My name is Maria Shelley and I am proud to be a seventh grade Social Studies teacher at Chapin Middle School. I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree from Furman University and completed both my Masters and Doctoral degrees in Sociology at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. After teaching at Midlands Tech and the University of South Carolina for several years, I decided to focus my attention on public education where I can make a lasting impact on younger students to better prepare them for high school, college, and beyond. 

I am blessed to be married to the phenomenal Dr. David Shelley, Research and Education Coordinator at Congaree National Park and we treasure our two children, Annaleah (8^th grade) and John (11^th grade). We are also servants to three cats: Leapfrog, Thac-O, and Gandolph. When I'm not busy teaching, I enjoy my church family at Holy Trinity, cooking, reading, and spending time outside!