Introducing Ashley Hall's New Faculty Members | Charleston, SC

New Faculty Joining Ashley Hall for 2021-2022

21-22 Ashley Hall New Faculty/Staff | Charleston, SC

This fall, 22 new faculty and staff members join Ashley Hall with 39 advanced degrees, decades of combined experience and expertise, and a shared passion for outstanding education. We warmly welcome this stellar group of educators into our community.

Ross Early Education Center (EEC)

Allison Miller, Lead Teacher

Allison Miller joins us from St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s School in New York City, where she was a junior kindergarten head teacher. She earned a B.S. degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Scranton and a M.S. degree in Reading, Birth-6, from Fordham University. She will serve as a lead primary teacher in our EEC program.

Maria Anderson, Associate Teacher

Maria Anderson earned her B.S. degree in Psychology from Columbia Southern University and is an Army veteran. As an Instructional Program Specialist for IAP World Services, she assisted students with after school activities, the technology lab, and extracurricular activities.  

Parker Anne Clement, Associate Teacher

Parker Anne Clement graduated from the College of Charleston with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Medical Humanities. 

Mary Grace Dolan, Associate Teacher

Mary Grace Dolan is pursuing her M.S. degree in Early Childhood Education, PreK-3 Track, at the University of Tennessee, where she also received her B.S. degree in the same field. Previously, she was a student teacher at Brickey-McCloud Elementary in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Kyniqua Euland, Associate Teacher

Kyniqua Euland brings thirteen years of experience as an early childhood educator and most recently served as a lead teacher and coordinator at the Children’s Discovery Center in Mount Pleasant.

Sara Lawton, Associate Teacher

Sara Lawton earned her B.S. degree in Elementary Education from the College of Charleston and has worked as an assistant teacher at the O’Quinn School of Porter Gaud.

Katlyn Onstott, Associate Teacher

Katlyn Onstott graduated from Charleston Southern University in May of 2021 with a degree in Early Childhood Education.  

Caroline Roncalli, Associate Teacher

Caroline Roncalli graduated from Sewanee: The University of the South with a B.A. degree in Women and Gender Studies and a minor in Education. Previously, she worked as a teaching assistant for Cowan, Monteagle, and South Pittsburg Elementary Schools in Monteagle, Tennessee. 

Lower School

Callie Hall, Grade 2

Callie Hall will serve as a teacher for second grade. She is pursuing her M.A.T. degree from the University of South Carolina with a specialization in Reading and Literacy and received her B.S. degree in Early Childhood Education from the College of Charleston. Previously, she taught at Charleston’s Pinehurst Elementary.

Emily Matus, Kindergarten

Emily Matus joins us from St. Andrew School in Chicago, where she was a reading specialist and second grade teacher. She earned her B.A. degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Early Childhood Development from St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, and her Master’s in Reading degree from DePaul University. She will serve as a kindergarten teacher.

Intermediate Program

Ashley Downes, Grade 6

Ashley Downes is a familiar face at Ashley Hall, having served as a long-term substitute in our Lower School. Having previously taught at Lehrman Community Day School in Miami, Florida, Ashley will be joining us as our sixth grade science teacher. She received her B.S. in Child and Family Sciences at Florida State University and her M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Phoenix.

Kelsey Tetsworth, Grade 5

Kelsey Tetsworth received her B.A. in English, M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, Reading, and M.A.T. in Teaching, Secondary English Education, from the University of Virginia. Previously, she was a middle school humanities teacher at the Collegiate School in Richmond and will serve as Ashley Hall’s fifth grade humanities teacher.

Upper School

Luc Bonhomme, Ph. D., French

Dr. Luc Bonhomme joins us as a French teacher after previously teaching upper school French at St. Marks School in Southborough, Massachusetts. At the University of South Florida, he received a B.A. in International Relations and a M.A. in French Literature. His M.A. in French and Ph.D. in Francophone Literature and Cinema were awarded by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Tuyen Phan, Physics and Math

Tuyen Phan graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.S. degree in Applied Science, Biomedical Engineering, a M.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering, and a M.S. degree in Secondary Education. She previously was a math and physics teacher at Thalun International School in Myanmar and will serve as both a physics and math teacher at Ashley Hall.

Nathan Smith, Math

Nathan Smith joins us as a math teacher. Previously a math and physics instructor at St. John’s Country Day School in Orange Park, Florida , he received his B.S. degree in Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin.

Grace Wingfield, Assistant Director of Upper School, Academic Support Director, and Math, Science, and Technology Department Chair

Grace Wingfield has been appointed the Math, Science, and Technology Department Chair and Assistant Director of Upper School. Prior to joining Ashley Hall, she was an upper school mathematics teacher and department chair at Episcopal Academy in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. She has B.A. and M.Ed. degrees in Math Education from the University of Delaware and deep experience in working with students to maximize their potential. Grace’s major work focus will be directed towards student academic support. 

Performing Arts

Ricard Bordas and Margaret Kelly Cook, Voice Studies Program Directors

Ricard Bordas and Margaret Kelly Cook, world-renowned artists and music educators, will serve as the Directors of Ashley Hall’s Voice Studies Program. 

Ricard will direct the Upper School choral classes and ensembles. Conductor, countertenor, educator, and Grammy nominee, he graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in London and has conducted choirs and chamber groups in the United States, Spain, and Britain. He is currently Assistant Professor of Music at Charleston Southern University, Artistic Director of the Bach Society of Charleston, Director of Choral Music at First (Scots) Presbyterian Church in Charleston, Artistic Director of the Charleston Men’s Chorus, and a writer for the Spanish classical magazine Revista Musical Catalana. 

Margaret will oversee the vocal studio and will also instruct the private vocal lessons. She earned a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance degree from Oberlin College and completed the postgraduate opera course at the Royal College of Music in London. An active participant on the concert stage, Cook has appeared as a guest soloist throughout England and Europe and locally with the Charleston Chamber Music Society, Charleston Symphony Orchestra, and the South Carolina Philharmonic. Margaret is highly regarded as one of the lead vocal instructors in Charleston.

Flora Nevarez, Strings Program Coordinator

Flora Nevarez will be Ashley Hall’s Strings Program Coordinator. She joins us from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where she is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Music Education/String Methodology, with a minor in Violin Performance, and where she has served as an associate instructor. She received a Bachelor of Music from Western Washington University, a Master of Music in String Performance from the University of Akron, and a Master of Music in Violin Performance and String Pedagogy from the University of Louisville.

Aimee Phelan-Deconinck, Performing Arts Coordinator/Dance

Aimee Phelan-Deconinck has studied with the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance and the School of American Ballet and has international experience in performance and communications. Most recently, she was part of Dance Moves of Charleston. She received her B.A. in Speech Communications and Drama from Marymount College and her M.F.A. from Columbia University. Aimee will be our Performing Arts Coordinator/Dance.

Athletics

Christian Alcantara, Assistant Athletics Director

Christian Alcantara has been appointed Assistant Athletic Director. He received his B.S. degree in Finance from Long Island University and his M.A.T. from Point Loma Nazarene University. Previously, he was a physical education teacher in the Dripping Springs, Texas Independent School District and the College Director and Elite Clubs National Coach for the Rebel Soccer Club in Chula Vista, California.

Global Education

Jon Perkins, Global Education Coordinator

Jon Perkins joins us as Global Education Coordinator. An experienced foreign service officer and analyst specializing in East Asia, he has served as a Course Director and Lead Instructor at the Sherman Kent School, CIA University. He earned his M.A. degree in International Studies from the University of Washington and his B.A. in Comparative Politics and History from Bowdoin College. Jon is part of a proud Ashley Hall family: his wife is alumna Caroline Perkins, Class of 1991, his daughter Elizabeth is a member of the Class of 2024, and his daughter Catherine is joining the class of 2027.

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Ashley Hall is a K-12 independent school for girls, with a co-ed preschool, committed to a talented and diverse student population. We consider for admission students of any race, color, religion, and national or ethnic origin.
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