Titus 2:7-8a
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Mr. Michael Phillips, our Headmaster, earned his B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Biblical Studies and Theology from Boyce College in Louisville, Kentucky. He has also studied religion and philosophy at Carson-Newman College and theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. In addition to his work at Smith Prep, Michael is the Director of Veritas Academy, a fully accredited Christian Private School Covering serving the home-school community across the state of Florida. Passionate about education, he has served on staff at several churches across the country in the areas of youth and education. In addition to his love of Education he is very well traveled and an experienced outdoorsman. Michael has backpacked in the Rocky and Appalachian mountain ranges and has spent time exploring the Bad Lands of South Dakota. He has had the privilege to travel the world and has hiked and/or camped in every continent except Australia and Antarctica. He has spent time in the Rain Forests of South America, the Cloud Forests of Central America, and a couple of months living and learning among the Maasai in the rift valley of Kenya and Tanzania. Mr. Phillips is also the Director of a high adventure summer camp called VentureScape Outdoors, where campers “develop Christian character and leadership through team building exercises and extreme outdoor activities.” Michaels’ wife, Melissa, homeschools their four children, Elise, Hunter, Ansley, and Caedmon. Mr. William Castaldi is a former teacher of both Latin and Bible at The Masters Academy. He studied Latin and Greek in college and translated “Testimony of the Soul” from Latin to English for his Masters dissertation. Mrs. Keri Fernandez is an experienced, enthusiastic and popular teacher. She has been listed in “Who’s Who Among America’s Biology Teachers” and has taught AP Biology as well as other sciences. A well-rounded teacher, Mrs. Fernandez has also taught all subjects for the 4/5th grade class at Smith Prep in previous years. Mr. Ra McLaughlin is a professional writer and theologian, and an enthusiastic educator. His teaching experiences range from pre-school through adult; include homeschool, private tutoring, small groups, classrooms and distance education; and cover subjects as diverse as English composition and literature, ethics, theology, math and bass guitar. Ra received his B.A. in English from UCLA and his M.Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary. He has worked in full-time educational Christian ministry since 1997. His published works include: hundreds of articles on the Bible, theology and church history; the multimedia seminary curriculum produced by Third Millennium Ministries (variously as script writer, script editor, narrator and director); the NIV Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible (associate general editor; Zondervan, 2003); and the award-winning Discover God Study Bible (contributor; Tyndale, 2007). In addition to teaching at Smith Prep, Mr. McLaughlin is V.P. of Curriculum at Third Millennium Ministries, and den leader of the tiger cubs of Pack 196. Mrs. Laura Roberts has been teaching science in the Central Florida area for over a decade. She studied Animal Science at the University of Florida and earned a BS in Cardiopulmonary Science from the University of Central Florida. She is nearing the completion of a MA in Christian Education from Whitefield Theological Seminary. While homeschooling her own children, Mrs. Roberts (the Zoo Mom) discovered a true love for teaching and developed a wildlife education business to inspire students to a love of God’s creation. Mr. Michael Sacasas is a well-known and popular humanities teacher who is fully committed to Christian and Classical education. He received his Bachelors in Education from Clearwater Christian College, his Masters Degree in Theological Studies at Reformed Theological Seminary, and is pursuing his Doctorate at UCF. Mr. Sacasas (or “Mr. S”) has been teaching middle school and high school students in Central Florida for over ten years and is also an adjunct Professor of Humanities at Belhaven University. Ms. Cindy Sawyer has been a professional writer and teacher for more than twenty years. Ms. Sawyer earned a degree in Acting from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena, California and her Bachelor’s degree in English from Rice University in Houston, Texas. Ms. Sawyer is on her way to finishing her Master’s degree in Education. She has taught both Middle School and High School in Los Angeles and currently holds a teaching certificate for the State of Florida. Further, she is a nationally published writer and presently works in the curriculum department for Third Millennium Ministries as an editor and writer. Ms. Sawyer enjoys singing, reading, traveling, and raising her two children Ethan and Gillian. Mrs. Esther Yao is a math enthusiast and an attorney-in-training. She earned her B.A in Political Science with a minor in Classical Civilization from UCLA in 2003, and her J.D. from Rutgers Law School—Camden in 2008. She had worked for the United Nations as a human rights advocate, clerked for the Honorable John A. Almeida of the New Jersey Superior Court, and interned as a student prosecutor for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. During her spare time, she enjoys tutoring students in math and college entrance test preparation. Her love for math was reflected on her high scores in all her SAT I and II Math subjects, as well as her Advanced Placement examinations. |
