I am so excited to be teaching fifth grade this year!

I have my B.A. and M.A. in Early Childhood Education from Kean University in NJ, my Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Lincoln Memorial University in TN and my Gifted Certification through Gwinnett County Public Schools. I have been teaching a variety of subjects as well as grade levels since 1987.

I married my husband Bob in 1988. We have two children, Daniel and Caitlin as well as two dogs we rescued, Murphy our boxer and Zellie our Portuguese Water dog, who add to the excitement in our busy house.

We are originally from New Jersey where I taught second, third and fifth grade for eight years. My family moved to Georgia in August of 1998. Prior to coming to Trip, ten years were spent teaching third, fourth and fifth grade at J. C. Magill Elementary in Loganville. I have looped up with a third /fourth group as well as with a fourth/ fifth loop. What a great experience! I enjoy reading, going to the beach, cooking, gardening and spending time with my family. We belong to St. Oliver’s Church in Snellville, where I am a Eucharistic minister and lector.

I have had the privilege and honor to be an integral part of opening up Trip Elementary. I have never participated in such an experience before. Working with such an awesome group of professionals has been the pinnacle of my career!

Hi! My name is Caroline Coffey and I am very excited to be a part of the Trip family this year! I graduated from Georgia Southern University in 2019 with a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education. I have a five year old son, Zayne, who is super great. I love spending time with my family, traveling, reading, and watching movies in my free time. I am looking forward to a productive year full of learning!

Hello to my Trip Elementary family! My name is Leah Kechriotis. My last name is crazy because it’s Greek! I’m very excited to continue teaching second grade here at Trip Elementary. Fifth grade is the BEST grade! I have attended school in Gwinnett County from Kindergarten all the way through college. I graduated from Georgia Gwinnett College with a degree in Early Childhood Education and an ESOL endorsement. I am also Gifted certified and have my Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education. I’m looking forward to an amazing school year at Trip, where my students not only learn second grade content, but they also learn life skills that help them as they grow to be well-rounded members of society.

My name is Linda Maunder.  I am a very proud mother of two amazing children, Nicholas and Kate.  My husband T.J. and I love to take the family camping.  We spend a tremendous amount of time at Stone Mountain Park either camping or hiking up the mountain.  We also love to visit the beach and spend time in the sun swimming and building sand castles.

Hello!  Welcome to 5th grade!  I'm Mrs. McKenna! I hope you love school as much as I do. I started teaching in 2002, and it gets better and better every year! I grew up in New Jersey and Missouri, and have lived in Georgia for 13 years! I'm a charter member of Trip Elementary and love being a Ram! You can often find me doing silly commercials on the morning announcements.  In my spare time I enjoy going to the movies (the previews are my favorite part), cooking, and visiting new restaurants.  My husband and I love our two spoiled cats, Mr. Jinx and Mac! 

I hope to see you around Trip this year!

Hello, I'm Sarah Smith and I graduated from Georgia Gwinnett College with Bachelor of Science in Education. I am super excited to start teaching fifth grade this year at Trip! My favorite subject is math, specifically algebra, I love teaching and learning anything math related. I love to travel to the beach and the mountains. I am also a huge UGA fan. GO DAWGS!!!

Bonjour! While I am originally from Atlanta, I am a dual citizen of the United States and France, I have traveled to many different places, and I have lived in both France and Australia.

I graduated summa cum laude from Georgia State University with a degree in Early Childhood Education. I am certified in Special Education grades P-12, I am ESOL and Gifted certified, and I have a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in Dual (language) Immersion. I have taught in private schools in Atlanta, France, and Australia, and I am thrilled to be a part of the DLI team at Trip Elementary!

Hello, my name is Gina Blair-Walker. I have been teaching in Gwinnett County for 13 years. I was born in Budapest, Hungary but grew up in Jamaica! I think that’s why I love traveling and trying new foods. I have a Master of Science in Exceptional Student Education and an Educational Specialist Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. I love reading and making reading fun for my students. My husband and I have two very active daughters, who keep us busy with their activities. I am looking forward to a great school year!! Go RAMS!

I am excited to continue my teaching career here at Trip in 5th Grade! I was born, raised, and began teaching in New York but happy to be here in Georgia with my family. I received both my Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with minors in Early childhood Education and Black Studies and a Master of Science in Education at Herbert H. Lehman College (CUNY) in New York. I am Gifted Certified and currently pursuing a Specialist Degree in Education with ESOL Endorsement.

I am blessed to have my wonderful family who continues to motivate me in my career and my beautiful children who I am very proud of. I enjoy spending time with my family, taking long trips, listening to music, writing poetry, reading African American literature, decorating, watching documentaries, and scary movies.

As an educator, I enjoy being able to provide foundational skills, motivation, and the determination needed for my students to grow into productive and innovative individuals. Teaching is my passion and each one of my students makes teaching even more rewarding!

Hi there! My name is Julie Woodall, and I am so excited to be a part of this amazing 5th grade team at Trip Elementary. Being with my wild, funny, sports-obsessed family is my favorite thing in the world! My husband Rick and I have been married for 23 years. We have 3 beautiful children: Haley (19), Brady (12) and Peyton (9). I love teaching kids, but even more than that, I love learning from them. Their curiosity is contagious! I am new to Trip ES, but I am an experienced teacher - this is my 25th year in Gwinnett County Schools. I have been a classroom teacher for both 3rd and 4th grade. I moved from the classroom into gifted education for a number of years, teaching gifted math and enrichment classes. From there, I became a part of an innovative team of STEM specialists, where we created amazing learning opportunities with every student in grades K-5. Throughout each step of my teaching journey, I have learned so much, and I have truly grown as an educator. I am so excited to be back in the classroom this year - it is going to be a wonderful adventure!