W.E. Cundiff Elementary introduces new faculty and staff for 2024-2025

By Debbie Adams

Team Cundiff (W.E. Cundiff Elementary) has added 12 new faculty and staff members for the
upcoming school year.

Katie Anderson is teaching third grade science and social studies. She was “born and raised in
Roanoke, Virginia” and graduated from Northside High School.

“I grew up in the Hollins area, so I did not have many connections to Vinton until I started
student teaching. I would not change a thing about how I ended up here, and I look forward to
learning more about the community!

“It is an honor to say that I am a graduate of Liberty University!” Anderson says. “I received my
Bachelor of Education in Elementary Education. I have been on the journey to education for
many years and cannot believe I have officially reached my destination. I will be a first-year
teacher.”

As for why she chose teaching as a career, “I was the kid who played school every day with
neighborhood friends, but I find it funny to say that the idea of being a teacher never crossed my
mind until I took a tour of the Burton Center for Arts & Technology (BCAT) in the eighth grade.
I have been on the journey to teaching ever since. Many years later, I say with full confidence
that I know that I am where I am meant to be!”

“I had the opportunity to student teach at Cundiff this past spring, and I am so grateful to say last
semester was just the beginning of my time here.”

In her spare time, “I love spending time with my family and friends and would not be where I am
without the love and support they have each given me over the years. This seems like the perfect
opportunity to shout out, ‘Hi, Mom and Dad!”

Kayla Brock is a new Special Education teacher at Cundiff. This is her 10th year of teaching, all
in Roanoke County, but her first year of teaching Special Education and her first year at Cundiff.
She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Longwood University.

Brock says, “I grew up in Vinton and actually attended elementary school at Cundiff, so I am
thrilled to be back home. My mom and uncle attended Cundiff when it was Hardy Road
Elementary School, so it is very special to now be teaching at the school that holds many fond
memories for my family and me.

“In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, as well as spoiling my fur
babies. I am very excited for the 2024-2025 school year and am proud to once again be a Terrier.
Go Team Cundiff!”

Kelsey Campbell is the Speech-Language Pathologist at W.E. Cundiff this year. She is
originally from the Bonsack area and graduated from William Byrd in the Class of 2011. She
earned her Bachelor’s degree from Longwood University in 2015 and her Master’s degree in
from Radford University in 2017, both in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

“This will be my eighth school year as an SLP,” Campbell says. “My first three years, I
contracted to schools during the day and worked as an outpatient therapist in the afternoons with
pediatrics and adults. For the past four years, I’ve worked in Roanoke City Schools as an SLP.
I’m excited to join the Roanoke County team!

“My uncle inspired me to become an SLP. He always desired to be a lifelong educator and
worked in both teaching and administration roles. When I was in middle school, he was involved
in an accident which led to him having a severe traumatic brain injury. He had to relearn how to
process language, communicate effectively, and articulate to be understood. Communication is
so important to every person, and I love how diverse this field is from children to adults. In
graduate school, I completed an internship at Back Creek Elementary and also fell in love with
providing speech therapy to the pediatric population. I also loved school growing up, so I may
never leave!”

As for her time outside of school, “My husband and I have a 2-year-old son who keeps us
moving. Right now, we are loving the ‘cooler’ days to get outside. We love taking our son on
bike rides in the neighborhood, going to the pool, and traveling. We are beach people, so we will
go whenever we get our chance! If I can’t be found anywhere, I’m likely snuggled under a fuzzy
blanket with a book. I love reading and talking about books!”

Kim Filer is the Gifted Resource Specialist at W.E. Cundiff, Herman L. Horn, Mount Pleasant,
and Glenvar Elementary Schools. She is originally from Maryland and moved to the Roanoke
area in 2000. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland, her
Master’s from Johns Hopkins University, and her Ph.D. from Virginia Tech. She has been
working in the field of education for 29 years, many of those years in higher education, also as a
middle school teacher. In fact, she taught at William Byrd Middle School in the early 2000s.

“I enjoy being a designer of learning and lifting students up to become life-long learners.”
In her leisure time, she enjoys reading, gardening, and puzzles.

Erin Foster is an instructional assistant at W.E. Cundiff. She is originally from Pittsburgh. She
has worked for eight years as a preschool assistant teacher and as a teacher at Bonsack Baptist
Preschool.

“Working with children just comes naturally to me,” Foster says. “I love to see the excitement
when they learn something new, and I love to see them succeed.”

Her sons went through preschool at Bonsack Baptist Preschool; she began subbing and felt called
to take a more permanent position. Her sons are now in 10 th and 12 th grades at William Byrd. She
and her husband coached baseball and flag football for several years with the Vinton Booster
Club.

“I am an avid gardener and spend most of my time outdoors or on the sidelines cheering on my
son at basketball tournaments,” Foster says. “I love my two dogs, any dog I see, and my family is
everything to me.”

Julie Hieber is a school counselor, splitting her time between Cundiff and Green Valley
Elementary schools.

“This is my fourth year working in Roanoke County Schools; however, I have 20 years of
experience in the counseling field,” Hieber says. “I first began working at Green Valley a few
years ago. Around 2021, there was a three-year grant for an additional part-time counselor. (I
believe that there should be at least two counselors in every school because mental health is so
important!) Because both of my daughters had attended Green Valley, and I had substitute taught
there, I was familiar with the school, and the school with me! I love it there, but I am excited
about my new position with Cundiff this year. I truly enjoy being a counselor.  I love working
with students at the elementary level, whether it’s for classroom guidance, small group
counseling, or one-on-one sessions.”

“I am originally from a tiny town in western New York (south of Buffalo on the Pennsylvania
border.)  I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from St. John Fisher College and my
Master’s Degree in Counseling Education from Roberts Wesleyan College, both in Rochester,
N.Y.  I moved to Northern Virginia in 2006 and down to Roanoke in 2007.

“I live in Roanoke with my husband, Robert, our two girls, Charlotte (14, in ninth grade) and
Maeve (11, in sixth grade). We have two cats and a high-energy Australian Shepherd that always
keeps us on our toes. We love hiking and biking together and just being outside. I love to
exercise, read, and bake! I dislike the summer heat and wish we had more snow!”

Olivia Johnson is working as a kindergarten Special Education teacher. She is from Monroe,
N.C., where she graduated from Union Academy. She earned her degree in Sports and Exercise
Studies from Randolph College. She is in her second year of teaching.

“I chose Special Ed and to be in education because my teachers were my role models growing up
through school,” Johnson says. “I felt supported; I felt connected; and most importantly, I felt
safe with my teachers and the learning environment that I experienced and how it made a huge
impact in my life for who I am today. I want to give all my students the same feelings of being
their role model, being supported, being connected, and being safe in their learning environment
to fulfill their educational needs as when I was a student in school.”

Johnson plays for the Roanoke Women’s Rugby team; she started playing in February and has
“not looked back. I began to love the sport and have learned so much over the six months I’ve
been playing. This has been a new special interest/hobby/sport that I have taken on and I am
looking forward to the fall season in September.”

Kimberly Lynn is teaching first grade at Cundiff. She is from Clarke County, W.Va., and a
graduate of Clarke County High School. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from
Barton College in Wilson, N.C., and her Master’s from Shenandoah University in Winchester.
She has been teaching for seven years and volunteering for many more.

“I’m actually a career switcher,” Lynn says. “My background is in Human Resources in Staff
Development and Training. I decided to switch careers when my daughter began school and I
enjoyed my time volunteering in her classrooms.

“My husband and I just moved to the area because our daughter (Julia is rising third year at UVA
studying astronomy-physics and environmental science) and son (Nicholas is a freshman at VCU
studying electrical engineering) will both be in college this fall.”

A “fun fact” shared by Lynn is that “my mom lived in Vinton when she was student teaching in
Roanoke in the late 1960s.” Her husband’s cousin works at William Byrd and his aunt and uncle
live in the area.

“My family and I love to spend time outdoors. We love going to UVA sporting events and look
forward to attending VCU ones, as well. I enjoy exercising, reading, and playing with my Boston
Terrier, Cletus.”

Holly Palmieri is a new kindergarten teacher at W.E. Cundiff. She is originally from Roanoke
and a graduate of Northside High School. She earned her degree from James Madison
University. She previously worked in preschool at a daycare for five years. She did her student
teaching at Cundiff last spring in second grade.

Melissa Sink is teaching second grade at Cundiff. She grew up in Roanoke County and
graduated from Northside High School and then earned her degree in elementary education from
Radford University. She has 18 years of teaching experience in grades 2, 3, and 5.

She became a teacher because “I have always enjoyed working with children and helping them
learn and grow.”

Sink and her husband recently moved to Vinton where he grew up and attended W.E. Cundiff.
“We are looking forward to raising our child here,” Sink said.

“In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family, friends, and animals. I also enjoy
teaching group fitness classes at the YMCA.”

Jessica Warf is a Title I instructional assistant at Cundiff. She was born in New Jersey and
graduated from Amherst County High School. She received her bachelor’s degree in Family and
Consumer Science with a minor in Business from Liberty University. She has spent the past five
years working at a local preschool.

She chose teaching as a career because “I have a passion and love for children.” She chose
Cundiff because, “When the best principal around calls and wants you to come work for her,
who can say no?!”

Warf says her husband of almost 15 years brought her to the Vinton area.

“I am a mother of two boys. My youngest is a student at W.E. Cundiff and my oldest starts
William Byrd Middle School this year. I also have a passion for design in both the interior of
homes and exterior landscaping. I also use this skill set with crafting in many different ways. My
family and I have a camper, and we love to camp throughout the year. Together we have a
goal to visit every Virginia State Park. Lastly, I love to read! I want to use my opportunity at
W.E. Cundiff to encourage students to dive into books where your imagination is limitless!”

Dakota Welch will be working with students in all grade levels as a behavior assistant. She is
from Vinton, attended W.E. Cundiff, and William Byrd, before moving to Botetourt, where she
graduated from Lord Botetourt High School. She is currently attending Virginia Western
Community College.

“I have always had a passion for working with kids,” Welch says. “I’m attending school to
become an elementary school teacher.”

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family.

Ashley McCallum remains principal at W.E. Cundiff with Heather Everhardt as assistant
principal. The next two years at Cundiff will be especially busy and exciting with extensive
renovations to the school underway.