Ms. Kimberly M. Saunders is a Portsmouth native who graduated from the new Churchland High School in 1992.  She continued her education by earning a B.S. Degree in Psychology with a minor in Counseling in 1995 and a Masters of Early Childhood Special Education in 1998 from Old Dominion University.  In 2005, Ms. Saunders earned her Ed.S. (Education Specialist) with an endorsement in Administration and Supervision K-12.  

Ms. Saunders began her teaching career in 1998 as a special education teacher for students with autism for SECEP.  After 5 years, she transferred to Portsmouth Public Schools where she taught students with emotional disabilities.  In 2003, she joined Chesapeake Public Schools as a preschool special education teacher at Great Bridge Primary School.  In 2007, she was assigned as an assistant principal at Deep Creek Central Elementary.  For the past 17 years, she continued her administrative role as an assistant principal in the Deep Creek, Greenbrier, Western Branch, and Oscar Smith zones.  

As of August 2024, she joined Norfolk Public Schools & the Tiger family as the principal of Tarrallton Elementary.   

In her spare time, you can find Ms. Saunders at the beach, working in her gardens, or traveling.  She treasures most spending quality time with her fiancé, Bill, their parents, 2 daughters, and their 6 grandchildren....and their dog, Ruby! 

James Graham, Assistant Principal

Hello Tarrallton Elementary School teachers/staff, students, parents/guardians and community partners.

I am honored and excited to join the Tarrallton ES Tigers as assistant principal. My educational career started with Newport News Public Schools where I taught first and fourth grades. I then joined Norfolk Public Schools teaching sixth grade reading skills. After completing my Master’s in School Counseling, I was a school counselor for many years. After taking advantage of many leadership roles, I decided to pursue my endorsement in School Administration and Supervision. I truly believe all these educational experiences has given me a strong leadership foundation to be an effective and compassionate school leader.

I am a proud product of Norfolk Public Schools. I attended Granby ES, Stuart ES, Blair MS and Maury HS. After graduating from Maury High School, I enlisted in the United States Naval Reserves. My time in the reserves gave me a new meaning of the word team because I learned that we all must do our part for the success of the ship. I believe this is true in an educational setting as well. School success requires administrators, teachers/staff, students, parents/guardians and community stake-holders doing our part for our school.

In closing, I truly look forward to continuing the teaching and learning success here at Tarrallton ES.

Let’s Go Tigers