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Amy Didriksen

My name is Amy Didriksen and I'm so excited to be teaching at Midway this year! I grew up in Greenville, SC but have lived all over the southeast since college. I graduated from  Samford University in Birmingham with a degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. I have a masters degree in Reading, Language and Literacy from Georgia State University. This is my 11th year teaching and my first year as a Midway Mustang.
 
My husband, Dan, and I have been married for 13 years and we have 3 children. Gracie is in 6th grade, Savannah is in 5th grade, and Luke is in 3rd grade. We moved to Lexington 2 years ago and have loved being closer to family. I love to travel, do anything outside, and spend time with my family.
 
I can't wait to have a great year as a Midway Mustang!

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Colleen Hawkins, Assistant

My name is Colleen Hawkins. This is my fourth year here at Midway. I graduated from California Polytechnic University with a BA degree. I established and directed a Christian Preschool. I worked for the Bonita Unified School District as an aide in Special Ed. K-1, and in a Resource Specialist Program for over 25 years. I am happily married to Jeff Hawkins and have two grown sons. Brian is in the elevator trade. Kevin works at Michelin Tire and is married to Candace. Kevin and Candace gave me the most adorable grandson, Hunter. He is one of the main reasons we moved to SC! I have been a foster mom, team mom, PTA volunteer, and Sunday school teacher. I enjoy the outdoors, photography, and Disney!


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Carolina Heinrich

Bonjour Mustangs! My name is Caroline Heinrich, and I am originally from Metz, France. I moved to Columbia, SC five years ago and I have loved every minute of it. This will be my sixth year teaching Kindergarten at Midway and I am so excited about this upcoming school year!
I have a Bachelor's Degree in Literatures, Languages, and Foreign Civilizations from Université de Lorraine, and a Master's Degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Université Lyon 1.
Outside of school, I love to travel with my fiancé, go to the beach, read, hike, cook and discover new restaurants, and what I love most is when I get to spend time with my family and friends. Teaching Kindergarteners in our French Immersion program has been so rewarding and such an enriching experience, and I cannot wait to meet our newest little Mustangs!

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Dominique Gavazzi, Assistant

Bio coming soon.


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Jordan Jones

My name is Jordan Jones and I am originally from Florence, SC. I moved to Columbia in 2002 to attend The University of South Carolina (Go Gamecocks!) and fell in love with it so I never left! 
 
I am going into my 11th year in the classroom and fourth year at Midway! I took some time off in between with my three boys who are rising 8th graders and 3rd graders (twins).  In my free time I love spending time with my friends and family. We love the beach, going out on a boat, and anything sports related - especially if it’s the Braves or Gamecocks! 
 
I look forward to a wonderful year as a Mustang!

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Susan Steele, Assistant

I am looking forward to my seventh year at Midway Elementary. I am a graduate of the University of South Carolina where I majored in Advertising/Public Relations. I grew up in West Columbia and attended Brookland-Cayce High School. I have lived in Lexington for the past 28 years with my husband, Bill. 

We have three grown children, Kaley, Ali and William. All three of my children attended Midway Elementary. My oldest daughter, Kaley, is married to Michael Powell and they have two adorable girls, Sawyer (3 years old) and Charlotte (18 months). I also have an adorable Shih-Tzu puppy named Roo. 

Before becoming a Kindergarten assistant, I subbed in Lexington District 1 for 4 years in Kindergarten through 12th grade. I was able to work along side many talented teachers. I also taught pre-school for 13 years at Saxe Gotha Presbyterian Church. My career before becoming a mother was working as a buyer for women’s clothing for Belk and JB White. 

I am excited to meet my next group of wonderful children and look forward to a fabulous year!


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Ashley Morris

My name is Ashley Morris and I was born and raised in Lexington, South Carolina.  Growing up, I attended Lexington schools (including Midway). I am a 2009 graduate from the University of South Carolina where I majored in Early Childhood Education. I have my Master’s degree from Columbia College in Divergent Learning and I am a National Board Certified teacher. This will be my 16th year as a Midway kindergarten teacher!  I am an avid Gamecock fan and love to attend the games with my husband, Alex.  We enjoy spending time with our daughter, Anna Kate, and our two dogs– Jax and Waylon.  As a family, we love to be on or by the water– lake, pool or the ocean!

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Leslie Bumgardner, Assistant

I am so excited to get to know you and your family.  This will be my 3rd year as a teaching assistant.  I have been married to my husband, Charles, for 37 years and we have two children who both attended Midway.  We have two dogs that we enjoy and our family spends a lot of our time hiking, sailing, and traveling.

I can't wait for a great year as a Midway Mustang!

 

 

 


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Dale Thomas

Hey Mustangs! I am excited to begin my 26th year teaching kindergarten and my 20th year at Midway. I grew up in Columbia and graduated from Winthrop College with an Early Childhood Degree. I have a Master’s Degree in Divergent Learning from Columbia College and I am National Board Certified. My husband, Scott,  is originally from Kentucky but Lexington has been our home for 28 years.

We have three boys who all attended Midway! Derek graduated from The University of Kentucky and works for Duke Energy in Louisville, KY. Corey graduated from Samford University and is finishing his Masters degree at Southwestern Seminary. He is a teacher and coach at Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, Texas. He got married this summer so now we have a girl, Ivy Adair! Our youngest, Jordan, works in Columbia and is a great guitarist. 

We are huge college football and basketball fans and enjoy cheering for the Kentucky Wildcats! I enjoy traveling, walking, reading, spending time with my family and friends and teaching kindergarten!

 

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Amy Toll, Assistant

This is my fourth year at Midway.  I moved to Lexington with my family from Wisconsin in 2014, where I taught first grade for 16 years.  I am married with three sons.  My husband Greg and I will be celebrating our 25th anniversary in November. Our youngest son Mason is 16 and is a junior at Lexington High School where he stays busy with varsity football.  Nathan is 19 and will be starting his first year at Clemson University as an Agribusiness major. Ryan is a senior and is majoring in Finance at Clemson University. When not in school, I enjoy traveling with my family, spending time on the lake, and taking care of my three rescue dogs.


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Erin Willie

Immersion ELA/Social Studies

I am so excited to start another year as a Midway Mustang, teaching kindergarten! This will be my 13th year at Midway and my 18th year teaching. I am a 2007 graduate of the University of South Carolina where I majored in Early Childhood Education. I have my Master’s degree from Columbia College in Divergent Learning. I grew up in the small town of Bowman, South Carolina so I am a country girl at heart. Outside of school, I love reading, lounging by the pool, working in the yard, and spending time with my family.  I hope to instill the love of reading and writing in your child while having FUN! I look forward to a great year with your children.

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Gabby Adams, Assistant

I have a BA in Psychology from Brenau Women’s College in Gainesville, GA and have been an Instructional Assistant for 15 years. I am married to a wonderful man, Kyle, and have two daughters, Emily and Caroline, who both attended Midway. We live in a “house divided” as Emily graduated from Clemson University in 2012 and Caroline graduated from USC in 2015. Emily lives in Washington, DC and Caroline lives in Charlotte, NC. I enjoy traveling, boating on Lake Murray, and visiting my family in Charleston.