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Special Areas

My name is Esmeralda de la Fuente. I was raised in Saluda SC. I have 5 children ... three boys and two girls. All of my children attended Hollywood Elementary School. I love to spend time with my kids at the soccer field and watching my kids play sports. 
 
Mrs. Frye - Librarian
 
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I am excited to start my 19th year in education. This is my 16th year as the librarian here at HES. Prior to this position, I taught 3rd and 5th grade. My husband, Jonathan, and I have three daughters. During our spare time, we enjoy traveling, cheering for the Clemson Tigers, and playing with our pets. 
 
I received my Bachelor's in Elementary Education from Lander University, my Masters in Library Science from Florida State University, and a Masters in Education with a concentration in Educational Technology from Nova Southeastern University. I am also a National Board-certified teacher. 
 
 

My name is Courtney Hallman. I am the new school counselor at Hollywood Elementary. Before becoming the school counselor, I was a classroom teacher. I have taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. This is my fifth year working in Saluda County and it is truly where I feel like I belong. 

I graduated from the University of South Carolina and am a full blown Gamecock fan! The only tigers I’ll be pulling for are the Saluda Tigers!  My husband and I live in Saluda with our dog, Gracie, and we will soon be adding a little girl into the mix. We couldn’t be more excited to continue growing our family and being able to raise our future children right here in Saluda. 

I am looking forward to this school year and being able to serve Hollywood Elementary as the new school counselor. 

Mrs. Herron
 
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I began teaching in 1997.  This is my 26th year teaching special education, and my fifth year at Hollywood Elementary.  I earned my bachelor’s degree in elementary education and learning disabled from Newberry College and later added on emotionally disabled from Columbia College.  I completed my masters in Educational Leadership from Winthrop University.

I am married to Shane and we have two children: Natalee (17) and Cody (24).  I enjoy being outside, traveling, attending Natalee’s sporting events, spending time at the lake, and spending time with my family.

I look forward to a great year this year!  We are going to learn so much.

Ms. Hughes
 
My name is Christy Hughes, and I am excited to be at Hollywood Elementary School. This is my sixth year at HES, it is my 34th year teaching. I taught at Newberry Middle School for eleven years and Saluda Elementary School for seventeen years with the majority of that time teaching fifth grade math and science.  
 
I am a graduate of Lander University with a degree in Elementary Education and a graduate of Columbia College with a master’s degree. I live in Ninety Six with my two babies (chihuahuas), Penny and Thor.
 
I look forward to a wonderful year at HES!
Mrs. Kunkle
 
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My name is Beth Kunkle. This is my fourth year teaching at Hollywood Elementary. I have been married for 18 years.  My husband and I have two children. My daughter, Audrey,  is in 10th grade at Mid-Carolina High School.  My son, Kole, will be in the 8th grade at Mid-Carolina Middle School.  We also have a dachshund named Hadley.  In my spare time I enjoy reading, watching college football and spending time with my family.

I am currently taking courses at the University of South Carolina, where I will be working on my Master’s in Education in Language and Literacy. I will graduate in May 2023. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education from Lander University plus additional certification in Early Childhood Special Education from the University of South Carolina. Over the last few years I have had different teaching opportunities. I taught preschool for several years and I have experience teaching kindergarten to fifth grade. 

Mrs. Latham - Speech
 
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My name is Keely Latham and I'm originally from Union, SC.  I received my bachelor's degree in speech pathology from Columbia College and my Master of Science in Speech Pathology from Nova Southeastern University.  I currently live with my husband and two daughters in Prosperity, SC.  
 
My name is Jennifer Moore and this is my second year as a RISE interventionist.  I love being a part of the HES family!  I have been married to my husband, Eric, for thirty years.  We have two children, a son-in-law, and a granddaughter on the way.  So excited!! I also have the sweetest dog named Sadie.
Hello Hollywood family! My name is Kelly Morse, and this is my 16th year here at HES. I graduated in 2006 from Lander University with a Bachelor's degree, became National Board Certified in 2011, and then earned a Master's degree in Leadership and Administration in 2018.  This year I am serving as our school's Literacy Coach, which means I work to support our teachers in implementing the best practices in teaching reading. Your child may see me in their classroom modeling lessons and assisting with small groups. My primary focus is working behind the scenes using student data to support teachers during their planning. Before this year, I taught 5th grade and 4th grade here at HES, as well as served as our school's National Elementary Honor Society Advisor. I loved being in the classroom, but I am very excited about the opportunity to impact learning for all students at HES this year! 
     My husband and I reside in Prosperity with our middle schoolers, Kenzie and Joseph, our playful Beagle pup, and a handful of chickens. We enjoy camping, fishing, biking, and basically anything else that involves being outside and being together! 
Nurse Quattlebaum
 
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My name is Natalie Rikard, most of the little ones call me “Miss Natalie”. I’m a graduate of Saluda High School and currently finishing up my last year at Piedmont Tech here in Saluda where I’m majoring in Human Services. When I’m not spending time with my family or babysitting I love to go shopping, spend time taking care of my cows, and going to the sale barn with my granddaddy every Monday! 

 

One fun fact about me is Hollywood is where I went to elementary school at! My little brother, Greyson Rushton (“G”) is also at Hollywood! 

Mrs. Rodgers- Instructional Assistant
 
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My name is Crystal Rodgers.   I received my Bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from Lander University. This is my 4th year at HES and I love every minute of it!  My husband and I reside in Saluda and have been married for 13 years.  We have 2 sons, Ty (7th grade) and Perry (4th grade).  I love spending time with my family and just being a "Mom". 
Mrs. Ruff - Instructional Assistant
My name is Jennifer Sheaffer. I am starting my 17th year of teaching and my 2nd year of
working with the Reading Intervention program here at Hollywood Elementary. I am a graduate
of Lander University and Winthrop University with a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership.
My husband Gary and I have three children; Matt (16), Jayme(14) and Caleb (11). We enjoy all
sports and I personally enjoy my crafting time.
I am excited to start this school year with you so that we can RISE to be the best.
Mrs. Tuttle - ESOL
 
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Hello everyone, My name is Heidi Tuttle. This is my sixth year teaching and my third year here at Hollywood Elementary. I am currently the ESOL teacher here. I look forward to working with your children. I graduated in 2016 from the University of South Carolina. I am currently obtaining my Masters in Early Childhood Education From Grand Canyon University. I have been married for 4 years and my husband and I live in Saluda with our two chocolate labs! We love spending time with our families and friends, going to the mountains or lake and watching football (Go Gamecocks!)
Mrs. Wertz
 
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My name is Jennifer Wertz, this will be my 8th year at Hollywood Elementary School. Previously, I taught 6 years at Saluda Primary School. Before earning my degree I worked for 10 years at a local daycare center and 5 years as an instructional assistant at Saluda Elementary School. I have also worked as an after school coordinator and have experience with students from pre-k through 5th grade.  I grew up in Saluda County and attended Saluda County Schools. I graduated from Lander University in 2009 with a bachelor’s in Special Education. In April of 2015, I received my master’s from Concordia University in Curriculum and Instruction.  I look forward to serving the students at Hollywood Elementary School.  Let’s have a rocking year!

I live in Saluda County. In my spare time I love to read and I enjoy making memories with my family.

Mrs. White - Art
 
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I am excited to be teaching all of my new artists in my 5th year at HES! This will be my fourth year teaching art and I love to see my students experience new art processes and grow not only as an artist but also gain more confidence in their own creativity and art-marking abilities.
I am originally from Lexington and currently live in Gilbert with my husband Jason and our daughter, Falyn. I received my undergraduate degree in Graphic Design From the University of South Carolina and worked in corporate graphic design for several years until I returned to USC to receive my teaching degree in Art Education.
Mr. Wilson - Music
 
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I am very excited to start my tenth year as music teacher at Hollywood! I am a native of Irmo, South Carolina. I attended Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC where I received my Bachelors in Music and my Masters in Teaching. I currently perform in the Lake Murray Symphony Orchestra playing the french horn. I look forward to all of the exciting things happening in the music classroom this year!