Our Faculty
Barbara Waefler, M.Ed.
Geometry, IB Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches
Ms. Waefler taught advanced math courses including Algebra 1, 2, and 3, Pre-calculus, Geometry, AP Statistics, IB Math Studies and IB SL at Granby High School for the past 20 years. Certified in all mathematical levels of the International Baccalaureate Programme, she is passionate about connecting with her students and finding ways to encourage their growth and development. Her warm personality and creativity make learning math fun!
Lisa A. Walker, M.A.
Faculty & Curriculum Specialist, English Literature
Ms. Walker is the previous Gifted Resource at Tallwood HS and Global Studies Academy in Virginia Beach. During her 30 + years of teaching she has received numerous honors: 2003 Virginia Beach Public Schools and Virginia Region II Gifted Teacher of the Year, 2007 VBCity Humanitarian Award, 2008 American Councils of Education, and 2009 Fulbright/ Hayes Grant Travel Awards to Russia. Trained in the Harkness Method at Phillips Exeter Academy, Ms. Walker uses her expertise in gifted education, curriculum and development, and her global perspective to prepare students for their transition to a college preparatory high school. She is passionate about helping students to become critical readers, writers, and thinkers. Ms. Walker teaches English Literature 9 at The Hague School.
Luisa Adelfio, M.A.
IB Visual Arts, Studio Art, IB Spanish
Ms. Adelfio is an internationally recognized sculptor who serves as the Artist-in-Residence at The Hague School. Her students integrate art history with creation, utilizing the school’s partnership with The Chrysler Museum to engage with original works of art, as well as producing their own unique pieces. Trained in the Harkness Method at Phillips Exeter Academy, Ms. Adelfio also brings her international experience to lead our growing world languages initiative, which incorporates linguistics and cultural awareness with language proficiency in Italian, French, and Spanish.
Christopher Simmons, B.S.
IB Math, Algebra II, & Physics
Mr. Simmons is an Indiana native and graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Physics and minor in Mathematics. After graduation, he joined the Navy where he worked as a submarine warfare officer, earning a graduate level education in nuclear propulsion. He looks forward to equipping the coming generation with the tools to solve the difficult, physics-based questions and problems of the future. Also an active community member in his church as well as bassoon player for multiple performing arts groups in the 757.
Stephanie Hall, M.A.T.
U.S. History, & IB History
Ms. Hall is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where she received a B.A. in History and a Master’s Degree in Teaching, with postgraduate training in Literacy across the Curriculum. Following her coursework, she first taught 20th Century History at Maya Angelou Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. She then became licensed in New York where after being offered a position as a founding teacher at East Brooklyn Community High School in Brooklyn, NY. There she taught courses in Global Africa, Global Middle East, Global Asia, Global Historical Figures, Global Europe, Latin American History through Art, French Language and Culture, and Communism in Literature. At The Hague School, Ms. Hall leads its IB core courses in Individuals & Societies and further serve as the school’s Advancement Coordinator.
Alicia Coles, M.A.
Psychology, Freshman Seminar
Ms. Coles is a practicing therapist who has worked in higher education for more than fifteen years, serving as an instructor, counselor, and administrator. A former Associate Campus President and, later, Director of Academic Affairs in the School of Health Sciences at ECPI, she is working to obtain her Ph.D. in Counseling & Psychological Studies by 2024 from Hampton University. She brings her holistic approach to mental health care and her experience working with diverse patient populations to The Hague School where she teaches Psychology and Freshman Seminar.
Michaela Ednie, B.A.
IB Biology, Chemistry
Ms. Ednie is a graduate of Amherst College, where she majored in Astronomy and Chemistry, following a pre-medical track. After graduation, she was selected to work in Amherst’s Being Human in Stem (HSTEM) initiative and led student demonstrations and group discussion. She is passionate about the environment and helping young minds foresee the utility of looking at the world through a scientific lens. Ms. Ednie leads the school’s IB science core courses and labs. In addition to her classroom responsibilities,
Matt Friedman
Filmmaking
Mr. Friedman teaches filmmaking at The Hague School and the Governor’s School for the Arts, where he helped start the school’s film department. He wrote the local independent feature comedy, Moving, in the early 2000s (for which he won “Best Screenplay” at the Digital Visions film festival in Chicago) and received the Sloan Foundation Fellowship for science themes in film. He assistant directed the 2012 Doritos commercial “Man’s Best Friend,” which became the #1 ad of that year’s Superbowl, then wrote and co-wrote several followups. In 2016, he produced and scored the short film Moss Manor, which won Best Film at the Hampton Roads 48 Hour Film Project and also garnered him the award for Best Original Score. He has been a screenwriting panelist at the Virginia Festival of the Book, a screenwriting workshop instructor at the CNU Writer’s Conference.
Anna Crane, Ph.D.
Neuroscience
Dr. Crane received her B.S. in psychology from the College of William and Mary and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Clinical Child Psychology from Ohio University. She specializes in effective treatment approaches to address post-traumatic stress disorder, grief, and traumatic brain injury within the military family system. Through her efforts at both Navy Special Warfare commands and the Navy SEAL Foundation, Dr. Crane has helped destigmatize mental health care and increase access and usage among special forces personnel and their families. She brings more than 15 years of specialized mental health service to The Hague School, where she teaches Neuroscience.
Jennifer Warren, J.D., M.Ed.
Global Social Leaders, IB Creativity, Activity, & Service, Head of School
Ms. Warren holds a Juris Doctor degree and is one of the founders of The Hague School, currently serving as the school’s Associate Head of School. In 2019, she completed her Harkness training through Phillips Exeter Academy’s Humanities Institute, and she has a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from George Mason University and a graduate certificate in Women’s Studies from Old Dominion University. Ms. Warren has completed training to lead the school’s IB Extended Essay and CAS core courses and teaches electives in Women’s Studies to reflect her passion for building confidence in young women while empowering them to express themselves at the table. She also serves as the school’s Mock Trial Coordinator.
Becky Boncal, M.F.A.
American Literature, Research & Composition, Visual Rhetoric, and Multimedia Documentary
Ms. Boncal earned an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from George Mason University where she studied the short story and novel under Alan Cheuse. For more than thirteen years, she has been honored to share the transformative power of language and visual art with students at colleges and universities across Virginia. She has twice led students on study abroad trips to Ireland and Northern Ireland. After moving back to Norfolk from Richmond to be closer to her roots, she has found a home both in the Larchmont neighborhood and at The Hague School, where she teaches American Literature, Visual Rhetoric, and Multimedia Documentary. Her poetry, fiction, and non-fiction appear in various anthologies, literary journals, and magazines including the The Adirondack Review, The Copperfield Review, The Richmond Times Dispatch and R Home.
Corie Sullivan OTR\L CHT
Physical Education
Ms. Sullivan is an Occupational Therapist and Certified Hand Therapist holding a BS in Occupational Therapy from Elizabethtown College and a post-graduate certificate in Hand and Upper Quarter Rehabilitation from Drexel University. She obtained her CHT in 2002. An adjunct faculty member at ODU, she works part-time at ODU Monarch Therapy. Ms. Sullivan has a passion for mentoring youth in sports, wellness, and life. She coaches girls’ Lacrosse at the high school and club level. Her classroom is a positive environment where students learn to embrace mistakes, take responsibility for actions, develop strong work ethic, and strive for excellence. In addition to teaching Physical Education, Ms Sullivan is leading the formation of the IB Sports, Exercise and Health Science course.
Patrick Dacey, M.F.A.
IB Literature, Extended Essay, US History, Creative Writing
Mr. Dacey is the author of two books of fiction, The Outer Cape: a Novel and We’ve Already Gone This Far: Stories, published by Henry Holt and Company. He holds an MFA from Syracuse University, and his work has been featured on NPR’s Selected Shorts, and in The Paris Review, Zoetrope All-Story, Guernica, The Kenyon Review, and Harper’s, among other publications. Patrick has taught English at several universities in the U.S. and Mexico, and has worked as a reporter, door-to-door salesman, and substance abuse counselor. He is the recipient of a 2022 Pushcart Prize. He teaches IB Literature, Extended Essay, US History, and Creative Writing at The Hague School.
Kimberley Mitchell-James, M.S.
Environmental Systems
Ms. Mitchell-James earned her Bachelor’s in Environmental Science from Southern New Hampshire University and a Master’s in Environmental Science and Policy from Johns Hopkins University. Born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, Ms. Mitchell-James has traveled across the world. She earned a degree from the Institute of Culinary Education and worked for years as a chef before serving as a Biomedical Technician in the Air Force where she discovered her passion for the environment. She is excited to be teaching IB Environmental Systems and Societies at The Hague School.
Nate Sacks, B.A.
Music Appreciation
Mr. Sacks is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia. Mr. Sacks attended the Governor’s School for the Arts and continued his studies at Old Dominion University, earning a BA in Music with a focus on jazz and aesthetics in art and science. He worked in music summer camps from the age of 14 and has been teaching ever since. He has experience playing in many bands of varying genres, but his main project is the alternative band The LifeHacks. Mr. Sacks was a finalist in the Sea Level Emerging Artist Contest 3 years in a row, winning in 2012. Since then he has been featured on radio and TV shows including 96x, Paul Shugrue’s Out of the Box, and the Hampton Roads Show. In 2016, Mr. Sacks founded the Local Cheers concert series. He worked as an instructor and director at the School of Rock program for over 7 years. He teaches Music Appreciation at The Hague School.
Echard Wheeler
Photography
Mr. Wheeler has been a professional photographer for the past 22 years. His favorite genre of photography is documentary mixed with fine art, which uniquely speaks to this historic time in our society. Each of us holds a unique perspective on the world around us. Mr. Wheeler’s classes offer the chance to document and share our view while learning frame, shading, color, depth, aspect, and other photography fundamentals.
Aliya Zafar
Studio Art
Ms. Zafar is an interdisciplinary artist exploring the ethereal qualities of interconnectivity through light and shadow. Her studio practice, which combines glass, digital media, and lighting, merges elements of contemporary design with the powerful poetics of fine art. While pursuing her BFA at the Rhode Island School of Design, Ms. Zafar found hot glass, a time based material capable of vivacious manipulation. Ms. Zafar is invested in sharing her curiosity of material and process with students. A consummate teacher, she has guided students at institutions such as: Corning Museum of Glass, Governor School of the Arts, Old Dominion University and RISD. Currently, Ms. Zafar is enrolled in the Chrysler Museum Glass Studio Assistantship Residency Program. She teaches Studio Art at The Hague School.
Rocio Noe, B.S.
Spanish
Ms. Noe, a native of Mexico, earned a B.S. in Marketing from Tecnologico de Monterrey. Ms. Noe is enthusiastic about teaching and sharing Spanish and Mexican culture with her students, expanding their vision of themselves as global citizens. She currently teaches Spanish at the Hague School and Spanish as a Second Language at our sister school, the Harkness Institute in San Luis Potosi. She is also responsible for the Hague School’s Spanish language lab.
