Little River Elementary School

Hello! My name is Kevin Murphy. I have been a part of Little River for over 18 years, and loved every minute! I have spent almost my whole career as a Little River Eagle! I started my teaching career at Little River as a 3rd grade teacher and then became a 5th grade teacher. I then was an Administrative Intern for two years here at Little River Elementary. Then, I was at John W. Tolbert Jr. Elementary as the Administrative Intern before coming back to Little River as the Assistant Principal for 5 years. Now I have the pleasure of serving our students at Little River as the Principal for the last 8 years.

I have been a part of this South Riding community ever since I graduated from James Madison University. At JMU, I majored in Math and in Science, then also received an Early Childhood degree. I then continued at James Madison and received a Master’s in the Art of Teaching. Later I received my professional certificate in Administration and Supervision. During my years in South Riding, I quickly fused myself into the community. I coached at Freedom High School as the head coach on the varsity swim team, and was the head coach of the South Riding StingRays ODSL swim team.

I love being in Loudoun County and spending my free time in Ashburn with my family. At home, I have my lovely wife Lauren, and three crazy boys, Callan, Jack, and Brooks (plus our little pup Penny).  Yet, most of my free time is occupied by my boys’ sporting events #toomuchbaseball.  Little River is my "home away from home" and you will see my family around the school from time to time too!

Hi!  My name is Mrs. Dempsey and I have served as the Assistant Principal of Little River since 2017. I have also served as Dean at Arcola Elementary and Administrative Intern at Newton-Lee Elementary. I previously taught Kindergarten, First, and Second grades at Liberty Elementary and E. Wilson Morrison Elementary in Warren County. I earned a BA in Philosophy and Religion from James Madison University with a double minor in Early Childhood Education and Music in 2003. I graduated with a Masters in Educational Leadership from George Mason University in 2015. I have been a National Board Certified Teacher as an Early Childhood Generalist since 2010. I am an advocate for STEM education, and serve on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Children's Engineering Council. I love working with teachers to make instruction engaging, relevant, and fun.

I live in Middleburg, VA, along with my husband, Ryan, who teaches band at Broad Run HS in Ashburn. I am an avid knitter and spend as much time outside as possible! I also love to read a good book. Some of my favorite authors are Orson Scott Card, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and Diana Gabaldon.

Hi! My name is Mrs. Bolden and I am excited to start my administrative journey as the Dean at Little River.  I am looking forward to getting to know the students and families I will be serving.  I spent the last 20 years as a classroom teacher at Catoctin Elementary.  After graduating with my Bachelors in Elementary Education from Penn State University in 2002, I received my Masters in Instructional Systems from Penn State in 2010 and went on to get a Masters in K-12 Administration from William and Mary in 2021.  I worked with multiple schools to complete my Administrative Internship and served as Summer School Principal for Kenneth Culbert.  These experiences have taught me so much about the importance of relationships within a school community and collaboration to ensure success for all students. My goal is to do all I can to provide support to teachers and students to help everyone reach their full potential.   

I live in Lovettsville with my husband and my son, who is currently in middle school, our beagle and 4 cats.  I am an avid sports fan and I love to bake in my free time.  

Hello!  I am Lisa Taylor, the Special Education Dean and I am very excited to start my administrative career at Little River Elementary School.  I started my educational career as a special education teacher assistance and then special education kindergarten teacher at Hillside Elementary School.  I then moved to Stone Hill Middle School where I primarily taught Math at all three grade levels.  My family moved from Ashburn to Western Loudoun, and I transferred to Harmony Middle School.  While at Harmony, I transitioned from the Math classroom to the English classroom.

My bachelor’s degree is from Penn State University, I then earned a master’s in special education from George Mason University.  I also hold two Professional Studies Certificates, one in Administration and Supervisor from Shenandoah University and the other in Education Assessment, Evaluation & Data Literacy from George Mason University. 

I live in Waterford with my husband, Brian, and our two dogs, Marne and Waylon.  We have one daughter, Ellison, that graduated from Briar Woods High School and Penn State University.  Some of the things that I enjoy doing in my free time include being with my family and traveling.