English
Mrs. Mary Beth Bumgarner
I am a teacher at Alexander Early College in Taylorsville, NC. I am a 2002 graduate of Appalachian State University and a North Carolina Teaching Fellow. I received a Master's degree in Secondary English Education from Gardner-Webb University in 2005, attained National Board Certification in 2006, and received recertification in 2017. I taught at Alexander Central High School for fourteen years and am now teaching for my 6th year at the Alexander Early College. I currently teach Grammar and Composition as well as English I Honors and English II Honors. I am married to Ashley Bumgarner, and we have one daughter, Abby, who is fifteen years old and one son, Avery, who is nine years old. I teach my classes the way I live my life-as best reflected my Matthew Arnold: with "Sweetness and light"- I want my students to see the value in their life experiences and the opportunities they have each day to interact with the beautiful world of literature as part of the human experience. I am truly blessed to walk this path daily with some amazing, beautiful teenagers. I am excited to work this year with the awesome experience the Early College environment brings!
Mr. Ashley Bumgarner
I have been teaching English in the Alexander County School System since 2011-2012. In that time, I have taught English II and English IV. I also helped to coordinate our county's graduation project. I am excited to be teaching English Grammar and Composition, English I, and English for the Alexander Early College. Before teaching, I enjoyed a 15-year career in restaurant and retail management. Therefore, I bring a blended and well-rounded view of life and work into my classroom. I have two children, Abby and Avery, and I enjoy working with youth and seeing them grow and develop into positive contributors to our county. I look forward to working with you and your child this school year and over the course of their high school career. Please contact me if you have any questions, concerns, or comments regarding your child's success in my class.
"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you are right" ~ Henry Ford
"Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail" ~ Ralph Waldo Emmerson
"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."~Frederick Douglass