WESTMINSTER CHRISTIAN ACADEMY - Key Persons

Alyssa Knight

Job Titles:

Member of the Leadership Team
High School Academic Lead

Amy Collier

Job Titles:

Member of the Leadership Team
Middle School Academic Lead

Calli Tanielu, a junior named to 4A State All-Tournament Team and AL.com's Huntsville All-Region Volleyball Team, said while winning the state championship was amazing, it was the game before it that she will always remember. "I really do believe that is the hardest we have ever played," Tanielu said. "We never gave up on each other or on the game in general. But my favorite part was after the game. When we won, we all ran to our fantastic student section that traveled all that way to cheer us on. We got to celebrate with them, and it was so surreal and pure. Our whole school was there watching and cheering and never gave up on us."

Carey Vankirk

Job Titles:

Member of the Leadership Team
Lower School Director of Curriculum and Instruction

Davelle King

Job Titles:

Member of the Leadership Team
College and Career Advisor

Debra Killen

Job Titles:

Member of the Leadership Team
Director of Technology and Academic Coach

Dick Spybey

Job Titles:

Director of Development
Member of the Leadership Team
Interim Head of School

Erica Hammond

Job Titles:

Director of Admissions
Member of the Leadership Team

Holly Richards

Job Titles:

Coach

Isabella Payne

Isabella Payne, class of 2021, is attending Mississippi State University where she is majoring in Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture with a concentration in Wildlife Veterinary Medicine. Isabella received one of only 30 early entry slots into the Mississippi State College of Veterinary Medicine, and she recently learned she will be entering Vet School in the summer of 2023. Isabella is already making a name for herself on the MSU campus. She and MSU Junior Maya Harlow have co-founded a club called "Puppies with a Purpose." Club members advocate for and raise service dogs. When asked how she came to start this program at MSU, Isabella said, "When I was touring colleges, I visited the University of Georgia. They have a lot of these puppies. I thought if I went to UGA, I wanted to be involved in this program, but I ended up at MSU, so I decided to help start a program here." Isabella's group meets once a month, and they have different levels of membership. General membership is for those who want to learn more about service dogs. Puppy Campers, the second level, take the puppies for anywhere from a few hours to a few days when the primary caregiver is unable to keep the puppy with them. For instance, Isabella cannot take her current puppy, Heidi, to labs for safety reasons. The third level is Puppy Raisers. Isabella and Maya decided to make raising a puppy in pairs a requirement for their club so nobody has one puppy all the time. They can trade off and take turns training and taking care of the puppy. "This works really well with our busy college schedule," she said. The faculty and staff at MSU have responded very positively to their program. "I started bringing Heidi to the classroom when she was about 9 weeks old," Isabella said. "She did get fidgety when she was little, but I would bring toys with me and she would entertain herself. Now that she is older, she will tuck under the seat and sleep or play with her toys. I've been very fortunate that MSU has been very cooperative and willing to let me bring her to classes and lectures." Isabella has some advice for Westminster students. "I took a lot of AP classes and that really prepared me. It helped me get ahead credit wise. I already have enough credits to be classified as a sophomore," she said. She also added that taking AP classes gave her the background she needed to be successful in her classes. She added, "Learn how to manage your time while you are at WCA while it is easier than when you are totally on your own. It is important to learn how to prioritize your well-being and your mental health." Isabella offered this final advice, "Learning how to balance everything before you go to college helps a lot. You aren't as stressed as everybody else because you already know how to balance all those things."