Meet the Eagle team teachers!
Mrs. Burns
Hello Eagles! I am looking forward to another fabulous year here at GMS. :) I was born and raised in West Virginia. In 2006, I obtained my Bachelor's Degree in Secondary Education, Science and Speech, from Marshall University (Go Herd!) in Huntington, West Virginia. I graduated from The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in 2015 with my Master's Degree in Secondary Science Education. In August 2016, I received my licensure for Academically and Intellectually Gifted (AIG) from Duke University. I have 15 years of teaching experience and am getting ready to start year 16 Wow! Where has the time gone!?!? I taught a year and a half in West Virginia before moving to North Carolina with my husband, Paul, where I have taught for the last thirteen and a half years, TWELVE of which have been at Githens. I wear many hats at GMS, including Tigers Team Leader, 7th Grade Science PLC Chair, and Science Department Chair. I am excited to be starting my Thirteenth year at GMS!
Hello Eagles! I am looking forward to another fabulous year here at GMS. :) I was born and raised in West Virginia. In 2006, I obtained my Bachelor's Degree in Secondary Education, Science and Speech, from Marshall University (Go Herd!) in Huntington, West Virginia. I graduated from The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in 2015 with my Master's Degree in Secondary Science Education. In August 2016, I received my licensure for Academically and Intellectually Gifted (AIG) from Duke University. I have 15 years of teaching experience and am getting ready to start year 16 Wow! Where has the time gone!?!? I taught a year and a half in West Virginia before moving to North Carolina with my husband, Paul, where I have taught for the last thirteen and a half years, TWELVE of which have been at Githens. I wear many hats at GMS, including Tigers Team Leader, 7th Grade Science PLC Chair, and Science Department Chair. I am excited to be starting my Thirteenth year at GMS!
Mrs. Andrews
My name is Catra, or Mrs. Andrews, or “Ms. Cat”, or “Moooom” to my two kids. Before I was a seventh grade math teacher, I was a preschool teacher and a yoga instructor. Before that, I worked in a variety of positions all using math or science. Throughout my working life, I’ve almost always had a role related to instructing, training, or teaching others. Education is in my blood. My mother is a librarian and my grandmother was a teacher. I have grown up with the idea that receiving a quality education is a core value and the right to an education is universal. It took me a while to embrace the calling to teach, but I am proud that I have; now I can’t imagine doing anything else.
I have a BS in mathematics from UNC Charlotte. I changed to mathematics from biology when I discovered that I needed (not wanted) to understand why the statistical formulas worked in my biometry course. I know that not everyone thinks about math the same way I do, and that what works for me may not work for my students. Math (observation, description, and generalization) is the root language of all the other sciences, and to understanding our world. My goal is to help students learn the skills needed for mathematical thought.
Students need to feel safe and supported to learn the skills of abstract thinking. My goal is to support students on this journey, and I look forward to developing my existing skillset to help students navigate this process. Many students are already resistant to, or discouraged by, math; probably more than any other subject. I recognize the need to struggle when seeking answers, and the importance of guiding my students without stealing their thinking.
My name is Catra, or Mrs. Andrews, or “Ms. Cat”, or “Moooom” to my two kids. Before I was a seventh grade math teacher, I was a preschool teacher and a yoga instructor. Before that, I worked in a variety of positions all using math or science. Throughout my working life, I’ve almost always had a role related to instructing, training, or teaching others. Education is in my blood. My mother is a librarian and my grandmother was a teacher. I have grown up with the idea that receiving a quality education is a core value and the right to an education is universal. It took me a while to embrace the calling to teach, but I am proud that I have; now I can’t imagine doing anything else.
I have a BS in mathematics from UNC Charlotte. I changed to mathematics from biology when I discovered that I needed (not wanted) to understand why the statistical formulas worked in my biometry course. I know that not everyone thinks about math the same way I do, and that what works for me may not work for my students. Math (observation, description, and generalization) is the root language of all the other sciences, and to understanding our world. My goal is to help students learn the skills needed for mathematical thought.
Students need to feel safe and supported to learn the skills of abstract thinking. My goal is to support students on this journey, and I look forward to developing my existing skillset to help students navigate this process. Many students are already resistant to, or discouraged by, math; probably more than any other subject. I recognize the need to struggle when seeking answers, and the importance of guiding my students without stealing their thinking.
Miss Donnelly
Miss Maggie Donnelly arrives at Githens Middle School after a decade of working onstage in theatrical productions in Chicago, New York City, and Washington, DC. She was born and raised in Southern California is ridiculously fond of all things social studies, social justice, social intelligence and…well…social. She is a proud Wildcat (Go Ye Northwestern), a proud Tiger, a proud Raider, and a proud Durham resident. Daytime catches her in constant motion with her students, nighttime sees her fronting a band or teaching barre at the local gym, all in service of being the best human she can possibly be for her students (we love whole, multi-faceted people! So much!). Please feel free to email her at [email protected] (compliments preferred, questions answered, constructive criticism totally accepted!).
Miss Maggie Donnelly arrives at Githens Middle School after a decade of working onstage in theatrical productions in Chicago, New York City, and Washington, DC. She was born and raised in Southern California is ridiculously fond of all things social studies, social justice, social intelligence and…well…social. She is a proud Wildcat (Go Ye Northwestern), a proud Tiger, a proud Raider, and a proud Durham resident. Daytime catches her in constant motion with her students, nighttime sees her fronting a band or teaching barre at the local gym, all in service of being the best human she can possibly be for her students (we love whole, multi-faceted people! So much!). Please feel free to email her at [email protected] (compliments preferred, questions answered, constructive criticism totally accepted!).