•  First Grade

     

    Meet The Team

     

    Caitlin Elliott | cgelliott@wcpss.net

    Ms. Elliott has a passion for teaching and loves the excitement her young students have for learning. She was born at Duke and raised in Cary where she attended Wake County Public Schools. Throughout middle school and high school, she was very active in both school cheer and travel All-Star Cheer. She graduated from East Carolina University in 2021 with a BS in Elementary Education and a concentration in Science. When not in the classroom, Ms. Elliott enjoys spending time with her family which includes her twin brother, Connor, and two very spoiled rescue cats.

    Jennifer Ivarsson | jivarsson@wcpss.net | Twitter

    Mrs. Ivarsson has a love of learning new and innovative 21st century skills. She is a veteran teacher. Mrs. Ivarsson grew up in a little county town of Stedman, North Carolina. She is married to John Ivarsson. They reside in Apex, North Carolina and have twin boys and a dog Belle. Mrs. Ivarsson is a graduate of Campbell University. She enjoys reading, spending time with her family, shopping, listening to music, and traveling to the beach. One fun fact about Mrs. Ivarsson is that she played the trumpet and piano for many years in school.

    Alyssa O'Neill | aoneill@wcpss.net

    Ms. O’Neill graduated from East Carolina University. Go Pirates!!! This is her fourth year teaching in 1st grade. Originally from Holly Springs, Ms. O’Neill is a product of Wake County Schools. Her dream was to become an Elementary School Teacher since the Third Grade. Ms. O’Neill loves her dog Rosco, her family, coffee, Pirate Football, and reading. She looks forward to meeting you at WES!

    Teresa Pennell | tpennell@wcpss.net 

    Mrs. Pennell has lived in Texas and South Carolina, but is very happy to be back in her home state of North Carolina. She graduated from Appalachian State University with a BS in Early Childhood Education. She received her Masters in Elementary Education from Lander University in South Carolina. Mrs. Pennell is married to Gary Pennell, whom she met at ASU. They have two adult children, Stephen and Kari. She shares custody of Boo, a fiesty Yorkshire terrier, with her daughter, Kari. Mrs. Pennell is a veteran teacher and loves teaching young children! If she wasn't a teacher, she would work for a landscaping company because she loves working in the yard; planting flowers and pulling weeds is her "happy place".

    Joanna Woodrum | jmwoodrum@wcpss.net | Twitter | 

    Mrs. Woodrum loves building a classroom community and has a big heart for meeting the needs of students! She grew up outside of Polkville, NC (a tiny town in the foothills) and has lived in Raleigh since 2013. Mrs. Woodrum received her Bachelor’s from Gardner-Webb University and worked for many years as a college advisor before receiving her Master’s in Elementary Education from NC State. She is married to Sam, an elementary school counselor in Raleigh, and they live with their two cats. Mrs. Woodrum loves to create (woodworking, knitting, sewing, painting, etc), hike, stare at waterfalls, play board games, garden, travel, and have fun with her 7 nieces and nephews.  She also loves math and is very excited to be in room 314 (pie day, here we come)!

    Tammy Howard | thoward@wcpss.net

    Ms. Howard was born and raised in Indiana where she attended Anderson University and received her B.S. in Elementary Education.  She lives in Holly Springs with her 4 children, 2 dogs and 2 cats.  Ms. Howard has taught in New Jersey, Singapore, Venezuela and now in North Carolina.  A fun fact many people don't know is that before settling in NC, she lived in California, New Jersey, Singapore, Venezuela, Georgia and New Hampshire.  She enjoys any activity near the water as well as running and hiking.

    Caitlin Conley | ceconley@wcpss.net

    Ms. Conley is an energetic teacher, who has always had a passion for working with students. She is a New England native and has called Southern New Hampshire home for most of her life. She earned her degree in Elementary Education from Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, NH before relocating to Morrisville, NC to be closer to family. Ms. Conley loves spending time outdoors, kayaking, hiking and swimming. She is also an avid reader and enjoys spending time at home with her cat Rosie.

    Nora Douglas | ndouglas@wcpss.net

    Ms. Douglas is proud to have been born and raised in Texas. She attended the University of Texas and received her Teaching Certificate from Western Governors University. Prior to moving here, she taught Pre-K-2nd grade for many years in Austin, Texas. Mrs. Douglas moved to Cary following her husband’s job with Lenovo. Nora and David have enjoyed every minute of our town, our people, our beaches, our mountains and the southern hospitality. Mrs. Douglas’ favorite things about Weatherstone are the focus on STEM, our diversity and the welcoming staff. She is passionate about motivating her students to perform at their best, build healthy relationships at school and to view learning as a fun and worthwhile endeavor. Mrs. Douglas enjoys reading, running and traveling the world. So, if you know a place she really should go see, please share it with her.

    Raynee Wombacher  | rwombacher@wcpss.net | 

    Ms. Wombacher graduated from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2021, with a degree in Elementary Education. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio but has lived in Apex, North Carolina most of her life. Ms. Wombacher enjoys spending time with family and friends, visiting the beach, and going swimming. She is looking forward to a great school year and getting to know everyone. 

    Instructional Assistants

    Ms. Boughton was born in Philadelphia and grew up near the beaches in New Jersey. She graduated from Stockton University in NJ with a BA in Anthropology and Sociology, she loves history and is an avid reader. Mrs. Boughton studied abroad in England and Ireland for a year and then moved to Washington, DC where she worked at non-profit organizations. In DC, she met her husband, Steve, who is a British native. After they relocated to England for five years they moved back to the States and have settled in NC with their three daughters Grace, Hannah and Catherine, and their dog Roxy. All of her girls attended WES and are year-round swimmers with the TITANS. Mrs. Boughton is passionate about education and really enjoys working at WES. She loves traveling to new places with her family, especially visiting different countries abroad. She and her family also love exploring the great outdoors hiking and spending time at the beach.

    Ms. Dunston Ms. Dunston is from Franklin County, NC. Previous to working in Wake County, she worked with Durham Life Insurance Company for 15 years. Ms. Dunston attended Raleigh School of Data Processing. She has worked as a teacher assistant with Wake County for the past 21 years. Ms. Dunston also works part time for the YMCA. The YMCA has been a big part of her life for many years. Ms. Dunston has two children, a boy and a girl. Her daughter, Quinta, works for First Citizens Bank. Haywood her son works for Lockheed Martin in Texas. Ms. Dunston enjoys spending time with family and friends. But most of all, she loves spending time with her granddaughter Jalisa.

    Mrs. Pusuluri is from India but has spent the last 21 years in the United States, with 13 of those years and going in Raleigh. She earned her A.A in Early Childhood Education from DeAnza College in 2003. She has worked in education for 15 years and loves working with students. She and her husband have two kids: Srisatya and Srisai, both students at Duke and NC State, respectfully. In her free time, she likes to plant and spend time with her kids whenever they’re around.