• Meet the 2nd Grade Teachers

    sharon
    School Phone: (770) 888-7511
     

Phone: 121136

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Degrees and Certifications:

Mrs. Melissa Benson

I am thrilled to begin my 21st year in education and am so happy to be a part of the second-grade team at Sharon Elementary. I love working with the staff and students at Sharon and am looking forward to another amazing school year! Teaching is such a rewarding profession, and I absolutely love what I do.

I am a native of Grosse Pointe, Michigan (a suburb of Detroit). My husband and I relocated to Forsyth County in the summer of 2015, and we love our home in Georgia.  We live in Cumming with our son, Griffin, daughter, Adelyn, and our rescue dog, Dixie.  

I graduated from Albion College with a Bachelor's Degree in Education and English, and earned a Master’s Degree from the University of Michigan in Education with a concentration in Early Childhood Education. I believe that education is the foundation of our community, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to help students learn every day. I’m very excited to share my passion for learning with the students at Sharon Elementary.

When I’m not teaching, I enjoy spending time with my family, reading, shopping, and cheering on my favorite Detroit sports teams. I also love to travel the world. I have been lucky enough to visit countries on 5 different continents. I’m always on the hunt for my next adventure!

Phone: 121133

Email:

Degrees and Certifications:

Mrs. Kristen Craig

I am so excited to be joining the 2nd grade team this year! I have over 20 years of teaching experience and have taught in both public and private schools. I earned an Early Childhood and Elementary Education degree from the University of Alabama. I have enjoyed teaching 1st, 2nd & 3rd grades and working as an academic and reading intervention teacher. I am also trained in Orton-Gillingham and have worked privately as an Orton-Gillingham tutor for families. Teaching children to read is my passion!  It’s very rewarding to see each child’s growth.

My husband, Sean, and I have been married for 18 years and have two children. My son Houston (15) will be a freshman at Lambert HS and my daughter Calista (12) will be in 7th grade at Riverwatch this year. We also have a sweet 2 year old golden retriever named Baxter.  

I am a huge Alabama football fan and love football season! Roll Tide! You will definitely find me wearing Crimson on game day.  In my free time, I enjoy ubering my kids around, watching my son play lacrosse and attending my daughter’s dance competitions and musical performances. Outside of the classroom, I enjoy doing diy crafts, playing tennis, shopping and hanging out with my family.. 

I look forward to meeting each of my students and being part of their educational journey!  

Phone: 121142

Email:

Degrees and Certifications:

Mrs. Meredith Infante

This will be my 3rd year at Sharon Elementary and I’m so excited to be joining the 2nd grade team! My goal this year is to help your child become a lover of learning and to reach their full potential. 

I grew up in Forsyth County schools and went to UGA (Go Dawgs) where I got my Early Childhood Education degree. I taught for 5 years in West Palm Beach, Florida before moving to Canton, Georgia to be closer to family and friends. 

My husband Miguel and I are expecting our first baby this November and cannot wait! Our fur baby, Benji, is also thrilled to have someone new to play with. When I am not working, I love to read, travel, and hang with family and friends. 

I can’t wait to see what this year has in store for us! Go Knights!!

Phone: 121131

Email:

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Mrs. Kate Lightstone

Born and raised in New York, I moved to Georgia with my husband fifteen years ago. He is a chiropractor, and we have two beautiful boys and two fur babies! Outside of school, I love doing all things crafty, reading, and creating memories with my family. 

I hold a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and a Master's Degree in Elementary Education. I have taught 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades - including four years in an all-boys classroom! I have a passion for creating meaningful learning experiences and relationships within my classroom. Each year brings an opportunity to create an in-school family unit, who support and encourage each other throughout our learning adventures. This will be my fourteenth year teaching, and I am so excited to meet my new class family!

Phone: 121132

Email:

Degrees and Certifications:

Mrs. Jennifer Magee

This year is my 25th year in Elementary education, my 19th teaching 2nd, and my 17th year here at Sharon!  I’m so grateful to be part of the Sharon family, and love being part of the 2nd-grade team!  Sharon is truly a fabulous place to teach and LEARN! Over the years I've been afforded wonderful professional learning opportunities.  Most recently, I had the opportunity to train at our Summer Literacy Institute building on my training at Columbia University’s Teachers College Reading and Writing Project in NYC. In the summer of 2019 I attended the 7 Mindsets University in Orlando and also presented at the conference on creating empathy through literacy!  I’ve presented at The National Science Teachers’ Conventions in Los Angeles and Atlanta. I am an avid learner and also love to share!  In 2019 I was named to the Forsyth K-12 Math Advisory committee and still serve, and have attended several Greg Tang workshops. I’ve been lucky enough to redeliver what I’ve learned to my colleagues, and facilitate school and district level PD. Last year I served on the county Social Studies and Science Content teams and led year long DCD literacy trainings for K-2 teachers. I also earned my Gifted Endorsement in 2012 and pursued my Leadership Endorsement. I've been busy!  It’s simply because I believe in being a lifelong learner, and am passionate about bringing the best practices in education to my classroom.  Quite honestly, I LOVE what I do!  I’m truly grateful to be a teacher.

I’ve known since I was little that I had teaching in my blood.  I believe teaching is truly a calling, and I come from a long line of educators-- both of my grandfathers were professors-1 Math and 1 English--it explains a lot!  I grew up in an atmosphere where a passion for learning was not only expected, but cherished and cultivated.  Learning and exploring new ideas was as much a part of my life as breathing.  My mother was the complete embodiment of this philosophy.  She is, by far, the person who has most influenced the way I teach.  Every day as a child I watched her approach life with humor, passion, and an insatiable thirst for knowledge, eagerly watching for what we, her 5 children, loved to learn about as individuals.  All of these qualities are at the heart and soul of my teaching.  I bring a joy for life, a love of learning, and an excitement for new experiences to the classroom EVERY day.  I look forward to sharing these experiences (and MANY stories of my own childhood) with your children throughout our year together!  

I began teaching where I grew up-- on the beautiful Jersey Shore!  After graduating from Rutgers University I taught for 5 years for The Princeton ֱapp. I soon found my passion in elementary ed. teaching Summer Science & Math Enrichment, then 1st and 2nd grade at one of the most prestigious private schools in NJ. I then met and married Stephen and moved to the cliffs overlooking Manhattan in north Jersey.  I taught 2nd grade for 3 years in Millburn-Short Hills, consistently ranked the best district in the state, and a literacy lab for Columbia's Teachers College. In 2003, we made the move to beautiful Portland, Oregon where I taught for 3 years, and we welcomed our first son, Shane in 2004! In late 2006 I was delighted to bring all that I’d learned and experienced here to Georgia. We welcomed our 2nd son, Ryan, in May of 2007 and I began my career at Sharon in August! In 2011 we welcomed our 3rd child Mackenzie, who graduated Sharon last year and Shane graduated Lambert! Shane will be a Sophomore at Lambert and Ryan will be a junior.  We are thrilled to have planted our roots here in Georgia.  We live right here in Forsyth County with our fab chocolate Doberdor JB.

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Mrs. Julie McDuffie

My name is Julie McDuffie and I am very excited to join the Sharon family as a second grade teacher this year! I have been teaching for 26 years in grades kindergarten, first, and second! I have a passion for teaching and building relationships with students and parents! I want my students to love learning as much as I do!

I received my bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Emory University in Atlanta. I received my master’s degree in early childhood education from North Georgia College in Dahlonega. I also have endorsements in gifted, ESOL,  and reading. 

My husband and I have been married for 26 years! We have 2 children and a golden doodle. Our daughter is a junior in college on the pre-med pathway with a desire to become a pediatrician. Our son is a sophomore in high school who enjoys running cross country, playing soccer, and playing in the band. He loves history and would love to travel the world! Our beloved dog brings us much happiness everyday! We love spending time together at the beach, on the lake, and cheering on the Georgia Bulldawgs! 

I am incredibly happy to be a  part of such an amazing school family! I can’t wait to see you in August!

Phone: 121141

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Mrs. Kimberly Thompson

Hello!  My name is Kimberly Thompson.  I  grew up just down the road in Peachtree Corners, and, as a child, I always knew I wanted to teach someday.  Following high school, I moved to Athens and worked to earn my B.S. in Education from the University of Georgia.  GO DAWGS!  After graduation, I began my career teaching second grade here at Sharon Elementary in 2003.  I completed my Master’s Degree in Elementary Reading and Literacy through Walden University.  I have taught second grade at Sharon since its inaugural year, and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be! 

Presently, I live in Cumming in a home I share with my husband, Jonathan, and our daughters, Emerson and Rylan. We also have two four-legged “children” - a cat named Luna and a dog named Bentley.  In my free time, I enjoy reading, shopping, playing with my girls, cooking with my husband, watching college football, and doing anything that lets me spend time with my family and friends.