HEATHER ACREY, Special Programs Department

Q:  What do you teach at Wakefield?

A:  I teach a self-contained class for students with disabilities.

Q:  Where have you previously taught, and where did you go to school?

A:  I previously taught at West Ashley High School in Charleston, SC, and I taught in NC for three years before that. I went to University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Q:  What do you like most about Wakefield so far?

A:  The staff and administration have been very welcoming, the kids are very friendly, and it’s just a welcoming environment.

Q:  What inspired you to become a teacher?

A:  When I was about 13 or 14 years old I had my first babysitting job. It was for a family with three children and the youngest had Down syndrome, and they had a caseworker who came to work with him, so it wasn’t just me, but I really enjoyed working with the young man, I got more involved with the Special Olympics and things like that, and here I am now.

Q:  When you were in high school, what did you do for fun?

A:  I was in marching band, I went all-state with the clarinet and the bass clarinet.

Q:  Do you have a hidden talent?

A:  I like just about everything, but I have a special devotion to country music because my brother is a big label country producer. My mom was a music teacher, so she taught me how to properly appreciate music.

ANNIE FURCHES, Spanish teacher

Q: What subject do you teach?

A: I am a Spanish teacher and right now I am teaching Spanish I and II.

Q: What inspired you to become a teacher and teach Spanish specifically?

A: To be a teacher I was inspired by some teachers that I had in high school, I had an english teacher who was just really fun and you could tell that he cared. I always wanted to help people growing up, I was always one of those people that was like, “I wanna grow up and I wanna help people!” I actually come from a family of teachers so both of my aunts are teachers, several of my cousins teach, so I come from a family of teachers so I’ve always been around it growing up so I thought maybe that was a way I could help people.

Q: What do you do for fun now on the weekends?

A: I am married so I hang out with my husband; we go to the park, we’ll go to the movies, we’ll hang out with our friends, go to some football games occasionally. I’m also really into coloring, I’m like 8 years old on the inside so anything that an 8 year old would enjoy, you can pretty much assume that I’m probably gonna pick it up real quick. I love to color, I like doing calligraphy actually I’m trying to learn that, it’s very hard. Technique is not my thing so it’s very hard.

Q: If you could teach anywhere in the world, where would you teach and why?

A: Oddly enough I think I would want to teach in Europe. I think specifically I would want to teach somewhere in Germany or Austria, which is weird because they don’t learn Spanish regularly as a language, but my husband and I traveled there last March and it was like the most amazing place ever. It’s so cool, everyone is so nice, and everything is just really interesting, and it’s just very homey and it’s not overdeveloped, at least the parts that we were in aren’t overdeveloped, it feels like I’m in an old time movie, it was a really cool experience to be there.      

JERMAINE JACKSON, Chemistry teacher

Q:  What do you do here at Wakefield High School?

A:  Chemistry Honors and I am teaching research methods for Chemistry which is a precursor to AP Chemistry this year.

Q:  What did you do before Wakefield?

A:  I taught at Fulton County Schools in Atlanta, Georgia and the school name was Westlake High School. I have my master’s degree in the art of teaching. I obtained that from Mercer University in Atlanta, GA and my bachelor’s degree was in chemical engineering from Forter AM University.

Q:  What made you chose to come to Wakefield?

A:  It was more family. In Atlanta, pretty much, I was happy. I was set, I had my house, I had everything, but my wife’s family, they are from NC, they were getting older and my wife expressed a desire to be there for her or my in-laws. So, we came up with this big plan to move to Raleigh and where we were moving, Wakefield High School was close to the location where we were moving, so it was a natural fit.

Q:  If you could teach anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
A:  I guess my personality, I want to feel needed, so therefore sometimes if I feel like I’m not needed it’s not satisfying my deepest desires. As long as I can be at a place where I feel that there is a need for my skills and if the administration and faculty are supporting me, that will be my perfect scenario. I’m getting that at Wakefield right now.

Q:  If you weren’t a teacher what would you be?

A:  That’s crazy. I know it would not be any type of public service or anything like that. I went to school to be a chemical engineer, but back then in my younger days, it just didn’t work out. It would have to be something where I could still solve problems or show other people how to solve problems, so I was thinking about architect. I can solve a problem, a real world example, through innovation, so that it could be a benefit to anybody and everybody. So, I believe that I’m getting satisfied like that by being a teacher. Whatever profession that I go into besides teaching would probably have to be something similar to give me that satisfaction that I would desire.

TOM KINKELAAR, Career Technical Department

Q: What subject do you teach?

A: I am teaching in the CTE department so I am teaching microsoft word and PowerPoint and Honors business law right now.

Q: Where did you teach at before coming to Wakefield?

A: I’ve taught for 27 years and started at my old high school from which I graduated from in the Chicago suburbs. I went from there to North Carolina where I taught at Sanderson High School for a number of years, I taught at Leesville and then Wakefield for a year back in 2000.  I eventually got an opportunity to coach baseball GeorgaTec and Miami University.

Q: What inspired you to become a teacher and teach this subject?

A: I think my college coach help lead me to becoming a teach.  He asked me if I had any interest in becoming a coach and teach so at some point while I was taking business I went into business education so that’s a major reason I went into teaching is because I had a desire to coach as well.

Q:What did you do for fun in high school?

A: I was involved in three sports. I was on the football team, the basketball team and baseball team. I’ve been a big sports guy my whole life.

Q: Do you have any secret talents?

A: One of my secret talents that no one knows about is I won a dancing with the stars competition in Atlanta. I wasn’t the real one you see on TV, but it was similar and it raised money for alzheimers.

Q: If you weren’t a teacher what would you be?

A: If I could be anything I would be a professional athlete.  As we get older you have to stop playing and so forth.  That was always a dream of mine as a kid.

LUKE OSBORNE, Special Education

Q: What subject do you teach?

A: I’m working with Special Programs, specifically with Ms. Plant

Q: Where did you teach before and what school did you go to?

A: I just started teaching so this is my first year. [I went to] East Carolina.”

Q: What inspired you to become a teacher and teach this subject?

A: I have six daughters. I have quadruplets and that was what motivated me to teach Special Education.”

Q: If you could teach anywhere, where would it be?

A: I’m happy where I am right now.

Q: Have you ever traveled to a really cool place?

A: I’ve been to the mountains a bunch. But if there’s a place that I haven’t been to and want to, I’d say Norway.

BROOKE OVERCASH Career Technical Education Department

Q:What subject do you teach?

A: I teach apparel development.

Q:Where did you teach before and what school did you go to?

A: I went to the NC State College of Textiles. This is the first place I’ve taught.

Q:What inspired you to become a teacher and teach this subject?

A: I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. I’ve always been interested in this subject and job.

Q:What did you do for fun in high school?

A:I was a part of FCCLA, and I made a skirt out of mountain dew cans.

Q:If you could choose a superpower what would it be and why?

A:I would want to fly. I’m impatient.

Q:What type of music do you listen to?

A: I listen to country music like John Pardy and Luke Combs.

MARY PRIMOUS, Special Programs Department

Q: What subject do you teach?

A: Special Programs.

Q: Where did you teach before and what school did you go to?

A: Fuquay Varina High School.

Q: What inspired you to become a teacher and teach this subject?

A: I enjoy working with kids.

Q: What do you do for fun on the weekends?

A:Rest. Travel a lot, so rest and traveling.

Q: What did you do for fun in high school?

A: I played a little bit of basketball. I was the center.

Q: Where is the coolest place you’ve been to?

A: I’ve been several places, but I think when I went to Amsterdam in Holland with my son when he played basketball was pretty cool.

 Q:If you weren’t a teacher what would you be?

A:I would want to be the president right now.

Q:If you could choose a superpower what would it be and why?

A :I would be a witch, and I would twitch my nose for a better world.

Q: Do you have a secret talent?

A:  Not really, I just think helping people is not a talent, but really just knowing people and understanding them. I just thank God for everything I do day by day.

TIANNA REID, Guidance Counselor

Q: What subject do you teach?

A: I am a guidance counselor.

Q: What school did you come from?

A: I came from East Wake Academy, which is a charter school. I was there for two years, but I was at East Wake High School, which is in Wake County, for fourteen years.

Q:  What inspired you to become a counselor?

A: My undergraduate degree is in criminal justice, and I always wanted to work with people, but I really didn’t know what I wanted to do. So after I graduated from my four year degree in criminal justice, I didn’t want to be a police officer, I ended up falling into vocational rehab. One thing led to another, and I decided to go back to graduate school and thought about the environments I had been in in previous jobs. School was where I enjoyed the most.

Q: What do you do for fun on the weekends?

A: I love the beach, [my family and I] go to the beach a lot, anything outside, I love to hike, garden, nap. I have a son who is twelve so we are always on the go. He plays soccer, baseball, and basketball.

Q: If you could choose a superpower what would you choose and why?

A: I think it would be for a school counselor, to fix broken hearts. It’s the one thing that comes into my office that I can’t fix. You have to go through that stuff and you know, everyone does, but that’s just the one thing I can’t fix.

Q: Where is the coolest place you’ve been to?

A: [My family and I] went to the Grand Canyon last year and we took a fly-over of it so we could see everything and it was just breathtaking. It was so cool because we got to see the Hoover Dam. Although we did visit the dam, you could see the landscaping of it and it was just unbelievable.

NADINE SIMS, Teacher Assistant Special Education

Q:  What subject do you teach?

A:  Teacher’s Assistant/ Special Education

Q:  What inspired you to become a teacher and teach this subject?

A:  I wanted to make a difference in a child’s life and help them. Everyone needs help and guidance.

Q:  What do you do for fun on the weekends?

A:  I spend time with my grand children.

Q:  If you could choose a superpower what would it be and why?

A:  Fly so I can see the world.

DOREENE MCGILL, Biology Teacher

Q: What subject do you teach?

A: I teach Honors Biology

Q: Where did you teach before and where did you go to school?

A: I taught in Fayetteville, NC at Westover High School. And I also taught at Gray’s Creek High School in Cumberland County. I went to Fayetteville State.

Q: What do you like most about Wakefield?

A: I like a number of things. I like the schedule, the PrideTtime, the students, and the staff, everyone’s friendly. And I definitely like Smart Lunch, you guys have longer lunches.

Q: What inspired you to become a teacher?

A: Originally I didn’t want to become a teacher. I used to work JAG [Staff Judge Advocate] at Fort Bragg. Somebody said that it had a shortage of teachers and they said “McGill, you ought to go teach science.” I started teaching and I just really enjoyed with students.

Q: If you weren’t a teacher what would you be?

A: I would probably be doing research on cures for cancer. Too many people have lost their lives from that, so we definitely need to get a better handle on that

KARIMAH MIDGETTE,  Dean of Student Services

Q:  Where did you teach before?

A:  I was a counselor at East Wake High School before coming to Wakefield.

Q:  What do you like the most about Wakefield?

A:  What I like about wakefield is the positive relationships the staff and the students seem to have.  I also like the kindness that I have been shown.

Q:  What inspired you to do what you do?

A:  I was inspired to become a counselor by my desire to impact the lives of others in a positive manner.  I enjoy helping young people navigate life and make better choices.

Q:  What do you do for fun on the weekends?

A:  I spend time with my husband and our twin son and daughter.  We jog and bike ride often on the weekends.

Q:  What did you do for fun in high school?

A:  I was a cheerleader and a member JROTC.  Also, I had spending time with my friends during lunch.  I really enjoyed participating in these things.

Q:  What kind of music do you listen to?

A:  I love different types of music…gospel, contemporary christian, jazz (LOVE the sound of the saxophone), old school hip-hop and R&B, neo-soul.

JOANN RICHARDSON, Technology, Engineering, and Design

Q:  What subject do you teach?

A:  Technology, Engineering and Design

Q:  Where did you do before Wakefield?

A:  Millbrook High School, as the technology facilitator

Q:  What inspired you to become a teacher and teach your subject?

A:  Originally I had wanted to go into architecture. I grew up in a family of teachers, and I lived in a  very low socioeconomic area, and I wanted to help the children there to have a better community, school, and education

Q:  What did you do for fun in high school?

A:  I played a lot of sports, every season, I was captain of my basketball team, volleyball, and soccer team, and I was national conference for soccer. I did newspaper, we had a literary magazine, so I did the photography, the art, and the literary director

Q:  If you could teach anywhere in the world where would you go and why?

A:   I would actually like to teach in Kenya, I do mission work there and so I know a lot of the Maasai language, and I enjoy the culture there very much, and we go around the schools and I’ve worked with training teachers in that area

Q:   Do you have a secret talent?

A: I have a degree in sculpture as well as art, a lot of people are usually surprised that I am as handy as I am, I renovated my whole basement.

AMY RUSSELL, Career Technical Education Department

Q:  What do you do here Wakefield High School?

A:  My title is CTE instructional manager. What I like to tell everyone is that it’s a teacher support role in the school.

Q:  What did you do before Wakefield?

A:  This is my 8th year in the role, but my first year in Wake County. The other seven years were completed in Charlotte.

Q:  What do you like most about Wakefield High School?

A:  I love how friendly the staff here is. I know you can understand how scary it would be leaving a position you were comfortable in, but to come in to a new county, to a new school, I feel at home.

Q:  What did you do for fun in high school?

A:  I had a part time job, so I worked a little more than I should. However, I worked with some great people that made it really fun and not feel like work. On the weekends, me and my friends would cruise up and down the strip in Burlington, where I’m from, from the start of the road to the McDonald’s. It was so much fun to go cruising with your friends.

Q:  What type of music do you like?

A:  I like just about everything, but I have a special devotion to country music because my brother is a big label country producer. My mom was a music teacher, so she taught me how to properly appreciate music.

Q:  What’s your favorite teaching story?

A:  Well one day, a couple years ago, a good amount of students came into class sad. I asked what was wrong. They proceeded to tell me that an individual named Tupac died the day before. I replied with: “Well, did he go here?” That didn’t go over too well. However, I did use it to my advantage and seemed a lot more knowledgeable in the situation to my second period.

JANENE SCHNEIDER, English Teacher

Q: What subject do you teach?

A: I teach English I.

Q: Where did you teach before and what school did you go to?

A: I originally started teaching in Iowa. So I taught at a large public school there, and then I moved to North Carolina. I actually taught for about 12 years at Franklin Academy, in Wake Forest, and then I got out of teaching for a year, and worked at Duke. But I realized I missed teaching. So this job opened up, so I interviewed, and here I am.

Q: What inspired you to become a teacher and teach English?

A: I originally started college for Physical Therapy and I did my first Chemistry class and realized “Is this what I want to study forever now? I don’t think so,” So I started to think about what I liked to do and I always enjoyed babysitting and kind of teaching kids. 

Q: What kind of music do you like to listen to?

A: I like to listen to kind of a variety. Love musicals, so I love to listen to that, love, love that. Love New Kids on the Block. Still happy they’re around, went to the concert that was in July- I’m not afraid to admit it. I like pop, so I like to listen to what’s on the radio.

Q: Do you have a secret talent?

A: I was a cheerleader, so I can still do the splits, and do the flip-flop. I used to be able to do ariel, but I’m 43, so I doubt I can do that anymore. 

Q: What is your spirit animal and why?

A: Great question. I’m going to have to say the panda bear. Because I think, everyone thinks it’s cute and cuddly, but when it needs to be, it can be fierce, and can be, kind of stand up for what it wants and what it thinks it needs and it can be very protective of its young. I think I get that way with my students.

BRENT WALKER, Ninth Grade Counselor

Q: What is your experience and where were you before you came to Wakefield?

A: I was at Longview school in WCPSS.

Q: What inspired you to be an educator or a counselor?

A: I tried some other careers before I got my masters. I just decided that I really like helping kids, my personality doesn’t lead itself to be a classroom teacher. That would be too hard of a job for me, counseling was the path that I chose.

Q: What were the other careers that you were thinking of doing?

A: I worked in a microbiology lab for a little while and I did some tech support and computer stuff for a little while.

Q: What music do you like?

A: Pretty much whatever my kids have on the radio. If it’s just me it’s probably sports radio.

Q: What’s your favorite place in the world?

A: I like the beach, I’m not the biggest world travelers. I haven’t seen much of it so I like the beach, sitting there doing nothing

Q: If you weren’t a counselor what would you be?

A: 2nd baseman for the NY mets

SANDRA WALKER, Special Education Department

Q: What is your name and your position here at Wakefield

A: My name is Sandra Walker and I am a teaching assistant in the SPED classroom

Q: Did you do anything else educationally before you came to Wakefield?  

A: I was a substitute teacher and a TA on the elementary level for about 5 years. My background is more in the vocational setting and working with adults with developmental disabilities. I also worked in a vocational setting at a day program in Henderson and also worked at Murdoch center, a 24-hour facility for adults.

Q: What inspired you to be a teacher?

A: It was one of my 1st jobs, working with individuals with developmental disabilities. I enjoyed helping others. Once I had children, then I wanted to work with kids who were like my kids so I could learn and share information with my children. But after they went into middle school, I focused on my degree of psychology, but I have always wanted to assist and help.

Q: What kind of music do you listen to?

A: Jazz and 80s music

Q: Funniest moment teaching?

A: Trying to teach kindergarteners how to walk in a straight line and I was walking and they were still standing.

Q: Any secret talents?

A: I like to sing but I find that it doesn’t sound as good in front of people then when I’m in the bathroom.

Q: If you weren’t a teacher what would you be?

A: An interior designer