Ms. Dell begins her 6th year here at St. Andrew's School with the start of the 2016-17 school year. Although Ms. Dell and her family have only lived in Oregon Hill for the past 2 years, she has been a part of the VCU and Oregon Hill community since the mid-1980s, when she first fell in love with the area as a freshman at VCU. Ms. Dell truly considers this area home, completing her BS in Pediatric Abnormal Developmental Psychology, Masters of Teaching in Special Education, and all but the final defense of her PhD in Special Education and Disability Policy at VCU. As faculty in the Department of Education at VCU, Ms. Dell was first introduced to St. Andrew's when she placed several of her pre-service teachers here. Eager to get back into the classroom with younger students, Ms. Dell took the first open position available at St. Andrew's at the time, 4th grade, and she has loved every moment she's been here since then!
A published author in the field of special education, with book chapters (including one in German!), articles, and many presentations at national conferences and teacher trainings, Ms. Dell now enjoys writing for pleasure, and is currently working on her second novel. In her "former life", Ms. Dell raised her daughter and two sons on a small working dairy goat farm in Chesterfield County. A lover of a very simple life, she also relaxes with cooking, and creating homemade candles, lotions, and bath bombs, often using those passions in the classroom to strengthen student skills in math and economics. When not reading, writing, or cooking, Ms. Dell and her partner can often be found wandering Oregon Hill and Hollywood Cemetery, camera in hand, restoring a piece of antique furniture back to its former glory, or hanging out with their own adult children and three grandchildren!