email address: acohen

It is hard to believe that I am entering into my TENTH year as the Principal here at Leesville Rd. Elementary School.  It has been a terrific honor to serve as the leader for this community throughout the past decade and while the past two and a half years have been the most challenging of my professional life, I can honestly say that I have still looked forward to coming to work each day.  Ms. Lay and I always say that the worst and most difficult days at LES are still better than the best days anywhere else. 

To share a bit about my path that led me to Leesville Rd. Elementary School, I joined Teach for America as a 1995 Corps Member. TFA sent me out to Compton, California, where I taught first grade for five years at Thomas Jefferson ES. Once my first class of students completed their 5th grade year, I moved back home to NYC, where I taught first grade for another two years at PS 189 in Washington Heights.  

During my second year, I determined that I wanted a broader impact on school operations, which led me to the NC Principal Fellows and the Masters in School Administration Program and UNC-CH. 

Following my internship at Forest View Elementary in Durham, I became the Assistant Principal at Southwest ES.  After one and a half years as AP and five and a half years as Principal, my family and I moved to Paris, France, where I spent two years leading the Pre-K through 8th Grade Program at Marymount International School. 

As my family and I made our plans to return to North Carolina, I was fortunate to land here in the Leesville community.  The PRIDE Starts Here Leesville!  

email address: jlbailey

I am excited to join the Leesville community as assistant principal.  Starting in Wake County Public Schools five years ago, I was a classroom teacher at Beaverdam Elementary and Parkside Elementary. I have spent the last year as an administrator at West Millbrook Magnet Middle School, while earning my Master of School Administration as a NC Principal Fellow at North Carolina State University. I began my career at a school for students with Autism and at a charter school in the special education department, after finishing my degree in elementary education at NCSU.

email address: cslewis

After graduating from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA, I moved to Fairfax County, VA, to teach Kindergarten and Second Grade for a combined three years. In 2020, I made the move to Wake County and have since taught virtually in first grade until now. Through my Masters of School Administration program at UNC-Chapel Hill, I will complete my studies as your principal intern for the 2022-2023 school year.

Since moving to North Carolina, I married my wonderful wife, Lydia. We are expecting our first child this September. Additionally, we are the proud and exhausted owners of two blue merle corgis, Goose and Nugget. If I am not spending time with my family, I love to exercise, hike, and explore new dining experiences.

I am thrilled to join the Leesville team this year to work with administration, teachers, and support staff to give our students the very best that they deserve. I look forward to the new challenge of this role as a principal intern, and I cannot wait to learn from and grow with everyone at LES.