Susan Weintrob, Head of School at the Addlestone Hebrew Academy, is the former President of Ravsak, Jewish Community Day School Network.  Married to violinist Neil Weintrob, they began their married life in Paris. They have two children, Elizabeth, Senior Editor of Saatchi-Saatchi, New York City, and Ted, a PhD student in in organic chemistry at Cal Tech in Pasadena, CA.  Susan has taught in high school, universities, adult education, religious school, has presented at conferences and has been an administrator in Jewish day schools for more than a decade. She wrote a newspaper column in Jewish newspapers and on the web for a decade. Susan speaks Hebrew and French, and loves learning with adults and children.  She and Neil have fallen in love with Charleston.

I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia.  I was fortunate enough to marry a native Charlestonian 22 years ago.  Tim and I have two daughters, Katherine, 18 and Sydney, 13.  I graduated from the College of Charleston with a degree in Early and Elementary Education.  This is my sixth year at AHA teaching EC4.  I love scrap booking, cooking and going to the beach!  One of my goals in life is to have a library built in Ocho Rios Jamaica some day soon.

Jessica Belger is from Raleigh, NC and attended UNC-Chapel Hill where she double majored in Theatre and Art History.  While in school, she was involved in the theatre program as both a stage manager and a scenic carpenter.  After graduating she worked at the Spoleto Festival here in Charleston as well as at an art gallery downtown.  She is very excited to be working at Addlestone!

Mary Grant is a Charleston native.  A graduate of the College of Charleston with an Elementary Education Degree, she has been teaching for 12 years.  She has taught kindergarten for 6 years, 5th grade for 2, and has worked as a computer teacher for grades K4-8 for 4 years.  She is married to Brian Grant and has two boys, Andrew and Will who are both very active in scouts and sports.  In her “spare time” she likes to read, do any type of word or number puzzle, bake or walk her two dogs, Taffy and Gunner.

I live with my husband and our one year old son Adi..  Originally I am from the Netherlands.  Five years ago I met my husband in Israel and moved to the Florida.  In Florida I taught for 1 ½ year old to 3 year old children.  Three years ago I moved to Charleston and started working here at Addlestone. Currently I am teaching in the Tiny Tots Class. I like it a lot.  I have a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and a second bachelor’s in Remedial Teaching. 

Denise Laird received her Math certification (7-12) from New York State and has eight years of professional teaching experience.  In addition to co-writng and publishing a college textbook “Fundamentals of Business Mathematics”, she taught math and was the MATHCOUNTS advisor at Porter-Gaud School.  Denise’s intention is to improve student’s skills, not just their scores!

Terese Soliman is an honors graduate of Michigan State University. Working in primarily Independent Schools, she has taught music for over 30 years.  Whether teaching piano, playing guitar, conducting chorus, supporting musicals, or helping children love music, she tells us that music is her life. She is certified in KinderMusik and as a mentor of MENC and NPM.

Candace Vanderstelt, a.k.a. "Ms. V", comes to us from Kalamazoo, Michigan, where she taught Physical Education for the past 11 years.  She received her Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education/Coaching and her Master's Degree in Pedagogy from Western Michigan University.  In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family and their 3 dogs, Harpo, Wrigley and Paxton.  She is very physically active, working out 5 days a week, and playing ice hockey in a women's league.  The students at Addlestone will always catch Ms. V drinking water, always promoting a healthy lifestyle.  Ms. V is excited about joining Addlestone and can't wait to build a top notch physical education program.

Jennifer Eisenhart, a native of Charleston, spent the majority of her youth in the northeast. She attended Frostburg State University in western Maryland, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood/Elementary Education N-6. Upon graduation Jennifer moved to New Iberia, Louisiana and taught at-risk preschool for two years. After marrying in 1998, she returned to Charleston. Jennifer began teaching kindergarten at Charlestowne Academy, a public magnet school, where her class was recognized for 2 consecutive years as one of eleven in the state to obtain 100% first grade reading readiness. Jennifer also has a Masters degree in Educational Assessment and Evaluation from American InterContinental University.
In the summer of 2001, Jennifer celebrated the birth of her first child and left the classroom for three years. During this time she continued teaching as a Homebound Teacher for Charleston County. She joined the faculty at Addlestone Hebrew Academy in 2004 as an EC3 lead teacher. Since joining AHA she has also taught EC4 and is currently teaching first grade. Jennifer enjoys spending time with family and friends, as well as reading, photography, scrapbooking, and traveling. Jennifer is married to her husband of eleven years, Tony. They have three children, Rachel, Patricia, and Alex, who all attend AHA.

Deborah is from Boone, North Carolina (Go Tarheels!!!) and was raised on a farm. She graduated from Appalachian State University.  She is married with 2 adult daughters, and 3 wonderful grandchildren.  Deborah is a voracious reader and loves to spend a lot of time outside, gardening, walking, playing sports, or doing just about anything that involves the outdoors.

Deborah has been at Addlestone since 2005 and loves the cozy, familial feeling.  According to Deborah, “The emphasis at AHA is on the students and what is best for them.  The teacher/student ratio is any teacher's dream.  It allows us the capability of assessing and focusing on the needs of each individual student.  Addlestone is such a luxury compared to a public school.  What's not to love?”

Nancy Peeples has worked at Addlestone Hebrew Academy since 1998 teaching 5th grade secular studies and middle-school social studies. She has served as the student council advisor for nine years. Prior to working at AHA, Nancy taught at the Runnels School in Baton Rouge, LA, St. Pauls Academy, and Sea Island Academy. Throughout her career Nancy has taught numerous middle and high school subjects, served as high school guidance counselor, and coached middle and high school sports. She was selected coach of the year while at Sea Island Academy and teacher of the year at Addlestone Hebrew Academy. Nancy earned a B.A. degree in Behavioral Science from Erskine College and earned her M.A. in Education from Louisiana State University.

Rabbi Elisar Admon moved here from Philadelphia, where he was on staff at Torah Academy of Greater Philadelphia for the last 5 years.  Rabbi Admon has his Smicha (rabbinic ordination) from Israel and served as a volunteer in Zaka (a life-saving and recovery organization) and as a reserve soldier in Zahal (Israel Defense Force). Tova Admon, Elementary School Judaics, email: tova.admon@addlestone.org “Tova Admon moved here from Philadelphia, where she was on staff at Torah Academy of Greater Philadelphia for the last 5 years.  A native of Israel, Tova is a certified teacher in Jewish Studies, Hebrew phonics, biology, math, geography and music.

Andrew Simmons was born on John’s Island, SC. He was educated in the public schools of Charleston County. He has been married to Emily Simmons for 42 years, and they have two daughters, Teresa and Carleen. He has five grandchildren (2 boys and 3 girls).

He enjoys spending time with his grandchildren and working in the yard. In his spare time, he likes to share his custodial talents by cleaning carpets for family and friends.  He is a member of Wesley UMC John’s Island, where he is on the usher board and is a member of the male choir.