Daniel earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and comparative world literature with honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After graduating early, he continued his education at UIUC to earn his master’s degree in secondary education with a 4.0 GPA and certification to teach social studies and English. Daniel has experience teaching in three different high schools from his graduate education program, and most recently taught high school history classes virtually. During the past three years at university, he also worked as a volunteer mentor for students with learning differences and as a K-12 summer reading teacher and mentor.

Daniel loves playing board games and video games with his friends, family, and girlfriend. He also enjoys spending his free time reading everything from young adult romance novels to the latest scientific journal on ancient human migration patterns.

Kari has a BA in Liberal Arts and has completed several teaching credential courses. She worked as a private tutor for middle school and high school students and as an interventionist/reading instructor at the primary levels. In her free time, Kari volunteers at her local women’s shelter, working with children to catch them back up to grade-level expectations.

Kari is a mom to two boys in primary school and recently relocated her family from Southern California to the foothills of the Sequoia National Forest. In her first week of living there, Kari was chased by a wild boar and an escaped cow from nearby ranches. She now enjoys utilizing her treadmill in the comfort of her wild-life-free home.

Peter works with students exploring literature and developing their writing skills. He received his bachelor’s degree in English from Amherst College. Peter received a master’s degree in education from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education with a focus in curriculum and instruction. He taught middle school for his first five years of teaching and spent fifteen years at The John Cooper School in The Woodlands, Texas. Peter serves as the chair of the Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literature Magazines Committee at the National Council of Teachers of English as well as being one of the Poetry Editors of English Journal, NCTE’s scholarly publication for secondary education.

He is a voracious reader, an occasional dungeon master, and the experimental cook in his household which includes his wife and two children.

Nancy comes to FGA from Fusion San Mateo where she taught English, History, and a variety of social/emotional support classes. At Fusion San Mateo, she was the Learning Specialist and Special Ed lead. Nancy has a M.A. in Communications and undergraduate degrees in English and Speech. Nancy is a new resident of Seattle and is enjoying getting to know the Pacific Northwest.

Her leisure time includes gardening, reading, exploring natural areas and playing with her beloved cat Jamie. Some little-known facts about Nancy: she is a former private pilot and motorcyclist and she loves to fish.

Melissa Spretz attended TCU in Fort Worth, Texas before transferring to the University of Houston, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. In 2006, she obtained her initial teaching certification from the state of Texas in English Language Arts and Reading at the high school level, and in the intervening years, she has also become certified in middle school ELA, English as a Second Language, and Special Education. Since becoming an educator fifteen years ago, she has worked with secondary students of all levels, including Pre-AP, dyslexia, ESL, credit recovery, inclusion, and resource. She treats every student as if he or she was her own.

When she is not teaching, Melissa enjoys reading, writing, watching documentaries, and spending time with her very, very large extended family, over thirty of whom have been, currently are, or will soon be, educators. Her goal is to inspire all her students to recognize their own self-worth and let nothing stand in the way of their dreams.

Sophia offers students guidance as a teacher in the Electives department. She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Central Florida, where she made the President’s Honor Roll four times and Dean’s list two times. She is part of the Golden Key Society, The National Society of Leadership and Success, and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. In the years 2016-2018 she spent a lot of her time volunteering in her small-town library, reading to kids and sometimes helping with their homework. In 2018, she and her sister founded the Bee Butterfly Foundation to help nature, people and the world’s pollinators.

Sophia enjoys reading, traveling, documentaries and being outside. She is fluent in both English and Portuguese. She is currently trying to improve her German and Spanish.