Track 1

Fifth Grade Teacher

Mrs.Higginbotham has been teaching in North Carolina for 9 years. She started her career in Chapel Hill Public Schools before moving to Wake County. This will be her third year at Turner Creek and she cannot wait to meet her new cohort of Tree Frogs. She strongly believes fifth grade is the absolute best grade and has spent her career helping her fifth graders grow as both humans and learners. 

When she is not teaching, Mrs.Higginbotham loves to travel,  visit coffee shops,  and spend time with her friends and hubby. One of her favorite pastimes is to cuddle up with a good book and her two pups, Kenai and Pip. She also loves her UNC Tar Heels, win or lose, especially during basketball season.  As all her past students can attest, Ms.Higginbotham is slightly coffee obsessed and the quickest way to her heart is to bring her a cup of joe. 

Ms.Higginbotham cannot wait to celebrate her tenth year teaching with TCE’s CLASS of 2024-25! 

Track 1

Fifth Grade Teacher

This will be Ms. Dabney’s 3rd year teaching for Wake County. She has taught 6th grade math and this will be her second year teaching 5th grade at Turner Creek. She is very excited to be back at Turner Creek and will focus on supporting and building a strong relationship with you and your student. 

Ms. Dabney was raised in Cary, North Carolina where she was a student in Wake County from K-12. She loves to solve puzzles and riddles and spend time with her friends and family. 

Track 2

Fifth Grade Teacher

Jennifer Holmberg is a proud new member of Turner Creek Elementary. This will be her 19th year teaching in North Carolina. Her first year in the state, she was awarded Math Teacher of the Year in 2006-2007. She has previously taught in Hawaii and Pennsylvania. Working with the testing grades is what interests her most, and she enjoys seeing students progress in all areas to “show what they know”!

She strives to create a community of learners that nurtures positive, fun growth, leading to the development of successful middle school students.

Ms. Holmberg is the proud mother of two grown-up children, Torianne and Gunnar, who were both college athletes and went through the WCPSS School System. She enjoys working out, a great beach day, and spending time with her friends, family, and grand-puppy Archer. 

She looks forward to working with you as partners in your child’s learning journey. 

Fifth Grade Teacher

Track 2

Ms. Craven is from Raleigh. She has an Undergraduate BA degree in Literature/Creative Writing from UNC Asheville. She received her Master of Arts in Teaching Elementary Ed from USC (South Carolina). Ms. Craven has taught 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 7th grade during her career. She never tires of seeing the world through her students' perspective. She loves to explore and learn with her students and knows that most of her success as an educator is gained from working with a multitude of young minds. Ms. Craven loves to travel, especially to Italy. Rome is her favorite European destination, and she named her dog, Roman, after the eternal city. Ms. Craven loves to garden, read, walk, and swim. She also vows this will be the year she learns to play chess. She's hopeful that her 5th-grade Tree Frogs will help her accomplish this goal!

Track 4 

Fifth Grade Teacher

Candice Volland has been a teacher in Wake County school system since 2002.  She has been in education for over 24 years, serving as a teacher, early years educator, and Head of Early Years in different countries throughout this time.  Mrs Volland has taught in England, Australia, Thailand, and now in the US.  She has been predominantly a 3rd-grade teacher, but last year moved to 5th grade.  Mrs Volland is an avid reader and loves to dive into a good book.

Mrs Volland is happily married to Erik Volland.  Candice is a proud mother of two children, Nathaniel and Summer who have gone through the WCPSS system and are wonderful scholars. The family also includes their spoilt puppy named Daisy.  As a family, traveling is a big part of their trackouts.  Summer likes to swim and all things Taylor Swift, and Nathaniel likes Math and flag football.