Tamara Bonilla is a native from California who has been living in North Carolina for the past 11 years. She is a passionate educator who values strong rapport with students. She is in her third year of teaching. She taught First grade for two years and this will be her first year at Hortons Creek teaching Kindergarten. Ms. Bonilla got her degree in Elementary Education from UNCW (Go Seahawks!) with a minor in teaching English as a Second Language. Currently, she is getting her Master's in Education from Liberty University. She will be finished with grad school in December 2018 but will forever be learning and growing. The joy children have is contagious and she feels so lucky to have the privilege every day to go to work and make a positive impact. She is looking forward to a rewarding, successful, and fun school year!

Brittany Carter graduated from Fayetteville State University with her Bachelors in Elementary Education. She is entering her second year as a Kindergarten teacher at HCES and her fourth overall as an educator in WCPSS, having previously taught first and second grade. She is currently in the process of furthering her passion for equity and inclusion in education by pursuing her Masters in School Administration at NCCU. She believes in inspiring students to be fearless in learning through curiosity, inquiry and discovery. She is looking forward to being apart  of your child’s learning journey.

Maeve Coakley graduated in May 2017 from James Madison University with her Masters in Elementary Education. (GO DUKES!) Ms. Coakley grew up in New Jersey and moved to the Cary area this summer. In her free time she likes going on hikes and playing with her dog Stella. This is her second year of teaching and her first year teaching Kindergarten at HCES. She is so excited for a new adventure doing school differently at Hortons Creek! #GOHAWKS

Kelly Dickerson is in her sixth year teaching and her second year at Hortons Creek. She has experience teaching both preschool and kindergarten. She graduated with her undergraduate degree in Child Development from Meredith College. She received her B-K and K-6 teaching licensures from UNC-Greensboro as well as her Master’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in Education and Development in Birth-Kindergarten. She is a National Board Certified Teacher. She also is a level 2 Google Certified Educator. Mrs. Dickerson is passionate about children’s play and was able to study it abroad in Italy during her time at Meredith College! Outside of school she enjoys spending time with her husband Jordan, friends and family, traveling, trying new restaurants, and doing Pure Barre. She is excited to be a part of the kindergarten team!

Laura Gassaway is a kindergarten teacher at HCES! She loved teaching here last year and could not wait to return and have another fantastic year! She has her bachelor's degree in psychology and masters degree in education from NCSU, go pack! She strives to provide her students with a positive, equitable and safe classroom environment! Mrs. Gassaway’s classroom theme is superheroes and she calls her students “superhawks!” Her class trains hard to become problem solvers in today’s 21st century world! She is looking forward to how great this year is going to be!

Lisa Poirier is SO excited to be your teacher this year! This will be her eleventh year teaching kindergarten and her second year at Hortons Creek. She is originally from Syracuse, NY. Before moving to North Carolina, she lived in Arizona where she earned her Master’s Degree from Arizona State University. She is also a National Board Certified teacher. She is passionate about teaching children to love reading, equity in the classroom, and utilizing instructional technology. She and her husband live in Cary with their daughter Reece (born in December 2017) and their dog Swayze. In her free time she absolutely LOVES to spend time with her family, read, take Swayze for walks to the park, go to group fitness classes, and shop! She is so excited to be a part of the excitement that is Hortons Creek! It’s going to be a great year.

Bianca Hankinson is so excited to be joining the kindergarten team this year! She is originally from Aiken, SC and received a BA in Political Science (with a focus on philosophy, justice, and law and a minor in African Studies). After that, she moved to Raleigh to get her Master's in Teaching. (Go Pack!)

She is passionate about creating a safe and welcoming community culture, making school accessible and equitable, and making it a place of empowerment for every single student.

Outside of school she loves spending time with family, including her awesome husband. She also loves the beach and sea kayaking, reading, and finding new hiking spots around the state.