My name is Melissa Mueller. I originally taught elementary school in Baltimore, Maryland for 9 years.  I recently spent 7 years teaching Special Education in WCPSS in Middle School. I am so excited to be here at JGES! I will be teaching CCR K-5. In my free time I like to run, hike, shop with friends and travel with my family. In 2019 we visited Tokyo, Japan and we look forward to returning.

My name is Faith Downey, I grew up and lived  in Durham and 5 years ago I moved to Raleigh. I have taught for 23 years as a teacher at the Hill Center, Durham Public schools, Kestrel Heights Charter School, and worked as a private tutor all in Durham.  This is my 4th year with WCPSS and my FIRST at JGMES!!  I am very excited to be here! I will be teaching SPED CCR students and working as a Reading Interventionist. I have 2 awesome children that are wonderful adults!! I love spending time with them!  I LOVE the beach and all beach related activities. I enjoy spending as much time as possible there.   In my spare time I love to spend time with the ones that I love!

My name is Jillian Fortmuller. I was born in Long Island, New York and moved to Fuquay Varina at the age of 11. I have lived in North Carolina ever since. I am a very passionate teacher. I began teaching in 2017. I have had experience in Self-Contained, Cross Categorical Resource, Cross Categorical Kindergarten, and EBS classroom settings. I went to The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and received my Bachelor of Science in Special Education K-12. I am very happy to be working at Jeffreys Grove Elementary School. 

Beyond the classroom, I really enjoy spending time with my family and friends.I love running and swimming. I also really enjoy traveling to different places and learning more about the geography and culture of that area. A fun fact about me is that I just recently got married in July 2023. 

I am so excited to facilitate the academic and functional growth of your child, and I am looking forward to seeing each individual grow to their full potential this year.