Our staff are more than just teachers, they are Christian mentors and role models. Our staff is highly educated and well-rounded, bringing diverse expertise and a passion for teaching.

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Administration

Our Team

Pastor Dave Nichols
Administrator

Pastor Chad Martin
Academic Dean

Mr. Travis Hartsfield
Secondary Principal

Miss Rebekah Hanks
Elementary Principal

  • Mr. Travis Hartsfield Raised in Bailey, NC, Mr. Travis Hartsfield received his B.S. in Education from Bob Jones University and his M.S. in Educational Administration from Pensacola Christian College. Over the years, he has served in various positions in Christian education including teaching, coaching, athletic director, principal, and administrator. He is currently our Secondary Principal.

  • Miss Rebekah Hanks comes to us with 24 years of experience from the icy northern state of Minnesota. Miss Hanks has earned degrees in education from Crown College and Maranatha Baptist University and is the Elementary Principal and ATC English Teacher.

  • Pastor Chad Martin was raised in Wichita, Kansas. He attended Pensacola Christian College where he received a Pastoral B.S. and a Master’s in Educational Leadership. Prior to his position as Secondary Principal at LOLCS he spent several years as both Athletic Director and teacher at a school in Baltimore, Maryland and one year as the Principal of a Christian school in Grand Cayman.

  • Pastor Nichols joined the staff at First Baptist Church in 2005 as the Administrative Pastor. His responsibilities include the business aspects of the church as well as serving as the Administrator of Land O’ Lakes Christian School. Pastor Nichols has been in pastoral and educational ministries since 1989. He has graduate degrees in Bible and Education from Pensacola Christian College and Bob Jones University.

Office

Krista Mengel
HR/Finance

Jamie Becker
Financial Coordinator

Erica Wallace
Registrar/Manager

Celinda Hartsfield
Receptionist

Yolanda Cecere
Administrative Assistant

  • Mrs. Yolanda Cecere was born and raised in Bothaville, South Africa. She immigrated to the USA with her family at the age of 18. Mrs. Cecere graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in Bible and Christian Counseling. Before joining LOLCS staff, Mrs. Cecere worked as a website/graphic designer and database administrator. Mrs. Cecere and her husband have two girls that attend LOLCS.

  • Mrs. Jamie Becker grew up in Michigan and was saved at an early age. She attended Michigan State University where she received her BS in Finance. She worked several years as a bookkeeper, church secretary, and coach in Michigan until her family moved to Land O’ Lakes in 2015. She then joined LOLCS’s athletic department as the JV girls volleyball and basketball coach. In 2018 she came on as support staff in the billing department.

  • Mrs. Krista Mengel was born and raised in Bushnell, Florida. She trusted in Christ as her Savior at the age of 11 in her church, First Baptist Church of Bushnell. Mrs. Mengel received her AA degree from Lake Sumter Community College and her BA in Business Administration from the University of South Florida. She began teaching at Land O’ Lakes Christian School in 2011 and serves as the school and church bookkeeper.

  • Mrs. Celinda Hartsfield was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. She graduated from college in 2004 with her Nursing degree and has been working in Christian ministry since 2008. She has taught in multiple grade levels and has assisted in a variety of areas in administration. Mrs. Hartsfield and her husband, Mr. Travis Hartsfield, joined the staff at LOLCS in 2023. Together they have two daughters and two sons.

  • Mrs. Erica Wallace was born and raised in Tampa, Florida, where she attended a Christian elementary school and trusted Christ as her Savior in kindergarten. She received her AA degree from Hillsborough College. She joined the LOLCS staff in 2018 and serves as both the school Registrar and Office Manager. Mrs. Wallace and her husband have two sons, both of whom have attended LOLCS.

Pre-School (K3 through K5)

Mindy Newsome
K3 Teacher

Heather Mason
K4 Teacher

  • Mrs. Mindy Newsome and her husband, Tim, retired from the Army in 2015 after 30 years of service, and in 2016, she joined the staff of Land O’ Lakes Christian School. Mrs. Newsome served as part of the administrative office before she moved to the K3 classroom as the lead teacher. Mrs. Newsome and her husband have one son, Chance, who graduated from LOLCS.

  • Mrs. Heather Mason was born and raised in Ohio. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Pensacola Christian College. After teaching in Connecticut for several years, she moved to Florida to be near family. Mrs. Mason and her husband, Joe, have two daughters and a son. Prior to teaching at LOLCS, Mrs. Mason taught 2nd grade at Shores Christian Academy and 1st grade at Hillsdale Christian Academy.

Chloe Carpenter
K4, Volleyball Coach

Ashlee Smith
K5 Teacher

  • Miss Chloe Carpenter grew up in Michigan and moved to Florida with her family in 2022. After graduating from Appalachian Bible college in 2025, she came to LOLCS where she teaches K4 and K5. Miss Carpenter also coaches JV girls volleyball.

  • Mrs. Ashlee Smith has her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, MO. Mrs. Smith has taught for 8 years in private education, 2 years in public education and homeschooled her children for 3 years. She just moved here from Kansas City, MO.  This will be her first year at LOLCS. She is very excited to be a part of the staff and get to know everyone. She has two children who will be attending LOLCS. 

Laura McLeod
K5 Teacher

  • Mrs. Laura McLeod was born and raised in Clearwater, Florida. She earned her Master’s degree in Education from the University of Florida and also holds a Certificate in Dyslexia. Mrs. McLeod has taught Kindergarten and First Grade in Pinellas County for 19 years. Mrs. McLeod and her husband recently moved to Land O’ Lakes and are excited to be part of First Baptist of Land O Lakes.  

Elementary (1st through 6th grade)

Christy Hoynoski
1st Grade

Jovaneli Lagares
1st Grade

  • Mrs. Christy Hoynoski was born in Danville, Kentucky. She grew up in a Christian home and trusted Christ as her Savior at the age of 12. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Eastern Kentucky University. After graduating college, she met her husband, Cris. They married in 1996 and moved to FL shortly afterwards. They have two children that are LOLCS graduates.

  • Miss Jovaneli Lagares was born in Connecticut and moved to Florida when she was 5 years old. She grew up in a Christian home and attended Florida Baptist College where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education. She has taught Kindergarten for the past several years and has also helped in afterschool programs. Miss Lagares joined LOLCS in 2022 as one of our first grade teachers.

Lisa Carmack
2nd Grade

Holly Hill
2nd Grade

  • Mrs. Carmack was born and raised in Miami, Florida. She graduated from the University of South Florida with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. Mrs. Carmack has taught kindergarten and first grade for seven years. She has been on staff at LOLCS since August 2025 and teaches second grade. She loves teaching in the classroom and making a difference in students’ lives.

Joanne Branham
3rd Grade

Olga Lupescu
3rd Grade

Quiana Ferguson
4th Grade

Bethany Johnson
4th Grade

  • Miss Quiana Ferguson was born and raised in Tampa, FL. She graduated from Pensacola Christian College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education. Miss Ferguson joined the staff at LOLCS in 2019. She has taught both 4th and 5th grades as well as Yearbook in our secondary program.

Joe Castellano
5th Grade, Soccer/Golf Coach

  • Mrs. Gloria Harmon has over 15 years of experience in education and is passionate about helping students grow spiritually and academically. She earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Education from Florida International University and is excited to join the faculty at Land O’ Lakes Christian School. LOLCS holds a special place in her heart because her son, Carlos, attended the school and was greatly impacted by its Christ-centered environment and dedicated teachers. 

    In her free time, Mrs. Harmon enjoys reading, studying God's Word through Bible Study Fellowship, walking her dogs, and spending time with her family.

  • Mr. Joe Castellano is originally from New Jersey. He moved to Florida to attend and graduate from the University of South Florida. In his free time he likes to play golf, bowl, coach youth sports and spend quality time with my wife and son.

Gloria Harmon
5th Grade

Pierce Carpenter
6th Grade, Basketball Coach

Terry Swanson
6th Grade, Future Educators of America

  • Mr. Pierce Carpenter is originally from Flint, Michigan. He is a graduate of Bob Jones University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. Mr. Carpenter teaches sixth grade and also serves as the Varsity Boys Basketball coach. He enjoys working with students both in the classroom and on the court.

  • Mrs. Teri Swanson was born and raised in Indiana. She earned her degrees in Bible and Education at Pillsbury Baptist Bible College in Minnesota. She has been teaching for over 30 years. Mrs. Swanson and her husband, Mr. Chuck Swanson, joined the staff at LOLCS in 2020.

Sarah Peterson
Elem. Music, Choir

Amy Shumate
Elem. Computer, K3

Stacy Ironside
Elementary Art

Pam Kravitz
Library

  • Mrs. Pam Kravitz earned her degree in English Education from Bob Jones University. She has taught English and reading in previous years, but is currently our school librarian. She and Pastor Kravitz have three boys, all of whom graduated from LOLCS.

  • Mrs. Olga Lupescu was born and raised in Ukraine and emigrated to the United States in 1998. She has over 20 years of teaching experience in Christian schools in both Missouri and Florida.

  • Mrs. Joanne Branham is originally from Massachusetts and went to college in Ohio. She taught 2nd and 3rd grade in New York and 5th grade in Florida. She has been married for over 30 years and has three adult children.

  • Miss Sarah Peterson graduated from Clearwater Christian College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education with proficiency in both cello and piano. She has been teaching music at Christian schools in Florida, Hawaii, and California since 2007. She currently teaches handbells, elementary general music classes, preschool music, and provides private lessons (strings, piano).

Secondary Teachers (7th through 12th grade)

Susie Alemán
Spanish, Personal Finance

  • Mr. Joel Anderson graduated from Land O' Lakes Christian School in 2022. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Secondary Education from Palm Beach Atlantic University in 2026. Mr. Anderson returned to LOLCS to teach middle and high school mathematics. 

  • Mrs. Susie Alemán was born in Havana, Cuba. She received her B.A. in Finance from the University of South Florida. She trusted in Christ at 23 years old during her mother’s baptismal service. Mrs. Alemán has two sons, Andrew and Alex. She taught Pre-Kindergarten 3 and High School Spanish at Land O’ Lakes Christian School for over 10 years. Now Mrs. Alemán teaches Spanish to both elementary and secondary students and teaches some finance electives.

Joel Anderson
Secondary Math

Pastor Rick Avriett HS Bible

Dan Fralic
High School History

  • Rev. Rick Avriett is a life-long resident of Land O’ Lakes. After graduating from Pasco High School, he attended Florida State University where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing in 1978. After several years in the business world, Pastor Avriett attended Tampa Bay Bible College and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor degree in Biblical Studies.

  • Mr. Dan Fralic was born in Cleveland, OH where he lived for twenty years, before moving to Houston, TX. Mr. Fralic graduated from Pensacola Christian College with a B.S. in History and an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction with a History emphasis. Mr. Fralic is married with 2 little girls and a baby boy.

Lydia Geiman
Faculty/Support Staff

Lorena Maass
JH History

  • Miss Lydia Geiman was raised overseas as a missionary. She moved to the states to attend Bob Jones University where she graduated with a bachelor's in Biology. She served for a year and a half with the Greenville Police Department.

  • Mrs. Lorena Maass has a Bachelors in education from Spurgeon Baptist Bible College and a Master’s in education from Pensacola Christian College. Mrs. Maass has taught for over 18 years in Christian Education and has been with LOLCS since 2018. She loves both the classroom teaching and the one on one working with students. She has 4 children who currently attend LOLCS.

Ethan Mengel
HS Bible, Psycology

Nick Mondelli
JH English & PE

  • Mr. Nick Mondelli was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. He graduated from Florida Baptist College with a bachelor's degree in English Education. He has been teaching middle and high school English for over eight years and joined LOLCS in 2024, teaching middle school English and PE. He has also been the JV boys basketball coach since 2025.

Shannon Morse
JH Sciences

Robert Pinkerton
PE, Health, Computers

  • Dr. Shannon Morse has attended First Baptist Church of Land O’ Lakes since 1996. In 2008, she earned a Master’s Degree in nursing education and family health nursing, and then in 2016, she earned her PhD. She combined her passion for teaching and nursing by teaching CPR classes, childbirth classes, and by serving as staff development nurse educator. Dr. Morse adopted her daughter, Caroline Grace, who will attend LOLCS in a few years.

Dawn Schluetz
Drama & Speech

  • Mr. Robert Pinkerton teaches PE and secondary computers.

Pastor Troy Self
JH Bible, JH Choir

  • Dr. Dawn Schluetz has a Bachelor of Science in Health and Physical Education and a Master of Arts in Communication-Dramatic Production from Bob Jones University. She also has a Master of Arts in Theatre History, Theory and Criticism and a graduate certificate in Performance Studies from Bowling Green State University. Her Doctor of Philosophy is in Fine Arts, with specialties in Acting, Directing, and Playwriting along with a graduate minor in Education from Texas Tech University. She is a member of the American Alliance of Theatre and Education as well as the Dramatists’ Guild. She has been teaching since 1983 and has taught numerous subjects on various grade levels from elementary through college.

  • Pastor Troy Self and wife Teresa both graduated from Christian High Schools. He is a graduate of Massillon Baptist College in Massillon, OH. Prior to moving to Florida in 2016, he served 28 years in ministry in Denver, Colorado. His school choirs have garnered many awards, including first place at AACS Nationals competition. He is a member of the Florida Music Educators Association and the American Choral Directors Association.

Maresa Shelburne HS English & Choir

Hunter Smith
Band, Strings, Art

  • Mrs. Maresa Shelburne graduated from a Christian high school and has a B.A. degree from Bob Jones University in Music with an English minor. She teaches high school language arts, choir and piano at Land O’ Lakes Christian School. Mrs. Shelburne has three sons, Zachary, Spencer, and Andrew all of whom graduated from LOLCS, went on to graduate from Christian colleges, and are actively involved in music ministry themselves.

  • Mr. Hunter Smith was born and raised in Colorado. He attended Pensacola Christian College where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education and a Master’s degree in Instrumental Conducting. Mr. Smith Joined the staff at LOLCS teaching elementary and secondary band and strings in 2020. He started the school’s first drumline in 2021.

Jessica Spivey
Math, Cross Country

Jackie Taylor
Math, Basketball Coach

  • Mrs. Jessica Spivey was born in Columbia, SC and raised in the Tampa Bay area. She attended the University of South Florida and joined the staff of Land O’ Lakes Christian School in 2024. She previously taught at two Pasco County High Schools. Mrs. Spivey is married with three children, two of whom attend LOLCS currently. She is teaching Math 7, Geometry, and Algebra 1 as well as being our yearbook advisor for the 2024-2025 school year.

  • Mrs. Jackie Taylor was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis in Mathematics from Florida Baptist College in 2017 and later completed her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Pensacola Christian College in 2024. Mrs. Taylor has been teaching mathematics and coaching volleyball and basketball since 2017 and has been a member of the LOLCS faculty since 2022. 

Leanne Vincent
HS Sciences

  • Mrs. LeAnne Vincent was born and raised in Illinois. She attended college in Iowa and Florida and graduated from the University of South Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Master’s of Science in Physical Therapy. Mrs. Vincent joined the staff at LOLCS in 2021 teaching both secondary science and PE. Mrs. Vincent also leads the LOLCS Cross-country team. She and her husband have two children, both of whom attended LOLCS.

Scott Long
Athletic Director

  • Mr. Scott Long was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He trusted in Christ at 8 years old in his Sunday school class. Mr. Long received his B.A. in Elementary Education from St. Petersburg College and has more than ten years of teaching experience. Mr. Long and his wife, Kim, have a daughter, Brooke, who graduated from Land O’ Lakes Christian School.

Support Staff

Sarah Avriett
School Pictures, Scheduling

Emma Becker
K3 Assistant

Tom Buckley
Eagle Watch

Libby Hartsfield
Elementary Assistant

Ray Klein
Maintenance

  • Mr. Ray Klein was born and raised in New Jersey, and moved to Land O’ Lakes in 2018. He was saved at the age of seventeen at a Word of Life basketball marathon. He has 3 adult children and 11 grandchildren. For more than 30 years, Mr. Klein has “had the pleasure” of coaching boys basketball at Christian schools in NJ, PA, NY, and now here at LOLCS. In addition to coaching, Mr. Klein is also a part of the custodial staff at LOLCS.

Christine Sutton
Culinary Arts, Eagle Watch

Katherine Taibl
Lunches, FBC Events

Larry Thompson
Maintenance

  • Mrs. Christine Sutton was born and raised in Tampa, FL. She attended Florida State University and joined the staff of Land O’ Lakes Christian School in 2007. Mrs. Sutton is married and has two children, both have graduated from LOLCS.

  • Larry Thompson was born and raised in Northern Michigan.  He graduated from Midwestern Baptist College with a Bachelors in Religious Education in 1966.

    Planting his first church in Saginaw, Michigan in 1966 he became active in Christian Education.  While being lead Pastor in several churches from that time on Mr. Thompson started and administrated two Christian schools.   Retiring, after 45 years in active ministry, in 2011 he came on staff at FBCLOL as Maintenance and special project support. 

    The Thompsons have five children and 25 grandchildren.

Chuck Swanson
Eagle Watch, Support Staff

  • Mr. Chuck Swanson was born in Butte, Montana. He attended college in Chicago, Illinois and graduated with a B.A. in mathematics. Mr. Swanson currently teaches math, science, and Bible for one of our 5th grade classes and also teaches math in our secondary program. He and his wife, Mrs. Teri Swanson, joined the staff at LOLCS in 2020.