Area: Middle School

Mrs. Ashley was awarded  a B.A. from Butler University’s Department of Education in History and a minor in English Literature. She has over fifteen years teaching experience.

Mrs. Ashley’s Favorite Things

Mrs. Ballew has more than 10 years of teaching experience in middle and high school Social Studies. She has taught both CP and AP level classes in public school systems in Tennessee and in the Cumberland County School System. She has a B.A. in Social Studies obtaining a major in Geography with minors in History and Business, and a Master’s degree in Secondary Education from the University of Tennessee. Currently, Mrs. Ballew teaches AP Modern History and Geography.

Mrs. Ballew’s Favorite Things

Dr. Barger attained her Ph.D. in English Education from University at Buffalo SUNY. Her specialty is teaching Shakespeare, but she loves to tackle many other forms of literature and poetry in ways that engage her students in the text with as much excitement as possible. She earned her master’s degree in English from Belmont University and bachelor’s degree in Literature from Eckerd College. She’s taught at both the college and secondary levels, but thinks middle school and high school are more fun and rewarding because they don’t yet have a fear and loathing of Shakespeare, poetry, or literature in general that many college freshmen have going into English 101. “If I can teach a student to genuinely love to explore a text, then I’ve helped begin building a bridge to their future education,” Dr. Barger says.

She comes to us from Tennessee with her dogs, Beowulf and Andy, as well as her cat, Friar Tuck, and turtle, Murphy. 

“Lord, we know what we are but know not what we may be.” Ophelia, Hamlet 4.5

Dr. Barger’s Favorite Things

Mrs. Dennison previously worked at the Academy in the admissions and business offices and as an English and Journalism teacher. She spent 13 years as an Assistant Principal in the Cumberland County School System. Mrs. Dennison has a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from Methodist University and an master’s degree in School Administration from the University of Phoenix.  She also holds a Professional Educator’s license as a K-12 Principal. Mrs. Dennison’s husband, Kevin, also works at F.A. as the director of facilities, varsity track and field coach and the varsity girls’ basketball coach.

Mrs. Dennison’s Favorite Things

Ms. Domguia has an associate’s degree in English from BYU Idaho, a bachelor’s degree in applied linguistics and a master’s degree in applied linguistics, both from the University of Utah. She also has a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certification from the University of Utah. Ms. Domguia has spent approximately ten years in various roles in education including time as an ESL teacher in Utah and Georgia, a college professor in South Korea, a writing instructor and curriculum developer in Hawaii, and a course writer and literacy coordinator in Alberta, Canada.

Mrs. Domguia’s Favorite Things

Mrs. Harmon is originally from Germany where she met her husband while he was stationed there. She earned her bachelor’s degree in European History and master’s degree in History from the University of Mannheim. She then spent four more semesters studying Latin at the University of Heidelberg. Mrs. Harmon also has her certification to teach German as a foreign language. She has three children and a spoiled cat named Cougar. Mrs. Harmon enjoys traveling, has a passion for reading, and loves to work out and dance.

Mrs. Harmon’s Favorite Things

Mrs. Lee has degrees from the State University of New York at Buffalo and Fayetteville State University. She is also a member of Pi Lambda Theta and has been with the Academy since 2014.

Mrs. Lee’s Favorite Things

Donna Jo Mangus, Director of Choral Music and Music Teacher, has a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Campbell University. She is a national board-certified teacher in early and middle childhood music. A lifelong resident of Cumberland County, Mrs. Mangus is recently retired from Cumberland County Schools where she most recently taught at Max Abbott Middle School and Terry Sanford High School. She is a member of the Cumberland Choral Arts and the Cross Creek Chorale. She serves as the artistic director of the Campbellton Youth Chorus.

Mrs. Mangus’s Favorite Things

Mrs. Manley has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and has worked previously as an applied behavior analysis technician. She has been a very active and involved participant throughout her time at the Academy having served as a regular substitute teacher and in several positions of leadership with the Fayetteville Academy Parents Association, serving most recently as president. Mrs. Manley and her husband Jason have a daughter Alexa who is currently at student at FA.

Mrs. Martin holds a bachelor’s degree from Guilford College and a master’s degree from The University of Southern Maine.  Amanda teaches Geometry, Advanced Algebra, and Calculus and works with the yearbook staff.  She has served the Academy since 2008 and has been an educator since 2000.

Mrs. Martin’s Favorite Things

Ms. Nelson has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Alcorn State University and is currently enrolled as a Ph.D. student at Northwestern University. Ms. Nelson has completed research activities at both of those schools as well as at M.I.T. She won several impressive awards while a student at Alcorn State, and she served for two years as a chemistry tutor while there.

Ashlee Olds is a math teacher in the Middle and Upper Schools and previously worked as a high school math teacher in Texas. Mrs. Olds earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She earned her teaching certification in Texas.

Mrs. Olds’s Favorite Things

Mrs. Ovalle received both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in Foreign Language Education from the University of Antioquia in Colombia. She has teaching experience at the college and high school levels and worked for the Houston Astros Major League baseball organization, teaching English as a Second Language to several of their minor league players. Mrs. Ovalle has also been a presenter at several symposiums, conferences, and workshops. She has loved teaching and learning languages since she was a little girl. She sees languages as windows to look at the world from different perspectives and wants to transmit that passion and love to her students. Mrs. Ovalle loves travelling, reading, and cooking Colombian food like empanadas, arepas, and paisa dish.

Mrs. Ovalle’s Favorite Things

Miriam Patullo teaches Middle and Upper School Spanish. She earned her K-12 Spanish teaching credential from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Ms. Patullo also earned a bachelor’s degree in Special Education (Deaf and Hard of Hearing adaptive curriculum) in Argentina.

Ms. Patullo’s Favorite Things

Mrs. Rathbone arrived in Fayetteville in May 2018 and is thrilled to be facilitating the HLT SmartLab® at Fayetteville Academy for grades 6-12.  She comes to us with a Master of Education in Educational Technology, a Bachelor of Arts in English & Creative Writing, has taught in three continents in various languages, and amongst other things is a master carpenter, a writer, and a painter. With twenty plus years in education and almost ten years in national and international sales, Mrs. Rathbone brings a plethora of experience to the world of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. 

Mrs. Rathbone’s Favorite Things

Mrs. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree from Methodist University. She has served the Academy since 1990.

Mrs. Smith’s Favorite Things

Mr. Southerland received his bachelor’s degree from Lipscomb University. He spent thirteen years of active duty in the U.S. Air Force where he served as a pilot, a crew chief, and a squadron commander, among many other duties. After his time in the Air Force, he served briefly as a commercial pilot for ACJet Airlines. In 2000, Mr. Southerland decided to enter the field of education, and he has spent the last 21 years as a highly regarded math teacher, most recently in the Cumberland County School System.

Mr. Southerland’s Favorite Things

Mrs. Stanbridge received a bachelor’s degree in Intermediate Education with a concentration in math and a master’s in Intermediate Education from Fayetteville State University.  She has 45 years of teaching experience in grades 4-8 in both public and private schools in Cumberland County. She taught 4th grade at Fayetteville Academy for seven years after retiring from the public school system and returned to the Academy in 2017 to teach mathematics and science in the Middle School. 

Mrs. Stanbridge’s Favorite Things

Ms. Terry has bachelor’s degrees in both Marine Science and Meteorology as well as a master’s degree in Meteorology from N.C. State University. She taught various courses including chemistry, biology, geoscience, and AP Environmental Science in her three years at St. Mary’s School in Raleigh. She also has spent time as a Middle School math teacher as well an ESL teacher. Ms. Terry has several hobbies and areas of interest, including scuba diving, and she holds several advanced certifications in that area. 

Ms. Terry’s Favorite Things