Invested Faculty

Meet Our Faculty

  • Photo of Kirby Talley
    Ms. Kirby Talley
    Athletics
    Assistant Athletic Trainer
    Bio
     
    Originally from Walkertown, N.C., Kirby earned her bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Life University in Marietta, Georgia and her master’s degree in athletic training from UNC-Greensboro. Kirby has two sons: Noah FCDS ’37 and Lachlan FCDS ’39.
  • Photo of Alice Tassart
    Ms. Alice Tassart
    World Languages
    Middle School and Upper School French Teacher
    Bio
     
    Originally from Arras, France, Alice has a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in French teaching from Université d'Artois in Arras, France. She completed graduate coursework in teaching French as a Foreign Language at Université Stendhal, in Grenoble, France and is working on her graduate certification in teaching at UNC-Charlotte. 

    Alice worked in private and public French Immersion Elementary schools in Minnesota for seven  years, then taught French at the Lower, Middle, and Upper School level at the International School of Minnesota for five years and at Visitation School for two years. 

    Alice returns to France every year to visit her family.
  • Photo of Joe Tavery
    Mr. Joe Tavery
    Johnson Academic Center ( US )
    JAC Tutor
    Bio
     
    Raised in San Antonio, Texas, Joe has a bachelor’s degree from Emory University and a JD from University of Virginia Law. He has been working with SAT and ACT students since 1999 and was a high school teacher for several years at Marist School in Atlanta, GA. His wife, Sara (Goslen) Tavery, attended FCDS.
  • Photo of Nayibe Testamarck
    Ms. Nayibe Testamarck
    Preschool
    After School Teacher
  • Photo of Cameron Thore
    Mr. Cameron Thore
    Preschool
  • Photo of Bruce Tippette
    Mr. Bruce Tippette
    Fine Arts (LS), Preschool
    Preschool and Lower School Music Teacher
    Bio
     
    Originally from Garner, N.C., Bruce earned two bachelor’s degrees in music from Appalachian State University (music education and music composition/theory). He also earned a master’s degree in music from UNC School of the Arts. 

    An NC Teaching Fellow Recipient, Bruce is a trained classical pianist, vocalist, and percussionist as well as a professional composer with more than 60 publications geared toward the world of K-12 educational music. A former high school chorus/band director, for the past nine years Bruce has taught pre-school, elementary, and middle school students in youth choirs at a downtown church and led several handbell choirs (children, middle/high school, and adults). 

    Bruce and his wife Elizabeth have a son, Liam, and a daughter, Madeline.
  • Photo of Christine Tobin
    Ms. Chris Tobin
    English
    Upper School English Teacher
    Bio
     
    Originally from Martinsville, Virginia, Chris earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Roanoke College and her MFA in creative writing from UNC-Greensboro. 

    Chris started teaching in Roanoke, Virginia in 2000. Prior to coming to FCDS, she worked at Oak Hill Academy. She has also taught composition and literature at UNC-G.
  • Photo of Jacob Todd
    Mr. Jacob Todd
    Social Studies
    Asst. Director of Middle School
    Bio
     
    Originally from Virginia, Jacob has a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Virginia Tech. He taught English and history for five years at independent schools in North Carolina and Virginia and returned to FCDS after a year in Suffolk, Virginia with family. He is a graduate of Columbia's Teachers College Klingenstein Summer Institute in 2023. Additionally, Jacob coached the FCDS girls’ lacrosse team to a second-place finish in the 2022 state tournament and was awarded the FCDS Middle School Edith Spinks Award in 2022.
  • Photo of Molly Todd
    Ms. Molly Todd
    Johnson Academic Center ( US ), Johnson Academic Center ( MS )
    JAC Academic Coach
    Bio
     
    Originally from Florida, Molly earned her bachelor’s degree in religious studies with a concentration in public engagement and a minor in health and human services from Wake Forest University. 

    Molly has worked with students of all ages in group and individual settings as a tutor, teacher, and nanny.
  • Photo of Ashton Trawinski
    Dr. Ashton Trawinski
    Science
    Upper School Biology Teacher | Science Department Chair
    Bio
     
    Ashton holds a bachelor’s degree in biology with a neuroscience minor from Gettysburg College and earned her Ph.D. in biology from Wake Forest University. She was a biology teaching assistant at WFU for three years and worked as a biology tutor. While earning her doctorate, Ashton developed a love for working with high school students. She served as an instructor of Project SEARCH Academy, a series of week-long biomedical science camps for rising ninth graders, for five years. There, she taught concepts including experimental design and critical thinking and managed labs designed to reinforce hypothesis-driven thinking. From 2010 to 2015, she volunteered at different visitation and science outreach programs for high school students, teaching microscopy skills to 6-9-year-olds at Kernersville Elementary School, serving as a Science Olympiad Judge at Atkins High School, teaching genetics concepts at Mt. Tabor High School, demonstrating lab techniques to Stokes County High School students, and demonstrating lab techniques to high school-aged students visiting Wake Forest. Ashton has also guest lectured at FCDS on bees and bee behavior, on which she is writing her doctoral dissertation. Ashton has served as an undergraduate research mentor at Wake Forest since 2011, helping undergraduate students work on independent research projects, teaching experimental design, lab techniques, and data analysis, and coaching and supporting these students through the completion of their projects. A member of the National Association of Biology Teachers, Ashton is married to Andy Bielsten, a Winston-Salem police officer. Their son Rhett is a student in the Early Advantage Program.
  • Photo of Annie Troxell
    Mrs. Annie Troxell
    Johnson Academic Center ( US ), Johnson Academic Center ( MS )
    JAC Single Course Teacher | Subject Tutor
    Bio
     
    Annie teaches single course mathematics and tutors math in the Johnson Academic Center. She grew up in Asheville, N.C. and graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Annie came to Forsyth Country Day in 2007 with a background in mathematics, accounting, and computer programming. Since 2002, she has been a math tutor, working with mostly Upper School students. Annie and her husband, Kyle, have two children, Chase (FCDS 2010) and Will (FCDS 2019).
Our faculty knows our students’ names, supports them, encourages them, and is always pulling for them. In this way, our staff continually draws out the best in each and every child, showing them how to study, advocate for themselves, and develop a solid work ethic.

Teachers, coaches, and counselors are all invested in making sure each child is valued, understood, and challenged at the right time. This individual approach – along with small class sizes – allows your child to flourish and be prepared for what's ahead.
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Forsyth Country Day School (FCDS) is a private, college preparatory, independent school for preschool through high school located in Lewisville, NC, just outside of Winston-Salem. Students benefit from a challenging academic curriculum, fine and performing arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.

Non-Discrimination Policy: Forsyth Country Day School is committed to administering all education and employment activities without discrimination based on one’s race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, ability, gender identity, or sexual orientation.