Elise Neubeck: Anuradha Basnet

Elise Neubeck, in her 17th year of teaching, has joined the PA community as an Effective Reading ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher for all grade levels. Neubeck teaches Effective Reading 1 and 2 on A-days at PA, her home school, while spending her B-days at Cox High School. Her classes help students who are learning English for the first time, as PA has a student community welcoming a number of international students.

At PA, Neubeck has loved learning about other cultures and describes her experience so far as a “refreshing start to a different part of my teaching journey.” She notes a memorable time when her students played the card game Uno in class, and a Czech and Spanish student played the game differently in their cultures, giving her insight into the many cultural differences her students have and discover about each other. Neubeck remarks that PA is a great school with a diverse student population.

Before teaching ESL classes, Neubeck taught early childhood special education at Trantwood Elementary, Centerville Elementary, and Birdneck Elementary, where she worked with 2-5 year old children with special needs. At Radford University, she earned two bachelor’s degrees and two minors in special education, early childhood education, autism studies, and art.

In her classroom, Neubeck aims to help students build their English skills, allowing them to focus on reading and writing to better their academics and understand other classes more. The class typically works in rotations so students are able to work with her, engage with the app HMH at their own pace, and immerse themselves in independent reading.

Neubeck had a speech impediment growing up, and worked with a speech therapist to improve her communication skills. During her college education, she discovered that there were many ways to help others with their speech problems, other than what she had been exposed to at a younger age. At Radford, she fell in love with early childhood education, and continued her studies in similar fields.

Outside of teaching her students, Neubeck enjoys spending time outside with her dog, painting with acrylic paint and watercolors, and traveling internationally to places including Ireland, parts of Europe, and the Caribbean.

Gabrielle Valdez: Parker Cook

Welcome PA’s new Biology and AP Environmental Science teacher: Gabrielle Valdez. This will be her fourth year teaching, but her first year teaching at PA. She is very eager to be a part of the PA community this year.

Valdez received her bachelor’s degree from Old Dominion University in biology, and her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Western Governors University. Previously, she was first a substitute teacher at PA, then later taught at Corporate Landing Middle School.Valdez adds that she did not originally want to become a teacher, but when she took a class in college to get a credit, she found that she had a passion for it. “I took a teaching class at ODU to kind of boost my GPA, and I enjoyed it very much. I fell in love with teaching and with teaching kids,” Valdez comments.

After developing an interest for this career, she did her student teaching program at PA in 2021 while getting her degree and she “enjoyed the school atmosphere here at PA very much and I have wanted to come back to work here ever since,” Valdez explains.

In her free time, Valdez enjoys being outside and gardening with her two-year-old son. “I like to walk my dog in parks with my son, and just be outside,” she comments.

So far, Valdez has enjoyed the close-knit school community at PA and says that she is excited for the rest of the year.

New Building Manager Samuel Johnson Fishes for Fixes: Alex Adams

Tasked with fixing up the building wherever it needs, Samuel Johnson, Princess Anne’s new Building Manager, is excited for the new opportunity at PA.

Johnson is from Virginia Beach and graduated from Kellam High School in 1988. Before coming to PA as a building manager, Johnson was in the United States Armed Forces and was employed at a now-defunct heating and ventilation company. After his time working for the company, Johnson landed at PA to incorporate himself in hands-on traits.

Johnson emphasized what led him to want to become a building manager. “As a building manager, working with your hands is an essential part of the job. It keeps you busy, and you learn a lot of new skills and traits”.

Johnson explains that a building manager includes activities such as “carpentry, electrical, plumbing”, adding that he works in almost all of the fields.

When away from the busy lifestyle of a Princess Anne building manager, he states his fondness for fishing, saying, “I love fishing, man.” In addition to fishing, Johnson also enjoys cruises and being around his family.

Shannon Lawson: Emily Winstead

For PA’s new IB English teacher, Shannon Lawson, change is not always a bad thing. “I like going into new experiences,” she shared. “You learn something from everything.” And for Lawson, coming to PA has certainly been a change. She is not new to teaching, but as she explained, her previous school had only roughly five hundred students. “I knew everybody. I knew every teacher, [and] I knew every student.”

It was a love for reading that led Lawson to become an English teacher in the first place, but it wasn’t until later in her journey that she became one. “I wanted to teach, but I wanted to teach developmental psychology in college,” she shared. “Then I met my husband in my first semester of grad school, and he didn’t live near me.” So, in order to be near him, she changed her major to community health and education. After taking some time off to raise her family, Lawson explained she knew she wanted to go back into teaching, but looked instead at teaching high school. 

Lawson is teaching IB English 10 this year, something she is excited to be doing. Coming from a different school system, she now has the opportunity to introduce new authors and reading materials than she had in the past. “Where I came from in Tennessee, the curriculum and everything is completely different. So, honestly, I’m looking forward to teaching all of them [the books],” she explained. Additionally, she says she is happy to be teaching high school, and shares that it is her favorite age group to teach. “I like being able to introduce high school students to some of those stories, authors, and just the worlds that [reading] takes you to,” she elaborated. 

Outside of teaching, Lawson shared that she likes spending time with her family, camping, and traveling. “We used to go to the Outerbanks,” she laughed. Lawson explained that despite having lived in Virginia before, it is her and her husband’s first time living in a beach area, something they are excited to take advantage of.

Introducing PA’s new assistant principal, Bethany Bayliss: Abby Maurer

PA’s administration team saw another change this year as Bethany Bayliss stepped into her new role as assistant principal. As she enters her 15th year in education, Bayliss shared how excited she is to be a part of the PA community. “There is definitely an atmosphere among the teachers and faculty that [says] everyone is in this together to do the very best they can do for students,” she explained. “That is truly a special feeling.”

Bayliss always knew she wanted to be a teacher. She described how she was inspired by certain teachers she had throughout her middle and high school years. She feels that she “probably wouldn’t have been as successful” without those teachers who helped her push through to the end. 

Bayliss attended Cabrini University for her undergraduate degree, and after teaching math and social studies for a few years, she eventually made the transition to administration. She says that her favorite part of being an administrator is “seeing students get excited about something that they didn’t always love.” 

“As a math teacher, I have realized that for some students, math isn’t always their favorite subject,” she explained. “But once they overcome the challenge, they come out of it and think ‘I accomplished something. I can do this.’”

When Bayliss is not working, she enjoys spending as much time as possible with her family. She has two young children, and she explained that their favorite thing to do together is to go to the playground. Bayliss tries to spend as much time as possible with her family outdoors.

As Bayliss continues to get more situated in the PA community, Bayliss emphasized her excitement to get to work and help PA students as much as possible. “I think that education is a community effort,” she said. “We are all here to help you all figure out what you want to do and be successful, and I am super excited to be a part of that journey for you all.”

Linda Francis: Emily Winstead

Linda Francis is thrilled to be back at PA. Having worked at PA a few years ago, Francis says returning, “feels like coming home.” Previously, she worked as a graduation advisor, but is now teaching US History. “I love US History,” she explains. “I just love the subject matter.” Her journey to becoming a US History teacher, however, was not exactly linear. “I started out as an accounting major,” she shared. When she talked with her advisor in college, however, she realized that history was what she really wanted to study, adding, “The classes I had A’s in were my history classes.”

Other than getting to teach the subject she loves, getting to work closely with students is what Francis says she is really looking forward to this year, and it is one of her favorite parts of her job. “Just last block, we were laughing,” she mentioned. Outside of her love for history and teaching, Francis says she loves to remain active. “I used to run half marathons,” she explained. Now, she does things like yoga that continue to allow her to fuel her passion for athletics.

PA Welcomes New Counselor, Erica King: Abby Maurer

PA welcomes a new addition to the counseling team this year. Erica King is stepping into her new role as counselor for last names Kj-N. King shares she is excited to begin her first year of counseling. 

King began her education journey in high school. She discovered her love of teaching through the Virginia’s Teachers for Tomorrow program while attending Cox High School. Later, as an undergraduate at James Madison University, she was placed in a school counseling department for her senior year. She explained how through that experience, she decided she wanted to be a school counselor.

King explains how most of her job involves work behind a computer, but the most rewarding part, to her, is the student interaction. “When kids come in and talk to me about their lives, it’s my favorite part.”

Another aspect of the PA community King enjoys is seeing how dedicated the students are to PA. “The students here like to be here and be involved,” she said. “That’s the best part about the PA community.”

Outside of the school, King loves to spend her time traveling, especially during the summer. “I love traveling and learning from different cultures,” she shared. She has been all over the world, from Scotland and Italy to Mexico and the Caribbean. 

Out of all of the places she has visited, King’s favorite place is Nice, France. She described how she loved to wander around and purposely get lost to try and find her way through the city. She lived with a host family and became fluent in French. “I’m not anymore, though,” she laughs. “Unfortunately, I don’t speak it anymore.”

King is excited to add her new perspective to PA’s counseling team. King hopes that her younger point of view will allow her to have “a more personal understanding of everything that students are going through, from academics to friends,” she said. “I’m coming in with a different perspective than the counselors that have been here for a long time. I am still learning from all of the counselors, but I am here to be an ally and a resource for everyone.”

Introducing PA’s new Principal, Ryan Schubart: Sarai Hoggard

Ryan Schubart has worked in the VBCPS school system for 21 years, including at Cox High School, Kellam High School, and First Colonial High School. He is now returning to Princess Anne years after his previous stint as assistant principal here. He began his career as a social studies teacher at First Colonial for eight years, where he also coached their softball and girls basketball teams. He attended Tidewater Community College, Old Dominion University, and Kentucky University for his doctorate after graduating from Lake Taylor High School in Norfolk. 

Schubart stated that he became involved in education in hopes to “make other people’s high school experience meaningful.” He admits that he didn’t value his high school experience, especially academically, because he was uncertain of his future. “I wouldn’t say that my high school experience was what someone would call awesome. I didn’t know what I wanted to do after graduation,” Schubart said.

Outside of education, Schubart coaches basketball with the YMCA during the summer. He also enjoys boating, being on the water, and visiting the Outer Banks.

When returning to PA, he felt the same warmth from the community that he did years ago, even with students who had never met him before. One of his favorite things about Princess Anne are its roots and history, how the PA family really pours into the school and all of its traditions. He stated it “is so important to me, [and] I’m looking forward to doing some great things here with really great people.” 

PA community welcomes new teacher, Kyle Gillikin: Alivia Wallace

The PA community welcomes Kyle Gillikin to his first year at Princess Anne High School’s main building. Formerly, he assisted in a photography class, but since that position was filled, there was an open spot for him here at PA. 

Gillikin graduated from Radford University with a bachelor’s degree in theatre, and he has shared his passion for the performing arts at PA. Previously, Gillikin has assisted with a musical at PA, and he plans on “helping out the theatre department and attending all the shows.”

Gillikin spends most of his time in the building administering study blocks and planning periods. He is an assistant teacher for distance learning, which is a program enabling VBCPS’ students to take courses online.

“Due to the classes being online, my immediate assumption was that students would slack off, but that is not the case,” Gillikin stated. He explained how the classes are more advanced, and the students taking them usually stay on top of their work.

Gillikin mentioned how one of the “biggest struggles” for this type of class is how his colleagues and students are not present in the building, so he is constantly sending emails and trying to communicate over an online platform. 

From the beginning, he knew that PA would be a “good fit” because of how welcoming and dedicated the staff and students are. “Everyone seems to be here for the benefit of the students,” Gillikin adds. He claims that it is very “pleasurable” to work with people who share the same passion for making a difference. 

New English Teacher Olivia Williams: Presley Hoke

PA welcomes ninth-grade English teacher Olivia Williams this year. She taught high school students in Brooklyn, New York, for five years and worked at a university for seven years, and is now a new staff member at PA.

Williams came to PA this year, per the recommendation of French teacher Julie Vance. Williams is new to Virginia Beach and met Vance in their neighborhood, and soon became close friends. When Vance mentioned an opening at PA, Williams decided to take the position.

Williams attended three different schools over the course of her education career; she earned her undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, her master’s degree from Brooklyn College, and her PhD from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Originally, Williams had planned to become a doctor, but while she was studying abroad in Thailand, she found a teaching position and discovered her new interest. When she returned to New York City from Thailand, she continued teaching while simultaneously completing her master’s degree as an NYC Teaching Fellow at CUNY-Brooklyn College. Essentially, Williams said that becoming a teacher was an accident, but she is happy that this is where she ended up.

Williams describes herself as energetic; she used to run marathons before she had her baby, and in her free time, she enjoys baking and reading. She also sees herself as a “very stereotypical English teacher” because she enjoys reading.

Williams says that she is excited to begin the new school year and is looking forward to spending time in a new environment.