Chris Will, Lead Teacher - Social Studies and History

Chris Will has been with Auldern since the beginning and then became the Lead Teacher in 2007. Chris loves sharing his passion for History and Geography with our students. Chris has lived in North Carolina since 1984 and was raised in a large family of seven boys and one girl. He earned a degree in History Education from North Carolina State University and is certified to teach World History, World Geography, U.S. History, U.S. Government and Economics. He is an avid N.C. State Wolfpack fan. He is a U.S. Army veteran infantryman, who was awarded many honors including Expert Infantry Badge, the highest honor an Infantryman can receive. He served overseas and in the Middle East. He was a member of a security force for Secretary of State Colin Powell. Chris is a Civil War buff and has traveled to many Civil War battlefields. Chris and his wife, Alice, a veterinarian, reside in Raleigh.

Jim Philips - English

Jim holds a Master of Arts degree in English from North Carolina State University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from The University of North Carolina at Wilmington.  He is a North Carolina native who hails from Jacksonville, but now resides in nearby Pittsboro.  Jim has been an instrumental member of the Auldern Academy faculty since the summer of 2007 where he inspires our students through his own passion for reading and writing.  He enjoys playing the guitar, watching college basketball, and collecting books.  Among his favorite authors are Herman Melville, J.D. Salinger, and William Faulkner.

Ed King - Spanish

Ed King received his M.A. in Latin American History at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He studied Spanish and Latin American History in a doctoral program at the University of Florida in Gainesville. An avid world traveler, Ed lived in Chile for two years. He taught HIstory at Austin College in Sherman, TX for 7 years, taking students to Peru, Columbia and Mexico for January term courses. He was the Regional Director of Church World Service/CROP in both Illinois and the Carolinas for 18 years. He inspected CWS relief and self help development projects in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Brazil, Argentina, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. He helped build housing in the slums of San Felipe, Guatemala for two summers with the God's Child school project. He traveled to Nicaragua and Cuba in Spring of 2004 with the delegation of Witness for Peace to study "Neo Liberalism in Central American and the Carribean." He has three grown children.

Chana Meeks - Art

Chana Meeks is a North Carolina Native who is absolutely in love with painting and is excited to be sharing her creative energy with the students at Auldern Academy. Chana holds an Associate Art Degree from East Carolina. Through the years she has received specialized training at several area community colleges in pottery, jewelry making and painting.

Chana is the owner and studio artist of Raleigh Street Gallery in Siler City. She sells unique and original artwork of more than 60 other local artists. A gifted painter herself, Chana enjoys teaching art as the expression and infusion of the heart, mind and hand. She believes art can be learned by anyone, not just those who have a natural talent for it.

Cheryl Essex - Art

Cheryl Essex was born and raised in Nebraska and moved to North Carolina in 2002. She obtained her degree from the University of Nebraska and also holds certification as a substance abuse counselor. Cheryl’s love of art has her continually attending workshops and continuing education classes to keep up with current art trends. Her involvement in the arts started as a teen, and over the years she has become adept at watercolor and acrylic painting, but she excels in pottery and sculpture. Her work is on display in two galleries in the local area.

Cheryl’s background has seen her working for 25 years in the counseling field and for the last 8 years facilitated an at-risk youth program for a local school district. She loves integrating her love of art with counseling. She is excited about teaching and is determined to help those students who might not have much natural artistic ability learn to love art for its own sake. She believes anyone who is willing to try can be creative.

Ornella Turner - Mathematics Teacher

Ornella Turner holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics and Statistics from North Carolina State University and is currently pursuing her Master’s degree. She also has a teaching certification in the state of North Carolina. Mrs. Turner began her career at the North Carolina Boys’ program where she taught mathematics for 5 years before coming to Auldern. She previously has served as a mathematics tutor for Auldern Academy. While attending NCSU, Mrs. Turner was the recipient of an undergraduate research award for her project on “Water trends in the Raleigh-Durham area with the EPA”.

A native of Trinidad and Tobago, she previously worked as a statistical analyst and school counselor. Her goal is to motivate students in mathematics while accessing their inner strengths and discovering what inspires them. In her spare time, she enjoys scrapbooking, cross stitching, swimming and travelling with her husband, John.

  

Marley Brothers - Physical Education Teacher

Marley grew up in Wappingers Falls, New York where she spent most of her childhood actively involved in the community and athletics. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Media Studies and Public Relations with a minor in Psychology from Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, NY; where she was also the captain of the swim team and a member of the softball team for all four years; as well as a Resident Assistant. She enjoyed helping her peers and making a difference in other peoples’ lives. 

Marley continued her education at Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY where she received her Master’s degree in Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy. At Auldern Marley is able to combine her love for sports and teaching.  It is Marley’s goal to create a safe, dynamic physical education and health program to promote lifelong health and fitness. 

Marley loves sports; especially swimming, the New York Mets, San Francisco 49ers, and spending time and playing with her puppy girl, Shay (Bernese Mountain Dog). Marley also enjoys Skyping with her two nephews; Douglas and Parker; who reside in New York.

 

Susan Thompson - Science Teacher

Susan Thompson holds a Master’s degree from East Carolina University in Instructional Technology and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Maryland. Before joining Auldern, she taught high school science in the public schools, servedas a tutor, and advised companies on integrating technology into their work place training programs. When teaching, she frequently draws on her past experience as a chemist and technical writer in the pharmaceutical industry to expand lessons beyond the classroom environment.

Ms. Thompson believes in supporting each individual’s natural learning process by encouraging curiosity and challenging students to apply their knowledge to structured but realistic problem scenarios. In a society where women are frequently underrepresented in science careers, she is particularly excited about the opportunity to serve as a role model for the young women attending Auldern. In her spare time she enjoys volunteering in the community, crocheting, and sewing. She lives in Chapel Hill with her husband, David, and stepson Carl.