Mr. Albrecht was born in Cleveland, Ohio and attended Kent State University for his undergraduate and his master’s degrees in Financial Economics.  After several years of working as an actuarial analyst, Mr. Albrecht transitioned to teaching in Arizona and has been teaching Economics and Mathematics for 4 years.

A proud Great Hearts Parent, Mr. Albrecht enjoys spending his time with his family, reading and playing board games, and swimming and camping in his free time.

Mr. Aquila was born in Amherst, New York, and grew up in Southwest Florida.  After a stint in the U.S. Marine Corps, he attended the University of South Florida, earning a B.A. in Classics.  He enjoys reading Ancient Greek, Mediterranean and Northern European Archaeology, Fantasy Literature (particularly the work of J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and Ursula K. LeGuin), Traditional Archery, Hockey, Writing, and Euchre.  This is Mr. Aquila’s seventh year as a teacher at North Phoenix Preparatory Academy.

Mr. Buckworth attended Wesley College in Dover, Delaware, where he majored in Criminal Justice and minored in Psychology. Mr. B has been an educator for the past 4 years and has been specializing in Counseling/Mentoring students’ grades K-8.

Originally from Delaware, Mr. B has broken the record for the 500M at Wesley College his Freshman year. He enjoys writing music, playing basketball and spending time with his wife and 2 daughters. Mr. B is always looking for ways to excel, he will be going back to school to receive his Master’s

Dr. Stephen Bain has lived much of his life in or around Atlanta, Georgia, but his family is primarily from Columbus, Ohio.  He received a BA in Biblical Studies and Humanities from Point University, a Master’s degree in Philosophy and the Humanities from the University of Dallas, and in 2017 he completed his Ph.D. in Humanities from Faulkner University.  He has long been a loving student of the Great Books of the Western World, having a particular interest in the Virtue Ethics tradition and the works of J. R. R. Tolkien.  Dr. Bain has several years of teaching experience, from middle and high school Literature and History to Philosophy and Humane Letters at such colleges as West Georgia College and University and Auburn University at Montgomery.  Dr. Bain is an avid fan of the Atlanta Braves, and also enjoys reading and games of all kinds, including board games, strategy games, and collectible card games.

Mr. Barton has been with Great Hearts North Phoenix since 2019. He spent 4 years with Archway North Phoenix back when 6^th grade was on the Archway side of campus, and he moved over to NPX in 2023 when 6^th grade became part of the Prep side. He attended Santa Barbara City College and Northern Arizona University, and he misses the days of living in cold weather. Mr. Barton serves as the head coach of the North Phoenix Prep high school and middle school girls’ basketball teams, which is something he truly loves to do. In his spare time, he enjoys watching and playing sports, tending to his cats, cooking, reading, and talking about music.

Mr. Black teaches high school art and is the Dean of Student Leadership.  He proudly joined North Phoenix Preparatory Academy in 2015. Having grown up in Phoenix, Mr. Black attended the University of Arizona for his undergraduate degree.  Following this, he attended the University of Delaware for a master’s degree in fine art.  After graduate school, Mr. Black moved to Oregon and worked as an art professor at Willamette University, dividing his time between teaching and acting as the exhibition designer for the Hallie Ford Museum of Art. In 2005, he returned to his home state of Arizona and accepted a position as one of the founding teachers at Chandler Preparatory Academy. In addition to teaching, Mr. Black is also a respected professional artist.  He is married to Marla Black and has a son named, Liam.

Mr. Nathaniel Calahan grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, before moving to Phoenix, Arizona as a teenager. He received a degree in Linguistics and Cognitive Science from Pomona College, before returning to Arizona to teach and coach at his high school alma mater, Tempe Preparatory Academy, and at North Phoenix Prep. Mr. Calahan has taught Latin, English, and Humane Letters for fourteen years, and he will be teaching Humane Letters at North Phoenix Prep this year. This will be his fourth year teaching at NPX. Outside of school, Mr. Calahan spends most of his time with his family, with time set aside for watching movies, reading books, and complaining about rule changes in baseball.

I am an Arizona native born and raised in Phoenix. I graduated from Arizona State University with honors in 2021 having earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Bachelor of Science in Physics, and a minor in Philosophy. Since then, I have done a lot of travel including sailing for ten months around the Atlantic as a teacher and mentor to highschoolers on the oldest fully rigged tall ship in the world, the Sørlandet. I’ve discovered a love both for teaching and learning during my experiences and I am more than happy to continue practicing and learning these arts.

Mr. Crowley has a passion for music and the fine arts that goes back to his early childhood.  He has played piano since the age of five and began composing and conducting while still in his teens.  As this same time, he started vocal training with the world-renowned operatic bass, Giorgio Tozzi, which led to a singing career that took him to Europe and across the United States, including New York City, where he worked on the Broadway stage and with the Metropolitan Opera Company.  Mr. Crowley holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Grand Canyon University, as well as two Arizona State teaching certifications—one in English and the other in Music.  He is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Music Education.

Mr. Davis is now in his third year as a GreatHearts teacher, and is happy to be teaching at North Phoenix Prep. After a lifetime working in live theatre it is a great pleasure for him to be teaching an introduction to drama class, and to be running the Drama Club this year. A fascination with the spoken and written word makes teaching Lit/Comp for 6^th and 8^th grades a real pleasure as well. Go Gladiators!

Bio Forthcoming

Joanie Faust is an Arizona native, graduating from Xavier College Preparatory and the University of Arizona where she received her BA in Creative Writing. She spent nearly ten years as a writer, editor, and content director for several Phoenix-based magazines and marketing agencies.

The opportunity to be thrown into a classroom during a pandemic was apparently too good to pass up, so she gave teaching a try. She quickly discovered that teaching is her calling and has loved it ever since. Mrs. Faust is entering her fourth year at NPX and has taught 7th grade Literature & Composition, Middle School ELA Intervention, and 9th grade Poetry. She is currently the 9th grade lead, Pantheon Student Leadership adviser, and an instructional coach.

When she’s not in a classroom, Mrs. Faust can be found with her husband and two sons, both of whom attend Archway North Phoenix. Go Argonauts and Gladiators!

Mr. Fierro was born in Odessa, Texas and moved to Arizona before attending Arizona State University, where he received a B.A. in Mechanical Engineering. He then worked for two years in the field of biomedical engineering for a start-up medical device company. While pursuing his bachelor’s degree, Mr. Fierro tutored college level mathematics and physics courses. Although his education has been in engineering, Mr. Fierro has always taken special interest in philosophy.

Mr. Fierro is an uncle to three nephews, and in his spare time enjoys weight lifting and running. He is privileged to have been given this opportunity to teach a subject that is very near to his heart.

Mr. Ryan M. Fleming is from a small town in the small state of Delaware. He completed his undergraduate studies at St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland. There he studied the Liberal Arts in a rigorous Great Books program (much like our own) which includes works from the great minds of Aristotle, Plato, Descartes, Cervantes, Euclid, Einstein, Newton, Galileo, and several others. During his studies, he was involved not only in the academic culture but volunteer and leadership organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and the Hugh O’ Brian Youth Leadership Foundation. In his free time, he likes to hike the Grand Canyon, participate in Spartan races, travel with friends, and even, if time permits, maybe play a video game. He wishes to bring forth the bounty the Western Tradition offers to students in a decidedly human, realistic, and approachable way. He celebrates his 10^th year of teaching at NPX this year!

Ms. Flood is looking forward to her sixth year at North Phoenix Prep where she will teach Medieval History. She finds it so exciting to be able to share her passion for History. Ms. Flood is originally from Nebraska and has come to love the lack of winter in Arizona. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a double major in English and History and a minor in Philosophy. Ms. Flood received a Master’s Degree in English from the University of Nebraska-Kearney. Her teaching career has spanned over twenty years affording her the opportunity to teach 5th grade through college. Ms. Flood spent many years as a Lecturer at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, teaching Composition, Literature, and Holocaust Studies. Not surprisingly, Ms. Flood loves to read. Her idea of a perfect day is a good book, a comfortable chair, and an endless supply of tea. She is also very interested in Astronomy (alas, Phoenix is not very good for dark night skies), Geology (she loves collecting rocks), and, strangely enough, Hockey (mourning the loss of the Coyotes). When she can, she likes to travel, especially to the old mining towns here in Arizona. Her family consists of 8 cats.

Mr. Friend was born in Seattle, Washington. He took the long way round to Phoenix, going first through Louisiana then Florida before arriving in Arizona to attend GCU. He graduated with his bachelor’s in 2022 and remained in Phoenix to begin working on his master’s at a local seminary. Spurred on by his love for academics, education and formation, he pursued a career in education. He began working as a substitute teacher in Chandler and soon learned of Great Hearts through a few of the families attending Archway North Phoenix. Drawn in by the classic ideals of intellectually and morally formative education embodied in Great Hearts, he joined ANP’s faculty in 2023. After two years teaching in 5^th grade, Mr. Friend joined North Phoenix Prep, teaching Literature and Composition. 

While not cultivating young hearts and souls in the classroom, Mr. Friend spends his time still finishing up his master’s, collecting books under the false pretense of reading them, pursuing something reminiscent of the culinary arts, and avoiding Phoenix summers wherever possible.

Ms. Gonzales was raised in Arizona and attended Anthem Preparatory in high school, where she fell in love with the classical knowledge shared at Great Hearts. She went to Grand Canyon University and graduated with a bachelor’s in digital design with an emphasis on animation. After college she interned as a character designer and worked as an after-school art teacher before finding her way to Archway North Phoenix as an assistant teacher. She then moved to teaching art at North Phoenix Preparatory for 7th and 8th grade. Ms. Gonzales is looking forward to sharing her knowledge and love of art with the students at NPX.

Sonya Hemmings fell in love with classical education as a homeschooling mom to her four (now-grown) children. She lives in Tempe, where she enjoys reading, sewing, cooking, and playing the piano in her spare time.

Mr. Jagoda is an Arizona native born and raised in the Phoenix area. He graduated from a classical liberal arts high school and holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Hillsdale College. Throughout his education, Mr. Jagoda developed a deep love for the Great Books and the Western philosophical tradition. As a teacher, he has enjoyed sharing his passion for history, literature, and poetry with his students. His goals are to model virtuous conduct and guide young hearts in the daily pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.

Mr. Jagoda spends his personal time reading novels, practicing bass guitar, enjoying live music (especially jazz), and playing online games with his 3 brothers.

Bio Forthcoming

Excited to join the North Phoenix Prep Team, Mr. Logan Kelly Graduated from The California State University, Channel Islands, in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular and Cellular Biology. Following graduation, he began his career in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry before transitioning to the education field, pursuing his true passion teaching high school math and science. Hailing from Thousand Oaks, California,

Mr. Kelly has come to love the Phoenix area and has made it home. Mr. Kelly enjoys spending his free time with family and friends, especially with his 3 nieces and 2 nephews. With a joy for fitness and other activities, you can often find Mr. Kelly at the gym, working on cars and home improvement projects, or watching sports.  Mr. Kelly feels honored to be joining the outstanding staff and serving the students who are the heart of North Phoenix Preparatory Academy.  

Jason Jefferson was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ. He received his BA in History, with a minor in Religious Studies, from Arizona State University. In 2011, he kicked off his education career by becoming a substitute teacher, gaining experience with all different grades and subjects. He taught junior high for 3 years before coming to North Phoenix in 2017 to work in 4th grade. The following year, he moved up to 5th grade.

He is excited to be able to continue helping scholars grow in their mathematical and problem-solving skills. When not at school, Mr. Jefferson likes to sing in a community men’s chorus, cook, and play board games.

Dr. Elizabeth Leyva is excited to join the North Phoenix Prep community! Originally from California, she moved to Arizona to pursue graduate studies. Dr. Leyva holds a Bachelor of Music in vocal arts from The University of Southern California, a Master of Music, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts in voice performance from Arizona State University. Highlights of her teaching credits include California State University Bakersfield, Bakersfield College, the Herberger Community School at Arizona State University and a one-year appointment as a Faculty Associate in the School of Music at ASU. In addition to her work
in academic institutions and as a private music instructor, Dr. Leyva also directs the children’s music program at First United Methodist Church of Phoenix and performs with the Arizona Opera Chorus.

Rocky Márquez is a native Arizonan. He grew up in the Valley and graduated from Greenway High School. After high school, he studied mathematics at Paradise Valley Community College and then at Arizona State University. While at ASU, Rocky was volunteering in the evening with children, and it was during that time that he discovered a passion for helping young people succeed. His newfound passion led him to transfer to the Franciscan University of Steubenville, a liberal arts university outside of Pittsburgh, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. After graduating from FUS, Rocky decided to fulfill his passion by teaching and joined the Great Hearts team. In his free time, he volunteers in his local community, hikes around Arizona, and travels with friends to countries around the world to enjoy as much delicious food as he can.

Ms. McAndrews was born in Indiana, lived in Oklahoma, and has lived all over Arizona ever since. She graduated from Grand Canyon University with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering. Throughout high school and college, she has always used her free time to learn and help others. She has volunteered at a veterinary clinic, been an apprentice ranger for a desert preserve, and won a poetry competition. Throughout her life she knew she wanted to become a teacher and, thanks to the encouragement of friends and family, is now following that dream as a 6th grade life science teacher. Thanks to her love of nature, she is also the designated spider catcher for the nearby classrooms.

In her spare time, Ms. McAndrews loves to read, hike, and rides horses. Her favorite weather is when it rains and she can curl up with a good book and her dog, Scout.

Mr. McClelland, a veteran Great Hearts teacher, has taught literature and poetry at North Phoenix Preparatory Academy since 2025. A native of Georgia, he attended the University of Virginia before moving to Arizona to teach, first at Archway Veritas and later at Cicero Prep, Chandler Prep, Scottsdale Prep, Veritas Prep, and St. Mary’s Catholic High School. A linguist, he has a career as a freelance nonfiction editor focusing on works in translation. He is the editor for the English edition of Nobel laureate Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s authorized biography. Mr. McClelland lives in North Phoenix with his wife Betsy Brown McClelland, a longtime humanities teacher and working poet. They have a son.

Walter Moneypenny grew up in Orange County, CA and graduated from California State University, Dominguez Hills with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. After college he moved to Mt. Crested Butte, CO and worked at a ski resort managing rental homes and running a property management company.

Mr. Moneypenny is excited to return to North Phoenix Prep this year. His interest in history started all the way back in middle school. Previously he was a substitute teacher at Archway since 2022 and also substituted in various districts in the area.

Mr. Moneypenny moved to Phoenix in 2005 and shortly after met his wife, Martha. He continued with property management and homeowner’s associations until 2019 when he obtained his Real Estate license and moved to the happier side of life, finding people places to live.

He has two children at Great Hearts North Phoenix, a son at Archway and a daughter at Prep. Away from school he loves to spend time with his family, singing at Church and with a Men’s Masters Choir and watching and listening to baseball games.

Dr. Steven Nemes has a BA in Philosophy with a minor in Religious Studies from Arizona State University (’13) and an MDiv and PhD in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary (’16, ’21). He has published a number of articles, books, and chapters on diverse topics in philosophy and theology. He is married to Rachel, and they have a beautiful son named Cristian

Justin Norris has a passion for health and wellness, and received his Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from Arizona State University. He enjoys sports, running, hiking, and traveling to new places. Coach Norris has family throughout Germany, and hopes to one day be able to speak the language fluently and travel there as often as possible. Coach Norris hopes to share his enthusiasm for physical activity with his students, and show them being active is fun and also very rewarding

Mr. Pagani has been teaching with Great Hearts since 2008 as a teacher of languages and Senior Humane Letters. He obtained his first BA from St. John’s College in Santa Fe, NM, and holds a second BA in Classical Philology (Ancient Greek & Latin language and literature) from the University of Cincinnati, where he took multiple graduate-level courses and was welcomed directly into the Ph.D. programme in Classics at the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Mr. Pagani loves and continues to cultivate his knowledge of classical philology, literature, languages, and linguistics. He has created and led student & faculty clubs for Old English, Old Norse, Old Irish, Classical Hebrew, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Linguistic Creations, conversational Latin, Classical Latin verse composition, and German. Mr. Pagani has also taught Rhetoric and Spanish, his native language.

Mr. Pagani enjoys creative writing, and––to help students with language choices––has authored some pamphlets giving unusual reasons for learning Spanish, French, Latin, and Sentence Diagramming. He enjoys time spent with friends and family playing Old School D&D and tabletop board games, and he leads the Old School Dungeons & Dragons ECNA, now in its third year.

Ms. Kimberly Poduska hails from the windy city of Chicago, Illinois. After graduating from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in 2004, with a BA in English and a minor in Secondary Education, as well as endorsements in the other core subject areas, she began her career as a sixth-grade common core teacher. Following this role, she continued as a high school English teacher, as well as a seventh and eighth-grade honors English teacher. As science is Ms. Poduska’s most passionate interest and hobby, she is honored and excited to meet and work with her students. Some of her other interests include collecting rocks and fossils, hiking, singing, and writing.

Mrs. Pagnone originally hails from Venezuela. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics, a post-baccalaureate degree in Tax Policy from her home country, and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Arizona State University, where she also worked as a Teacher Assistant. She recently returned to school to earn an academic certificate in Language Studies (focusing on Latin) from Rio Salado Community College. Before becoming a teacher, she worked as Business Consultant for several years, collaborating on multiple software-related financial projects in the US, Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean. Mrs. Pagnone has worked at North Phoenix Preparatory Academy since 2015; she has taught Honors Economics and Spanish (I through IV) here. Outside school, she enjoys learning new things, spending time with her family and friends, traveling, taking pictures, going on long walks while listening to audiobooks or podcasts, reading, cooking, and dancing.

Mrs. Porter graduated  from ASU with a Bachelors of Science in Family & Human Development and Masters of Art in Criminal Justice which led her to become a social worker. Then she received her Masters of Science in Family & Human Development from ASU which led her to become a teacher. She taught English and History for several years to middle school and high school students. Then she completed Rio Salado’s TIR program and received her Special Education Certification. Now she teaches and leads the Special Education Department at North Phoenix Prep. She loves reading, writing, and spending time with her husband and two daughters.

Dane Poulson is a graduate from Arizona State University with an undergraduate degree in Liberal Arts. Prior to beginning with Great Hearts, he tutored students in math and science as well as mentored junior high and high school students in his local community. While doing this, he discovered a love for teaching and walking alongside students to help them grow.

Dane is an Arizona native and loves camping, fishing, and hiking when the weather is right. He and his wife have been married for 8 years and have three young boys and two dogs to show for it. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, playing with his kids, and playing table-top role-playing games with his friends.

Mrs Royce was born in Zambia and raised in England. She attended Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College in Leicester,  and received her BSc in Psychology from the University of Northampton in 2013. After several years working in Psychology and mental health services, she relocated to Arizona.

Mrs Royce was a Behavioral Therapist before she discovered her passion for teaching and joined the NPX community in 2022.

Outside of work, Mrs Royce enjoys travelling, music, reading, health and fitness, and spending time with her family and friends.

Anthony Saccocio was born and raised in New York and moved to Phoenix in 2022. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 2011 from the University of Arizona, a Master of Arts in 2013 from the European University at St. Petersburg, and a Juris Doctor in 2020 from the University of North Dakota. Mr. Saccocio began teaching Humane Letters and Literature and Composition at North Phoenix Prep in 2025.

He enjoys boxing, hiking, watching movies, and cheering for the Yankees, Giants, and Rangers.

Mr. Saccocio lives with his amazing wife and wonderful dog.

Mrs. Santini loves helping students discover their strengths and reach their goals. She uses personalized instruction and executive functioning strategies to support each learner’s success and enjoys working closely with families and teachers to create a positive, encouraging environment. A proud graduate of Florida Atlantic University, she has lived in England and Greece, experiences that have deepened her love for travel and different cultures. When she’s not in the classroom, she enjoys exploring Greek culture, traveling, and spending time with her family.

Sarah Schripsema has served the North Phoenix Prep community since 2014 in many capacities and is now the Assistant Headmaster of Faculty and Culture. She received a bachelor’s degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology and a master’s degree in Teaching and Teacher Education from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. She has taught Chemistry, Biology, Life Science, and Humane Letters. She currently teaches Life Science with the 6th grade team, manages the instructional coaching program for all teachers, and assists our high school Lanistae to build a strong and steady Gladiator Team program. In her spare time, Ms. Schripsema loves travel, hiking, crafting, reading, and hanging out with her two awesome kids, her cat, Satsuki, or Tortellini the Sulcata Tortoise. She is passionate about investing in our Gladiator community at all levels, whether it’s helping individual students, cheering on our athletics, or planning events for the whole school. Go Gladiators

Mr. Shisler came to the North Phoenix family in 2017 after teaching mathematics and coaching cross country and track at Scottsdale Preparatory Academy for 7 years.  Before coming to Great Hearts, Mr. Shisler also taught high school mathematics and coached for 19 years at private schools in Phoenix and the San Gabriel Valley in California.  He is proud to be from Eugene, Oregon, where he acquired his love for both running and mathematics.  Mr. Shisler received his BA from Azusa Pacific University.  He has been married to his amazing wife for 34 years and has a daughter and a son.  Mr. Shisler enjoys table games, hiking, biking all over Phoenix, and inspiring young minds and hearts.

I was born in Phoenix. I married and have two children. I served in the United States Army and deployed twice. I graduated Cum Laud from Arizona State University with a degree in Philosophy. I am in my 7th year with Great Hearts.

I grew up in Texas and Hawaii, graduating from Saint John’s College Santa Fe in 2019. This is my sixth year teaching for the Great Hearts network. I love Shakespeare, Milton, sharpshooting, chess, writing, poetry, and hiking. King Lear and Paradise Lost are my favorite books. I’m a Marine Corps reservist

Bio Forthcoming

Ms. Sood was born in India. She did her master’s in chemistry and bachelor’s in education from reputed universities there. She started her career teaching Math and Science in High School before moving to Brighton, UK with her husband. She lived in UK for 10 years where she raised her two beautiful daughters and did few teaching courses to hone her skills and volunteered briefly. She also worked in ‘Royal Mail’ for few years.

In 2018, she relocated to Phoenix, Arizona with her family. As her kids started to go in Great Hearts, she got an opportunity to be part of this beautiful institution and pursue her dream career. It’s her 3rd year teaching Earth Science to 8th Grade.

Apart from teaching, she also loves cooking, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends. She lives in Phoenix with her husband and two loving daughters.

She believes in the quote  “One book, one pen, one child , and one teacher can change the world” . – Malala Yousafzai

Ms. Catherine Stevenson was born in Paris, France, and grew up on the French Riviera. She continued her studies in France where she earned a Master’s degree in translation and terminology at I.S.I.T. (Institut Supérieur d’Interprétation et de Traduction.) and an English Degree at the Sorbonne (Paris IV). After teaching all levels of French in Flagstaff for two years, she joined NPX in 2021. She is excited to embark on her fourth year at NPX.

My name is Brian Tate and I am honored to be part of the Great Hearts North Phoenix Prep community. I grew up in Delaware and Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. I have lived in Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Trinidad and Tobago. I studied mechanical engineering and economics at the University of Texas, international business at the University of Colorado, and education at New Mexico State University.

My interest in teaching began as a volunteer tutor of mathematics for Native American high school students. I taught mathematics at an all-girls residential high school for troubled teens. I mentored high school juniors and seniors as a JAG college and career-readiness program specialist. And, I taught autistic children at a private school in Petit Valley, Trinidad.

I enjoy time spent with my wife, Patrina, 6-year-old son, Dorian, 4-year-old daughter, Elise, and dogs, Lucy and Spencer. I like cycling, gardening, cooking, flyfishing, backpacking, and vintage race cars.

Ms. Taylor is an Arizona native and has lived in the Phoenix area her entire life. She began her educational career in Anthropology and Archeology and with a few life changes adjusted her attention to Literature and Education. She received her Bachelor’s of Science in Secondary Education with an emphasis in English Literature and Composition from Grand Canyon University. Ms. Taylor taught high school English and Academic Support in the public school system before joining the Great Hearts team. With her love and passion for ancient cultures as well as fine works of literature she is excited to be working with her students to better understand what their studies have to offer. Beyond teaching, she enjoys playing games, drinking tea and doing activities with her wonderful family.

Mrs. Ashley Vietor graduated from St. John’s College, Annapolis in 1995 and started teaching middle school Latin at a small private school in New Haven, CT in 1996. Two years later, she moved to a boarding school for girls (Chatham Hall School)  in southern Virginia where she taught high school Latin I and II, and her Pembroke Welsh Corgi ruled the campus.  Four years later she stopped teaching to raise her growing family.  In 2005, she moved to Phoenix and in 2017 began teaching Latin again at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic School. Throughout the years she has homeschooled several of her six children. She enjoys long walks with her husband and children, reading a wide variety of literature and biography, and when time permits, needlepoint pillows for her children!  Favorite authors include Willa Cather, Mark Twain, and Sigrid Undset. “Laete cognoscam et laete docebo”

Mrs. Woelzlein is originally from Lima, Peru where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Law and Political Science. Mrs. Woelzlein has lived in Phoenix since 2008 and has pursued her passion for teaching the Spanish language here at North Phoenix Preparatory Academy since 2017. Her satisfaction is to help strengthen the academic development of students through the teaching of the language. In her free time, Mrs. Woelzlein enjoys dancing, working out, photography, traveling, movies, and spending time with her family.