Youth@JamesRiverRoad

Confirmed Speakers

• Bryan Hannum
  Mr. Hannum’s favorite thing about teaching is seeing the different personalities that his students bring to the classroom every day. He is passionate about the integrity that he and those around him display. He cannot stand cheating, bullying, or disrespect. He believes that everyone is accountable for his or her own actions. He is very proud of his family for providing for he and his sister and feels blessed for having been a part of his family. He is extremely competitive and enjoys competitive running. He hates losing, but is a good loser which is something not everyone knows.
• Joshua Thomas
  Mr. Thomas’s favorite thing about teaching is seeing how the students choose to interact and conceptualize content in different ways. But above all, he loves to develop meaningful relationships with his students. He is passionate about learning, specifically about different cultures, histories, and people- which makes traveling one of his favorite things to do. He is proud of being the first person in his family to graduate from college. He was inspired by great teachers here at James River High School, and his goal was to one day try to emulate them by becoming a teacher and coach. One thing that few people know about him is that he has a secret dream to one day teach and live in Tallinn, Estonia or somewhere else really cool and unique in Europe.
• Kelly Bisogno
  Mrs. Bisogno’s favorite thing about teaching is seeing how students can connect what they learn in school to the bigger picture. She is passionate about art and believes that artists and designers are impacting their communities and the world in meaningful ways. She is proud of her two amazing children, who allow her to re-discover the world through their eyes. One thing that few people know about her is that she has a degree in Sculpture.
• Jeff Doyle
  Mr. Doyle’s Leadership Perspectives class provides a theoretical foundation to the studies of leadership and international relations but also introduces students to our core concepts of communication, ethics and service. As a teacher, he loves to see students discover that learning is so much more than grades. He is passionate about humor because he believes it is an important and often overlooked “life-skill” to avoid taking yourself too seriously. His biggest passion has always been to play music, which in addition to being therapeutic has provided many great experiences both as leader and follower. Despite his roles as teacher and performer, people are often surprised to find that his nature is to be shy.
• Ashley Hewlett
  Mrs. Hewlett’s favorite thing about teaching is providing opportunities for her students to open up their minds to new ideas. She enjoys watching her students grow into great leaders and people. She is passionate about the future and enjoys mentoring young people about their potential to be successful. She believes that despite their backgrounds, family situations, or environments, everyone has the ability to change the world. She is proud about writing a children’s book, which she wrote in graduate school. Writing the book provided her with an outlet to express her ideas and provide a piece of literature that will last a lifetime. She aspires to learn how to play the guitar this summer.
• Sarah Mansfield
  Dr. Mansfield’s favorite thing about teaching is working with people and asking questions that make students see things in a different way. She is passionate about how people handle themselves in different situations, how people treat others, and the choices people make. She is proud of seeing how far the Center of Leadership and International Relations has come. One thing that few people know about her is that she was a dancer for ten years and still loves it.
• Chris Mercer
  Chris’s favorite thing about being a student in the program is being inspired by the teachers and students. He loves to participate in class discussions that require students to think about and express themselves in a creative and insightful manner. He is passionate about being inspired. Being a human being, he looks forward to becoming a better person every day and making positive changes in his life. Being inspired has allowed him to be a light in other people’s lives as well as his own. He is proud of being the person he is today and is appreciative of the people and experiences that have shaped him. One thing that few people know about him is that he is a guitar player. He enjoys expressing himself in a variety of different ways.
• Erin Rieck
  Erin is a rising senior in the Leadership Program. Even though she loves school, she is really passionate about sports. She has played almost every sport there is, but her favorites include volleyball and lacrosse. She is also passionate about food and giving back to the community. She has learned from her parents that giving others her time and effort is the best gift she can give. She is proud of where she has come from and can’t even begin to define how much her family has impacted her. She is proud to say that she has a family that is from Hungary who came here with nothing but hope. Her family inspires her every day, and she would not change a thing about her roots. One thing that people don’t know about her is that she is an artist. She sees the world as art, even though she tends not to share that with everyone.
• Patience Salgado
  She is a kindness worker, birth photographer and writer. She is grateful to be in a family with her husband and four kids. She loves the idea that people can be connected through random acts or not so random acts of kindness. She has been blogging since 2001 and adopted the name KindessGirl in 2007. She loves to meet strangers because it means she can share a moment with a person she may never see again. She is drawn daily to creating new kindness ideas, posts, campaigns, and projects. Her hope is that these creations will take each person further outside of his or her self then he or she could have ever imagined. She believes wholeheartedly that kindness changes everything in life. Some of her kindness missions have included Guerrilla Goodness, The Great Ding Dong Ditch, Pennies in Protest, The Magic Wand Projects, and many more. Her goal with kindness is to be a part of creating change and connecting people. She wants people in her community and everywhere to see the joy and love in the world through her acts of kindness. She wants it to be something that is passed on.