Scott Taylor

Head of School

Scott Taylor has been leading classical Christian schools for twelve years and has served as the founding headmaster of three ACCS start-up schools. Having planted three schools, he comes to ACCA eager to build on the excellent foundation already in place. Scott is grateful for the opportunity to work alongside the families, staff, and board to develop ACCA for future generations of students. He is passionate about education that is truly Christ-centered, education that is firmly rooted in the classical tradition, and education that nurtures God's work in the family. Scott has taught Science, Logic, and Bible and has graduate degrees from Texas Christian University (MS) and Columbia Biblical Seminary (MDiv). His wife Donna teaches in the grammar school at ACCA and his three children (Abigail, Samuel, & Josiah) are students at ACCA. Besides delighting in being a husband and father to his blessed family, Scott enjoys collecting books, hiking, and Kentucky basketball. He is an avid reader and is passionate about the benefits of reading great literature. His favorite books include Beowulf, Pascal's Pensees, Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Calvin's Institutes, Berry's Jayber Crow, and Gilead by Marilynne Robinson.

Annie Worrell

Pre-Kindergarten, P.E.

Annie Worrell is from Athens, Georgia and graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Spanish. Throughout college she tutored bilingual students and taught adult ESOL classes. She also pursued her language skills through mission trips to Spain, Mexico and Belize. Her love of children led her to Camp Desoto in the summers, a Christian camp for girls where she taught various activities including soccer, team sports, horseback and backpacking. Annie's Christian education and upbringing gave her an early love for the Lord and helped her realize her passions for language, sports and children. After Annie got married to Eric in January of 2010, she felt God's call on her life to leave her job as a Recruiter in the staffing industry and serve at ACCA. She is honored to partner with ACCA parents this year as a Pre-K teacher.

Jackie Lewis

Kindergarten

Jackie Lewis is from Marietta, Georgia and graduated from Elon University in 2007 with a degree in Communications. After working in the event planning business for two years after graduation, she decided to return to school to pursue her lifelong passion, becoming a teacher. In November of 2010, Jackie graduated from the University of Phoenix with a Masters in Early Childhood Education, grades Pre K – 5th. Jackie completed her student teaching here at ACCA, and became a Kindergarten aide throughout the end of the school year. She is overjoyed and greatly blessed to have a Kindergarten class of her own this year. She’s honored to partner with ACCA parents and staff in the Christian, Classical educational upbringing of the students.

Laura Keesee

Kindergarten

Laura Keesee earned a BA in Psychology from King College in Bristol, TN, a Master of Education from GA State University, and a Certificate of Completion from Psychological Studies Institute in Atlanta. Laura has been married for 25 years and is the mother of three adult children. From 1994-1996 she and her family served as short term missionaries in Japan where her responsibilities included teaching English as a second language and leading a Bible study for English speaking Japanese women. Along with her husband and daughter Lexi, she spent seven weeks in Albania during the summer of 2010, again teaching English as a second language and leading a Bible study for Albanian women. She hopes to return to Albania next summer. Laura is now in her 15th year of teaching kindergarten. When not teaching or spending time with her family, she enjoys reading the works of great theologians as well as historical fiction and mysteries.

Stefanie Litton

1st Grade

Stefanie Litton received her B.A. (cum laude) in Early Childhood Education in 2010 from Covenant College on Lookout Mountain, Georgia. Stefanie got married in May, 2010 to her husband, Adam. This is her second year at ACCA. She has enjoyed spending time with children for as long as she can remember through babysitting, tutoring, teaching, mission trips, and Vacation Bible School. She is so excited to teach and train young children to become disciples of Christ by serving Him daily through learning and interacting with others. Her interests outside of teaching and being with children are reading, traveling, basketball, swimming, and playing games.

Christina Barbulescu

1st Grade

Christina comes to ACCA with a tremendous enthusiasm for learning and a particular love of classical Christian education. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from Auburn University. Auburn Alabama is also Christina's hometown. There, she met her husband Horatiu. Because of Horatiu, half of Christina's family is in Romania. Christina speaks the language and has a great love for that culture. God has blessed the Barbulescu's with two children, Claudia (1st grade) and Patrick. In 2009, they were blessed again with a boy named Patrick. Christina feels blessed to have a job she loves, in which she can minister to others and lean on God as her daily teacher. She also enjoys teaching first grade Sunday school at First Baptist Atlanta. Her family loves museums of all kinds, art, spending time in state parks, and Classical music.

Donna Taylor

2nd Grade

Donna Taylor earned her BA in Elementary Education and Learning and Behavior Disorders from the University of Kentucky. She taught both special education and regular education classes in public school for 12 years. She stopped teaching when Josiah (13) was born and stayed home with him and Samuel (12) and Abigail (10) for several years. She began tutoring and teaching part-time when all her children were in school. She has a great love for classical education, and has seen the benefits of such an education in the lives of her own children. She loves spending time with family, reading, biking, hiking, coffee, and the Kentucky Wildcats.

Pam Grote

3rd Grade

Pam Grote is a 1977 graduate of Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL, with a B.A. in Modern Foreign Languages. She has taught in Christian schools in five states, beginning her career in NJ. After taking time out to raise a family and homeschool the children for two years, Pam returned to the classroom. Over the last 14 years, she has taught at every K-12 grade level. In 1997, Pam and Rich, her husband of 30 years, started a classical Christian school in Houston, where she chose and coordinated the curriculum and taught Latin, HS Language Arts, and K-1. Pam is excited to be at ACCA helping parents raise their children for God's glory so they may grow in the knowledge of His Word and His world. Pam and Rich have four children and three wonderful grandchildren.

Molly Harrington

4th Grade

Molly Harrington received her Bachelor's degree in Sociology and Masters of Teaching in Elementary Education from the University of Virginia. During college, she was first introduced to the classical model and quickly became a proponent of this philosophy of education. Molly has furthered her biblical training by studying theology at the International House of Prayer University in Kansas City, and she recently returned from Eastern Africa, where she taught at an international school established for the children of missionaries. Apart from work, Molly enjoys training for running races, reading, playing the cello, and concocting baked goods.

Michelle Williams

5th/6th Grade

Michelle is a graduate of Georgia State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History. After graduation, she worked at Dun and Bradstreet Software and ExecuTrain Corporation where she wrote curriculum used to teach adults how to use various software. From 1994 - 2000 Michelle was a stay at home mom. During this time, concerned with making the right choice of education for her children, she began to research teaching methodologies and discovered the classical Christian model. At this time God was preparing her to teach, and He called her into teaching soon after. She began teaching in 2000, and she has been a passionate member of the classical Christian movement ever since. She believes that learning is a lifelong pursuit, and teaching a variety of different grade levels and curriculum has truly given her an opportunity to learn and stretch. She has taught 2nd-6th grade, secondary school art and art history, and Omnibus II. She enjoys spending time with her husband, Mitch and children, Ethan (17), and Erin (15).

Brett Edwards

Dean of Students, Math & Science

Brett Edwards is in his fourth year at ACCA and is both the Dean of Students and teacher of 7th & 8th grade math and science. He received a B.S. in Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Religion at Reformed Theological Seminary. In his 11 years of teaching experience, he has taught almost every secondary level math course, Spanish, Geography, Computers and Physical Education. He lives in Marietta with his beautiful wife Katie and delightful 17 month old baby girl Lydia. Brett was attracted to the philosophy and methodology of education offered at ACCA and its emphasis on a classical Christian education. He currently attends Midway Presbyterian Church in Powder Springs where he teaches Sunday school. In his free time he enjoys reading, playing cornhole, and mentoring young men.

Melissa Hobson

Logic

Melissa Hobson earned her BA in Communication Studies from Mississippi State University in Starkville, MS and her MA in Communication and Culture from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Undergraduate and graduate research topics included animal rights messages in family entertainment and the problem of scapegoating in anti-sweatshop rhetoric. While at IU, Melissa taught undergraduate courses in Public Speaking and Interpersonal Communication. Melissa and husband David have been married for 13 years and have lived in Atlanta for 10. Daughter Avery (5) loves her preK class at ACCA, while son Liam (3) looks forward to going to school soon. David and Melissa are members of Smyrna Presbyterian Church (PCA). Melissa is an active member of her local YMCA, loves to garden, and "bleeds maroon and white" for her Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Helene Ranwez

Humanities & Latin

Born and raised in France, Helene Ranwez is a product of a classical French education with a strong English influence provided by her American mother, who was an English major. An avid reader, Helene continues to bring to the classroom fresh insights born of her wide reading interests. For the past 15 years, she has taught students of all ages in classical schools, from the 2nd grade through high school, where she taught English literature and composition as well as History and Rhetoric. She has taught French and Latin to elementary, middle school and high school students as well.

Kathryn Byrne

Art

Kathryn Byrne is a graduate of the University of Georgia where she received a Bachelor's of Fine Arts with a concentration in Painting and Printmaking. In college Kathryn served as a tutor for Kindergarten through 3rd grade Hispanic students in Athens' Oasis Catolico Santa Rafaela, an experience which spurred her interest in teaching. The Lord deepened her classroom experience immediately after graduation when He led Kathryn to work as a substitute teacher at Whitefield Academy's elementary school both as the lead teacher and assistant teacher in every elementary grade as well as Spanish and art classes. Kathryn believes that God equips the called and she desires for Him to use her as His servant to prayerfully instruct, guide and nurture her new Pre-K class. In her free time Kathryn enjoys painting, traveling, spending with her friends and family, volunteering with Buckhead Christian Ministries and exploring new culinary adventures. She is thrilled to be joining the ACCA family!

Danielle Lindeman

Music

Danielle Lindeman is a graduate of Kennesaw State University with a B.M. in Music Performance. She has been a private music instructor in the metro-Atlanta area since 2001. Currently, she teaches nearly 30 students flute or piano. She is also a member of the Flute Choir of Atlanta. Danielle is very excited to promote singing and music at ACCA! She has a deep desire to help mold children's minds and character to be more Christ-like. She will challenge and sharpen her students to have a yearning to learn. When Danielle is not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Mike, and lab, Champ.

Stacie Meilstrup

Physical Education

Stacie Meilstrup is from Chattanooga, TN and has lived in Smyrna for the past 14 years. She graduated from Lee University in Cleveland, TN were she received a BA in Physical Education (with an emphasis in Fitness and Wellness) and a minor in Religion. She was a scholarship athlete at Lee University, playing fastpitch softball. She has been a Personal Fitness Trainer for 16 years and loves helping people achieve their fitness goals. Stacie has been married to her husband, Russell for 13 years and they have two daughters, Hensley (7) and McClendon (4). Both girls attend ACCA and love it! She feels so blessed that God has led her to be both a parent and teacher at ACCA!