Carolina School for Inquiry

Jean Sanders Hopkins, RN
School Nurse

Jean Sanders Hopkins has more than 30 years of professional
nursing experience. She retired from her position as Assistant Chief of
Nursing at Columbia's Dorn Veterans Administration Hospital in 1993,
after working at several other hospitals and healthcare facilities in
South Carolina and Georgia. Not content to rest after her retirement,
she continues to share her nursing skills. Hopkins is a board member
of the Palmetto Health Alliance, an at-large member of the Board of
Trustees of Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital, and Director of
Health Services at Allen University. In addition, she serves as
a substitute nurse in Richland County School District One. Her
background also includes past employment as a senior public health
nurse with the S. C. Dept. of Health and Environmental Control,
and a nursing instructor at SC State University. Hopkins received her
registered nursing (RN) diploma in 1953 from Columbia Hospital
School of Nursing, and her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from
the University of South Carolina in 1976. Nurse Hopkins is delighted to
be a member of the CSI family and team.

Sheryl Wechsler has a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Columbia International University and is certified in both early childhood and elementary education. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from New College of Florida where she studied both gifted education and multiple intelligences. Between her degrees she enjoyed working at the Lexington County Museum and volunteering as a Cub Scout Den Leader and Cubmaster. Sheryl is very excited about joining the CSI family and looks forward to meeting her students and their families!

Dr. Verdie Samuels has 27 years of teaching experience in
kindergarten, first and second grade. She has also taught at
Ohio State University and South Carolina State University. She is
a National Board Certified Teacher and is experienced in
multiage teaching. She has a Ph.D. in education from Ohio State
University, a M.Ed. in Counselor Education, and a BS in Early
Childhood Education from South Carolina State University. Her
doctoral research was on cultural voices and how they are
embraced in the teaching of reading.

Chris Richards has a Masters of Arts in Teaching in Elementary Education from the University of South Carolina and has been an upper elementary teacher at CSI since 2006. This experience has given Chris ample training in inquiry based instruction. He has worked in multiage settings with children in after-school and summer programs and has done his student teaching in third and fourth grades. He also has in BA in psychology from the University of South Carolina.

Damon Hodges has 11 years of teaching experience in public schools of South Carolina. He has taught third and fifth grades in Richland School District One. Damon obtained a Master of Arts degree in teaching from South Carolina State University in Elementary Education and a Bachelors of Arts degree in Political Science History/Pre-law from Morris College located in Sumter, SC. He has worked and has overseen various literacy programs and has taught numerous students in after school and summer programs. Damon and his wife Princess have two daughters Heiress and Countess. Damon is excited to join the CSI team and looks forward to working with students and their families. Damon’s motto: I see myself in everyone on my students…the expectations are high!

Lindsey White received her BA in English and MAT in Learning
Disabilities from the University of South Carolina. She has been
a resource teacher in Richland District One for fourteen years and has taught students in kindergarten through 5th grade at AC Moore and Meadowfield Elementary. Her teaching experience and training include co-teaching and the inclusion model. She has
also taught in several multiage settings through the Extended
School Year program. Lindsey looks forward to another exciting year with the Carolina School for Inquiry.

Tanya Wilson has ten years of experience in speech and language pathology. She is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of SC State University. She is certified by the SC Dept. of Education in speech therapy, has the Clinical Certificate of Competence through the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA), and license from the SC Board of Examiner’s. She is a member of the SC Speech and Hearing Association and ASHA. Tanya has worked in two school districts, serving as the speech therapist, self-containedteacher, and resource teacher. She has had experience working with various special education populations, including PMD, TMD, ED, EMD, LD, and VI. Her aspiration is to pursue a doctorate in Healthcare Administration with the goal of having her own private practice.

Jacqueline Boulware has been an educator for over 19 years. She has acquired a Masters plus 30 Degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of South Carolina and is a National Board Certified Teacher. She has an undergraduate degree in Broadcast Journalism and worked for South Carolina ETV for several years. Jackie is married with two children, and enjoy sports, reading, jazz and gospel music. She spends spare time playing and teaching tennis. She decided to become an educator to inspire children to learn, after working with her own children during their developing years. Jacqueline believes that children have a lot of talent and we need to find ways to tap into them.

Isabell Willis recently obtained a bachelor’s in Social Work from Columbia College where she gained skills and experience in working with children from infancy to age 13. Isabell developed essential group facilitating and individual counseling skills through her recent internships at Alcorn Middle School and The Nurturing Center. Isabell is a reliable and ethical social worker with the ability to interact with and counsel at risk youths, collaborate on multidisciplinary teams, and a proven ability to build and maintain positive and professional relationships with clients and school personnel. Isabell is planning to further her education by attending the University of South Carolina for a Masters Social Work. Isabell is excited about the opportunity to work with the bright students at CSI.

Christen Sistare has a Masters of Arts in Teaching in Early Childhood Education from Converse College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Francis Marion University where she studied Theatre Arts and English. After obtaining her undergraduate degree Christen taught Fine Arts & English at the high school level. While earning her masters degree she taught at a tutoring center where she worked with small groups of multi-aged students. Christen is so excited to join the CSI family and cannot wait to meet her students and their families!

Erica Spradley recently completed her first year of teaching here at Carolina School for Inquiry. She joined the Upper Elementary team as the 6th Grade Teacher and was able to design the sixth grade curriculum. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Winthrop University. Erica co-taught with Mrs. Dixon-Mokeba during a 5-week Summer Academy Program at CSI in 2009. This experience allowed Erica to experience and deliver inquiry based instruction in a multiage setting (grades K-5). Starting this year, Erica will be working to obtain her Masters Degree, in Divergent Learning, at Columbia College.