Ms. Blanton is going into her third year at Hortons Creek and her fifth year of teaching, all in 5th grade! She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education with an ESOL endorsement at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia - which is where she has resided until her move to North Carolina in July 2019. Ms. Blanton is devoted to the whole child- academically, emotionally, and socially. Her passions include allowing all students' voices to be heard and valued, incorporating real-world problems into daily lessons, and equity. She uses the Positivity Project to cultivate a family-like culture and safe space for all students. Ms. Blanton incorporates student choice and collaboration in student tasks to promote social connections through learning. Ms. Blanton currently lives in Holly Springs with her husband, Ryan, and their Pit Bull, Jackson. She enjoys playing sports, cooking/baking, and spending quality time with family and friends! She is a lover of coffee, yummy foods, animals (especially elephants and dogs), the color turquoise, and travelling. Ms. Blanton cannot wait to #FlyInFifth with you all! Let's get ready to soar through this year together!

This will Ms. Hilliard's first year teaching at Hortons Creek and her sixteenth year teaching fifth grade. Along with teaching fifth grade, she has also been an AIG facilitator. She is a North Carolina native and graduated from Western Carolina University, Go Cats!

Ms. Hilliard believes in facilitating student learning through teaching the whole child and cultivating student discourse, which empowers all student voices to be heard within her classroom. When she is not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her family. She is married to Jared and together they have a five year old daughter, Hattie. They live in Holly Springs with their dachshund, Augie. Ms. Hilliard enjoys coffee, reading, traveling, cooking and spending time with friends and family. She is looking forward to getting to know her new fifth grade hawks and excited for her first year at Hortons Creek!

Ms. Marland comes to North Carolina from California where she has had experience teaching 5th through 8th grade for the last 9 years. She recently gave birth to a daughter and is looking forward to spending time with her and family in North Carolina. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, cooking, and traveling.

 Ms. Rodriguez is a highly qualified teacher with over seven years of effective teaching experience. She is originally from Hartford, Connecticut yet has lived in Greenville, South Carolina for twenty seven years. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Lander University in Greenwood, South Carolina in 2011. Ms. Rodriguez is a caring and passionate teacher who focuses on nurturing a Growth Mindset in all of her students. She is a new Hawk at Hortons Creek and is very excited to join our school of equity and excellence.

Ms. Washofsky graduated from North Carolina State University with a degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). While at NC State, she was a member of the marching band and loves college football. Go Pack! This will be her seventh year teaching in WCPSS, and her third year here at Hortons Creek. Ms. Washofsky believes in building strong relationships within the classroom using the Positivity Project and through recognizing the individuality of each student. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, reading, and spending time with her family! Ms. Washofsky has a cat named Finley, and her family lives close by in Raleigh. She has a sister, Spencer, who is a senior at UNC Chapel-Hill (again, go pack!). Ms. Washofsky is excited for another awesome school year at Hortons Creek and cannot wait to begin building new relationships and growing together!