Mount Pleasant Elementary welcomes new faculty and staff

By Debbie Adams

Mount Pleasant Elementary School has welcomed several new faculty and staff members for the
2025-2026 school year—Kari Barnes, Becky Christley, Tara Davidson, Christie Gibson, Allison
Gray, Ann Keith, Marissa Noell, and Tracie Pasquale. Jill Lane remains principal; Crystal
Bondurant is the Assistant Principal.

Kari Barnes will be teaching Kindergarten. She is originally from Roanoke, attended Masons
Cove Elementary, and graduated from Northside High School. She is a graduate of Radford
University and has worked in education for 10 years.

“I have worked with Kindergarten for 9 years of my career,” Barnes says. “I love that age group.
They show so much growth, and I love being part of their first school experience. I came to be at
Mount Pleasant when I interviewed for Roanoke County Public Schools. The principal, Jill Lane,
reached out for a personal tour of the school and I fell in love with the school climate and
beautiful brick building charm.”

Her two children will be joining her at MPE this school year. In her spare time, she enjoys
gardening.

Becky Christley will be the Special Education Coordinator at Mount Pleasant this year, moving
to MPE from the same position at William Byrd Middle School in 2024-2025. She is originally
from Illinois but has spent most of her life in Virginia. She graduated from James River High
School in Buchanan. Her bachelor’s degree in Human Services is from Bluefield College, her
master’s in special education is from Liberty University. This is her 8th year in education with
Roanoke County Schools.

Christley and her husband have three boys and an extended family in the Vinton area. Her
favorite activities outside of school are fishing and spending time with her family.

Tara Davidson is returning to Mount Pleasant as their Special Education FAACTS (Functional
Academic Accessibility Career and Transition Skills) teacher. She has taught for 34 years—32 in
special education and two in second grade.

She is originally from Mullens, West Virginia and says she graduated from Concord University
“100 years ago.”

“I volunteered to help with Special Olympics during high school,” Davidson says. “I have been
interested in working with children and adults with disabilities since then.

“I began teaching in Roanoke County in 1989 at Roanoke County Occupational School (RCOS).
It closed in the early 90’s, and various schools in the county began housing the students who
attended RCOS. It was strictly my good fortune to land at Mt. Pleasant.”

“I chose to move to Roanoke since I had family here. Steve Lonker was my uncle. He was a
long-time principal at William Byrd Middle School. His wife, Jo Ann, my aunt, taught at
Northside High School.

“I retired from RCPS two years ago (2023). During my two-year retirement, I worked as a
substitute teacher and a mentor to new teachers hired in the county. I also worked part time as a
job coach for The Choice Group helping people with disabilities find employment. Miraculously
and unexpectedly, my previous class (FAACTS) at my previous school (MPE) became available
and I got hired back! I think I’m more excited to go back this year than when I moved to
Roanoke and got my first job in the County back in 1989!”

Christie Gibson will be an Instructional Assistant in the FAACTS classroom at MPE. She is
originally from Franklin County and a graduate of Patrick Henry High School. She has been
working in education for about 15 years.

“I worked at Mount Pleasant previously in Pre-K and have been a substitute for the last few
years,” Gibson says. “The opportunity came along to work with a little girl one-on-one, and I
was happy to come back full time to help. I had a special needs child and working with special
education has my heart.”

Gibson has lived in Vinton for about 17 years. She loves hockey (Go DAWGS!).

Allison Gray will be working at both Mount Pleasant Elementary and Clearbrook Elementary as
their ELL (English Language Learners) teacher. She is from Northern Virginia in the South
Lakes in Reston. She graduated from Roanoke College with her Bachelor’s in Spanish, and
earned her Master’s in ELL from Virginia Tech. She has been working in the field of education
for 19 years.

“I love working with language learners,” Gray says. She feels fortunate to have been hired for
her position.

She enjoys reading and crocheting and hopes to help with Homework Club at MPE on Tuesdays
and Thursdays.

Ann Keith will be working at Mount Pleasant, Bonsack, and W. E. Cundiff Elementary Schools
as an Elementary ITRT. She is from Botetourt County and a graduate of Lord Botetourt High
School. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Radford
University. This is her 18th year in teaching.

“In my role, I serve as a coach to teachers, a co-educator to students, a resource for
administrators, and an advocate for digital learning within our community,” Gray explains.

“During my years as a classroom teacher, I was passionate about fostering creativity and
engagement in my lessons. I discovered that technology provided a powerful way to help
students develop key 21st-century skills—critical thinking, creative thinking, communication, collaboration, and citizenship. Over time, I became just as passionate about working alongside
other educators, supporting them in using technology to create dynamic, inclusive, and
meaningful learning experiences for their own students. Helping teachers feel confident and
inspired to innovate in their classrooms is a deeply rewarding part of my work.

“I began my teaching career in Franklin County at Benjamin Franklin Middle School in 2008,
the same year my husband and I got married and bought our first home in Vinton. When we
welcomed our first child in 2013, I felt a strong desire to be closer to home and to teach in the
community where we were raising our family. That led me to join W.E. Cundiff Elementary as a
fifth-grade teacher during the 2014–2015 school year.  After four wonderful years in the
classroom, I transitioned to the RCPS elementary ITRT team, where I’ve spent the past seven
years supporting students and staff at Bonsack, Mason’s Cove, and W.E. Cundiff Elementary
Schools. This school year, I was given the opportunity to transition from Mason’s Cove to
Mount Pleasant, and I couldn’t be more excited. It’s a privilege to continue serving and
supporting even more of the Vinton community that means so much to my family and me.

“My husband grew up in the Vinton community before moving to Botetourt.  My dad’s family
lived in the Vinton community for many years.

“I enjoy staying active by walking and serving in my church’s children’s ministry. This past
spring and summer, I had the joy of coaching a youth softball team here in Vinton. As an animal
lover, I occasionally volunteer and foster with local rescue organizations. In my free time, I love
spending time with my husband, our two children, our pets, and our extended family and friends.

“I also enjoy planning family getaways and creating special moments together—making
memories is something I truly value. Disney World is one of my favorite places to visit with my
family.

“This fall, I’ll begin my seventh season coaching Girls on the Run at W.E. Cundiff. I love what
this organization does for the young girls in our community—it’s a joy to be part of something
that builds confidence, character, and connection.”

Marissa Noell will be teaching second grade at Mount Pleasant. She is originally from Roanoke
and a graduate of Roanoke Catholic. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from James
Madison University and her Master of Education in Special Education from Radford University.
This is her sixth year as an educator.

“Second grade is one of the best grades to teach!” Noell says. “They are so sweet and full of life
and love! I am passionate about teaching children to read and helping all children to learn and
grow in safe and loving environment.”

As for her connections to the area, “My maternal grandparents (Anna and Ira White) were born
and raised in the Hardy area and my mother (Julie Noell nee White) was born and raised in
Vinton and is a graduate of William Byrd High School, class of 1985.”

Tracie Pasquale is a Title I Instructional Assistant in grades K-5 at Mount Pleasant, doing
tutoring and remediation. She is originally from Frankfort, New York, “a little Italian town in central New York between Syracuse and Albany.” She graduated from Frankfort-Schuyler Central High School, “home of the Maroon Knights!”

She earned her associate’s degree in medical office technologies from Herkimer College in
Herkhimer, New York.

She has been involved in the field of education for over 13 years.

“I started as an aide in a universal Pre-K and went to middle school (primarily 6th grade SPED).
Now, I have found my niche in elementary school!  I also coached cheer for 10 years, ages 5
through community college.

“After being a stay-at-home mom for twin girls, I wanted to be able to have the same time off as
they did in school. I’ve always enjoyed working with children, so working in a school setting
was the best match. At my last school, I tutored students in English. I found that I enjoyed it
immensely. I began looking for jobs in tutoring, applied for VALLSS tutor in Roanoke County
and got the job! Our Title 1 IA retired last year, so I slid into her position.

“I enjoy reading, crocheting, arts and crafts, shopping and going out to eat. My husband and I
love to go on cruises. I have two dogs, Pepper and Daisy, who I love spending time with. My
favorite books are the Harry Potter series. My favorite bands are Muse and The Beatles. My
favorite TV shows are Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Project Runway and I love to dance!”