SMCS Staff

My name is Rebecca Shelton, and I am the Head of School of SMCS. I have been in education for over 18 years. I have taught grades K-12 in various capacities. I have a BA in English from the University of TN at Chattanooga, a Master’s of Education in Instruction and Curriculum from Covenant College, and a Professional Lifetime Elementary Principal Educator’s Certificate from ACSI. I have been married to Jason for 26 years, and our sons are Nathan (married to Paige), Micah, and Josh. We raised our sons in a school similar to SMCS in Huntsville, AL. We were away from the Chattanooga area for 23 years and are delighted to follow the Lord’s call to Signal Mountain and SMCS. We are Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church members and love to play with our dogs, Mumford and Mae.

I love the mission of our school and enjoy supporting its ministry. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to serve the students and families here at SMCS! My family has been a part of our school community since 2006 when my oldest started 1st grade. I am so thankful my four children have enjoyed the blessing of an SMCS education. After volunteering and serving on the board for several years with my husband, George, I was officially hired in 2011 to work in the office to help assist administration, teachers, and students. In my previous career, before earning the title of mom, I worked as an Interior Designer for several years at Ivan Allen in Huntsville, AL, and Chattanooga. Along with working at SMCS, I enjoy spending time with family and friends and window shopping for antiques.

It is an honor to serve SMCS as an Administrative Assistant. I have a B.S. in Marketing and a minor in Psychology from UTC. My husband, Steve, and I grew up in Chattanooga and have enjoyed raising our two sons here. Our son Jacob is a graduate of UTK and currently lives in Knoxville. Our younger son, Jones, a 2019 graduate of SMCS, attends McCallie School. Before “retiring” from the professional world in 2005, I served as Branch Manager and Vice President at AmSouth Bank. It has been an unexpected pleasure to return to the workforce after many years of volunteering at SMCS. I consider it a blessing to serve alongside some of my dearest friends. Steve and I are First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga members and enjoy traveling and kayaking. Most importantly, I am a caregiver to Mabel, School Counselor, and Goldendoodle-extraordinaire. Jeremiah 29:11

I received my Bachelor's in Accounting from Middle Tennessee State University. I have held various positions in my field and feel blessed to be led to SMCS. I grew up on Signal Mountain and currently reside on the mountain. I am married to the love of my life, Josh, and have four beautiful children.

My name is Sarah Oliver, and I am a kindergarten teacher at SMCS. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education and a Master's Degree in Christian Education. The Lord has allowed me to work with children in several capacities over the last 15 years. I have been married to a wonderful man for the last seven years, and we have a beautiful daughter. We attend The Crossing Church in Chattanooga. I am so excited to be at SMCS and to be one of the teachers to start your child on their educational journey! Romans 8:39

Hey Friends, I am Alisha Dolberry, the overly excited kindergarten teacher at SMCS. I grew up outside of Nashville, TN, then moved to Soddy Daisy with my Husband in 2012. I am blessed to raise my two daughters here in Chattanooga and now at SMCS. I graduated with a B.S. in Elementary Education from Fort Hays State University, which could have never prepared me for the awesomeness that is SMCS. I feel honored to minister to these children and be ministered to by the staff in return. I enjoy spending time with my family outside, drinking coffee, and playing with my puppies in my free time.

My name is Tracey Peele, and I teach first grade at SMCS. I have a B.S. in Communications from the University of Alabama and a Masters in Special Education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. I grew up on Signal Mountain and am married to Frank Peele. We have three daughters, Julia, Kate, and Laura. Before coming to SMCS, I taught in the Hamilton County School System for fourteen years. I feel truly blessed to work at SMCS. I hope that my students will come to know "how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ"(Ephesians 3:18) and that they will learn to see God's glory in His creation. I enjoy reading, gardening, hiking, and going for walks in my spare time.

My name is Rebecca Row, and I am so excited to be teaching first grade at SMCS! I grew up in Chattanooga and went to Tennessee Tech University. My degree was Sociology/Social Work and I worked in that field for two years before starting a family and staying home with my children. I have been married to my husband, Robert for 26 years and we have 4 children. We have two college aged boys, a daughter in high school, and a daughter in middle school. I began teaching Pre-K at Signal Crest Preschool in 2018, first as an assistant then as the lead teacher. I am excited to be here at SMCS and teach these sweet first graders. I enjoy spending time with my family, being outdoors, and reading.

My name is Kelley Harrison, and I teach second grade. I grew up on Signal Mountain and received a degree in Elementary Education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. I have over 20 years of teaching experience in kindergarten, first and second grades. I enjoy teaching students about the loving faithfulness of God through all subject matter. My husband, Frank, and I have two college-aged daughters. We enjoy spending time together doing anything outside, especially hiking and paddle boarding with our golden retriever, Bella.

Stephanie has a B.A. in Religion from Carson-Newman University and holds a teaching license through ASCI. In the years before coming to SMCS, she founded a Classical Conversations homeschool community, taught ESL, tutored and homeschooled her own children, and taught Latin and Logic at a University-Model School in Boerne, Texas. She has served in youth and children's ministry for more than 19 years and directed the AWANA T&T program at their church in Missouri. She was named a Fellow with the Colson Center for Worldview in 2022 and is always excited to bring a biblical worldview into her classroom even at the Elementary level. Her favorite thing to do is spend time with her dear husband of almost 18 years, Matt, and their three girls, Nora, Lily, and Mary.

My name is Michelle Smith, and I teach third grade. I graduated from Campbell University with a B.S. in Elementary Education, and I have completed several courses towards my Master’s degree at Salisbury University, specializing in reading. I began my teaching career in 2006, teaching for four years in Maryland before transplanting to Signal Mountain, TN. I began teaching at SMCS in 2012. I delight in watching my students grow in their knowledge of God and His great big world, and I have seen this first-hand through the lives of my children who have attended SMCS. In addition, I enjoy traveling, relaxing, sipping coffee, and spending time with my husband and four daughters.

My name is Lindsey Hawkins, and I am the fourth-grade teaching aide. Born and raised in South Mississippi, I moved to Chattanooga to attend Covenant College and graduated with a B.A. in history. My first experience in the teaching world was substituting for middle school, and I fell in love with sharing knowledge and skills with students. I have experience teaching in both homeschool and private Christian school setting. Still, what makes working at SMCS such a blessing is the emphasis on the Charlotte Mason method -- the philosophy in which I grew up. I enjoy baking, writing, playing the violin, history podcasts, and frolicking with my poodle Roger when I am not at school.

Hello! My name is Anne Fellers. I've been teaching at SMCS for 20 years now, first as a fourth-grade teacher and now as a fifth-grade teacher for the past six years. I earned my B.S. from the University of Montevallo and later followed with a master’s in education from Covenant College. When I'm not teaching, I enjoy hiking with friends and family, hitting around a ball on a tennis court, or spending time in the kitchen. There is much to love about teaching at SMCS, one of them being given the responsibility to help my students understand that God's word is much more than a story of history but that it applies to all aspects of their lives today.

My name is Paige Thompson, and I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in middle grades education and completed a master’s degree in health education. I have taught in public, private, and home school settings for 15 years. I enjoy building a reading and writing community in my classroom, as well as sharing my love of birds with fourth graders. I am an avid reader and enjoy exploring the outdoors with my family.

I grew up in Hixson, TN and graduated from UT Chattanooga with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Religious Studies. I have enjoyed working with preschool & kindergarten children over the last 12 years. I’ve been married to my sweet husband, Eric, for 25 years. We have 4 children- Mattie- a recent Covenant College graduate, Will- a junior at UT Knoxville, Hannah- a sophomore at Covenant College and Rachel- a SMCS graduate and a senior at Chattanooga Christian School. We are members of Mountain Fellowship and enjoy working in the Children and Youth Ministries. Eric and I love traveling and spending time on our farm with family and friends.

I was born and raised in Mississippi m and attended Mississippi State University where I met my husband Chris and received my Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. After college, we moved to Houston, Texas where I followed my passion for health and started my own business as a personal trainer. We lived in Houston for 10 years before moving to Signal Mountain in 2020 to raise our 3 boys Heiden, Caleb, and Thad in a more outdoor-driven environment. I am a Personal Trainer and teach group exercise classes here on the mountain at Balanced Fitness. I am excited to bring my background in teaching and my experience with fitness and health together as a P.E. teacher at SMCS.

As a family, we spend as much time as possible outside hiking, creek swimming, rock climbing, and taking long walks. In my downtime, I love to read, cook, and go antiquing.