Meet our New Preschool Faculty Members for 2021

Please welcome our new Preschool faculty members to the Arts Together family: Shea Stanley, Mary Louise Talley, Kate Vanninen, Olivia Sheets and Kristina Loflin (pictured L-R)! Their collective educational backgrounds span Art History, Fine Arts, Drama, Communications, Dance, Anthropology and Family Life/Parent Education.

Mary Louise, Kate and Olivia are leveraging their strong experience as educators to serve as Lead Teachers for our three preschool groups — the Comets, Moons and Stars; Shea lends her talents as the Afternoon Assistant for the Stars while providing support to all our preschool instructors; and Kristina is our Preschool Support Facilitator, a newly created role where she assists in daily preschool operations and is a liaison between parents, teachers and our Program Administrative Manager.

Get to know each of these phenomenal individuals better below!

Kristina Loflin, Preschool Support Facilitator

Kristina Loflin holds a Bachelor of Arts from Meredith College located here in beautiful Raleigh, North Carolina. As a dance major and communications minor, much of her college years were spent working in the dance and cheerleading industries, coaching and teaching, as well as working behind the scenes in various arts administration roles. Upon graduation from college, Kristina established Xtreme Challenge Athletics which offered drop-in childcare, track out/summer camps and training classes that catered to cheerleaders and dancers. Kristina continues to work for Varsity Spirit, keeping her foot in the cheer and dance world. On the weekends, she can be found helping run competitions around the States or hanging out with her family and friends. Kristina loves working with students of all ages and helping them find their joy in learning. She is excited to continue to share her love of the arts and passion for education in her new role as the Preschool Support Facilitator for Arts Together.

Olivia Sheets, Lead Preschool Teacher for the Stars

Olivia Sheets has loved art and teaching since she could remember. Her great-grandmother began to teach her oil painting at the age of nine, but she had been drawing in many, many sketchbooks long before then! Olivia has extensive expertise in colored pencil realism and abstract oil painting but is currently learning metalworking and printmaking. Her passion lies in teaching others about the importance of art and history in shaping values and interests, and the lifelong impact of a creative education. She recently graduated from Salem College with a BA in Art History and studied abroad at Oxford University to broaden her specialty of Medieval Studies. Before becoming a preschool teacher, she taught American History and Civic Literacy to high schoolers. Realizing she has a special connection with children, she is also a certified DONA doula and loves all things babies! In her free time, she enjoys volunteering with Food Not Bombs, hanging out with her cat Magnolia and reading about art history.

Shea Stanley, Afternoon Assistant for the Stars + Floater

Shea Stanley (she/her) is extremely excited to be joining the Arts Together family! Shea is an actor, comedian, screenwriter and playwright with a degree in Drama and Communications from UNC-Chapel Hill. She also completed three summers at Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp in Steamboat, Colorado. She feels most comfortable on stage and believes performance is a great way to learn confidence and independence. She is from Charleston, South Carolina, where she led a children’s theatre camp at Crabpot Theatre. Shea believes in making the arts accessible and completed an honors thesis at Chapel Hill on representation in the arts, culminating in the four-day festival called Here, which included comedy shows, movie screenings and writing workshops centering marginalized groups. As a comedian, Shea believes kids are funnier than she’ll ever be and hopes she can learn a thing or two from the students at Arts Together. When she’s not writing or performing, Shea lives in Durham, where she enjoys reading, spending time with her friends and watching way, way too much Grey’s Anatomy.

Mary Louise Talley, Lead Preschool Teacher for the Comets

Mary Louise Talley is so excited to begin her new teaching career at Arts Together as the Lead Preschool Teacher for the Comets! A Raleigh native, she has been a supporter of Arts Together over the years with her eight-year-old artsy, creative and tech-savvy daughter. She has been an Assistant Teacher, elementary Wake County Art Teacher for 10 years and stay-at-home mom in addition to working in a preschool for the past two-and-a-half years. She graduated from St. Mary’s College, UNC Chapel Hill with a BFA in Fine Arts and from Parsons School of Design in NYC with a certification in art. She enjoys traveling to the NC Mountains and beaches during the summer months. During her free time, she enjoys volunteering at her daughter’s school, hiking, cooking and teaching art to young children outside on her porch.

Kate Vanninen, Lead Preschool Teacher for the Moons

Kate Vanninen is very excited to begin teaching the Moon’s class this year at Arts Together! She is from the Midwest but has lived in the Raleigh area for the last 16 years. She received her BA in Anthropology and Women’s Studies from the University of Kansas in 2004. In 2010, she received her MS in Family Life and Parent Education from North Carolina State University with a focus on reconnecting children and nature, and supporting families recovering from domestic violence. She has over nine years' experience as a preschool teacher and took on a variety of roles including Children’s Advocate at InterAct of Wake County. Her take on the preschool experience is based on following children’s interests, encouraging curiosity and fostering a sense of community. Most recently, Kate worked at home raising her two children, Sylvia and Oliver, and is very much looking forward to returning to teaching. In her spare time, she enjoys quilting, baking, gardening, and whatever fun projects her and the kids come up with.

Kari Martin Hollinger, Communications & Development Manager