Advanced Academics Staff
Angela Harris, M.S., GT Coordinator
[email protected]
Angela Harris has been an educator for 25 years and has worked at all levels of primary and secondary education. Angela started at Duncanville ISD as a middle school ELA teacher before moving to Bryan, Texas. In Bryan, she worked as a second-grade teacher and collaborated with a team to develop a math curriculum for the district. In 1999 Angela began working in GCISD as a first and second-grade teacher at O.C. Taylor until 2004 when she accepted a position teaching high school English in a private school. In 2012 Angela returned to GCISD, teaching first grade at Dove Elementary before concentrating her efforts on advanced academics. She joined the advanced academics team in 2016 as the GT Specialist at Glenhope and was quickly asked to help design and facilitate staff development, collaborate on gifted curricula, and administer district aptitude tests. She is also a member of GCISD’s ASPIRE District Placement Committee.
Angela Harris has a B.A. in English/Education from the University of Texas at Arlington and an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from Western Governors University. Angela and her husband Randall have three children, one working at The Mayo Clinic, one in college, and one at Grapevine High School. She enjoys spending time with family, running with Lake Grapevine Running Club, and reading.
Sara Hartsfield, Administrative Assistant to Advanced Academics
[email protected] | 817-251-5522
After graduating from college, Mrs. Sara Hartsfield began working at Pepperdine University as an Administrative Assistant to the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Fundraising. After a few years, she was promoted to Executive Assistant for the Vice President of Finance and Administration. Shortly after having their first child, Mrs. Hartsfield and her husband moved back to Texas from California. She worked part-time as a personal assistant for six years and three years as a Business Analyst in Procurement at Fidelity Investments.
Mrs. Hartsfield is a graduate of Texas Tech University (Guns Up!) with a B.A. in Finance, with a specialization in Real Estate. She lives with her family in Grapevine and has two kids that attend GCISD schools. Mrs. Hartsfield enjoys going to the beach, watching movies, and spending time with her husband and children.
Dr. Cheryl Taliaferro, ASPIRE Academy District Liaison
[email protected]
Dr. Cheryl Taliaferro has worked with advanced and gifted students for over 25 years. She has written curriculum and taught humanities courses for all grade levels 6-12, including AP English Language and AP English Literature. She has also served as an academic and college advisor at a private high school. In addition, she has worked as a teacher educator for over a decade, teaching graduate courses in Texas A&M-Commerce’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction and mentoring instructors and designing coursework for Duke University’s Talent Identification Program. She came to GCISD several years ago to work with the ASPIRE Academy, starting as a 7th-grade Humanities teacher and GT Lead at Cross Timbers Middle School before accepting her current position as ASPIRE District Liaison.
Dr. Taliaferro received her B.A. in Politics from the University of Dallas, her M.A. in Reading from Texas Woman’s University, and her Ph.D. in Reading (with a minor in Anthropology) from the University of North Texas. After completing her doctorate, she served for one year as a Malone Fellow with the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. She has written several journal articles and book chapters about teaching and has presented at numerous national and state conferences. In her free time, she enjoys visiting art museums and attending lectures about literature, architecture, and history.