Area: Upper School

Mrs. Ballew has 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 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. Currently, Mrs. Ballew is teaching AP Modern History and Geography. In addition, she is also the Middle School Student Council Sponsor. 

Mrs. Byrd holds a B.A. in Spanish with minors in Math Education and Music and a Master’s degree in Math Education for Curriculum and Instruction. She has taught for seven years and teaches Middle School Spanish and Middle & Upper School math. “

Ms. Coronel has an Associate in Language and Cultural Studies (Spanish) degree from South Texas College.  She graduated magna cum laude from Barton College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish. While a student at Barton, she spent a year abroad studying in Mexico.  Her prior teaching experience was at Greenfield School in Wilson, NC, where she taught Spanish I to 5^th and 6^th grade students and Spanish II to 8^th grade students.

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. 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.

Mr. Miller recently graduated from N.C. State University, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Physics with a minor in Psychology. While a student, he completed an internship as an assistant instructor at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences summer camps.  He also served as a math and physics tutor for three years and as an assistant teacher in the Neighbor to Neighbor outreach program. 

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. 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. 

Ms. Reavis, known by her students as D. Rev, holds a B.S. in Art Education (K-12) with a concentration in painting from Appalachian State University. She is the Fine Arts department chair and teaches all visual art classes for students in grades 8-12. She has been teaching since 1993 and has been at the Academy since 1999. Ms. Reavis sponsors the FA chapter of the National Art Honor Society, teaches after school enrichment classes, private lessons, and conducts camps for FA’s Summer Odyssey program. She is a member of the National Art Education Association, NC Art Education Association, and the SCBWI Carolinas Chapter (Society of Children’s Books Writers & Illustrators). Ms. Reavis is a practicing artist and her work can be found at Lisa’s Custom Framing in Fayetteville, N.C.; she has shown her work locally at Ellington White Gallery, and the Arts Council.

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.

Mr. Spell will be rejoining the F.A. faculty after having previously served as a teacher and a coach and having worked in our advancement office.  He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Religious Studies from UNC-Chapel Hill. He also earned a Master of Divinity degree with a concentration in the History of Religion in America and World Religions from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Mr. Spell has also taught previously at Fayetteville Tech and Sampson Community College.  In his prior stints at F.A., he taught A.P. World History, Middle School Geography, Government, and the History of Sports in America.

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.

Ms. Tyminski earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in History and American Studies from Wellesley College.  While a student there, she spent time studying abroad at the University of St. Andrews and Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. She also earned a Master of Arts degree in American History from Pace University. She is currently a certified teacher in North Carolina, Virginia, and Kansas.  Ms. Tyminski has taught for nine years, most recently at Leavenworth H.S. in Kansas. She taught locally for three years at Jack Britt H.S., where she helped create the current A.P. U.S. History syllabus for the Cumberland County School system. Ms. Tyminski has served for the last five years as a reader (grader) and table leader for the A.P. U.S. History Exam. She was also selected for and attended a Gilder Lehrman Summer Teacher Seminar 2017 on Daily Life in Colonial America at Yale University.

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.