LAMPS

Mrs. April Barlett (Art) is beginning her eighth year teaching art at Greenwood and her 21st year teaching in Henrico County Public Schools! She is a native of Richmond and a proud graduate of Open High School and VCU (go Rams!). She earned bachelor's degrees in Crafts and Art Education as well as a master's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. Ms. Barlett is married to a fellow educator and has two active sons who are 13 and 15. Her family loves traveling, visiting all kinds of museums, going to the movies and hanging out with their giant dog, Julep. Among her favorite destinations are Italy, Iceland and Montreal! Mrs. Barlett's goal as a teacher is to provide engaging learning opportunities for children to create, collaborate and communicate by integrating art with science, technology, history, literature and math. Students will learn about a diverse group of art and artists from all over the world. She has a passion for exploring ways art can positively impact the community, and loves developing projects that inspire students to make the world a better place! Her plan for the 2023-2024 school year is to integrate more contemporary and local artists into the Greenwood art room! If you are interested in sharing your talents with our emerging artists, please let Mrs. Barlett know! 

Mrs. Amy Coward, our school librarian, is excited to teach at Greenwood for her 11th year! Mrs. Coward, a product of Henrico County Public Schools, earned her BA from VCU, and her masters degree from Longwood University. She worked in elementary, middle and high school libraries for over 10 years before coming to Greenwood. Mrs. Coward believes that our library is a place full of magic, where students learn to love reading, think critically, research, grow as global citizens, collaborate, engineer, create, and make. She believes that every student deserves to see themselves reflected in the literature that surrounds them, and that they can learn about the world and others through the magic of stories. She wants to help our Gators become lifelong learners who love to read, who ask questions and love to find the answers, and who find magic in each other and the world around them. Mrs. Coward is grateful for her husband and her two sons, one a recent Longwood University graduate and the other a student at Marymount University. 

Ms. Alissa Cox, our school counselor, is excited to be joining the Greenwood Elementary team for her second year of counseling! Ms. Cox moved to Richmond with her fiancé after spending the majority of her life in Knoxville, Tennessee. There, she received a M.S. in Counseling with a degree emphasis in school counseling from the University of Tennessee in a CACREP Accredited program. She also received certification in working with Grief, Trauma, and Loss. Understanding that each student is unique, Ms. Cox strives to meet the diverse set of her students’ needs through classroom lessons, small groups, and individual counseling, while emphasizing a community partnership approach and taking opportunities to help others feel empowered. She knows that even a bit of positivity goes a long way and is eager to share an abundance of it with her Greenwood family! She is also a huge pet lover, and is a pet parent to two playful pups and a cuddly cat. She aspires to one day bring her love for animals into her therapeutic practices, and is in the process of training one of her dogs to the level of therapy certification. In her free time, she loves reading, listening to podcasts and live music, collecting plants, and spending time with her loved ones. For her own self-care practices, she enjoys yoga and barre, which help her bring mindfulness techniques into her work with students. 

Ms. Melissa Elkins, our Physical Education teacher, is pumped to begin her sixth year teaching, and fifth year as a Greenwood Gator! She is a proud graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University (Go Rams!) with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science, and attended Virginia State University for Health and Physical Education K-12. Her goal is to create an exciting environment that allows students to understand teamwork, show sportsmanship, and gain self-esteem. Ms. Elkins believes in encouraging her students to expose themselves to a wide variety of skills and activities in order to discover their talents and love for physical activities! Her plan for this school year is to teach students the importance of movement and health, while encouraging them to lead an active lifestyle. In her spare time, Ms. Elkins enjoys spending time with her family, hanging out with her dog Rokko, and competing in Olympic weightlifting competitions.  She believes small gestures can make a difference in someone’s day, never underestimate the power of a hug or fist bump. Let’s make this school year amazing, Go Gators! 

Mrs. Andrea Hobbs, our library assistant, is excited to begin her eleventh year in the Greenwood library.  She is a true embodiment of a lifelong reader. Her love of books was first discovered at Claremont Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia, where she was a library helper during fourth and fifth grade. Throughout high school, she worked part-time at the Arlington County Public Library. She graduated from Bridgewater College in Virginia with a double major in Business Administration and Economics. Before joining the Greenwood staff, Mrs. Hobbs worked for Read Aloud Virginia, a non-profit that aimed to increase literacy rates in children, while nurturing a love of reading. Mrs. Hobbs still delights in reading in her spare time. She also enjoys being active and being a part of the local CrossFit community. She spends time with her family and two cats. Mrs. Hobbs loves being a part of the Greenwood Library Team and following her passion of encouraging and cultivating the love of reading in young children. 

Mrs. Kaitee Melton, our School Counselor, is super excited to start her fifth year of counseling. Mrs. Melton is a graduate of Randolph-Macon College with a bachelor's degree in Communication Studies with a minor in Spanish, and a master's degree in Counselor Education K-12 from Virginia Commonwealth University. While working to become a professional School Counselor, Mrs. Melton worked with children during her time as a camp counselor and Field Hockey Coach for various clubs, schools, and camps in the Richmond area. Her vision for Greenwood this year, along with meeting the needs of all students through classroom lessons, small groups, and individual support, is to establish and develop partnerships with staff, families, and community members to ensure all Greenwood students develop the skills, knowledge, and understanding necessary to be successful in our ever-changing society. Outside of school, Mrs. Melton enjoys spending time with her husband, Anthony, and baby girl, Mae. She also loves playing with her three dogs, cooking, and working out. Mrs. Melton can’t wait to create some amazing memories with all of our Greenwood Gators this school year! 

Mrs. Maria Murphy (Music) is entering her 34th year in Henrico County. She is a native of Hampton, VA. Coming from a large musical family, her love of music started at an incredibly young age. She attended Virginia Commonwealth University and received her bachelors in music education. She is also a part time minister of music at Saint James United Methodist Church in Hampton, VA. She released a CD “Passionate Rose” consisting of classical piano pieces. She believes that every child is valued and can be successful. Her goal is to instill a love of music in her students through creativity, theory, singing and movement. She enjoys spending time with her husband, reading, playing the piano, shopping, and being a wonderful auntie to her nephew and two nieces.