Krista Kerley
Elementary Health and PE
I graduated from Appalachian State University with a bachelors in Physical Education and health. I went on to gain my masters in Instructional technology and received my National Boards. I've been teaching Elementary PE for 15 years. I am a dog mom and his name is Gabe. He thinks he is a human. I look forward to another great year teaching PE VISS
Bruce Macartney
Python Programming
Bruce has been an educator for twenty years with experience in many areas of STE(A)M. He has a Bachelor’s in biology, construction trades as well as a Master’s in Education. Bruce has spent most of his teaching career teaching science (biology, chemistry, and physical science) and engineering (drafting/CAD, robotics, and construction) in Michigan, Costa Rica, The Bahamas, and now in North Carolina. He is excited to pass on his love for learning new and challenging things!
Leslie Plyler
French I, II, III, IV, V
Middle School French
Qui est Madame Plyler?
I have been teaching French in Iredell-Statesville Schools since 1990! I have been at Statesville High School since 2000. Before Statesville High School, I taught at North Iredell High School. I am a proud graduate of the University of Georgia where I received a B.S. Ed in Foreign Language and Louisiana State University with a Master's in Foreign Language Education. I received my ESL certification from NC State. I am very excited to be teaching in the Virtual ISS!
Lezlie Carroll
Earth and Environmental Science
Lezlie Carroll teaches science for Iredell-Statesville Schools. She attended the University of Saskatchewan for her undergraduate degrees, Lenoir-Rhyne for her Masters on Online Teaching and Instructional Design, and Illinois State for her Masters of Chemistry Education. She enjoys reading, travelling, walking, exploring, and hot, sunny weather at the beach and on the lake! Her husband, Chris, is also a teacher, and they have a dog named Gretzky (after the greatest hockey player ever!).
Trish Loudermilt
Earth and Environmental Science
Mrs. Trish Loudermilt graduated from West Iredell High School and Mitchell Community College. She earned a B.S. from Gardner-Webb University, and a M.A. from UNC Charlotte. She held National Board of Professional Teaching Standards status from 2003-2013. Mrs. Loudermilt taught grades 3-11 for 30 years, all in Iredell County. She spent one year on a Fulbright teaching exchange to England and four years as an Instructional Technology Specialist for the ISS district.Mrs. Loudermilt retired from full-time face-to-face teaching in Jan. 2014. She continues to sub in the ISS district and work with the ISS Virtual Learning team. She has been an online teacher and course developer since 2008.
Stephanie Harris
English IV
I have worked for Iredell-Statesville schools for over 14 years. I currently work as an assistant principal at The Brawley School. I have two masters degrees -- one in English and one in educational administration. I started my career in alternative education before serving as an English teacher at Lake Norman High School. In between teaching and becoming an assistant principal, I worked as an English instructional coach serving middle and high schools across ISS
I grew up in Iredell County and attended West Iredell High School. In my free time, I love to read, hang out with the best dogs in the world, and travel. Last year, I read over 100 novels, and I am hoping to break that this year. I have traveled with student groups to China and Denmark as well as traveling on my own to Brazil, Ireland, England, and Haiti. If there's a trip, I'm always in!
Ben Conklin
American History
Ben has been teaching since 2004. He is originally from Long Island, NY and moved to North Carolina after graduating from SUNY Cortland. He teaches social studies, a subject about which he is passionate, at West Iredell High School since 2004. Ben's courses provide students with the opportunity to help students think critically and cultivate historical context for everyday living.
James Worthington
Economics and Personal Finance
Civics Literacy
James has been teaching for 23 years. He taught in California until 2014 when he moved to North Carolina and began teaching Social Studies at Lake Norman High School. He began teaching with Virtual Iredell Statesville Schools in the program's inaugural year.
Ben Walters
AP Psychology and Psychology
I have been teaching for 19 years. I have had the opportunity to teach AP Psychology and Psychology for the past 15 years. I greatly enjoy teaching Psychology because of the extremely interesting topics that are covered. I have been chosen to grade AP Psychology exams over the past 7 years. I am a husband and father of three. My family and I love camping, swimming, and visiting with friends and family.
Yolanda Lindsay
English Middle and High School
Edgenuity Teacher of Record
Yolanda is the Assistant Principal at The ISS Virtual Academy. She has a Bachelor's degree in elementary education and a Master's degree in Executive Leadership. Currently, she is pursuing her doctoral degree at Gardner Webb University in Curriculum & Instruction. Yolanda is married with 5 amazing children and enjoys shopping, going to the beach, and spending time with her husband and kids. You might also see Mrs. Lindsay teaching some courses for ISSVA from time to time because she loves learning with the students and being "in" the classroom!
Candace Hilton
Kindergarten/1st Grade Teacher
This is Mrs. Hilton's 17th year in education. She has experience teaching literacy K-12 but has spent the majority of her career teaching primary grades. Mrs. Hilton received her Master's of Education in Literacy instruction and is passionate about building a strong reading foundation for young students. Outside of school, Mrs. Hilton loves spending time with her husband, Matt, their daughter, Parker, and dog, Bandit.
Jackuelyn Bolhouse
6th Grade Science
High School Physical Science
Hello! While you may see my name written on your documents as Jackuelyn, my family and friends call me Carabet. I have three wonderful children (Jameson, Daniel, and Violet) and an amazing husband (Aaron). We have four pets: 2 cats (Dallas & Laddy) and 2 dogs (Phoebe & Sheldon). Our family of five is always up to something over the weekends! We enjoy watching NASCAR, football, Bluey, and Cocomelon. I love to read, play with my children, and have adventures. One of my favorite adventures is snorkeling off the coast of Florida with Bull Sharks for my birthday one year. Currently, I teach 6th Grade Science and Physical Science (High School).
Carolyn Campbell
Computer Science Middle School
My name is Carolyn Campbell and I am very excited to be teaching Computer Science Discoveries with ISSVA this year! I would like to start off by sharing a little about my background. I am a native of Iredell County and I graduated from North Iredell High School. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Ag-Business Management, from North Carolina State University. I completed my Lateral Entry Certification from N. C. State, in Business Education. I have also been an assistant Basketball and soccer coach for over 20 years. I grew up working in a family business, and I was a co-founder and co-owner of a local Landscaping Company. I have also taught Business and Computers in a private High School. For fun, I enjoy reading and hiking for waterfalls.
I completed the Computer Science Discoveries Workshop and our school has been Piloting a program through Code.org. This is such an exciting opportunity for our students. This curriculum ties in with our study of the Design Cycle or the problem-solving process. Computer Science Discoveries 1 works with HTML and CSS and learns about Web Development and Computer Science Discoveries 2 works with JavaScript and students get to code their own game!
Regina Yount
7th Grade Social Studies World History
I am excited to translate my life-long love of travel to teaching World History to 7th graders. Exposure to other cultures helps us to understand and appreciate our own and this class provides a foundation for all future history classes and citizenship. There are so many life lessons to be learned from the patterns of history! In this class we focus on both content and skills- not just the "what" but the "how" with research-based methods. I bring over 30 years of experience as a middle school teacher to your child, and I appreciate communication and questions from both students and their parents. Reach out, please!
Tom Schwartz
Financial Planning and Business Essentials
My name is Tom Schwartz. I grew up in New Jersey but have lived in North Carolina since graduating from UNC Charlotte. This is my 17th year of teaching High School Business and Finance courses after spending 20 years in the Accounting and Corporate Finance industries. I have been married for 36 years and have five grown children and 7 grandkids. I enjoy golf, lake activities, spending time with my family and I am a big Carolinas Panthers fan. I Trust in the Lord with all my heart. I look forward to having you as a student in my online courses!
Sarah Drum
6th Grade Social Studies
Sarah has a Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in Political Science and a Masters of Arts in Teaching both from Lenoir-Rhyne University. Currently, she teaches at Lake Norman High School teaching a variety of history courses including, American I, American II, and AP US History. Outside of school, Sarah enjoys painting, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
Cortney Frasier
Middle School Visual Art and Highschool Digital Photography
Cortney Frasier has been in arts education for 20 years and serves as the K-12 Fine Arts Coordinator for Iredell-Statesville Schools. A practicing visual artist, she has taught everything from Kindergarten to college students. Ms. Frasier holds a Master Degree in Education as well as a Master Degree in Fine Arts. She is currently working on her Doctorate at Appalachian State University. As a V-ISS instructor, Ms. Frasier teachers middle school visual arts as well as high school Digital Photography.
Suzanna Francisco
Pre-Calculus Honors
I am concluding my 40th year of teaching Mathematics! A milestone of which I am very proud. Currently, I am teaching Precalculus. In my teaching career, I have taught all levels of math from Pre-Algebra to AP Calculus. Precal is one of my favorites because I get to teach a course that combines the algebra and geometry thread into a thing of mathematical perfection. Yep, I'm a total math geek!
Shana Whitley
Health and PE
Personal Fitness
I started my teaching career 21 years ago in Iredell County Schools. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Education from Appalachian State in 1998. Ten years later, I received my Masters in School Administration from Appalachian. I also have my National Board Certification in Health Education. In 2010, I was honored as the NC Health Educator of the Year. Starting in 2016, I have been the Lead Health Educator for Iredell-Statesville schools. Why is this important to you? Because it shows how much I love health and teaching young minds! I am so excited for this year. We are going to work together to set goals and learn how to make healthy decisions to reduce the risk of disease. Outside of school, I am a busy mom of a high school senior. My passion is traveling especially to Europe. Last count, I have visited over 23 countries. I look forward to meeting and teaching my online students!
Alan Cook
8th Grade Science
Hello! My name is Alan Lorne Cook and I have been teaching Science for 9 years. Before
this, I was an Environmental Health Specialist for Iredell County and I currently keep my
State and National Environmental Health License to stay up to date with current issues
our community faces. In March 2023, I left teaching at Statesville High and started as the
Environmental Health Supervisor for Yadkin County. In my spare time I have vineyard,
perform environmental consulting, garden and fish from the mountains to the coast. My
wife Sonya and I have an 11-year-old son and 2 step children 23 and 26. As you can see,
Science is a major part of my daily life and I enjoy teaching these real life scenarios to my
online science students!
John Hieb
Social Studies 8th Grade
My name is John Hieb. I grew up on Long Island and graduated with a Bachelor's from SUNY Albany and a Master's in Education from Dowling College. Shortly after completing my graduate degree my wife and I relocated to Mooresville where I worked at Mount Mourne as an eighth grade social studies teacher from 2013 to 2018. In 2018, I took on the role of Social Studies Content Coach for Iredell-Statesville and really enjoy working with teachers across the district, but definitely miss the close interactions with students. I am so excited to be a member of VISS, where I can get back "in the classroom" working with students of my own and pursuing my passion of teaching American history. Outside of school, I officiate high school and college soccer and enjoy spending time with my friends and family.
Dan Roseman
AP US History
World History and World History Honors
With 14 years of classroom experience, and 10 online, I bring my passion for history to the online learning environment! I'm dedicated to helping students succeed in AP US History (and as an AP Exam Reader, I have insider knowledge on what it takes to achieve a passing score!), World History, and World History Honors. I've been teaching online courses since 2015, so I'm well-versed in creating engaging and effective digital learning experiences. Outside of school, my wife Stephanie and I are busy raising our three children. When I have a moment to myself, I enjoy diving into a good book or hitting the open road on my bike.
Katie Morris
Spanish Middle School Level 1 and Level 2
High School Spanish III, IV and V
My name is Katie Morris and I am starting my 14th year teaching Spanish! I currently teach Spanish 2 and 4 at Lake Norman High School. I graduated from Gardner-Webb University. I have studied abroad in Costa Rica, and travelled to Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Spain, and Bahrain. I enjoy travelling, cooking, and learning about other cultures. I am very excited to get the school year started!
Dare York
English I and English I Honors
Ms. York is an Iredell County native who grew up on her family's farm in Harmony, NC. She has a B.S. in English, Secondary Ed. from Appalachian State University and a M.Ed. in Middle and Secondary Ed. from UNCC. This is her 19th year teaching English. She began her teaching career in Surry County before moving back home to teach in Iredell County at Northview IB where she taught Language & Literature for 8 years. In addition to teaching V-ISS English I, Ms. York teaches at Crossroads Early College teaching Honors English III & IV.
Lois Parris
Middle School Music
Elementary Music
Mrs. Parris received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music - Vocal Performance and Education from UNC-Wilmington. She began her career in the eastern part of our state but moved to Mooresville and has been teaching with Iredell-Statesville Schools at Lakeshore Elementary School since 2007. Mrs. Parris earned National Board Certification in 2018 and completed the Maintenance of Certification in 2023. In addition to Lakeshore Elementary School, Mrs. Parris began serving the elementary students at the I-SS Virtual Academy in 2021 and expanded the Virtual Music Program to the Middle School students starting in 2022.
Mrs. Parris and her husband of 35 years have two grown daughters and have been blessed, over the years, to welcome nine dogs and two cats into our home. They only have two dogs at the moment, but will surely make room for more one day. Her favorite color is purple.
Jennifer Christie
J. Christie teaching English 3 and English 3 Honors online 2024-25.
I enjoy making wooden bowls in the summer, hanging out with my cats while gaming, painting, and reading throughout the year.
I've taught for 17 years, beginning my journey at Lakeshore Middle and moving to Lake Norman High 15 years ago. I've been teaching online classes for the last 3 years.
My in-person school is Lake Norman High where I teach the AP Language & Composition course. Please feel free to stop by and shake hands sometime!
My career goals are to inspire young people to enjoy reading again like they did when they were small, and I want to help young adults develop essential critical thinking skills that will help them make more thoughtful global citizens. Let's learn and grow our understanding of the world together! :)
TJ Brinkman
7th Grade Science
TJ is in her 5th year teaching 7th grade science. She began her teaching career at WIMS after graduating from UNC-Charlotte with her Bachelor's Degree of arts in biology. She now works for V-ISS and TCMS. TJ is part of the ANSWER alumni scholarship program which provides college scholarships, mentoring and professional development to moms in Mecklenburg and eight surrounding counties in the Carolinas.
Jennifer Chang
Business Law
I am a 2005 Graduate from Appalachian State University where I majored in Business Education with a minor in History. I was part of the North Carolina Teaching Fellows program and a member of the Multicultural student union. I enjoy traveling, spending time with family and attending music and sporting events. I have been employed by Iredell-Statesville school district since January of 2006 and currently teach at Lake Norman High School. I currently teach Business Ethics and Law I and II, Business Management I and II, and Microsoft Excel. For VISS, I am currently teaching Business Ethics and Law I and II.
Adam Suk
Math 4 and math 4 Honors
Bailey Pope
Health Science 1
I am Mrs. Pope. I am a Health Science 1 teacher. I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with my Bachelors degree in nursing. I started my nursing career in labor and delivery. I then shifted gears and spent numerous years in the operating room and the pre-op/PACU area. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching new nurses which is what eventually led me to teaching within the school system! I have a son (Briggs) and twin daughters (Campbell & Evelyn). I have two dogs, a goldendoodle (Maple) and a maltipoo (Lily). In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family, shopping, riding ATV's/side by sides and going “glamping” in the mountains.
Hannah Lee
Latin 1 & 2 and Latin 3 Honors