New Faculty and Staff 2021-2022

 

 

Brandy graduated this past May with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education. She lived in Pensacola for 14 years and then left to go to Mobile for college. This upcoming year will be my first full year of living within the Birmingham area. 

 

Interesting fact: I live for all things Disney and Marvel! 

 

Caroline is married to her wonderful husband Perry, and they have a black lab named Luna whom they adore! She received her degree in Elementary Education from The University of Alabama. They are from Hoover, and Caroline is excited to get to know her co-workers and students! 

 

Interesting Fact: I love to travel and have been to 11 different countries! 

 

Chandra is married to Alex Ryals (Briarwood class of 1992), and together they have 2 daughters, Abby and Alyssa.  Abby went to Briarwood K4-8th grade, and Alyssa went to Briarwood K4-6th grade. Chandra received her Bachelor's and Master's degree in Early Childhood Education from Auburn University. She has lived in Birmingham most of her life and worked at Briarwood North previously but moved to the Phoenix area 6 years. She is so happy to be moving home! 

 

Interesting Fact:  Chandra has baked macarons with a contestant from the Spring Baking Championship!

Margaret Anne has a yellow lab puppy named Rosie after Teddy "Rosie"velt. She received her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Auburn University and also has a Master’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of West Alabama. Margaret Anne grew up in Birmingham, Alabama and attended BCS. She is ecstatic to be back at her alma mater.  She is excited to get to share the Gospel with children and integrate Christ throughout their education.

 

Interesting Fact: Margaret Anne is very patriotic and loves America!  My classroom has a patriotic theme.

 

Emily got married in March to Joe Randall and together they have a 2-year-old chi-weenie named Rascal. She received her degree in Elementary Education from Auburn University. Emily grew up in Birmingham,AL and went to school at BCS K-12!

Interesting Fact: Emily was in the Auburn University Singers and works at Summer Show-Offs in the summers and is also an assistant to a wedding planner!

 

Erin has been married to her husband Stephen for 12 years. They have one son, Jackson, who is a rising BCS 6th grader, and their 14-year-old dog Moose. Erin has a Bachelor’s in Human Development and Family Studies from Auburn and a Master’s in Early Childhood Education Teaching and Learning from Liberty University. 

 

Interesting Fact:  Erin teaches English as a second language to students in China almost every early morning weekend and has done so for the last three years. 

Jennifer is married to Eddie Rich, her husband of 28 years, who is a real estate agent with ARC Realty. They have one son, Bryant Rich, who is going to be a junior at The University of Alabama majoring in finance. Jennifer graduated from The University of Alabama as well with a Master of Library and Information Studies and Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education, Language Arts. She planned and helped build the library at Riverchase Elementary School in Hoover and just recently retired from public school teaching. My teaching career spans 28 years, grades K-12 and two countries. 

 

Interesting Fact: Her first teaching job was English as a foreign language as a missionary in Moscow, Russia in 1992. Her oldest student was 80 and the youngest was 6. 

Emily has a Bachelors of Music Education and just graduated with a Masters of Music Education, both from Samford University. She’s originally from St. Petersburg, Florida and is a classically trained soprano and a performer with local opera companies, such as Opera Birmingham. 

 

Interesting Fact: Emily was accepted into a Young Artist program that takes place in Verona, Italy with an opera company called Opera Viva! The program was online this summer, but Emily will hopefully be able to travel to Verona next year! 

 

Simone is married to her husband of 25 years, Lucio, and they have one son, Lucio Jr. Simone has a Bachelor degree in Computer Systems (PUC/Brazil) and Master of Arts in Education from UAB. The Costa’s are from Belo Horizonte, Brazil! In 2005, her husband’s job relocated their family to Mexico. In 2007, the same company sent him to Alabama, and Simone did not speak English at that time. She started studying English at UAB and Samford University, and now she speaks three languages: Portuguese, Spanish, and English!

 

Interesting Fact: Simone has a pet bearded dragon named Beardy!

Lauren has a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Auburn University and is from Knoxville, Tennessee. While attending Auburn University, Lauren became friends with several Briarwood alumni. Growing up in a school similar to Briarwood, she loved getting to hear about their spiritual and academic experiences. After hearing such positive remarks about the Briarwood family, she began praying about applying for a teaching position. Lauren is excited that the Lord has graciously allowed me to join the BCS community. 

 

Interesting Fact: She is the second oldest of five kids.

Delaney is engaged to Max Kleiber. They met at Auburn University and will be married next June. She has a degree in Elementary Education from Auburn University and recently graduated this past May. Delaney is from Birmingham, AL and went to Briarwood K-12. 

Briarwood has meant so much to Delaney growing up...it is where she accepted Christ, found lifelong friends, and found a love for education.

 

Interesting Fact: My favorite restaurant in Birmingham is Chuy's! Yum! The creamy jalapeno dip is the best! 

Jennifer is married to Jason, and they have two children, Bill (6th grade) and Madison (4th grade) who have attended BCS since K4. They also have a cat named Pearl, a mini Australian Shepherd named Hondo, and a pug named Otis. Jennifer has a Bachelor’s in Marketing from Auburn and a Master in Education from UAB. She filled in for a 1st grade teacher’s maternity leave last year and will be back in 1st grade again this year!

 

Interesting Fact: Jennifer’s husband builds U.S. Embassies all over the world! They have lived in Aruba, Germany, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, China, and Morocco. 

Barrett is an alumni of BCS who was recently married to his wife Katherine. He spent two years with the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams organization as an Offensive Assistant/Quality Control Coach. He also served as an Offensive Football Analyst at Auburn University. During his tenure at Auburn as a player, he was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll for 4 consecutive years and served as a back-up quarterback to Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton.

 

Interesting Fact: Raisinets are his favorite movie theater snack!

Amelia is a graduate of Auburn University with a degree in Graphic Design. She was recently married to Hunter Harrison in April. She is a BCS alum and started working part-time at the elementary school last year in our after school program, the Lion’s Den. She is the daughter of Mrs. Jennifer Bandy, our Early Childhood Principal. 

 

Interesting Fact: Amelia loves to cook and create new recipes with her husband, Hunter!

 

Rachel and her husband Kristijan have four children, three of whom are new students at Briarwood this year: Molly Mae (K5), Ruby Kate (2nd), and Maksim (3rd), and future Lion Ace. Her two nephews Moses Caldwell (7th) and Richie Caldwell (3rd) are also BCS students! Rachel grew up in Glencoe, AL and graduated from UAB with Bachelor’s in Marketing and a Masters in Education.

 

Interesting Fact: Her husband Kristijan is from Macedonia!

 

Amy is grateful for the opportunity to continue her calling to teach at Briarwood after taking the last year off to stay home with her young daughters. This will be Amy’s thirteenth year as a teacher at the Lower School! She has been married to her husband, Andrew for twelve years and we have three beautiful daughters: Clara (7), Norah (3) and Hanna (1). It has been such a blessing for her children to attend Briarwood and become a part of the family she has loved to serve with. She is grateful to call Birmingham home, and has really enjoyed becoming involved in their urban community of Norwood. Amy attended Kansas State University for her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and earned her Master Degree from Troy University in Post-Secondary Education. 

 

Interesting Fact: Amy married her high school sweetheart! 

 

Ben Haindel - Director of Curriculum and Instruction 

Ben comes to BCS from Northlake Christian in Covington, LA. along with his wife Courtney and daughters Mary Evelyn (Mississippi College), Molly Mae (10th grade), and Campbell (6th grade), as well as his two dogs. He holds an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Southeastern Louisiana University and is excited to not only join the BCS Team, but to be a part of the BCS family. 

Interesting Fact: Mr. Haindel knows just about every word to every song in Hamilton, and he can answer just about any question with a quote from Hamilton. He is a huge LSU and New Orleans Saints fan! 

Pam Azar - Counselor (10th & 11th Grades) 

Many of you may recognize Pam from the time she served in our Junior High this past spring or you may have interacted with her as you had the wonderful opportunity to teach one of her kids. She and her husband Ken have had two children graduate from BCS (Ansley, class of 2019, and Hallie, class of 2021) and are excited to have their youngest, Ken, move up to Junior High this school year. Pam earned her Masters's in Counseling from UAB and is excited to serve the school community as a counselor. 

Interesting Fact: Though she is as girly as they come, Pam grew up jumping terraces on dirt bikes outside of Dothan, AL and still rides motorcycles on occasion. 

Madison Craft - Academic Support Instructor 

While most of you have had a chance to meet Madison as she served in our ASP program this past spring, she will be officially joining our team in the role of academic support instructor in the high school this year. Madison and her husband Ben have two sons Callen (3) and Jaxson (1). 

Major Accomplishment: Madison earned her Masters of Social Work from Samford University and when she graduated, she had a degree in one hand and a 5-month old baby in the other. 

Luke Miller - Faculty Member (ACT Prep & Career Prep) 

Though Luke is new to the BCS community, he has already been on the job for a month or so as he jumped right in and taught summer school. Luke knows the ACT like the back of his hand--he scored in the 99th percentile on it personally and has been helping students perform better on it for some time (including one student who increased her score by 7 points after taking a class with him!!)--so he is an excellent fit to lead our ACT Prep courses and is also looking forward to teaching Career Prep from a kingdom-minded perspective. Luke is pictured here with his lovely wife, Mary Kate. 

Interesting Fact: Luke has had the opportunity to travel to 24 different countries (though he says that number would be higher if it weren’t for the COVID pandemic).

Daniel Forester - History Department Faculty 

Daniel is no stranger to the Briarwood Community as he is not only an alumnus (Class of ‘08), but also the brother of our very own, Coach Matthew Forester. Daniel will be teaching U.S. and World History here at BCS and is excited to be a part of providing Christian education for future generations. He earned his BA in Social Sciences from the University of Montevallo and is currently pursuing his Masters in Social Science Education from the University of West Alabama. 

Interesting Fact: Daniel is a fourth-generation educator! 

Anne Hopkins - Math Department Faculty 

Anne and her husband Billy are already Briarwood parents (Hudson, 7; Beckett, 5; Baylor, 4) so it is a great joy to be able to welcome her to our campus as an esteemed colleague. She will be a valuable addition to our Math Department where she looks forward to establishing relationships with her students and helping them to become the person God created them to be. However, if you are a UGA or UA fan, watch out as she is a proud GA Tech and Auburn fan (her parents are graduates)! 

Recent Accomplishment: Anne recently passed her comprehensive Calculus exam at UNA where she is pursuing her Masters in Mathematics (to graduate Spring of ‘22). 

Amy Calvert - English Department Faculty 

Amy, along with her husband Jeff and daughters Kellyn and Avery, will be joining the Briarwood community after 25 years of teaching in the Jefferson Co. school system. Though she has loved her time in public education, Amy is excited to be at a place where she can share her faith through the calling God has placed on her life. She holds an MA in English from the University of Alabama and is an accomplished educator who we are blessed to have join us this year. 

Interesting Fact: Though she is an English teacher, her first academic love was history! 

Chris Neugent - Band Director 

Chris is coming to us from just down the road at Spain Park where he has served as the Band Director since 2011. While he is new to the BCS family, he has been a part of the Briarwood community for some time now as he assists in the music ministry at Briarwood Presbyterian Church. Chris and his wife Angie have seven children: Hampton, Emma, Brice, Eli, Bekah, Shepherd and John Stephen. Chris is National Board Certified in Music Education and is excited about the opportunity to teach music as worship through performance in band. 

Interesting Fact: As a teenager, Chris played the angel Gabriel in a musical that was a western take on the Nativity. His costume included custom-made chaps and vest, white cowboy boots with spurs and glittery gold zorro mask and cowboy hat.

Chris Brown - Assistant Band Director 

Chris, his wife Tiffany, and their boys Landon (8) and Carter (5) have called Birmingham home for the past seven years after moving here from Tennessee. Chris has been working with the band as the percussion coordinator for the past few years and will now serve as the Assistant Band Director. Chris has been a session and studio drummer for some time and will complete his undergraduate degree in music education from Jacksonville State this December. 

Interesting Fact: Chris is a big fan of key lime pie! If it tastes like key lime pie he will eat it; ice cream, pie, twizzlers... you name it. 

Hannah Shoop - English Department Faculty 

Hannah will be joining the ranks in our Junior High this fall where she will be teaching 8th grade English. She is from the Birmingham area and received her Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from UAB. She loves junior high students and chose to come to Briarwood because of our emphasis on student discipleship. 

Interesting Fact: Though she is originally from Birmingham, Hannah is coming to us all the way from Germany where she has been teaching in an international school for the past 2.5 years. 

Matthew Goodman - Bible Department Faculty 

Matthew and his wife Samantha, along with their three children, Stephen (7), Isaac (5) and Joanna (4), will be joining the Briarwood community this fall as he teaches 11th grade Bible. Matthew is a Birmingham native who is ordained in the Presbyterian Church in America, received his M.Div. from Covenant Seminary and has earned his M.Ed. in General Science from Samford University. Matthew is also an experienced soccer coach and will be bringing that experience to the Varsity Men’s Soccer team. 

Interesting Fact: Matthew loves to hike and you may run into him at Oak Mountain State Park, hiking and preparing a Bible lesson! 

Kenda Rigdon - Science Department Faculty 

Originally from Tampa, FL, we are excited to welcome Kenda to BCS where she will be teaching dual enrollment Biology. Kenda has her Ph.D. in Microbiology from UAB and is looking forward to working with a group of like-minded professionals and students who understand the value of viewing God’s creation through the light of His Word. Kenda has been married to her husband Brady for 17 years and they have three boys, Bryce, 14; Braden, 13; and Tanner, 9. 

Interesting Fact: While in graduate school, Kenda had the honor of meeting Dr. Jane Goodall, the famous female scientist who conducted field research in the 1960s by immersing herself in the habitat of the wild chimpanzees in the Gombe National Forest of Tanzania.

Matthew Pinkerton - World Language Department Faculty 

Though Matt is originally from Birmingham, he has only recently moved back after spending six years in eastern China. Considering his ability to speak the language, as well as his cultural experience, Matt will be teaching Mandarin Chinese. He has an undergraduate degree in finance and an M.B.A. from UAB and hopes to finish his Masters in Education this year, also from UAB. 

Interesting Fact: Matt makes a scene appearance in a film that is featured on Netflix….see if you can find him! 

Luann Causey 

Luann may be a familiar face to many of you as she has previously served at Briarwood helping to coach our volleyball team. After a two-year hiatus in Huntsville, AL, at Westminster Christian Academy, Luann will be serving as the Girl's Strength and Conditioning coach and will be an assistant volleyball coach at the high school. She and her husband, Tracey, have triplet daughters -- Emory, Ellison, and Lizzie -- who will be in the 8th grade. 

Interesting Fact: Luann remains the all-time assists leader for the Troy University Trojans volleyball team where she graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Physical Education and Health 

Hannah Josey - Science Department Faculty 

Hannah is a familiar face as she enters her second season as our varsity volleyball head coach. However, now she is also joining our teaching staff as she teaches health in the Junior High. Hannah came to Briarwood after serving at Edgewood Academy in Elmore, AL where she coached volleyball, leading her team to an AISA-AA state championship. She and her husband Michael have two dogs. 

Interesting Fact: Hannah once had a summer job driving an ice cream truck! 

Kyle Southall - Director of Sports Science and Performance & Science Department Faculty 

If you are a coach, odds are that you are already well acquainted with Kyle as he served as our athletic trainer this past year. Kyle’s role is increasing at Briarwood as he will now also serve our school community as the Director of Sports Science and Performance as well as teach anatomy and physiology. Kyle is originally from Ohio and is nearing completion of his dissertation as he pursues his PhD in rehabilitation sciences. He is married to his lovely wife Emily. 

Interesting Fact: Kyle is an avid fisherman and has a goal of fishing in all 50 states. He only has a few more to go as he has fished in 42 states and 7 countries thus far.

 

Position Change 

Brent Latta - Director of Counseling Services 

Brent has been a part of the BCS community for some time now as a parent and a staff member and now we are blessed to have her leading our counseling services department. She and her husband Michael have four children, Briggs (class of 2020), Bradford (11th grade), Watson (7th grade) and Wells (4th grade). Brent came to us from Samford University where she served as a Career Consultant and Freshman Advisor. 

Interesting Fact: She was once held hostage at a Shoney’s and spent the night in the freezer. If you ever want to hear a good story, ask her about it. 

Sara Wilson - Director of Student Life / Assistant Athletic Director 

While Sara has been around for some time, her role at BCS is changing as she will be joining the administrative team full-time as the Director of Student Life. Sara is excited to get to know more of the student body and to develop relationships with them through which she can point them to Jesus. Sara and her husband Matt have two children: Mia (9th grade) and Yates (6th grade). 

Interesting Fact: Sara once completed an olympic distance triathlon in a hurricane. 

Curtis Gossett - Science Department Faculty 

Most of you know Curtis as he has been here for a couple of years now, teaching sports statistics and coaching our fishing team to national and state championships, while also coaching volleyball in the Junior High. However, Curtis will also be teaching high school health this year. Curtis and his wife of 27 years, Laura, have one son, Ezekiel, who is a highly decorated angler and a graduate of Jacksonville State. 

Interesting Fact: Curtis is quite the decorated angler and coach having led teams to 5 Alabama State Championships, 1 Southeastern Championship, 2 National Championships and coached 3 All-Americans-all in Bass Fishing. He is our resident fish whisperer. 

Chelle Godbehere - 9th Grade Counselor 

While Chelle and her husband Rick have been a part of the BCS community for some time now, first as parents (Ross - Class of 2019, Anna - 12th grade, and Greyce - 10th grade) and then as an administrative member of the Counseling Department, Chelle will now also be serving as our 9th-grade counselor. Chelle has her M.A. in Counseling and Psychology from Troy University and is excited about helping 9th-grade students get set on a path to success both academically and spiritually. 

Interesting Fact: Chelle’s last name is indeed real, though she gets asked about it all the time.