My name is Leonette Adkins and I have been a teacher assistant at Stough Elementary for the past 21 years. I grew up in South Carolina but lived in Kentucky and Michigan before settling in North Carolina. I hold an degree in Business, and prior to moving into education I was in the field of Information Processing holding positions in training and systems administration.

I'm #StoughProud because: When my family and I moved to North Carolina, my neighborhood was districted to Stough Elementary. I became active in the PTA and was a volunteer in the classrooms. After a couple of years, I was fortunate enough to become a staff member at Stough. Both of my girls attended until they were redistricted, but I stayed at Stough. I have seen a lot of changes through the years, but Stough continues to be the best school.

Hi! My name is Jessi Brearley and I am an Instructional Assistant for both Kindergarten and 1st Grade here at Stough Elementary. I was born in New Mexico, grew up in Upstate New York, and have called Raleigh my home for 15 years now. I have 3 awesome kids who keep me very busy, but in my free time I enjoy gardening and being outdoors, reading, cooking, traveling and going to sports events. I'm inspired by our teachers and am passionate about education and helping children learn and grow.

I'm #StoughProud because: I feel very fortunate and grateful to be working with students and to be a part of the Stough family.

My name is Megan Cassimatis, but the kids call me Ms. C! This will be my second year at Stough and I'm looking forward to working with both the Kindergarten and First Grade teams. I grew up in Cary, North Carolina and attended Meredith College. In my free time I enjoy crocheting, rock climbing, and reading! The best part of my job is building relationships with my students and creating a safe space in which they can learn, grow, and be themselves. I'm excited for another great school year!

I'm #StoughProud because: My favorite thing about Stough is the strong sense of community, both among the students and among the staff.

I am a second grade instructional assistant. I am from a little town called "Dillon," it's in SC South Carolina . I lived there for 31 years, until I moved to Raleigh, NC. I have been married for 25 years with three kids, two boys who are in their twenties and a 15-year-old daughter. I love working with the students because it is important to me that they make the right decisions in school and to help them achieve the best education possible.

My name is Siedah Freeman and this is my fourth year at Stough Elementary. I enjoy working with children and watching their progress. I am originally from eastern North Carolina but I have been living in Raleigh since 2016. I enjoy traveling, trying new restaurants, and spending time with my family. I have two daughters, Aliyah Katelyn and Blair Mckenzie.

I was born in Beijing, the capital of China. I studied Mathematics Education at Capital Normal University. I taught math in middle school for ten years in China. I love teaching and supporting students in my class. I always have lots of creative ideas to encourage students to learn.
I love traveling in my free time. I have been to many places on the west coast of America and I am looking forward to visiting more places on the east coast of the U.S. with my family.

I'm #StoughProud because: I love to help students to learn Mandarin.

Mrs. Tsung was born in Taiwan and lived there for over 20 years. Then she moved to NC and has been living here for over 20 years. Because of this, she feels like a tree with roots reaching both Taiwan and the US. She has a double major concentration in Civil Engineering and Surveying Technology and has been teaching Mandarin Chinese for seven years. In her free time, she loves nature walks, hikes, or just being outdoors watching the animals. Mrs. Tsung loves meeting new people and hearing about their stories, so she looks forward to getting to know everyone at Stough and helping as many people and kids as she can.

I'm #StoughProud because: I think Mandarin Chinese is a beautiful language, so I want to help children who are interested in learning the language and culture to obtain the skill in a fun and comfortable environment.

I graduated from a Chinese teaching college and have since taught at a middle school in Beijing for 5 years before coming to the United States in 1998. I relocated to North Carolina in 2001 with my family, and started teaching again at Raleigh Academy of Chinese Language (RACL) for weekend classes until now. Besides this RACL work, I joined Champion Learning Academy in 2008 and taught kids ranging from preschool to 5th graders.

I have lived in Washington and Nevada states before and North Carolina is the place I have lived in the longest and where my home is. Over a decade-long teaching career, I have enjoyed the time spent with kids, enjoyed their progress in learning Chinese, and meanwhile, I earned respect and trust from parents, which has been valuable to me.

This year is the sixth year I have served as a IA at Stough Elementary. I will make all endeavors in assisting 1st and 2nd grades to achieve a successful school year.

I'm #StoughProud because: I enjoy the time that I spend with kids and enjoy their progress in learning Chinese while promoting cultural awareness and knowledge in Mandarin.

My name is Jinhua Zheng. I taught Chinese at Raleigh Academy of Chinese Language for more than ten years. This is my fourth year as Teaching Assistant at Stough Elementary School. I like travelling to see our great country and hope someday I can see the world. My husband and my daughter are federal employees, and my son is working in Singapore.

I'm #StoughProud because: I love to be with young children while promoting cultural awareness.