Welcome to Grade

	Staff Biographies
Grace Baek Terese Burroughs Debbie L. Carter  Leslie Evans Julia Guyton	Kelly Helland Carol Herson Meredith Peele Heather Tack Sheri Tolar

Bear Bits about our teachers:

• Grace Baek has been teaching elementary school students since 1999.  She completed her B.A. in Anthropology and Sociology at Simon Fraser University and B.Ed. in Early Childhood Education at University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.  She also received her ESOL endorsement and M. Ed. in Reading, Language and Literacy from Georgia State University.  She will also be working toward receiving her gifted endorsement during the 2011-2012 school year.  She is married and has a daughter.  She is very excited to be part of BLES this year.

   
  

• Terese Burroughs was born in Talladega, Alabama. There she earned a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work and a Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education. After teaching for three years, she moved to Georgia where she earned an Educational Specialist Degree in Administration and Supervision. She has currently been teaching for 15 years. Mrs. Burroughs loves spending time with her beautiful daughter, Ashleigh, her husband, Benny, and the newest addition to the family, their puppy, Yuchi. Mrs. Burroughs hopes that her love of teaching and learning will inspire her students to become life long learners.
  
  

• Debbie L. Carter was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She graduated from the University of Georgia where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education. Mrs. Carter taught in a private school in Louisiana for two years before moving back to Atlanta. She then went to Georgia State University where she received her Masters degree in School Counseling. Next, she taught in Dekalb County for four years. In 1987 Mrs. Carter came to teach in Gwinnett County at Berkeley Lake Elementary School. She is certified at the Master's level in grades K-8 and in School Counseling. Her goal is to help her students become independent thinkers who take responsibility for their learning. 
  
  

• Leslie Evans has been teaching since 1995. She has a masters degree in Early Childhood Education and a graduate of the University of Georgia. Mrs. Evans grew up in Americus, Georgia. She tutored children and worked as a mental health professional at Egleston Children's Hospital and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia before her career as a full time teacher in Gwinnett County. Mrs. Evans has had experience teaching 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders. She loves working with children to help them reach their highest potential and express their creative talents.
  
  

• Julia Guyton began teaching at Berkeley Lake in 2005. She graduated from Wittenberg University in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in early education and intervention specialist. Julia was born and raised in Ohio and moved to Atlanta to teach here at Berkeley Lake. Julia's favorite things to do in Atlanta are being with friends, running, reading and exploring new fun places around the area! She enjoys introducing her students to new books and encouraging them to read for fun! Julia loves the Atlanta area and Berkeley Lake!
  
  
  

• Kelly Helland is a native Georgian.  She attended North Georgia College and State University, where she earned her B.A. degree in both Early Childhood and Special Education.  She also has an extensive math background and a reading endorsement.  Prior to graduation, she was a substitute teacher in Forsyth County.  She loves photography and dogs, and isn't afraid of being creative to make sure that her students learn.  She is very excited to be at Berkeley Lake and is looking forward to this school year.
   

• Carol Herson, a native of Ohio, received her undergraduate degree in business administration from Otterbein College.

  She began her career in banking in Columbus, Ohio and after relocating to Atlanta moved into corporate human resources. She received her master’s degree from Oglethorpe University in 2008 in order to fulfill her dream of teaching and has been teaching at Berkeley Lake since starting her new career. Ms. Herson strives to provide a challenging and fun environment for every student in her class so that each may achieve his or her highest potential. Ms. Herson enjoys reading, hiking, sailing and swimming, especially at Lake Hartwell.

  
  

• Meredith Peele was born and raised in Gwinnett County and went through all Gwinnett County schools.  She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in early childhood education from the State University of West Georgia and began teaching 2nd grade in 2002. She has a son, Michael, and when she isn't chasing after him, she enjoys reading, watching college sports, and cheering on her hubby at his softball games.  She loves teaching, reading, and writing and believes they are the foundation for all learning.
   
  

• Heather Tack earned her B.S. and M. ED in Elementary Education at University of Florida. She began her teaching career in North Carolina and then moved to Gwinnett County in 2007. She has previously taught kindergarten; however found her passion when she joined the BLES team teaching 3rd grade! Heather is married and loves spending time with her daughter, Bailey. On the weekends, she loves to paint, take long walks in the park with her dog, Colbie, and watching college football. GO GATORS!
  
  

• Sheri Tolar attended the University of Tennessee majoring in Early Childhood Education and finished her post graduate degree at Georgia State University. She began teaching at Berkeley Lake in 1998 after graduating from college. Mrs. Tolar has taught 1st grade, 3rd grade, 3rd grade math/reading intervention and 4th grade math/reading intervention at Berkeley Lake. She is blessed with two adorable sons and two very active dogs. She loves to travel, spend her summers at the beach, exercise and spend time with her friends and family.