Area: Upper School

Mrs. Ballew has six 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 most recently 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 Masters degree in Secondary Education from the University of Tennessee.

Mrs. Byrd holds a B.A. in Spanish with minors in Math Education and Music. She taught high school Spanish in California before moving to North Carolina where she taught two years for Cumberland County schools teaching both middle school Spanish and Math.

Mrs. Gillis holds a B.A. from East Carolina University and an M.A. from The University of Florida.  Amanda teaches Latin in grades 9-12. She has served the Academy since 2009 and has been an educator since 2000.

Mr. Kirby graduated from the University of South Carolina with a BS degree and a double major in Physics and Mathematics. While at U.S.C., he served as an astronomy lab instructor and held a part-time job as an observatory educator at the S.C. State Museum in Columbia. Mr. Kirby has also done extensive work as an undergraduate researcher in the area of astrophysics.  He comes from a family of educators, as both his mother and sister are also teachers.

Dr. Michael Limberg received a BA from Gordon College and an MA from the University of Colorado-Boulder.  He recently completed a Ph.D. in History at the University of Connecticut, where he also taught.

Mrs. Malloy received her B.S. in Sport and Recreation Management from Temple University and her M.S. in Education with a focus in Secondary Mathematics from Johns Hopkins University. Prior to joining the Fayetteville Academy family, she taught middle grades mathematics and Algebra I in Miami, Florida and Columbus, Georgia.

Mrs. Márquez holds a B.A.  and a M.A. from Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile.  Maria has taught Spanish and French for the past 30 years in public and private institutions.  Mrs. Márquez is also the World Languages Department Chair.

Mr. Marquez has a BA in Professional Studies with a minor in History from Fayetteville State University and also holds a North Carolina teaching license. During his military career from which he has now retired, Mr. Marquez taught military science and history for three years.  He also taught social studies, geography, and world history at Douglas Byrd Middle School.  Mr. Marquez is married to F.A. World Language Department Chair and teacher, Maria Marquez.

Mrs. Martin holds a B.A. from Guilford College and an M.Ed from The University of Southern Maine.  Amanda teaches Geometry, Advanced Algebra, and Calculus, and works with the yearbook staff and our online students.  She has served the Academy since 2008 and has been an educator since 2000.

Ms. Osnoe holds a B.A. in English from Campbell University and an M.A. in English Literature from NC State University. She has previously taught at N.C. State, Campbell University, and Cumberland International Early College High School. She has been a faculty member at Fayetteville Academy since 2016.

Mrs. Ovalle received both a BS and an MA in Foreign Language Education from the University of Antioquia in Colombia. She has five years of 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. Quesnel has a B.A. from the University of Vermont.  She has been an educator in independent schools for over 20 years and has been at Fayetteville Academy since 2013.

Mrs. Rathbone arrived in Fayetteville in May 2018 and is thrilled to be facilitating the brand-new STEAM program at Fayetteville Academy.  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.

Ms. Reavis holds a B.S. from Appalachian State University.  She oversees the Fine Arts department and teaches grades 8-12.   She has served the Academy since 1999 and has been an educator since 1993.

Mrs. Sappington holds a B.S. from Greensboro College and is EMT-B Certified.  She has served the Academy for since 2005 and has been an educator since 2001.

Ms. Terry has BS degrees in both Marine Science and Meteorology as well as a Master of Science in Meteorology, all from NC 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.

Mrs. Vanderzell holds a B.A. in English from Wilson College in Chambersburg, PA, a M.Ed.in English Education from Roberts Wesleyan College, Rochester, NY, and a M.A. in English Literature from State University of New York at Brockport, Brockport, NY. She has extensive experience teaching at the secondary and college levels and teaches 10th and 11th grade English classes at the Academy. Her areas of interest include children’s literature, contemporary British literature, and pop-culture immersion. Mrs. Vanderzell is the Varsity Volleyball Coach and is the mom to three students in the lower school. She has been teaching at Fayetteville Academy since 2017. 

Mr. Washburn holds a B.A. in English from Binghamton University and a M.A. in Linguistics from Cornell University.  Prior to the Academy, he taught at Cornell University and SUNY Cortland in NY.  His interests include theoretical syntax, fantasy and horror literature, and philosophy.  He currently teaches 11-12th grade English, and has occasionally taught linguistics and philosophy. Mr. Washburn has served the Academy since 2010 and as the English Dept. chair since 2016. He has been an educator since 2002.

After graduating from F.A., Mrs. Wermel went on to study at Wake Forest and then NC State.  She received her BS in Biology from NC State.  She has previously completed AP summer institute training for both biology and chemistry, and she has taught all levels of those two subjects over her time at Jack Britt H.S., Hill Country Christian (Austin, TX), and Cape Fear H.S.

Mr. Wright served as the Director of Behavior and Technology and as Co-Head of School at the Acceleration Middle School, a charter school located in Fort Myers, Florida.  Mr. Wright’s thirteen-year career in education also includes positions as a teacher, Director of Technology, Middle School Dean of Students, Director of Upper School Programs and Student Life, and as a Special Education Crisis Manager.  Mr. Wright holds a Bachelor of Science in Technology Education and a Master of Arts in Child Psychology.

He has a strong commitment towards maintaining a healthy school environment in which students are able to succeed, in addition to providing students with the opportunities to experience a variety of successes.  Those are the qualities of establishing a great educational experience for Upper School students.