Carter Becerra

Mr. Becerra appreciates all aspects of education. He feels that appreciating languages grants students the opportunity to engage ideas and thoughts across the spectrum of humanity. Carter Becerra is from Wilmington. He earned his Associates of the Arts from Cape Fear Community College before earning his Bachelor’s of Arts in English from  Appalachian State University, concentrating on Creative Writing and Theater. Currently Mr.Becerra is completing his Master’s in English at UNCW. 

Mr Becerra taught  English abroad in a variety of countries, including : South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and the country of Georgia. 

Mr. Becerra teaches Language Arts as a  gateway to all forms of critical thinking. Mr. Becerra frames  English as a way to fully engage and appreciate one’s self. He believes  English teachers should be prepared to introduce different ideas and ways of thinking beyond memorization of grammar and vocabulary.

Ms. Figueroa is from Asheboro, North Carolina. She gruated from the University of  North Carolina at Charlotte where she obtained a double Major in Spanish and Latin American Studies.

 Multicultural experiences reignited her dream to teach and appreciate different cultures. 

Ms. Figueroa gained her teaching certification while teaching English abroad in South Korea. 

Ms. Figueroa has experience with various elementary subjects, coaching youth soccer  and teaching surf lessons to all ages. 

She has taught second grade for two years now and enjoys working with this age group. 

Ms. Figueroa is an enthusiastic individual who nurtures a welcoming and respectful learning environment. She enjoys motivating students to grow in and outside of the classroom. Ms. Figueroa loves to learn and strives to make learning fun for her students. She believes that every child deserves to have someone to motivate them to always do their best.

Ms. Janie Anderson was born in South Carolina but raised in Wilmington, NC. She is an alumni of New Hanover High School and of Cape Fear Community College. After her studies at Cape Fear, she went on to complete her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics at Elizabeth City State University.

Ms. Anderson has experience teaching in public schools as a substitute and managing after school programs in New Hanover County Schools.  In Cumberland County Ms. Anderson Lead 5th grade math class as well as science and social studies. 

After raising her three children, Ms Anderson went on to complete her Masters in Higher Education with a concentration in Administration and Leadership. 

Outside of Dudley Ms.Anderson loves to spend her time exercising and in the gym. 

Mr. Williams describes himself as a martial-artist who started teaching shortly after completing his Bachelors in Business and Spanish at UNCW in 2012. Mr. Williams has over 25 years' experience with Spanish. His experience began in a K-8 Spanish immersion program and culminated into time living, working and studying in Spain, Costa Rica, and Mexico. His Spanish experience also includes 8 school years of teaching students K-12 at Cape Fear Academy. During this time he re-designed the Lower School Spanish curriculum and wrote 13 original kids' books while completing  his Masters of Education. Beyond Spanish, Mr. Williams has experience leading after-school and summer programs for topics including STEM, business, sports, literature, and more.

 Outside of the classroom Mr. Williams has been studying Muay Thai for 7  years and is a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu jitsu at Brunson's MMA and fitness where he is a member of the competition team. 

Mr. Williams truly loves students and to learn. He considers being a part of a student's education one of the most rewarding experiences that life can offer. He is excited by the opportunity to build new relationships,  to work through challenges and to create a comfortable learning environment for all students.

Pirin Ray Morelli is from York, South Carolina. After serving in the USAF, in 2001 Pirin moved to Wilmington NC where she studied at Cape fear community college and University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Pirin is a talented artist with experience in many forms, including 3D, drawing, painting, upholstery sewing and more.

Pirin has sold numerous works online and has had her pieces in local museums as well as museums around country.  She is excited to share her talents with the students and help them discover their own passion for artistic expression.

Mr. Morelli has over 15 years of coaching and training youth athletics. During that time he trained in kick boxing and achieved a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. As a coach, Mr. Morelli has worked with a variety of champions including the current IBJJF Pan-American champion and the Abu Dhabi national pro champion, the sports jujitsu world champion. Currently he is a lead instructor of Brunson’s MMA’s   competition team. This team includes a variety of pro and amateur MMA athletes who compete in many events both locally and as high as the UFC. 

Additionally, Mr. Morelli has 31 years experience as a musician specializing in guitar, bass and drums. As a musician, he has led many efforts in musical recording, and band organization. 

Professionally Mr. Morelli is a CISCO certified networking academy graduate with a near perfect assessment score of 98.  He currently works as an IT analyst for a multinational technology company and maintains the technology for a number of fortune 500 companies. During the course of his 21 years in the field he has accumulated a number of certifications  including almost all recognizable brands of computer and server devices. 

Mr. Morelli is a husband and father of 3 and enjoys any experience that involves music, and both physical and intellectual arts.  

Mr. Zachary Tyhacz ( Tie - haz ) is a passionate web engineer and mentor that has been coding since high school. Zac has worked on multiple web applications from small one page portfolios to complex human resource management software and has since been planning on starting a coding boot camp in Wilmington. Zac still asks questions and learns everyday, so he encourages being curious and asking questions!