Second Grade

Meet The Team

Nikki Allen | nmallen@wcpss.net |

Mrs. Allen is new to North Carolina and is teaching second grade! She grew up in Oconto Falls, Wisconsin. GO PACKERS. She has her bachelor's degree in Elementary Education, Masters Degree in ESOL and Administrative degree. Mrs. Allen has taught in Kansas, Missouri, and Texas! She has taught Grades 2-6 all different subjects. She is married with three children: Austin(8), Emma(7) and Riley (5). They will all be attending Weatherstone this year! She loves running races and is currently training for her 6th marathon. 

Bethany Cagle | bcagle@wcpss.net |

Mrs. Cagle grew up in Cary and attended Meredith College where she majored in Psychology and earned a K-6 teaching licensure. Her entire family still lives around here including her two older brothers who live minutes away from her and her husband. In July 2018, she married her husband Chris. She spends most of her free time with her family, which is usually centered around food. Mrs. Cagle loves going to her family lake house and tubing, laying on the dock, and playing card games. She also enjoys hiking, working out, spending time with friends, and of course teaching.

Eileen Lucas | ejlucas@wcpss.net |

Mrs. Lucas is so excited to be a Weatherstone Explorer!  She recently moved to North Carolina with her family. She is originally from New Jersey where she spent 12 years as a classroom teacher before she had her son, Andrew. When he was old enough to begin school, she worked as an Instructional Assistant in various elementary schools.

She loves to be outdoors. She enjoys walking, biking, and enjoying the beauty of nature on the Greenways of NC. Se also enjoys baking, reading and spending time with her amazing family. She is really looking forward to a great school year!

Hanna-Mari Parkkila | hparkkila@wcpss.net | 

Mrs. Parkkila has a Bachelor’s degree in Education and a Master’s degree in Education, specialized in Educational Psychology from the University of Oulu, Finland. She is a licensed teacher of educational sciences and psychology in Finland. Mrs. Parkkila has a strong background on behavioral sciences, child development, curriculum planning and teaching children K-5, and she is very passionate about teaching children new academic and life skills and supporting their social and emotional well-being. Mrs. Parkkila is married with her high school sweetheart and they have three children who attend WCPSS schools. She loves to do sports with her children, cook and bake and play with her puppy. Mrs. Parkkila learnt five languages at school. She is interested in different countries and cultures, their habits and food, and she loves to travel. Before coming to NC, her family enjoyed living three years in Berkeley, CA. 

Jennifer Wharton | jwharton@wcpss.net | 

Mrs. Wharton was born and raised in Queens, New York. She attended both Pace University and Teachers College, Columbia University in NYC where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and a Master of Arts Degree in Reading. She has gained much of her experience within the NYC Public School System teaching in Brooklyn, as well as the Wake County Public School System assisting in the CCK and Pre-K classes at Green Hope Elementary school. Her husband John is a retired New York City police officer. They have three beautiful thriving children Rowan, Ava, and William who attend Wake County Public Schools. They have two Beagles. Mrs. Wharton loves to read, dance, spend time with family and friends, garden, and take long walks. She is so excited to be a part of the Weatherstone family!

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".  

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. 

Second Grade Assistants

Dona Gartrell

Ms Gartrell grew up in Pittsburgh, PA.  Then moved to Ohio where she earned a BS in Early Childhood Education at Kent State University and taught primary grades for 10 years in Akron, Ohio.  Then she moved to Rochester, NY where she taught grades 1-5 and earned an MS in Reading Education at Nazareth University.  She then moved to Boston where she earned an MS in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard and taught at HUD sites, homeless shelters and the Museum of Science.  She has 4 married children in NYC, Boston and Cary and grandchildren.  Two of the grandchildren attend Weatherstone Elementary School. She has 3 cats and 2 dogs, one of which is a therapy dog.  Therapy dog visits, teaching and family time are the joys of her life.

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.