Our team

'Ms. Brooke'

Lower elementary learning guide

Ms. Brooke's learning philosophy is to engage students in experiences they will never forget in order to truly learn new topics. She loves first graders because they are excited and ready to learn new things. She can't wait to incorporate games and fun activities into each day's lessons.

After completing grades K-12 at Denbigh Baptist Christian School while serving as Class President for five years and maintaining a GPA of 4.2, Brooke graduated in 2023 with honors. Since then, she previously worked at DBCS in various forms as a teacher, a substitute for classes such as music and art, and she even has found energy to arrive before school and stay after school as an extended care worker. With her advanced academic skills, she often provided additional tutoring with middle school math and English students. When not in the school, she can be found leading her church in worship on either vocals or keyboard. She also loves youth so much that she volunteers as a youth group leader and Vacation Bible School leader in her spare time!

At Enlighten Christian Academy, Brooke leads the academic core classes every morning with our young students. In the afternoons, she works on maintaining her 4.0 GPA at Liberty University Online as a junior pursuing Elementary Education. She is also First Aid / CPR certified and has additional certification to dispense medications if needed.

Fun fact: Ms. Brooke loves playing tennis and she also has a twin sister! We are excited to have Brooke join us with her unlimited supply of energy!

'Ms. Renee'

MIDDLE ELEMENTARY LEARNING GUIDE

Ms. Renee’s learning philosophy is that student engagement is key to student learning. She uses enthusiasm, humor and fun activities to interest students in the learning process. She also believes that students should be taught to become critical thinkers in order to use problem solving skills and become productive citizens in their community.

Ms. Renee received a BS in Early Childhood Education from Virginia Commonwealth University. She also graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Master’s degree from Longwood University in School Librarianship. It was the best “hard fun” she had ever experienced! Renee worked for more than three decades as a teacher, grade level team leader, social studies leader, and minority achievement leader. Ms. Renee was a contributing member of the Staff Development Team, School Improvement Team, Family and Community Engagement Team, and the School Effectiveness Team for the WJCC Schools before retiring. She was also a William & Mary Clinical Faculty member and she mentored student teachers.

Ms. Renee has served at First Corinthians Baptist Church in the Tutoring & Christian Education Ministry, the RISE Ministry, the Transportation Ministry, and Media Ministry. She also served as an usher, choir member, and volunteer for the senior ministry. Ms. Renee also directed ACE Academy, an academic afterschool program and summer camp affiliated with First Corinthians’ non-profit, New Life Ministries.

Fun Fact: Ms. Renee was in a mime troupe in high school, she was a Live Mannequin Model, a Debutante, and she has climbed a waterfall!

'Mrs. Eileen'

ASSISTANT TEACHER

Mrs. Eileen attended public schools growing up in Delaware. She wants to help children such as she had been, especially those who are intimidated by large class sizes and feeling lost because the teachers may not teach in a way that make sense to them. She attended Delaware State College on a full scholarship where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with her BS in Elementary Education. She taught special education for 4 years; however, she felt a lack of support from administrators and left the teaching arena to pursue a career as a dental assistant. After 26 years in dentistry, Mrs. Eileen became a Dental Assisting Instructor at Carrington College where she could combine her love of teaching with her love of dentistry.

Mrs. Eileen is excited to fulfill her dream of making school a place where kids feel safe and are fully engaged in learning and exploring their world.

She is also very involved with her church, volunteering in the children's ministry, leading ladies Bible study, supervising the church cleaning crew, and helping with every project she can.

Fun fact: Mrs. Eileen has an adorable pug named Pugsley who is the best cuddler, and 2 black cats named Pepe and Pipsqueak.

'Mrs. Julie'

ASSISTANT TEACHER

Mrs. Julie has experience supporting kids of all abilities, both personally and professionally. She has served as a substitute teacher at Clara Byrd Baker Elementary School since 2023. She loves the rewarding experience of developing relationships with the students and teachers. While substitute teaching, she taught and supported a variety of students within the general education and special education settings. In addition to her professional experience, she is a wonderful mom to 13-year-old triplets: Ryan, Andrew and Nadia. Her daughter, Nadia, was born with Down Syndrome, which is a genetic condition that affects her learning and speech. Through this journey, she learned a multitude of strategies that helped her daughter and she is now even better equipped to help others who may struggle with traditional methods of learning.

Mrs. Julie also stays active serving in her church's children's ministry as a Sunday School teacher. Some other hobbies she enjoys include traveling, exercising, the outdoors, music, and dance. She is most excited about uncovering how each child learns best and developing their natural talents at Enlighten Christian Academy!

Fun Fact: She makes the best gluten-free brownies in the world and has perfected sourdough bread and other recipes in the kitchen!

'Mrs. Erin'

Culinary Around the World teacher

Mrs. Erin has worked enthusiastically with children, from babies to teens, for over 25 years. Since she is teaching a global cooking enrichment course, she is pictured in one of her recent international trips. As a former U.S. Army JAG Corps Sergeant and military spouse, Erin loves to travel and learn both the history and culture of various localities and cultures. Notably, Erin lived in South Korea for two years, has climbed the Great Wall in China, and just returned from a picturesque trip to Scotland where she and her husband celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. Additionally, she stays active in ladies’ church ministry, homeschools her two teen boys, and “holds down the fort.” She holds a Legal Assistant certificate (Westminster College of Salt Lake City), a B.S. in Management Studies (University of Maryland) and a M.S. in Criminal Justice (University of Cincinnati). She currently resides in Toano with her family and pets – a corgi, a cat, and a dozen chickens. She is also thrilled to have a married adult son in Texas and she dotes on her two-year-old grandson, Mason.

Fun Fact: Mrs. Erin has sampled wide-ranging foods from sauteed crickets to haggis to alligator bites on her travels. She is thrilled to “bring to the table” her knowledge of global cuisine with our students!

'Mr. Travis'

Chief Financial Officer, Music Director

Mr. Travis has the privilege of being married to the Director / Founder, and thus has been granted a wide range of roles to support the school! He loves teaching and is very passionate about helping students learn how to express themselves creatively with music. On Monday afternoons, he leads group and private lessons in music. The students love beating on his drum pads, creating melodious songs with the xylophone sets, and learning rhythm with the parachute game. He also works with the students on developing their memory skills with tricks and memory games to enhance their learning skills.

Mr. Travis was valedictorian of his high school class and also received a BS in Music from the College of William and Mary. He teaches private percussion lessons for students of all ages.

His second love includes finances, and since he loves learning so much, he studied hard and passed financial services licensing exams such as the Series 6, Series 7, Series 26, Series 63, and Series 65 exams. He also passed the rigorous Enrolled Agent test and is now certified to file personal and business taxes. Enlighten Christian Academy is very blessed to have a trustworthy and experienced member on board!

Fun Fact: Mr. Travis has a dream of memorizing the whole book of Proverbs. Currently, he has hundreds of verses from Proverbs memorized!