Leadership & Faculty Home / About Us / Leadership & Faculty Dedicated Leaders & Expert Teachers At our school, everyone works together to make sure students and families feel happy and supported. Our leaders, staff, and teachers are all here to help. Our teachers love sharing what they know, whether it’s about reading, music, or outer space! They make learning fun and exciting, helping students explore new things and find what they love. Together, we create a special place where students can grow and learn every day. From the Head of School Lydia Soto Dear Future Chesterbrook Academy Family, Our kindergarteners made candy apples this year. The project started with science: studying an apple with the five senses. It grew into math, an orchard field trip, the life cycle of a plant, and a family recipe book. It ended with our older students helping the kindergartners sell those candy apples during carpool, raising $900 for local charities. By the time it was over, these five-year-olds had done research, writing, cooking, collaboration, and entrepreneurship. And they had a blast doing it. This is what learning looks like here. I have spent 25 years watching it play out, and what I know is that children learn best when the work is connected to something real and the challenge is calibrated to where they actually are. That second part matters more than it sounds. We use small-group, differentiated instruction in reading and math every day. A child who arrives at grade level gets pushed forward. A child who arrives ahead keeps moving. What I see more than any number is kids who think of themselves as capable. The same instinct runs through every grade. Our middle schoolers study tiny house construction: researching materials, calculating costs, writing a loan scenario, developing a marketing plan, with mentorship from a real estate agent. Second graders build floats and wheel them through the gym in a Macy ‘s-style parade, having spent weeks learning how other cultures celebrate harvest. Every child here gets experiences just like these. One thing that tends to catch people off guard on tours: we teach both Spanish and Mandarin, starting early and running through the grades. I think it says something about how we see the world our students are growing into. Our teachers are what make all of this possible. Several hold PhDs. Our Pre-K teacher, Mrs. Candies, has been here for 25 years. When I walked a family past her classroom recently, the parent turned to me afterward and said, “She’s magical.” She is. What our teachers share, whether they are in year one or year twenty-five, is that they care about each student as a person. We are a small school, and everybody knows everybody. This past spring, our student art show drew more than 175 people on a Saturday morning, including families joining us in the fall who we had invited before enrollment was finalized. We introduce them to current families, to the school in action. One student who found his way into our community early is Daniel. He started here in Pre-K, and this year he is graduating from 8th grade. He is an artist. He is funny. He advocates fiercely for his peers (sometimes a little too fiercely), which tells you something about his character. I am so proud of him, and so glad he found a home here. My hope is that every family who walks through our doors finds the same thing. If any of this feels like the right fit, I would love to meet you. Come on a regular school day, not a staged open house, just a Tuesday when the kindergartners might be cooking something or the middle schoolers might be presenting their housing projects. That is the school I want you to see. With warmth, Lydia Soto Head of School, Chesterbrook Academy Cary 130 Towne Village Dr, Cary, NC 27513 Read More Browse By Role All Roles Faculty Leadership Search Andrena Bolden Office Administrator Andrena Bolden Office Administrator Email Angela Candies Pre-K Angela Candies Pre-K Email Megan Cox 2nd Grade Megan Cox 2nd Grade Email Alicia Deforge Kindergarten Alicia Deforge Kindergarten Email Krystal Eisen 2nd Grade Krystal Eisen 2nd Grade Email Nicole Flannery Middle School Teacher Nicole Flannery Middle School Teacher Email Diana Gonzalez Assistant Principal Diana Gonzalez Assistant Principal Email Luanne Guge 1st Grade Luanne Guge 1st Grade Email Kaitlyn Hall 3rd Grade Kaitlyn Hall 3rd Grade Email Bethany Harbour Kindergarten Bethany Harbour Kindergarten Email Unique Johnson 1st Grade Unique Johnson 1st Grade Email Caitlin King 4th Grade Caitlin King 4th Grade Email Lorena Mayorga Spanish Lorena Mayorga Spanish Email Joshua McCallen Physical Education Joshua McCallen Physical Education Email Serena O'Brien 5th/6th Grade Math & Science Serena O'Brien 5th/6th Grade Math & Science Email Kiesha Robinson Pre-K Kiesha Robinson Pre-K Email Page 1 of 2 Jump to Page Page 1 Page 2 Learn More About Chesterbrook Academy Cary Teachers What credentials do Chesterbrook Academy Elementary and Middle School in Cary teachers hold? Our faculty is composed of distinguished scholars and educators. All teachers hold at least an undergraduate degree, with a significant number possessing Master’s degrees and three holding Doctoral degrees (PhD). This depth of academic expertise allows our teachers to act as true mentors, guiding students through a curriculum that is as intellectually stimulating as it is emotionally supportive. Do you have long-standing faculty and staff at Chesterbrook Academy Elementary and Middle School in Cary? Yes. Stability is a cornerstone of our community. Our faculty represents a rare blend of institutional wisdom and fresh innovation, with teacher tenures ranging from 3 to 25 years. How do teachers at Chesterbrook Academy Elementary and Middle School in Cary communicate with parents? We prioritize a multi-channel communication strategy to keep families informed and engaged. This includes weekly digital newsletters, direct email access, and a variety of meeting formats, including face-to-face conferences, Zoom sessions, and phone check-ins. We believe that a transparent, proactive partnership between home and school is the key to every student’s success. How does the teaching model shift as students move from elementary to middle school at Chesterbrook Academy in Cary? At Chesterbrook, the transition from elementary to middle school is defined by an intentional shift toward greater independence and academic depth. In the elementary grades, students benefit from a highly personalized, child-centered approach where teachers adapt every lesson to suit individual learning styles. As students progress into middle school, the model evolves into a departmentalized structure. This allows subject-area specialists to provide a more rigorous, expert-driven curriculum while continuing to provide a personalized approach. This balanced transition empowers students to sharpen their critical thinking skills, build self-reliance, and confidently master a more structured learning environment. What makes the teachers at Chesterbrook Academy Elementary and Middle School in Cary exceptional? Chesterbrook teachers are celebrated for their ability to maintain high academic expectations while fostering deep personal connections. They are more than just instructors; they are champions for their students.
