Lori Townsend Mahaffey is in her seventeenth year at Charlotte Country Day School. She teaches Kindergarten, second and fourth grade science in the Lower School. She has also served as the Department Head for the last fourteen years, and as the Special Area Grade Coordinator and New Faculty and Staff Mentor Coordinator for the last three and four years, respectively. In addition to teaching a hands-on science curriculum, she serves as a co-leader of two after-school clubs -- the Green Team, an environmental service club for third and fourth graders; and the Oceanography Club, a special-interest club for fourth graders. Each club provides a significant value-added emphasis to the overall Lower School experience. They also provide for extended learning opportunities, and active servant leadership experiences, for the students. Outside of the classroom, she also serves on the Environmental Awareness Committee, the Academic Council and Curriculum Leadership Team. Several years ago, her personal interests led her to pursue an experience with an intensive coral reef restoration project in San Salvador, Bahamas. Initially, she attended the project as a volunteer, and was then asked to return as an instructor for other research teams. In 2015, she completed her master’s degree in Educational Leadership, and her capstone project focused on developing learning experiences for high achieving learners through the implementation of a 1:1 device program. Most recently, she was honored to be selected as a member of the first cohort of the World View Fellows program, based out of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.