Ms. Sutton received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from East Carolina University in 1979 and 1983, respectively. She worked in private industry through the 80s and early 90s developing and managing worksite health promotion programs. In 1993, she attended the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill to renew her teaching license and returned to teaching in 1994. Ms. Sutton became a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) in 2006 with a certification in Early Adolescence Science and was also awarded Middle School Science Teacher of the Year from the 2nd district of the North Carolina Science Teachers Association. Ms. Sutton maintains professional memberships in the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the National Marine Educators Association (NMEA), the American Geophysical Union (AGU), and serves on the Education and Public Outreach Committee for the ANDRILL (Antarctic Drilling) Project. She is also certified by the American Canoe Association as an Open Water Kayak Guide.

Since returning to teaching, Ms. Sutton has continued her learning process by seeking educational and research opportunities that assist her in developing classroom activities and innovative teaching strategies for her students. Many of these learning opportunities have been funded by numerous grants, including the following:

2008 - COSEE-SE (Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence - Southeast) - Summer Institute to develop educational activities related to Ocean Exploration, including the construction of a "Sea Perch" remotely operated vehicle for classroom use.

2008 - EARTH (Education and Research: Testing Hypotheses) - summer workshop to develop observatory data in the classroom; Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR

2008 - C-MORE (Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education) Research Cruise to explore the biochemical cycles of phytoplankton blooms in the North Pacific

2007 - EARTH (Education and Research: Testing Hypotheses) - summer workshop to develop observatory data in the classroom; Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, CA

2007 - Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) - Discovery Dive Tour to learn about coral reef ecosystems and conduct reef fish counts; Key Largo, FL

2007 - Biotechnology and Microbiology Workshops for Educators - summer workshops to develop classroom activities related to the new biotechnology and microbiology standards in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for 8th grade Science; Morehead City and Raleigh, NC

2007 - JOI Learning School of Rock 2007 - Exploring Ocean Cores at the Gulf Coast Repository; Texas A&M University, TX

2006 - Bright Ideas Grant: Barrier Island Profiles - funding for beach profiling equipment to monitor erosion and deposition changes along North Carolina's barrier islands.

2006 - ARMADA Project - summer research experience in Oceanography; Labrador Sea

2006 - Maury Project - Oceanographic Institute; US Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD

2006 - EARTH (Education and Research: Testing Hypotheses) - summer workshop to develop observatory data in the classroom; Rutgers University, NJ

2006 - DUOY (Down Under Out Yonder) - Coral Reef Research; Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, Gulf of Mexico

2005 - Bright Ideas Grant: Ecosystems by the Gallon - funding for observational aquariums for the classroom

2005 - DLESE/NSF Grant - DLESE Annual Meeting; St. Petersburg, FL

2005 - NOAA Teacher at Sea - summer research experience in NOAA's Maritime Heritage Program; Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, Gulf of Maine

2005 - American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) - online course "Genetics, Genomics, Genethics"

2004 - Bright Ideas Grant: Science Newsletter - funding for publication of a classroom newsletter

2004 - American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) Grant - online course "Ocean Systems"

2003 - TEA Grant - National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) conference (presenter); Atlanta, GA

2003 - TEA (Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic)/NSF Grant - Summer Institute for Inquiry-based Science; New York, NY

2002 - National Science Foundation (NSF) GK-12 Grant with Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences (2002 - 2005); Duke University Marine Lab, Beaufort, NC

2001 - Eisenhower Grant - curriculum mapping for new science curriculum; Carteret County Schools, NC

2001 - Eisenhower Grant - online course "Earth and Environmental Science"; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

2000 - Neuse River Foundation Grant - River basin curriculum published to the Internet; North Carolina

1998 - Learning Environments for the New Century (LENC) Grant - White Oak River Basin cross-curricular study; Carteret County Schools, NC

Her passion for teaching reaches beyond the classroom through many activities that Ms. Sutton pursues to enhance her teaching experience at Newport Middle School. Some of her interests include triathlons, SCUBA diving, surfing, and guiding kayak tours along our beautifully pristine Crystal Coast. She also volunteers with the North Carolina Maritime Museum's Cape Lookout Studies Program and NOAA's Marine Mammal Rescue and Tagging Program.