Salisbury Academy

SALISBURY — Faculty and staff returning to Salisbury Academy this year will welcome several new faces.

With over 30 years of experience in teaching grades junior kindergarten through sixth, Sabrina Harper joins Salisbury Academy as the kindergarten lead teacher. Harper holds a bachelor of arts degree in elementary and intermediate education from Pfeiffer University and a master of arts in intermediate education from UNC-Charlotte.

Harper has spent the majority of her career teaching in the Stanly and Cabarrus County Schools and enjoys working hand-in-hand with students, parents, fellow educators, and community members. In her free time, Harper enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She has two children, ages 20 and 24, and loves to read, listen to music, draw, write and dance. Harper loves animals and has two cats and one dog.

Melody Lee joins Salisbury Academy as the director of co-curricular programming and support for the athletics and alumni offices. Lee holds a bachelor of arts degree in recreation from Catawba College. She served as the Rowan YMCA’s program director for 13 years and also served as a quality control manager for Kids Sports.

Lee is an alumni parent with a long history of involvement at Salisbury Academy. She and her husband, Brian, have three children, Alex, Allison and Abby, who attended Salisbury Academy over the course of 17 years. Lee has served as Booster Club president, assisted in teaching PE classes and held positions on a variety of committees as well as on the Board of Trustees. In her spare time Lee enjoys traveling, playing tennis and spending time with family.

Salisbury Academy welcomes Kristen Rocko as the new third grade lead teacher. Rocko is a Catawba College graduate and holds a bachelor of arts in special and elementary education as well as a minor in communication arts. Her teaching experience includes student teaching at Isenberg and Overton Elementary Schools along with tutoring in the Woodleaf Church after-school program for fourth- and fifth-graders.

Rocko is the recipient of the prestigious Whitener Award, given to the woman or man in the graduating class who embodies, to a high degree, the qualities of good character, leadership and scholarship. She enjoys playing tennis, going to the gym and taking her new puppy to Trinity Oaks to spend time with the community there.

Kelli Starrett joins Salisbury Academy’s middle school division. Starrett holds a bachelor of arts in middle school education from Catawba College and brings with her experience teaching middle school math at the China Grove and East Millbrook middle schools.

In her previous teaching roles her involvement included serving as the teacher liaison to Discovery Education, community involvement committee chair, school improvement team member and a coach for softball, cheerleading and track. In her free time, Starrett enjoys spending time and adventuring outdoors with her husband, Ryan, and their son, Benjamin. She gets great satisfaction from serving on the Alumni Board of Directors for Catawba College.

Salisbury Academy also welcomes new member Bryan Wymbs to the Board of Trustees

New to the Salisbury Academy board this year is Bryan Wymbs. Wymbs holds an undergraduate degree from the State University of New York Geneseo, a masters in business administration from Northeastern University and a Juris Doctor from the Charlotte School of Law.

In addition to his legal career, Wymbs has career experience in medical sales, insurance and financial planning. After working with the firm Ketner & Dees for three years, Wymbs began his own legal practice earlier this year. In his free time, Wymbs enjoys studying history, playing tennis, cooking on his two Big Green Eggs, and traveling with his wife, Mary and their two daughters, Millie and Cora.