Our faculty and staff are talented and gifted individuals who are dedicated followers of Christ specifically called to fulfill the mission of Oasis Christian Academy. The OCA faculty and staff are spiritually mature believers called to serve and equipped by God with hearts for furnishing instruction to and cultivating the hearts of our students in order to best prepare them to impact the world for Christ upon leaving OCA.
Our faculty bring a wealth of expertise and educational knowledge to our academy. In addition to maintaining educational certification with ACSI, 100% of our faculty have a bachelor's degree, 20% of our faculty have a master’s degree, nearly 75% have been teaching for 5 years or more, with over 50% of those teachers teaching for 10 years or more.
"…but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher." - Luke 6:40 (NIV)
Early Education
OCA offers a half-day, five day a week Early Education preschool program for three-year-olds & a program for four-year-olds through VPK. Our goal is to nurture and encourage every child's positive self-image in an atmosphere of love and caring by focusing on essential childhood developmental areas through a domain-based environment. This practice, encompassed in a Christian setting, provides the backdrop for an early education curriculum that offers opportunities for each child to grow in the awareness of the love of God as we partner with parents. Our fully accredited preschool program offers a low student to teacher ratio and small classes where children can explore, develop, and interact with other children in a fun, structured setting.
Angela Moates
Early Education Instructor
Angela teaches our littlest students, and her room is cheery and full of fun. Her love for her students is evident, and her calm and patient demeanor is perfect for our 4-year olds.
Tiffany Collier
Early Education Instructor
This is Tiffany's second year with us, and she is so important to our mission. Her passion for early education allows us to continue to expand our EE program, and share God's love with our students.
Melissa Heburn
VPK Instructor
This is Melissa's first year with us, and we are excited to have her with us! Her passion for teaching is evident in her love and care for our littlest lions.
Angie Phillips
EE Daycare & Aftercare Aide
We are excited to welcome Angie back to OCA, and are excited to provide more information on her soon!
Elementary
Our elementary school program anticipates big changes in the lives of our "cubs." Our students come to Kindergarten inexperienced, but with limitless potential. Later, when they graduate from fifth grade, our goal is to produce more self-sufficient adolescents capable of navigating middle school. During these formative years at OCA, we want to partner with parents to further the development of these students spiritually, intellectually, physically, emotionally, and socially as they begin to discover who the Lord wants them to be.
Samantha Wilson
Kindergarten Instructor
This is Samantha's eigth year with OCA and her seventh year in Kindergarten after teaching 4th grade for us previously. Her quiet and gentle spirit provides an atmosphere where our kindergartners can learn in a stress- free environment. Her classroom is relaxed, yet structured.
Tonya Smith
Kindergarten Instructor
Tonya brings enthusiasm and energy to an environment where young minds can respond in kind. Kindergarteners are active and curious; Mrs. Smith responds with structure and substance that allows our students to explore in an organized environment.
- B.S. Elementary Education (Warner Southern University)
- ACSI Certified
- 16 years of teaching experience
- 15 years at OCA
- Classroom wishlist
Danielle Grimes
1st Grade Instructor
This is Danielle's 2nd year at OCA. Her classroom is an exciting place, with hands-on experiences and challenging lessons. Danielle encourages our 1st graders to work to their full potential through a variety of teaching strategies. We are blessed to have her at OCA!
RaQuel Love
1st Grade Instructor
This is RaQuel's 2nd year at OCA. She is a dedicated and enthusiastic teacher and her 1st graders are encouraged to reach their full potential through a variety of teaching methods and approaches. We are so glad to have her as a part of OCA!
Kaitlyn Perry
2nd Grade Instructor
This is Kaityln's 1st year with us, and we are so excited to have her here with us! Her passion for her students and joy of teaching is evident in her classroom.
Sujette Lunsford
2nd Grade Instructor
This is Sujette's second year at OCA. With her calm teaching style, she has created a beautiful classroom environment that is encouraging and adaptive to the varied needs of students. Our second-graders are blessed to have her!
Stacey Clark
3rd Grade Instructor
Stacey's meticulous attention to her classroom environment and lessons allows for a seamless flow in an already vibrant educational environment. Her genuine desire to see all her students succeed is evident in her accepting and supportive manner. Stacey's classroom is as exciting as it is varied.
- B.S. Elementary Education (Brenau University)
- ACSI Certified
- 24 years of teaching experience
- 14 years at OCA
- 2015 Commitment to Excellence Award recipient
- 2019 Commitment to Excellence Award recipient
- Classroom wishlist
Terri Price
4th Grade Instructor
This is Terri's 4th year at OCA. Her dedication to her students and the encouragement she shows them ensures they reach their full potential as they strive for excellence in 4th grade.
Kasie Fritz
4th Grade Instructor
We are excited to have Kasie join us and will have more information soon!
Claire Madrigal
5th Grade Instructor/ HS Yearbook
This is Claire's 5th year with us, and we are thrilled to have her teaching in our 5th-grade class, along with HS yearbook. Her classroom is exciting, varied, and full of activity.
Nicole Mascioli
Elementary Music Instructor/ Fine Arts Assistant
Nicole has a multifaceted background in Fine Arts. She has been leading and assisting in drama classes, stage managing, directing, music directing, and choreography for over 15 years. She also holds a certification in early childhood education and loves her work at the preschool as well.
Joel Zaila
Elementary PE Instructor
Joel is fantastic at being flexible with the many dynamics of being a PE teacher to so many different grades. He graduated from Warner in 2021 with a BA in Biblical Studies. We are thrilled to have him join our elementary division this year!
Secondary
The years students spend in the secondary division is a pivotal time in their lives. This period of life is full of significant changes as they transition from children to young adults focusing on preparing for adulthood. We at OCA want to guide our students through these years as smoothly as possible; we deeply desire to partner with parents to undertake this walk together. The process that begins in middle school culminates at graduation, with our students stepping out into the world as well-adjusted individuals prepared to live the life to which the Lord calls them.
Jennfier Ayala
High School English
We are excited to welcome Jennifer back to OCA, and will provide more information on her soon!
Edward Chen
Secondary Math
Edward is dedicated to teaching students how to calculate and how to increase their understanding of mathematical principles that God created. We are so thankful to have him with us.
Michael Gorman
Secondary Science & Algebra II
This is Michael's second year with us. He spent time recently as a Bioscience Intern supporting multiple programs of new medicine research. We are thrilled to have him here at OCA!
Andrea Lloyd
Middle School English Teacher
Shirley Ortiz
Secondary Spanish Instructor
This is Shirleyi's first year with us and we are excited to provide more information on her soon!
Lorie Ovitt
Secondary PE
This is Lorie's first year with us and we are excited to provide more information on her soon!
John Prescott
Middle School Math
This is John's first year at OCA, and we are excited to provide more information on him soon!
Matt Zurowski
Secondary Bible/ 12th Govt. & Econ/ Financial Algebra Instructor
This is Matt's third year with us, and we are thrilled to have him as part of our high school teaching division. His classes are exciting and varied as he dives deep into the Word of God with our students.
Support Staff
Our support staff is invaluable to the Academy. We couldn't do what we do, or be who we are without them.
Melissa Carr
Curriculum Coordinator/ Guidance Adviser
Melissa's love for the classroom is reflected in her dedication to and her desire for students to succeed. This is evident in the way she is continually exploring new avenues of education; we are so excited to have her as our Guidance Adviser beginning this year!
Juan Colòn
Custodial
This is Mr. Juan's 5th year at OCA, and we love having him with us. He devotes his time and energy to making sure that we have a spotless environment for educating. He does a wonderful job!
Judy Garrell
EE Reception
This is Judy's first year with us and we are excited to provide more information on her soon!
Joey Mascioli
Fine Arts Assistant
This is Jaci's first year with us and we are excited to provide more information on her soon!
Amity McGee
Custodial
Amity is an integral part of OCA. She is always on-hand and ready and willing to help with anything that needs to be done on campus. She spent fifteen years in law enforcement before coming to OCA in 2013, and we value her experience.
- Criminology Certification (Polk State College)
- B.S. Criminal Justice- (Polk State College- pursuing)
- CPR Certified
- First Responder Certification
- Hostage Negotiation Certification
- 11 years at OCA
- 2015 Power of One Award recipient
- 2019 Life Saver Award recipient
- 2022 Life Saver Award recipient
- 2023 Commitment to Excellence Award recipient
Whitney Muniz
Assistant Office Manager/ Admissions Coordinator
This is Whitney's fourth year and she is critical to the organization of OCA. She fills our much-valued Assistant Office Manager role keeping everything organized.
Martha O'Quinn
Reception
Martha serves at the front desk as our primary receptionist; before coming to OCA, Martha worked as a Deputy Clerk for Polk County for 38 years. She also serves as our informal decor coordinator. She is always quick to decorate to celebrate an employee's special day or remind us all of the upcoming events by decorating her front desk.
Kendra Zurowksi
Lunchroom Aide
This is Kendra's 1st year with us, and we are excited to have her as part of our staff team! Her organizational skills and operational experience are vital to maintaining our lunchroom and after-care programs, and the tenderness and compassion she has for our students is evident in her daily interactions.