To partner with parents in discipling our students to excellence, we must have excellent leadership and teachers.

The teachers at Ad Fontes are an exceptional team of academic professionals who love Christ, love their students, love each other and love their subjects.

At Ad Fontes, we commit to students and families to have Christian teachers and mentors who:

• Agree with the AFA Statement of Faith as demonstrated by life, word and deed
• Possess passion for learning, the gift of teaching and have a teachable heart
• Partner with parents in the education of their children
• Set an example of servant leadership, using Biblical principles to resolve disputes, speak to edify and encourage, and work as members of an academic team
• Love children and bring a desire to instruct and discipline in a manner which encourages academic and personal excellence

Lower School Faculty

Christy O’Hara
Kindergarten
Mrs. Christian Lynch O’Hara graduated summa cum laude from Villa Julie College with a B.A. in liberal arts and technology, and a minor in math, science, and education.  She attended Loyola College working on her master’s in mathematics before her move to Virginia. Her experience has been in public education as well as private Christian education. This is her third year teaching Kindergarten at Ad Fontes, and she has two children in the Lower School. She attends St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Purcellville and enjoys spending time with her family, reading and visiting with friends.

Hannah Nicholson
First Grade

Miss Hannah Nicholson graduated in 2011 from Wheaton College with a B.A. in elementary education.  Having long held the desire to be a teacher, her training in a Kindergarten classroom while at Wheaton confirmed her calling and her gifts in teaching early elementary students. Hannah attends The Falls Church in Fairfax and enjoys reading, camping, boating, and especially taking care of young children.

Connie Gunther
Second Grade
Mrs. Connie Gunther has a B.S. in liberal studies and elementary education from Regents College (now Excelsior College, NY), as well as a Master’s degree in Christian school education from Regent University. She has 18 years of experience teaching elementary students. Before coming to Ad Fontes she taught second grade at a Christian school for 8 years and served as vice principal for 6 years until 2009. She is very gifted at developing curriculum and worked for 2 years writing Bible curricula for the Association of Christian Schools International. Mrs. Gunther is very involved in her church, Sterling Park Baptist, as well as the Auxiliary of the Gideons International.

Kaitlin Hundscheid
Third Grade
Mrs. Kaitlin Hundscheid graduated in 2011 from New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho with a B.A. in Liberal Arts and Culture. Her academic honors included the Presidential Scholarship, Outstanding Student award and her selection as an Honors Fellow at the Intercollegiate Studies Fellowship.  Having studied the elements of classical teaching at NSA, she loves applying them in the classroom and “watching the light bulbs flash” when the students grasp a new concept. Outside of school, she enjoys sewing, fiddling and singing in the choir.

Beth Strachan
Fourth Grade
Mrs. Beth Strachan has a B.A in business administration and marketing from Grove City College and a secondary teaching certificate from Lycoming College. She taught upper school English, speech and drama for 5 years before joining Classical Conversations in 2006. Until 2011 she oversaw the Essentials of English Language program for Classical Conversations, training teachers to teach grammar and writing to 4^th – 6^th graders nationwide. She attends Centreville Baptist Church and has two children at Ad Fontes in the Upper School.

Mary Virginia Shefferly
Fifth Grade
Mrs. Mary Virginia Shefferly graduated in 2008 from Virginia Tech with a B.A. in history and French, and a minor in classical studies. This is her third year teaching the fifth graders at Ad Fontes, and she is always much loved by her students. Mary Virginia attends McLean Presbyterian Church and loves ancient history, swimming, singing, traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family and friends.

Mary Virginia Shefferly:  Why I teach at AFA.

Janet Cooper
4th and 5th Latin
Mrs. Janet Cooper leads the K-5th grade program. She founded and served as Principal of Covenant Christian Academy, classical Christian school in southwest Virginia for two years, while teaching Latin and Grammar to 4th-6th grade and teaching Ancient History and Literature, Math, Grammar and Composition to 7th and 8th grade. She homeschooled her children following a classical approach for 6 years and she taught first grade for four years at Ad Fontes before becoming principal in 2009. Janet holds an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts from Oxford College at Emory University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Tutorial Studies with a concentration in Philosophy from the University of Chicago. She also took an intensive course in Greek at the University of Chicago. Janet is married to Peter and has three children: Prentice (an AFA graduate), Ezra and Emma. This is her sixth year at Ad Fontes.

Janet Cooper:  LS Science, Awakening a Lively Interest

Cheryl Hughes
Music Teacher
Mrs. Cheryl Hughes graduated Magna Cum Laude from Texas Christian University with a Bachelor of Music Education degree. She has 32 years of experience serving as a choral music teacher and church music director in the U.S., Okinawa, and Germany. Most recently, she has been the youth choir director at Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield, and sang with the Master Chorale of Washington. She is also an accomplished concert vocalist, having performed as soprano soloist in numerous productions which included pieces by Beethoven, Mozart, Handel, Bach, and Verdi. Mrs. Hughes has trained in the Kodaly method which she uses in her classes. Mrs. Hughes and her husband Rob have four children; the youngest, Colin, is a senior at AFA.

Shawn Overos
Lower School Art
Mrs. Shawn Overos is a gifted artist who graduated Cum Laude from Indiana State University with a B.A. in French literature, a minor in German literature and a specialization in art history. She has taught art and art history in several schools in Fairfax County, VA, for 10 years, and was coordinator for the Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE Arts) for 3 years. She and her husband David have three sons, two of whom attend the Upper School.

Megan Tolosa
Physical Education, After-School Classes and Cross Country Coach
Mrs. Megan Tolosa graduated from California University with a B.A. in Parks and Recreation Management. For several years prior to joining AFA, she worked as a site director for the YMCA managing recreational and sports activities for elementary children. She has also been a basketball instructor and cross country runner. This is her second year at Ad Fontes. She and her husband live in Oakton and attend McLean Bible Church.

Upper School Faculty

Suzanya DeAngelo
6th grade History, Literature, Math, Bible, Classical Composition, Life Science
Mrs. Suzanya DeAngelo has been involved in teaching middle school students since 1987 in various capacities.  Her passion is to inspire young inquiring minds with a lifelong hunger for the pursuit of truth, knowledge, beauty, and an unquenchable love of God.   Suzanya was introduced to the classical method of teaching in 1994.  She homeschooled her children using the classical method for a number of years,  and has taught at two classical Christian schools.  She has a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from the University of Phoenix, and is currently pursuing her Master’s in education.  This is her third year teaching at Ad Fontes.

Suzanya DeAngelo:  MS Science, Learning Science by “Heart”

Jeanette Faulkner
Ancient Literature, Church History, Rhetoric 2
Mrs. Jeanette Faulkner is a graduate of the University of Arizona with a BA in Liberal Arts/Journalism. She taught in two ACCS schools in Texas for seven years. The Faulkners participated in a classical, Christian home school co-op two years before that in the Spokane, Washington/Moscow, Idaho area. She has taught Latin, Logic and Journalism, Medieval Humanities and coached Mock Trial teams. She is married to Joe and has three grown children and one daughter at Ad Fontes. This is her fifth year at Ad Fontes.

Kerry Lockhart
7th History, Pre-Algebra, Algebra 2, Bible Survey Courses, Civics
Mr. Kerry Lockhart brings diverse experience and a strong call to teaching to AFA. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Indiana University, a Juris Doctorate from Indiana University School of Law and a Master of Art in Christian leadership from Liberty University. He brings experience as a litigation attorney and teacher.  He has used his professional experience as an attorney in the capacity of attorney coach for AFA’s Mock Trial Team for the past three years.  This is his fourth year at Ad Fontes.

David Mathwin
Ancient History, Medieval History, European History, U.S. History (11th), Government
Mr. David Mathwin is the most senior member of the faculty, having taught at Ad Fontes for twelve years. Mr. Mathwin teaches History for upper school students and has also taught Bible. He and his wife Linda live in Centreville with their three children, Jack, AJ, and Keris. A long time resident of the D.C. area, he is an avid fan of Maryland Terrapins basketball. In years past, Mr. Mathwin brought his love for basketball as a coach for AFA’s boys’ basketball and girls’ varsity basketball.

David Mathwin:  Why I teach at AFA and US History:  Hands on History, The Insurgency Game

On my classroom:  “History is filled with fascinating people and bizarre events, and so I hope that classroom visitors would hear a good story or two. More importantly, however, I hope that visitors would hear the question ‘Why?’ asked over and over again. Why does geography influence politics? Why did Spain decline as a world power in the 17th century? Many other such questions could come to mind. If History is one thing after another, if we never stop to analyze, if we never stop to think that we ourselves cannot escape History, then our students are poorly served.”

Olivia Milroy
7th grade U.S. Literature, 10th grade Literature, 11th grade American Literature, 12th grade Great Books, Junior Rhetoric
Miss Olivia Milroy graduated magna cum laude from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a minor in Classical Studies. She is looking forward to teaching because it combines her excitement to get to know students with her passion for books. Through the study of great literature, she aims to help students discover the vast capabilities of language to delight, inform and persuade, as well as to equip students with voices of their own. She enjoys singing, writing poetry, traveling, playing speed Scrabble, and drinking tea.

Al Popp
Upper School Principal, Logic, Precalculus
Mr. Al Popp leads the 6th to 12th grade program including teaching two high school courses. Al served for seven years as Headmaster at Jonathan Edwards Academy, a classical Christian school in Massachusetts. He attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as an Aerospace Engineer Major and completed his undergraduate degree as a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Massachusetts with a degree in Classics. He also holds a Master’s degree in Educational Administration from Regents University. Al hails from western Massachusetts and is married to Deneen and has three children: Jonah, Sarah and Ethan.  This is his fourth year at Ad Fontes.

Arthur Rogers
7^th-9^th Classical Composition, Latin 1A, Latin 2, Latin 3, Latin 4, Medieval Literature
Mr. Arthur Rogers earned his BA at Lyon College in Arkansas and his MA at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia. He has also studied Medieval English literature in graduate school at the University of Virginia.  He has taught Latin and Humanities to students of all ages from 1st grade through graduate school. He has been teaching in classical Christian schools for the past seven years, and has found it to be his most rewarding teaching experience. Mr. Rogers has an inordinate love of languages, and continues to pursue his interests in modern Romance languages and Arabic. He lives in Manassas with his wife Christina and their son George.

Dr. Jan Schultz
Geometry, Biology,Chemistry
Dr. Jan Schultz has her B.S. in Molecular Biology, her M.A. in Veterinary Science, and her Ph.D. in Human Pathology and Laboratory Science from The University of Wisconsin, Madison. She served as a teaching assistant in the Pathology class for four years. This is her seventh year at Ad Fontes.

Susan Smith
Algebra 1, Life & Earth Science, Story of Science, Calculus
Mrs. Susan Smith has a Bachelors degree in Mathematics with a concentration in Education from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has taught Math in the public school and has extensive teaching experience in a home school setting. This is her fourth year at Ad Fontes.

Ray Blunt
Worldview and Ethics; Apologetics and Discipleship; Chapel Facilitator
Mr. Ray Blunt is a Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation & Culture in Falls Church, VA, and was previously the Adjunct Professor for Leadership and Business Ethics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.  An Air Force Academy graduate, he has a Master’s in Economics from Central Missouri University is completing a Masters in Theological Studies at Wesley Seminary.  A 35-year Senior Executive, he focuses on helping to grow the next generation of servant leaders as a teacher, mentor, writer, and consultant,. He is the author of Developing Leadership: Growing the Next Generation of Public Service Leaders and contributed a chapter to The Jossey-Bass Reader on Non Profit and Public Leadership. His book, Crossed Lives – Crossed Purposes: Why Thomas Jefferson Failed and William Wilberforce Succeeded to Lead an End to Slavery will be published by Wipf & Stock in the spring of 2012.  Ray is an avid kayaker, cyclist, birder, and dog walker, and B.J.’s husband of 47 years.  They have two grown children, and are grandparents of one Ad Fontes graduate—Rachel Luckenbaugh, at Christopher Newport University–and four current students at AFA: Joshua (10th) and Jacob (K) Luckenbaugh; Carissa (6th) and Audrey Blunt (4th).

Sheryl Blunt
Journalism
Mrs. Sheryl Blunt serves as a senior writer at Christianity Today magazine. She is a 2009 Phillips Foundation Journalism Fellow.  Mrs. Blunt worked as a reporter and researcher at Congressional Quarterly and as a freelance writer for the Journal Newspapers and other publications in the D.C. area. She received an M.A. in journalism and public affairs from The American University and a B.A. in political science from Wheaton College. This is her second year teaching journalism at AFA.

Jerry Cuffee
Basketball Program and Varsity Boys Basketball Coach
Coach Cuffee has been involved in coaching basketball for more than 20 years.  This is Coach Cuffee’s first year at AFA.  From 2006-2010 he served as Basketball Director and Head Boys Varsity Basketball Coach at Northern Virginia Christian Academy (NVCA).  He was selected National Coach of the Year by the National Christian School Athletic Association (NCSAA) for the 2008-2009 basketball season out of 54 nominations from across the country.  The award was given in recognition of his commitment to coaching for Christ-centered excellence and for his impact on the lives of his players.  Prior to NVCA, Coach Cuffee served as an assistant varsity boys coach at Stonewall Jackson High School (Manassas, VA).  Earlier in his career he led the Southwestern Youth Association (SYA) Travel Basketball Program in Centreville, VA.  Coach Cuffee is a graduate of Virginia State University.

Jerry Cuffee:  Pursuing Excellence

Cheryl Hughes
Music Teacher, Choir
Mrs. Cheryl Hughes graduated Magna Cum Laude from Texas Christian University with a Bachelor of Music Education degree. She has 32 years of experience serving as a choral music teacher and church music director in the U.S., Okinawa, and Germany. Most recently, she has been the youth choir director at Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield, and sang with the Master Chorale of Washington. She is also an accomplished concert vocalist, having performed as soprano soloist in numerous productions which included pieces by Beethoven, Mozart, Handel, Bach, and Verdi. Mrs. Hughes has trained in the Kodaly method which she uses in her classes. Mrs. Hughes and her husband Rob have four children; the youngest, Colin, is a senior at AFA.

Linda Mathwin
Classical Composition
After a nine year hiatus to care for her three children at home, Mrs. Linda Mathwin returns to AFA’s faculty to teach 10^th grade Classical Composition. Previously she taught Biology, Literature, Composition, and History at Ad Fontes for four years. In addition, she taught 6^th grade for three years in Mississippi and Literature/Composition at a local homeschooling coop for four years. She has her B.A. from Grove City College, where she met her husband, Dave.  She enjoys teaching, cooking, reading, and coordinating LAFF (Ladies’ Ad Fontes Fellowship).

Shawn Overos
MS and US Art
Mrs. Shawn Overos graduated Cum Laude from Indiana State University with a B.A. in French Literature, a minor in German Literature and a specialization in Art History. Mrs. Overos has taught art and art history in several schools in Fairfax County, VA, for 10 years, and was coordinator for the Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE Arts) for Colin Powell Elementary School for 3 years. She is married to David Overos and has three sons: Henry, Matthias and Lars, two of whom attend Ad Fontes Academy. Mrs. Overos teaches Art in the Lower and Upper Schools.

Paula Sloan
Drama
Mrs. Paula Sloan is a graduate from Liberty University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Theater and a Masters of Education from Lynchburg College.  She is a passionate advocate of classical Christian education. She has been actively involved in classical Christian education for over eleven years teaching third grade, high school theater, yearbook and journalism, and serving in leadership roles with the parent association.  Mrs. Sloan is also very involved with USA Gymnastics and serves as the State Chair for Virginia. She moved to Springfield in the summer of  ’08 so her children could train at Capital Gymnastics in Burke.  She enjoys being at the gym with her children and traveling across the country and around the world for their competitions.  She also loves to read, scrapbook and camp with her family. She is married to Greg and has three children; the youngest, Lauren is a junior at Ad Fontes.

Bob Smith
Girls Varsity Volleyball Coach
Coach Smith has been playing volleyball for the past 20 years.  He has also been coaching volleyball with Loudoun Youth Volleyball (LYV) during the past 4 seasons.  Coach Smith was born in Manassas, VA and has been a life long resident of the Northern Virginia area.  He has two daughters currently enrolled at Ad Fontes Academy.  This is his second year coaching girls volleyball for Ad Fontes Academy.

Laurie Westock
Elementary Latin, Latin 1
Ms. Laurie Westock graduated from Eastern University with a B.A. in Youth Ministry and a minor in Theological Studies. Before coming to Ad Fontes, she worked in full time youth ministry and as an accountant in the hotel industry. Laurie attends The Falls Church and enjoys volunteering with the youth ministry, gymnastics, competitive cheerleading, and spending time with her puppy-dog, Gizmo.

Administrative Staff

Debra Davis
Upper School Office Manager
Mrs. Debra Davis graduated from Cameron University with an Associate’s Degree in Nursing. She received a Bachelor of Science at Phillips University in Pre-Speech and Hearing Disorders, and an M.A. at the University of Tulsa in Audiology. She is a registered nurse who also has experience in the fields of sports, Bible study leadership, and homeschooling. She and her husband David, along with their family, are members of Immanuel Bible Church. They have two children: a daughter who is a college junior and a son, Michael, an Ad Fontes graduate, who is a now a college freshman. This is her third year at Ad Fontes.

Lori Henry

Athletic Director, Lower School Office Manager
Mrs. Lori Henry is the Athletic Director and Lower School Office Manager for Ad Fontes Academy.  For the past four years she was the Athletic Director at a local Christian school and served on the NVIAC conference board for five years.  Prior to this, she was a stockbroker for 14 years being licensed with the New York and American Stock Exchanges and the NASD/NASDAQ.  She has taught Microsoft Office applications and keyboarding for over 10 years to elementary and middle school students.  She is a lifelong resident of Fairfax where she resides with her husband Bob and son, Eric, who is a senior at George Mason University.  She and her family are members of Fair Oaks Church where she serves in the nursery.