2's Teachers
2-Year old Teachers
Goals for our two year old classes include:
-SOCIAL SKILL DEVELOPMENT
-LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT & VOCABULARY
-MATH
-MUSIC & MOVEMENT
Christine Lucey, MWF 2's
Teacher
Christine is a native of Englewood, New Jersey. She went to college at Hamilton College in upstate New York where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature with an minor in Art History. She then went to Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts to receive her Masters of Curriculum and Instruction in Elementary Education.
Christine has been in the classroom for 20 years. She has taught in third, fourth, and fifth grades, as well as preschool.
She and her husband live in Apex with their two preschool aged children, one who is a GFCC alum and one who currently attends GFCC.
In her spare time, Christine enjoys time with family, cooking, and photography.
Christine is a co-teacher in the MWF Busy Bees 2's classroom.
Lindsey Clasen, MWF 2's Teacher
and T Th Older 2's Teacher
Lindsey grew up in Lakewood, Colorado. She and her family moved to the Raleigh area when she was in tenth grade. She has lived in various North Carolina towns over the years.
Lindsey attended South College in Asheville, NC where she received her Associates degree in Paralegal Studies.
Lindsey and her husband live in Apex with their three sons, all who attended GFCC.
Lindsey has always loved children and found opportunities to work with them. When her boys were very young, she worked as a nanny. She has been a volunteer in PTA, classroom Parent Reader, school Holiday bazaars, and Teacher Appreciations.
Lindsey became a 2's Floater in 2017 and will continue this on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while teaching on Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Lindsey enjoys reading, going to the beach, and spending time with her boys and assisting in all their various activities.
Lindsey is a co-teacher in the MWF Busy Bees 2's classroom and a co-teacher in the T/Th Older 2's Lucky Ducks classrooms.
Jen Cousins, T Th 2's
Teacher
Jen and her family moved to Cary when she was four years old and has lived in this area ever since. She attended Appalachian State University where she received her BS degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Spanish language. She taught 5th grade for eight years at Northwoods Elementary and 6th grade for two years at East Cary Middle.
Jen and her husband, Chris, have two boys. When their youngest son was born in 2015, Jen started staying home with him and she found she loves to volunteer in the 1-2 year-old nursery at their church.
Jen's older son started school at GFCC in 2016. He was in the Blue Bear Transition Kindergarten classroom and is now a 2nd grader. Their younger son started as a student in GFCC's 2-year-old program and this year he will be a student in the Building Blocks classroom.
Jen and her family just built a new home in Apex. They attend Summit Church at the Apex Campus. In her spare time, Jen enjoys reading, running in the gym, drinking lots of coffee, and trying to teach their new Labradoodle puppy (Lucy) how to walk on a leash so they can start exploring the local greenway.
Jen is a co-teacher in the T/Th Leap Frogs 2's classroom.
Valarie Heikes, T Th 2's Teacher
and MWF 2's Floater
Valarie was born in Alabama and, as a child, lived in Louisiana, Ecuador, Florida, California and West Virginia. Around middle school, her family settled in New Mexico and she stayed there until her high school graduation. She attended the University of New Mexico and spent a year in Guatemala working in an orphanage there. Valerie earned a BS degree in Community Health Education and worked in the public health field until her children were born.
Valerie and her husband have a son and daughter, who now attend college at Appalachian State and the University of South Carolina. While her children were young, she worked several part-time jobs and substituted in her children's schools.
She started teaching preschool about 10 years ago and has also enjoyed working with Wee Create at the Apex Community Center.
Valerie enjoys reading, traveling, gardening, hiking kayaking and paddle boarding, being with friends and volunteering at Wake Interact in Raleigh and Habitat for Humanity in Cary.
Valerie is a co-teacher in the T/Th Leap Frogs 2's classroom and a floater in the MWF 2's classrooms.
Older 2's Teachers
MORGAN CASSELL, MWF & T Th
Older 2's Teacher
Morgan was born in Rockford, Illinois. Her family moved to West Virginia when she was 7 and then again to South Dakota the summer before her Senior year of High School. After 3 years, she moved back to West Virginia where she received her degree in Cosmetology. It was during this time she met her husband. Morgan and her husband have two daughters and the youngest one is an alum of GFCC.
While staying at home with their girls, Morgan stayed busy volunteering in their schools and their church. Their family relocated to Apex the summer of 2017, when her husband was hired by a company out of Durham. Their girls attend Turner Creek Elementary.
Morgan joined our GFCC staff in 2018.
In her spare time, Morgan likes running and working out. Her family enjoys time together at the pool, going to the beach, and hiking.
Morgan is a co-teacher in the MWF Older 2's Apples classroom and a co-teacher in the T/Th Older 2's Lucky Ducks classroom.
Laurie Cirioli, MWF Older 2's Teacher and T Th 2's Floater
Laurie was born in Pennsylvania and moved to North Carolina in 1990. She attended NC State University for three years, majoring in English. She worked at Light Years while in college and later worked at Borders Book Store. She then was a Teacher Assistant for WCPSS in a Special Ed class for three years. She and her husband, Jason, have twins, a girl and boy, that attended GFCC.
Laurie joined our GFCC staff in 2012 as a three year old teacher and is currently working in the older twos. She and Jason live in Apex and are long time members of Greenwood Forest Baptist Church where she is an active volunteer in Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. She enjoys the beach, travel, crocheting, and family and friends. She is an avid reader and loves hiking with her family.
Laurie is a co-teacher in the MWF Older 2's Apples classroom and a floater in the T/Th 2's classrooms.