Happy New Year! We are off to an exciting start at Houston
Academy, and with our #HAfirstday in the rearview mirror, I wanted to take the time
to introduce you to our new faculty and staff.
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| Marc Edge |
The first person I
want to acknowledge is Marc Edge, to
whom I introduced our community at the end of last year. Marc will be our Athletic Director this year, as well as an assistant football coach and head
golf coach. Unfortunately, Marc will not be joining us for at least another week, as he
has recently been dealing with a health issue. Please keep Marc in
your daily prayers - it’s been a rough start to the year for Marc. I think you’re
going to love him, and we are hopeful for a speedy recovery.
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| Eddie Brundidge |
Eddie Brundidge
will be teaching Physical Education in the Lower School and will serve as an
assistant football coach. He has a
B.S. from Troy University where he
played football, and he is coming to us from T.R. Miller High School in
Brewton. Eddie is married to Sybil and has two Daughters, Leah and Moriah. In
his spare time he enjoys hunting and fishing. Eddie says he became a teacher
because of the inspiration provided by his own high school teachers and his
high school football coach, in particular.
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| Cassie Carmody |
Cassie Carmody
will be teaching 7th and 8th grade science. She has a B.S. in Education from
Saint Joseph’s College of Maine. She and Her husband, T.J., have two children
at HA – Ashlinn, who is in the 7th grade, and Tommy, who is in the 1st grade. In
her spare time, she enjoys traveling, reading, baking, sewing, and watching
her children play sports. She became a teacher because of her belief that “each
learner is different and needs to be provided different ways to learn.” She
enjoys finding "what works" and helping each child master every concept she
teaches. She chose to come to HA because of what she saw the faculty do for her
own children – how her children became successful and learned the value
hard-work. She also felt that the faculty and staff was extremely welcoming.
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| Cory Hooks |
Corey Hooks is
joining our maintenance staff. Corey comes to us after being the maintenance
man for a hotel. He brings a lot to the proverbial table in terms of skills.
You’ll notice very quickly that he’s an excellent painter, but he’s also
skilled in a wide variety of areas. He and his wife, Jessie, have a one year
old (almost two year-old) boy, Ellic Alexander Randol Hooks. In his spare time,
he enjoys video games, target shooting, and restoring and improving his truck.
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| Justin Horner |
Justin Horner
will serve in our technology department. Justin has received his associate
degree in computer program and is currently in his last few semesters towards earning
his bachelor’s in computer programing at Troy. For the last two years, he has
worked at Geek Squad, and he has also worked as a tech support specialist at
the University of Alabama. Justin is a Houston Academy graduate from the class
of 2009, and his sister, Sara Skaggs also graduated from HA. Justin enjoys
gaming, school, soccer, and anything at the beach. Justin got into technology
because of the computer courses he took from Mrs. Woodcock. Computers became
his passion, and he has been doing it every sense.
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| Jessica Jordan |
Jessica Jordan
will be working in our extended day program. She has a B.S. in Elementary
Education from Troy-Dothan, and she has taught every grade from K5-6th, as well
as working with adult students trying to earn their GED. She is married to her
high school sweetheart, Ryan, who is the Music Minister at Samson Baptist. They
have three children, Jayleigh, who is 10, Jude, who is 8, and Jameson, who is
2. Teaching runs in Jessica’s family – her grandmother, three aunts, and there
cousins all or were teachers. She first realized she wanted to be a teacher
when she was a child teaching her cousins a new game she had invented. Nothing
makes her more proud than helping others
understand things for the first time. She says she came to HA because of the “reputation
of the school and because of her desire to be a part of a real team.”
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| Rachel Kurtz |
Rachel Kurtz will
be teaching part-time in our art department, helping out in Middle School,
where our demand for the visual arts has grown significantly. Rachel is a
graduate of Auburn University where she majored in Art. Her background includes
broad use of multiple mediums including paint, wood, glass, drawing, crafts,
and ceramics. She has served as the art teacher at Abbeville Christian academy
and Pike Liberal Arts School. Additionally, she is the owner and art instructor
for Southern Strokes Art, providing private art lesson as well as creating
commissioned works for customers. We are very excited for what she will bring
to our students.
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| Robert Pedroza |
Robert Pedroza is
also new in our maintenance department. Previously, Robert worked for the City
of Enterprise, for Shaw in Ft. Rucker, as a translator for the Ozark and
Enterprise police and the Dale Medical center, and he has also been a
restaurant manager for multiple locations of Old Mexico. His hobbies include
painting, drawing, restoring old trucks, traveling, carpentry, coach and
playing soccer, and working with the Boy Scouts. He and his wife of 25 years
(Lisa) live in Ozark with their four children: America Gabrielle, Robert Noah
James, Emilee Elisa Isabella and Savannah Audrey.
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| Melissa Sanera |
Melissa Sanera
will be teaching World History II in the 9th grade and Psychology to 11th and
12th graders. She has an B.A. in Economics from Arizona State University and an
M.A. in Secondary Education from the University of Phoenix. Previously, she
taught World History at D.A. Smith Middle School and has been a substitute
teacher at HA. Melissa is a certified Yoga Instructor who loves to travel,
read, sing, and listen to podcasts. Her husband, Matt, is an air force pilot,
and she has two children at HA: Eli, who is in the 10th grade and Amie, who is
in the 8th grade. Melissa discovered her love for teaching, to begin with, by
teaching yoga. In her own words, she “loves inspiring young people to develop a
passion for history and civics and help them make connections of things they
learn in the classroom to their everyday lives.” She decided to teach at HA
because she loves the family atmosphere and the culture of the school. Having
lived abroad, herself, she is particularly excited about HA’s mission to
developing global awareness in the students.
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| Jack Whigham |
Jack Whigham will
be teaching 7th grade Pre-algebra and Honors Geometry. Additionally, he will
serve as Head Wrestling Coach, Associate Athletic Director, and Assistant
Football Coach. Jack is a Graduate of Auburn University with a B.S. in
Secondary Math Education. Jack has spent 27 years in public education, most
recently at Opp High School, where he was head football coach, athletic
director, and teacher of everything from pre-Algebra to Honors Geometry. He has
three children who will all be involved in HA. His son, Peyton, is a student at
Troy University, and he is an assistant coach on our football staff. His other
two sons, Cade and Brady, will be joining us in the 9th and 7th grades,
respectively. In his spare time, Jack enjoys sports, fishing, cards, and church
activities. He became a teacher in order to be a positive influence on
children. He truly believes that teaching is a God-ordained calling, and he
feels that he is following that calling.
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| Carol Wright |
Carol Wright will
be teaching Honors and CP Algebra II, Algebra III, and will be serving as our
Camp Rock sponsor. She studied Business Administration and Mathematics
Education at Troy University and earned an M.A. in Educational Leadership from
Auburn University. She recently retired from Dothan High School. She has two
sons, Colby and Baily, both of whom graduated from Houston Academy. She enjoys
reading, going to the beach, and “binge watching everything!” She was called to
teach after originally thinking she wanted to be a part of the business world.
Her sister encouraged her to become a math teacher, and after observing several
math teachers, herself, she decided that was her life’s calling. She decided to
come to HA because of her children’s’ experience at HA as students from 4P to
12th grade, and she is excited to be involved with the HA family in a different
way.
I am truly thrilled at the caliber people who have chosen to
join the HA family this year. Please make them all feel welcome!
Go Raiders!
