Damon is a Raleigh native and entering his 7th year as a 5th grade teacher and his 5th with Stough. Damon studied film and audio production at UNCG, then received a Masters Degree in Elementary Education at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Outside of school, Damon enjoys writing and performing music and will often bring music into the classroom via his ukulele. Damon wants to instill a classroom that is joyful, creative, and collaborative; built on kindness, compassion, respect, and honesty. He thrives on making each day interesting, fun, and enlightening for students.

I'm #StoughProud because: the amazing students and staff -- I am so proud to be a part of the Stough community! I enjoy walking through the halls and talking with every kid! I also thoroughly enjoy working with my colleagues. They are supportive and fun!

I was a substitute teacher for WCPSS for 7 years. I've worked in various grades and subjects during that time. I attended Western Governors University and studied Interdisciplinary Studies K-8. I'm an avid reader and love WWII historical fiction. I love watching sports. I'm married to my high school sweetheart and have 2 kiddos. My oldest, Hunter Elizabeth, is studying to be a nurse, and Cameron Dean is in 10th grade at Wakefield High School. I attended WCPSS from K-12 when I was a kid. I attended Wake Forest Elementary and Wake Forest-Rolesville Middle and Senior High schools.

I'm #StoughProud because: Stough is very much a family and they have amazing students.

Hello! My name is Karen Dasanaike and I teach ELA on the fifth grade immersion team. This will be my fourth year at Stough, my 20th year teaching in Wake County, and my 23rd year in North Carolina. I am a graduate of Nyack College in Nyack, NY and I have my master’s in reading from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC, Canada. I am originally from the great little state of Rhode Island. I have two kids in college this year. Emmy is a senior at UNC Chapel Hill and a proud Marching Tarheel. This spring I was thrilled to visit Emmy while she did a semester abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland. Noah is a PhD candidate in Political Science at Harvard. This summer, Noah married his former Leesville Road HS classmate, Meghan Ford. My new daughter-in-law is a PhD candidate at Northwestern University, studying Marine Ecology.

I'm #StoughProud because: I am so excited to have the opportunity to focus on ELA, science and social studies...no fractions for this teacher! Also, my teammate Lee Li makes every day at Stough a happy place to be!

Ms. Cuiyun Li is from Guangdong, a beautiful place in southern China. She received her undergraduate degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language from China. This is her 13th year being a Chinese dual language teacher, and her 8th year in the Chinese immersion program in the United States. She looks forward to her third year in Stough. 

Ms. Li believes that students learn best when they are intrinsically motivated. Her goal is to build a comfortable and enjoyable environment for her students and guide them to success.

Ms. Li loves to travel and plays tennis all year long in her spare time.

I'm #StoughProud because: I work with an amazing team. We love the wonderful families and students.

This is my first year teaching full time and I could not be more excited! I am 23 years old from Sneads Ferry North Carolina, just across the water from Topsail Island. I played football at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke where I studied Business Administration and have gone back to get my masters in Elementary Education. I moved to Raleigh in March of this year and I was a substitute teacher before being hired at Stough.

I'm #StoughProud because: I chose to work at Stough after substituting here during the 23-24 school year and seeing how supportive the teachers and administration were. They helped me begin the process to be a full time teacher and I am very excited I get to start my career with them.