Joel Mayo
Executive Director/Coach
Joel Mayo is an English and Journalism teacher at Gray’s Creek High School. An army brat, Joel’s family settled down in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where he attended Westover High School and graduated from University of North Carolina at Pembroke in 2008 for his Bachelor’s and 2014 for his Master’s. Joel founded Gray’s Creek High School Poetic Pathos Slam Team in 2014, which eventually became Poetic Pathos Youth Slam in 2017. Aside from teaching high school and running Poetic Pathos, Joel is an adjunct instructor at Bladen Community College and aspiring poet.
Nicole Rivers
Director of Operations/Coach
Nicole Rivers is an English and Creative Writing teacher at Gray’s Creek High School. Originally from Whiteville, North Carolina, Nicole graduated from Fayetteville State University in 2005. Afterwards, she began teaching at schools in the Fayetteville area, including E.E. Smith High School before joining the Gray’s Creek High School staff in the fall of 2011. In 2014, Nicole and Mr. Mayo founded the Gray’s Creek High School Poetic Pathos Slam Team, and the rest is history. Besides teaching, advising, coaching, and helping lead Poetic Pathos Youth Slam, Nicole is a wife and mother of two. Most recently, Nicole was recognized as the Cumberland County Schools Teacher of the Year and the Sandhills Region Teacher of the Year.
Jamie Berrier
HR Director
Jamie Berrier is a History teacher at Gray’s Creek High School. Originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, Jamie moved to North Carolina to teach and be closer to family back in 2006 and has been here every since. Jamie has a degree in English and History from The University of Tennessee and a Masters degree from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. She love to write during her spare time and is an amazing source of comfort and advice for her students.
Jacqueline Mayo
Media Director
Jacqueline Mayo has been a fan of Poetic Pathos Youth Slam since its inception. She is a graduate of Westover High School and the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, where she received a degree in Psychology with a minor in Business. Currently, she is mother of a beautiful one year-old girl and raises her while maintaining Poetic Pathos Youth Slam’s social medias, using her experience in business and marketing.
Poetic Pathos Youth Slam 