Welcome New Barnesville Faculty

Welcome, Sara Perez Battles as our new Art Teacher!  Sara has a BA in Education with an emphasis on visual art from Hampshire College and a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Mount Holyoke College. She recently moved from Massachusetts where she taught art at a K-6th grade Elementary School. Sara is passionate about making art accessible to everyone and using art as a tool to understand and learn about ourselves and the world around us. Sara strives to teach through a social justice lens but above all else she prides herself on building meaningful relationships with students.

Additionally, Cheryl Crain has joined us as our Second Grade Teacher. Cheryl has a BS in Elementary Education with minors in Early Childhood and Math in Middle School from West Virginia University.  She also studied at the University of North Carolina for a Master's Degree in Occupational Therapy. Cheryl has over twenty years of teaching experience. She spent last year as a long-term substitute teacher in second, third, and fourth grade and as a daily substitute in early childhood through eighth grade at Norwood School in Bethesda, MD. Prior to that, she was a first-grade teacher for 21 years at Concord Hill School in Chevy Chase, MD.  She also has tutored students from Kindergarten through fifth grade in reading, writing, and math. Cheryl brings her passion for learning to the classroom by creating lessons that are creative, inquisitive, and fun.  Cheryl is known for her ability to connect with students and take them beyond what they think is possible.

A familiar face on campus, Christopher (Chris) Krebs is now our full-time Middle School Social Studies Teacher this year after spending time at Barnesville as a long-term substitute for Social Studies during the third trimester of the 2019 - 2020 school year.  During the 2020-2021 schoolyear, he served in many roles including long-term substitute Social Studies teacher until November, Digital Literacy teacher, and Language Focus teacher.  Chris also made himself available for substitute positions throughout the school when not hosting his own classes.  He is a graduate of Frostburg State College (now University) and has 30 years of experience as an educator and academic/athletic coach, having spent the bulk of his career in Baltimore City.  He is looking forward to the 2021-2022 school year and working with his students in all aspects of history, from ancient cultures to current events.

Joining Ms. Gekas on the Kindergarten team, we welcome Lauren Lowe.  Lauren is passionate about early childhood education! She has 12 years of experience in Kindergarten, and began her teaching career in Pre-K, working with ages 2-5. Lauren believes that it is her privilege as an early childhood educator to create a safe, welcoming community that sets a foundation of joyful, enriching, meaningful learning experiences that will foster a love of learning and meet the needs of each of her students.  She most recently worked at MCPS, and prior to that taught in the Chicago public school system, as well as one year at an independent school in Illinois. She has a BA in English/Creative Writing, from Towson University; a M.Ed. in Elementary Education from National-Louis University, as well as an Early Childhood certification. Lauren is also the proud parent of two sons; Eli, 3rd grade, and Asher, kindergarten.