Meet Our Administrative Team
The VAVA High School Admin team is the backbone for the day-to-day operations of the school and leverage their extensive experience serving both public and private enterprise to keep VAVA running smoothly.
Su Garcia6-12 Grade School PrincipalSu Garcia joined the Virginia Virtual Academy in July 2019. She started as a Health/PE teacher and Administrative support for training and Special Program meeting designee at the Middle School. In July 2020, she became an Assistant Principal at the Middle School and in August 2021, she was proud to accept the role as the Middle School Principal. This year, Su has assumed a new role as the Principal for all students and staff, grades 6-12. Prior to joining VAVA, Su spent 12 years teaching for Prince William County Schools and 3 years as an Instructional Coach for K12. Su earned her Undergraduate Degree in Psychology from George Mason University in 2004. She then earned her Masters Degree in Special Education, ED/LD in 2007 from George Mason University and her Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from American College of Education in 2011. Su currently lives in Prince William County with her husband, who is also an educator, two daughters; Natalia (6) and Mila (8) and their pet Boxer, Jab. Her family likes to spend time outdoors; finding new parks to hike at or just playing in the backyard. She loves being a VAVA Bee and is looking forward to continuing to support the Middle and High School students and staff.
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Jess CarterHS Assistant PrincipalJessica Carter joined the Virginia Virtual team in 2018 as a special education teacher, and currently serves the students and staff at VAVA as an assistant administrator at the high school. She has served students in K-12 over her 20 years in education in special education and as an instructional technology resources teacher. Jessica earned a Bachelor of Science in Special Education, K-12 from Radford University. Her graduate work consists of a Master of Arts for instructional technology from George Mason University and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Radford University. Jessica lives in Fredericksburg, VA with her husband and 4 children, two of which are students at VAVA. Her children are busy with many sports and theater and she enjoys spending her time supporting them do what they love. Jessica’s family enjoys supporting the community by fostering dogs that have been rescued and looking for their “furever” home. They have been known to have up to 9 dogs at one time, along with their 4 cats. Supporting the school community at Virginia Virtual Academy brings a lot of joy to Jessica and she loves being part of the VAVA family!
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Chip DelieeHS Assistant PrincipalChip joined VAVA in 2022 as one of the High School Assistant Principals. He came to VAVA after 32 years working in Fairfax County. During his time in Fairfax, he served students as a Special Education teacher, District assessment specialist, Assistant Principal and Principal. Mr. Deliee received his bachelor’s degree from James Madison University and his Masters in Administration and Educational Leadership from George Mason University. He lives with his wife, Sharon in Warrenton, Virginia. They have 3 children, Brendan (26), Kristopher (24) and Amanda (20) and one dog, Buster. Amanda is currently a Junior at JMU studying to be a teacher. He is excited to be a part of such a wonderful team and looks forward to supporting students and families at VAVA this school year.
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Meet Our Team of Counselors
The Counseling team at VAVA are available every school day to help students and learning coaches navigate their courses and overcome any obstacles they may encounter on their education journey. They also assist with graduation plans and pursuing their goals beyond high school.
Katina Bookard
Katina Bookard serves as the 12th grade school counselor and Lead Counselor for VAVA. Katina is originally from South Carolina and resides in Northern Virginia. She has served as a Stride K-12 School counselor for 6 years and has over 18 years as a public school counselor in the brick and mortar setting. She received her bachelors and masters degree from South Carolina State University and taught English Language Arts for 6 years. Katina has a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from Liberty University and is a National Board Certified School Counselor (NBPTS). Katina has been married for 20 years to her husband and has 3 beautiful children.
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Morgan Horne
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Stephanie Gross
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Rachel Reynard
Rachel Reynard serves as the 9th grade VAVA school counselor. Rachel is originally from Alexandria, Virginia, but now resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She received her Bachelors of Science degree in human services and psychology from Old Dominion University in 2016. She then received her Masters of Education in School Counseling from Liberty University in 2020. She comes with more than 4 years of experience in the education system. In her spare time she loves spending time with her puppy and husband, and going on hikes. Her goal is to help each student reach their full social/emotional, academic and career goals.
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Seth Getch
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Meet Our Team of Dedicated Teachers
VAVA High School is staffed by an enthusiastic team of experienced teachers who are passionate about working with students to provide an engaging and enriching online education experience. They work every day to help students learn and grow and are available every school day to help overcome any challenges that students may face.
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Brianna Ayers
Math Department Brianna Ayers has been with VAVA for four years and has taught both Geometry and Algebra. She is currently teaching her passion of Algebra 1. Mrs. Ayers graduated from the University of Virginia’s College at Wise with a Bachelor’s of Science in Mathematics. She lives in far southwest Virginia and enjoys the mountains, gardening and her chickens. She enjoys spending time with her two daughters, cooking, organizing, and is always open to a new project of any kind. |
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Lance Ayers
PE/Health Department Lance Ayers has been with VAVA for two years as a Health and Physical Education teacher. He received his degree in Health/Physical Education, Drivers Education, and Special Education from the University of Virginia College at Wise. When Mr. Ayers is not teaching, he enjoys spending time with his family, being physically active and engaging in multiple outdoor activities. |
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Courtney Blasius-Owens
Head of Science Department Courtney Owens joined the VAVA team in August of 2015 as a science teacher. Prior to coming to VAVA, she spent ten years teaching Life Science in Prince William County. Mrs. Owens earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Mary Baldwin College and a master’s degree in Secondary Education from Old Dominion University. She currently teaches Biology and AP Environmental Science for the high school and serves as the Science Department Chair. Mrs. Owens resides in Northern Virginia with her husband, three kids and two Great Danes. She enjoys spending her summers in the Adirondack mountains with her family as well as photography, baking, live music and being outdoors. |
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Mac Bradbury
Social Studies Department Mr. Bradbury graduated from the University of Georgia in 2003 with a Bachelors Degree in Social Science Education. He has his masters degree from Troy University, in post-secondary education. He taught in Georgia at Grayson High School from 2003-2019. At Grayson, he taught Government, Economics, and AP Macroeconomics. In addition to teaching he also coached cross country, track, and a couple of years with baseball. This is currently his second year at VAVA. He currently resides in Blacksburg, VA with his wife and two daughters. When he is not teaching or coaching, the family is usually out hiking or running on trails. |
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Lindsey Bradshaw
Electives Department Lindsey Bradshaw is a CTE teacher at VAVA, teaching courses in Business and Information Technology. She joined VAVA in Spring of 2022 and previously worked for Southampton County Public Schools. She is a graduate of Christopher Newport University (Go Captains!) and is currently pursuing a Masters in Online Instruction. She hopes to inspire her students to pursue their interests and seek out a career that both fulfills them and allows them to live a balanced life. Aside from teaching, Mrs. Bradshaw loves to have fun and make memories with her husband and their two small children. She also enjoys cooking shows and all things HGTV. |
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Rhiannon Bowden
Special Education English Teacher Rhiannon Bowden joined the VAVA team in 2020. She earned her Bachelors of Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Texas at Tyler and her Masters of Education from Virginia Commonwealth University. Rhiannon is a 9th and 11th Grade Special Programs Teacher for English and comes to us with 15 years of experience. Rhiannon is a certified Special Education Teacher, English Teacher, Elementary Teacher and a certified Reading Specialist. She will be teaching Collaborative English in 9th and 11th Grade, Reading and Social Skills Courses. She resides outside of Richmond, VA with her husband and two children. When she is not teaching she likes to be outdoors, camping and hiking. |
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Carley Cook
Science Department Carley Cook teaches Biology at VAVA. Ms. Cook is originally from Michigan and earned her degree in Biology at Hope College. Her love of teaching science began in 2004 in Prince William County Public Schools and she has been trying to make science relatable and fun for students ever since! Ms. Cook enjoys creating new ways to get students engaged with the content and finds it rewarding to help others enjoy science as much as she does! Partly due to her love of science and partly due to her love of adventure, Ms. Cook spends a lot of time outdoors hiking, camping, and exploring. She also loves cooking and traveling to new places to explore different food and cultures. |
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Olivia DeMik
English Department Olivia de Mik has been an English teacher for VAVA since the Fall of 2019 and currently teaches American Literature and AP English Language and Composition. Mrs. de Mik has a Bachelor of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language with Teacher Licensure from Liberty University. Before coming to VAVA, she worked with both Lynchburg City Schools and Virginia Beach City Public Schools to start and implement Newcomer Programs for English Language Learners new to our country. With this background in mind, she always aims to make sure the literature and writing content in our courses are easily accessible for students at all levels in order for them to succeed and prepare for the End of Course SOLs. Outside of school, Mrs. de Mik enjoys cooking and baking; so, she is usually trying out new recipes. She also loves to go to the beach, which is quite convenient since she lives in Virginia Beach, or going hiking and is willing to travel for a great hike. |
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Whitney Fagan
PE/Health Department Whitney Fagan has been teaching Health and Physical Education at VAVA High School since we opened in 2017. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree from San Diego State University in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Fitness, Nutrition, and Health and later went on to earn her Teaching Credential and Masters Degree from California State University, East Bay in 2012 in Physical Education and Curriculum Planning. Whitney has also been certified as a personal trainer by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), as well as a Functional Medicine Health Coach (FMCHC) by the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy. She is a proud wife and mama to three boys aged 3 and under. In her youth, Mrs. Fagan enjoyed competitive swimming, basketball, softball, track, tennis, and soccer, and as an adult continues to enjoy swimming and running in particular. It is her goal that every student find a lifelong activity they enjoy, and that they find the intrinsic motivation to “get moving” for their own health, every day! |
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Pilar Freed
Social Studies Department Pilar Freed has been a Social Studies teacher in Virginia since 2013 and at the VAVA High School since 2018. She holds a degree in Secondary Education with a specialization in Social Studies/History from Liberty University. Over the years, Pilar has had the opportunity to teach several social studies and history classes, but currently teaches World Geography and A.P. US Government and Politics. Pilar loves teaching and considers it her true passion. And while she loves looking at maps, exploring regions of the world and studying political theory, the best part of her job is the students. From joking around with students to seeing a “light bulb” go off for a student who has struggled, Pilar loves it all. Pilar resides in Roanoke with her husband Jonathan and young son Carver. She enjoys reading, hiking, watching movies (especially Star Wars), sarcasm and being with her family and friends. |
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Nellibrooke Fultz
Science Department Mrs. Fultz is from Southwest Virginia. She received her degree in Chemistry near her hometown at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise. Mrs. Fultz has taught Chemistry in the state of Virginia for twelve years, and this is her fourth year with Virginia Virtual Academy. She loves teaching and has a passion to help her students see science as fun and engaging. In her free time, you can find her enjoying the outdoors with her family or relaxing with a good book. |
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Casey Grandy
Math Department Casey Grandy joined the VAVA team in August 2020. Before joining K12, Inc., Casey spent many years as a Fairfax County Public School teacher and Prince William County Public School teacher. She spent most of that time teaching Geometry, Algebra II and Calculus. Casey earned a Bachelor's of Science from Penn State University. She resides in Northern Virginia with her husband, children, and dogs. In her time away from work, Casey enjoys camping, cake decorating and sewing. Casey is excited for another year supporting and guiding families with Math this year. |
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Amanda Haas
Electives Department Spanish Teacher Amanda Haas is a Spanish Teacher for VAVA HS. Prior to VAVA, she taught Spanish for Fairfax County Public Schools and Spanish/ESL for Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools. She attended George Mason University where she received her B.A. in Foreign Languages with a minor in Education Studies. She then received her Masters of the Arts in Teaching Spanish PK-12 from Christopher Newport University. Amanda loves creating new lessons and activities that get students inspired to learn Spanish. She is always researching new methods to deliver engaging content to her students. In her free time, Amanda loves to try new cooking recipes, watch documentaries, Busch Gardens and to spend quality time with her family which consists of her husband and two sons. |
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Baylee Hawks
PE/Health Department Mrs. Hawks is one of the three High School Physical and Health Education teachers for Virginia Virtual Academy. In May 2020, she graduated from Radford University with a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise, sport, and health education. Mrs. Hawks brings excitement to physical activity. Her goal as a teacher is to help her students become the best version of themselves mentally, physically, and emotionally. Mrs. Hawks is also the head middle school softball coach for Floyd County. When she is not teaching or coaching, she loves to be outdoors. |
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Nancy James
English Department The 12th grade English teacher for VAVA, Dr. Nancy Carol James teaches British and World Literature and AP Composition and Literature. Having taught with VAVA since 2017, James appreciates the rich academic K12 curriculum. A former K12 learning coach herself, James enthusiastically affirms the great benefits of online learning and of the VAVA high school. James has an interdisciplinary PhD from the University of Virginia with major subjects in English, French History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies. Active in her academic field, James publishes about one book a year. Her most popular books are I, Jeanne Guyon (Seedsowers Publishing) and The Complete Madame Guyon (Paraclete Press). She lived in the Charlottesville area of Virginia until recent years when she returned to her roots in Fairbanks, Alaska. She lives in the hills outside of Fairbanks with her family where she enjoys the beauties of nature and hiking. During summers, she writes on her book projects and teaches writing at the University of Alaska. She also flies into the northern Alaska bush villages to work on educational and community projects. |
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Misty Lester
English Department Misty Lester teaches English 10 and Creative Writing for VAVA and has a 20 year career in public education. She received her B.S. in English with certification to teach grades 8-12 from Radford University. She also holds an endorsement in Gifted Education from the University of Virginia. Ms. Lester lives in Southwest, Virginia, and she and her rescue dog, Wilson, take advantage of the abundance of hiking trails and spectacular views nearby. She practices yoga, and loves to plan family adventures with her two daughters, Annah and Abi. Ms. Lester firmly believes in the power of building positive relationships and hopes this attitude creates a classroom in which all students can reach their highest potential. |
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Lee Marshall
English Department Mr. Marshall earned his Bachelor's in English and Philosophy from the University of North Texas 2010. Since then he had been teaching English in the classroom while writing advertising copy and editing fiction through freelance work and with a small ebook publisher. He brings real world professional writing experience to his classroom and promises to make every lesson valuable to student's daily lives both in and out of the classroom. When he isn't reading, writing, editing, or teaching about those three, he is probably working on his cabin deep in the woods somewhere along the Blue Ridge. |
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Kevin Murphy
Counseling and Esports Head Coach Kevin Murphy has been with VAVA since fall 2020 and is a Paraprofessional Teaching Assistant to both the Advising and Electives teams. He is also head coach of the VAVA Esports Team. Kevin graduated from VCU in 2012 with a BFA in Photography and Film and has been working as a commercial photographer since graduating. He also taught photography to advanced high school students at the VCU Summer Arts Intensive acting as a professor for the summer semester from 2010-2015. Outside of work Kevin enjoys reading Science Fiction, watching movies, and photographing his wife and daughter. |
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Virginia Murphy
Electives Department Virginia Murphy teaches Art Appreciation, AP Art History and Public Speaking. Virginia Graduated from VCU in 2012 with a BFA in Art Education and is currently pursuing a Masters in Online Education from Southern New Hampshire University. She has been working for 3 years at VAVA and 6 years before in brick and mortar. Virginia is now the Department Head for Electives and is passionate about building community across the school. Outside of school, Virginia loves most nerdy things, like Dungeons and Dragons and Animal Crossing , but she also loves to create art and spend time with her daughter and husband. If you take a class with Mrs. Murphy, expect to create a lot as well as connect with your classmates. |
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Angela Myers
Electives Department Mrs. Myers teaches Game Design, Web Design, & Engineering. She graduated from Virginia Tech in 2002 with a BFA in Technology Education. Angela taught in brick & mortar schools for 12 years before taking a short retirement to pursue self-employment. Mrs. Myers rejoined the education world with VAVA in 2019. She lives in southwest Virginia with her husband and daughter and also has a son in college. She enjoys all things learning and adventure and fills her cup by empowering those around her to think big. Mrs. Myers loves anything to do with sports, (coaching, playing, spectating) and when she is not teaching you can find her outdoors in her garden or watching a good Netflix series. |
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Anna Naylor
Electives Department Anna "Katie" Naylor currently teaches Sociology, Psychology, and Criminology here at VAVA. She earned both her B.S. in History and her M.A. in Education from James Madison University- Go Dukes! While this is her second year teaching with VAVA, she has taught history for the past 12 years in Fairfax County as well as Arlington County. Mrs. Naylor loves all aspects of teaching, but her absolute favorite part is getting to know students and families! She recently moved from Alexandria to Virginia Beach with her husband Brian, her two children, Aubrie (4) and Jake (2), and their pup, Carson. She's due with her next kiddo Sept. 1st! When she's not teaching, Mrs. Naylor enjoys adventuring outdoors, reading a good book, and hanging out at the beach! |
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Anne Owens
Science Department Mrs. Owens is an Earth Science teacher here at VAVA. She has degrees in biochemistry, psychology, English, and theater from Virginia Tech and is generally enthusiastic about learning all the things. She loves animals, cheese, and the 1980’s television series Murder, She Wrote starring Angela Lansbury. She is so excited to work with her students and to be a part of the VAVA family. |
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Kathryn Parkhurst
Head of Social Studies Department Kathryn is privileged to teach US History and AP US History for VAVA. She earned her BA in History from the University of Virginia, MA in Teaching from the University of Virginia, and MA in History from Virginia Commonwealth University. In her free time, Kathryn enjoys drinking coffee, reading historical biographies, and traveling to national parks with her husband and two kids. |
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Kevin Parkhurst
Social Studies Department Kevin is proud to teach Modern World Studies, VA & US Government and AP Psychology for VAVA. He has been teaching for VAVA since 2019 and served as a teacher in Henrico County prior to joining the staff at VAVA. He earned a BA in History and a MA in Teaching, both from Virginia Commonwealth University. Kevin lives in Richmond with his wife (Kathryn) and two children. In his spare time, Kevin is the head coach of a Youth Olympic throwing event club, specializing in coaching shot put, discus and hammer throw and is proud to have coached at least one state champion in each of the last 4 years. |
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Christopher Peterson
Science Department Mr. Peterson lives in Richmond, VA and has lived in almost all the states from VA up to ME. He is a proud husband, and the proud father of one daughter and one dog. He graduated from Hampden-Sydney College in 2001 with a B.S. in Biology, and spent several years after college working in Conservation from Virginia to Wisconsin. This will be Mr. Peterson’s 15th year teaching High School Science in Virginia, and has taught courses in Biology, Honors Bio, Bio II Oceanography, Ecology and, of course, Earth Science! From a very young age, Mr. Peterson has had a fascination and appreciation for the natural world (especially shorelines) that has only grown with age and experience. A self-proclaimed “lifelong-learner”, Mr. Peterson finds joy and inspiration in teaching and learning with his students, visiting National and State parks, studying Music, Art, Geology, Cosmology and Physics in his spare time. Mr. Peterson has found what he believes you will find to be a very special team of teachers at VAVA High School and is honored to be the person to take you on a mind-expanding journey this year; from the center of our earth to the stars and beyond… |
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Morgan Reister
Special Education |
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Deb Smith
Social Studies Department Ms. Smith began teaching Social Studies in Virginia in 2006. She earned her bachelor's degree in History Education with a Political Science Minor from Millersville University of Pennsylvania and her master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Averett University. She currently resides in Danville, Virginia where she participates in a semi-professional choir and takes an interest in the local history of the area. Her scholarly endeavors have included work with History United, genocide studies at the Virginia Holocaust Museum, The Belfer Conference through the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and working as a professional assessment writer. She loves working with students and posing questions to make them think beyond their required standards of learning. She admits they teach her just as much as she teaches them! |
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Abby Steinberg
Electives Department Miss Steinberg has taught high school Music Appreciation at VAVA since Fall of 2020. She graduated from the University of Mary Washington in 2019 with a B.A. in Music and the following year graduated with a Masters of Education from UMW’s (fantastic) Education Program. In addition to teaching, Miss Steinberg is also the Associate Youth Pastor at her church in Fredericksburg. In her spare time, she likes to play guitar/piano/ukulele, sing, color with crayons and NOT colored pencils, and watch reruns of The Office. |
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Vicki Stidham
Electives Department Mrs. Stidham is from Southwest Virginia. She received her degree in Business with an accounting concentration from Clinch Valley College in 1980 and then returned to receive her Business Education degree in 1990 from Clinch Valley College which is now known as the University of Virginia’s College at Wise. She received her Master’s of Instruction degree in 2010 from the University of Virginia. Mrs. Stidham taught various CTE courses in the Wise County School System for 28 years before retiring in 2017. Since 2017, she has worked with Virginia Virtual Academy. For the past two years she has taught Economics and Personal Finance, and this year added Principles of Business and Marketing. She has been married for 45 years and has two daughters and four grandchildren. In her spare time, she loves spending time with family and friends, especially the grandchildren. |
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Natalie Tier O'Keefe
Electives Department Natalie Tier-O’Keefe has taught for VAVA since 2017. Prior to that, she worked for Fairfax County Public Schools in Northern Virginia. She attended Messiah College in Pennsylvania for undergraduate work and Notre Dame of Maryland University for her MA in Leadership in Teaching. Her main hobbies are working out, reading, and eating really good food. She lives with her husband and daughter in Northern Virginia. |
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Jenny Ullman
Head of Math Department Mrs. Ullman has been teaching with the Virginia Virtual Academy since 2018. Prior to that, she taught 10 years for Fairfax County Public Schools. Mrs. Ullman received her undergraduate degree in Mathematics and Master of Teaching at the University of Virginia. In her spare time, she is an avid runner and has completed over 50 half marathons. She also enjoys traveling and is on a quest to find the world’s best chocolate chip cookie. She resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and two sons. |
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Jason Varner
English Department Mr. Varner has been teaching English 10 with the Virginia Virtual Academy High School team since the high school program’s inception. He has multiple graduate degrees, including a Master of Education in Secondary English Teaching, and has published several novels. Mr. Varner loves to spend time outdoors with his family and enjoys serving the students and families at Virginia Virtual Academy. |
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Lourdes Vazquez
Math Department Lourdes Vazquez is a Bilingual Mathematics teacher. She is from Puerto Rico and is fluent in both English and Spanish. She teaches Geometry and AFDA. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from C.W. Post, Long Island University and her Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. She creates a warm, inviting, flexible and fun environment in her class where students feel wanted and cared for. She enjoys dancing and traveling. Outside of her family, her 25 years of experience working with High school students is her greatest love. |
