Amanda Reeves

Lower School Academic Dean [email protected]

Amanda Reeves has a BA in Greek and Latin from Stanford University, where she received recognition in her department for both her enthusiasm for the classical world as well as her excellence in scholarship. In her 10+ years as an educator, she has fiercely held to the belief that every student can fall in love with Latin and has celebrated each of the many times it has happened in her classroom. As Dean of the Lower School at Scholé, she supports teachers as they develop classrooms and curricula to help Scholé’s youngest students cultivate a love of learning in their pursuit of restful classical education. Having learned Latin online as a homeschooled student, Amanda is passionate about distance learning and enjoys integrating traditional grammar and translation methods with spoken Latin to produce the best educational experience for her students. When she is not traveling the world, she can be found in New Haven, Connecticut, waxing poetic about the Parthenon Marbles and Stanford football, always with a strong cup of coffee in hand.

Amy Morgan

Chair of the Writing Department [email protected]

Amy Morgan, Scholé Academy’s Writing & Rhetoric Department chair, earned her BA in liberal arts at St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, and continued her education with an MA in TESOL/applied linguistics at Indiana University in Bloomington. For over 18 years, Amy has taught English to speakers of other languages in the university, community, and private tutoring contexts. Additionally, Amy educated her own two children at home in grades PreK–8. When Amy’s not teaching, you might find her serving families who care for children in vulnerable circumstances, hosting international guests, reading aloud with her family or smiling at the antics of her backyard chickens.

Ash White

Lead Teacher for the Logic and Rhetoric Department [email protected]

Ash White, Lead Logic/Rhetoric Instructor, holds a BA in English and Theatre from Mary Baldwin University, and has taught literature, writing, and logic at the middle and secondary level almost twenty years. Ms. White is passionate about classical education and homeschooling. She and her husband Jon live in the Pittsburgh area, and both are voracious lovers of books and music. If you visit their home, you’ll find it difficult to determine which collection is largest: books or vinyl records!​

Eddie Kotynski

Chair of the Latin Department [email protected]

Edward Kotynski, Chair of Latin Department, grew up as a missionary kid in Indonesia, where his parents were Bible translators. He attributes his love of languages partly to his parents’ work and his childhood experience. He received his BA in ancient languages from Wheaton College in Illinois in 2004, and his MA in classical languages from Vanderbilt University in Tennessee in 2007. Mr. Kotynski has been teaching Latin and Greek for the last fifteen years, mostly at classical Christian schools. He loves sharing his passion for the ancient languages with his students, weaving in historical context and modern connections. He has edited two volumes of Latin Alive! for Classical Academic Press and has also been working on their Greek for Children series with Erin Valdez. He is very excited to be continuing with Scholé Academy this year. Besides Latin and Greek, Mr. Kotynski drinks coffee, loves reading, helps homeschool his kids, and plays board games. He lives with his wife, six children, and two cats, enjoying the craziness of life together.

Fransell Riley

Chair of the Math Department [email protected]

Dr. Fransell Riley, Chair of Math Department spent most of her career working as a quantitative analyst. She earned her PhD in mathematics from the University of Texas at Arlington with every intention of remaining in corporate America. Though she enjoyed her work, she ultimately responded to an internal call to pursue a passion for educating students, including her own children. Fransell has taught math and science to students of all ages from elementary school to college. While teaching, she noticed that her natural teaching style aligned almost perfectly with the concepts of classical education. She takes a holistic approach to teaching and involves her students in discussions aimed at developing a deeper understanding of the concept being taught with the desire that student learning extend beyond memorizing algorithms. Fransell has a passion for mathematics and seeks to share that passion with the next generation. Beyond math, Fransell enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 sons. They are all athletes and nature lovers; they enjoy participating in sports, hiking, exploring nature, and traveling. When they aren’t enjoying God’s creation, you can find them indoors reading or watching reruns from the Star Trek series.

Monika Minehart

Chair of the Aquinas House of Studies [email protected]

Monika Minehart, Chair of Aquinas House of Studies, a military spouse and mother of four, has been working in Catholic Religious Education for over 15 years. She has instructed children and adults as a Director of Religious Education, Youth Minister, and Faith Formation Facilitator. She earned her B.A. in English and Early Christian Studies from The University of Michigan and her M.A. in Divinity from The University of Chicago with a focus in Biblical Studies and Koine Greek. In addition to being a homemaker and homeschooling mother, Monika enjoys reading, weightlifting, and listening to a variety of uplifting music especially Danielle Rose, The Vigil Project, and the Hillbilly Thomists.

Phaedra Shaltanis

Chair of the History and Literature Department [email protected]

Phaedra Shaltanis, Chair of the Humanities Department, has taught in private and classical schools for over 25 years and has educated her four children in the classical tradition, which has been the monumental joy of her life. After college graduation, she began teaching high school Writing, Literature, Spanish, and Art in classical schools. Her involvement with Scholé Academy includes teaching American Literature, British Literature, Western History, Rhetoric I, Formal Logic and Well-Ordered Language Levels 1 and 2. She is enthused to serve as the Humanities department chair and appreciates guiding parents and teachers toward restful education. In her Dallas community, she currently directs a high school university-model program, trains and mentors teachers, conducts seminars on classical education, builds curriculum, supports parents, and provides fine art instruction at a classical high school. She and her husband hope to support classical education as avenues present themselves.

Rhea Bright

Chair of the Canterbury House of Studies [email protected]

Rhea Bright, Chair of The Canterbury House of Studies, holds a B.A. from the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and an M.A. in Classics from Dalhousie University, also in Halifax. Her Classical studies involved Latin and Greek, as well as classical and medieval literature, philosophy and theology. King’s Foundation Year Program, an early integrated great books curriculum, and the Dalhousie Classics department formed and nurtured what became a life-long love of the classics and a deep appreciation of the contribution of the ancient world to whatsoever is good and true and beautiful. She also has a Bachelor of Education from Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S. Rhea taught Ancient and Medieval Humanities at the University of Central Oklahoma for nine years, and over the course of ten years at Providence Hall and The Academy of Classical Christian Studies, she taught Latin, Logic, Bible, and integrated ancient literature and history. Rhea is married to Father Patrick Bright, an ordained Anglican priest who served for over 24 years at All Souls’ Episcopal Church in Oklahoma City and recently retired from full-time ministry. Together they raised five sons, now grown. They now live in a 170-year-old house in rural Nova Scotia.