Meet Our Team

At Arrows, we truly take a team approach in leading your students on their educational journey. Understanding our different roles, we value the experiences, knowledge and wisdom deposited within each member.

Nanmarie Hockstra
Head of School

As a native of Northern Virginia and now a parent here raising four children, I understand firsthand the desire many Christian parents have to both educate their children's minds, but also their hearts.

While our children are facing challenges we as parents may have never dealt with, we have the unique, God-given responsibility to raise them up in the knowledge of Him.

Arrows Christian School seeks to come alongside parents in those foundational years, and partner with them in raising up the next generation to be confident individuals--leaders in whatever field or calling God has destined for them.

Pray about joining us on this new adventure!

Dean of Students | Bible | PE

Tanner Cross

Mr. Cross has over 20 years' experience serving in various school settings such as public, private and homeschool. Eleven of those years he also coached high school football. Tanner has enjoyed different roles in education from teaching to counseling and administration.

He graduated from Shepherd University with a B.A. in Physical Education with an endorsement in Health. Tanner looks forward to using his educational experiences to partner with the Arrows community and staff to help send arrows back into the world for the Lord.

He lives in Hamilton with his beautiful wife and son Josiah. His favorite hobbies are raising his son, hunting, fishing, coaching and learning new skills.

Mr. Cross says he is thrilled and incredibly blessed to be a part of Arrows' second year serving as the Dean of Students, plus 4th grade math, Bible, and physical education.

Middle School Science | ASL

Juli Brown

Juli Brown has a BA in Psychology and Behavior as well as a Master of Arts in Teaching in K-12 Special Education from James Madison University.

She has taught public school special education, worked on staff with her church and taught Elementary School Music and ASL in a private school setting.

She was honored to be part of the ACS pilot year staff and continues to enjoy teaching Middle School students a godly worldview in Science and ASL at Arrows.

Juli lives in Catharpin with her 3 children, 3 cats, and husband.

Enrichment Team | Art

Katherine Cheung

Katherine is an art teacher with more than fourteen years of experience working with students from preschool through middle school, including several years of experience in art education. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Design (Visual Communication) from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Katherine believes that art is a gift from God and that we are created to create. She believes that art should be used to glorify God and that art education helps children discover who they are rather than simply trying to be like everyone else. She is excited to share her passion for art and Jesus with her students. She especially enjoys creating art with children and seeing each child’s unique personality, creativity, and ideas come through in their artwork.

Outside of the classroom, Katherine enjoys spending time with her family, sewing, drawing, working out, playing guitar, and spending time with her dog.

1st and 2nd Grade Lead Teacher

Kelly Kim

Kelly earned her degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in Mathematics and Science from the University of Maryland. Over the past 25 years, she has had the privilege of teaching in public and private schools, as well as homeschooling her own children.

Kelly has been married for 23 years with three daughters (two in college and her youngest in elementary school. She enjoys coffee dates with her husband and working out at home while listening to Christian music.

One of her favorite Bible passages is Deuteronomy 6:6–7:
"And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up."

Kelly says, "This verse beautifully reflects my heart for teaching and discipling children. I am excited to walk alongside my students this year as we grow together in knowledge, wisdom, and faith. I look forward to an amazing year of learning and growing together!"

Middle School History | 1st Grade Language Arts

Laura Brownstein

Mrs. Brownstein earned her B.A. in Elementary Education from Louisiana College (now Louisiana Christian University). She has taught in public and private schools and homeschooled a few of her own children for several years across several grade levels.

Laura says she is looking forward to teaching at Arrows this year because Christian based education is an important foundation for children to have. She knows she will learn as well while being stretched and challenged.

She has been married to her husband, Evan, since 2005 and they reside in Leesburg with their four children. In addition to teaching, Laura is passionate about protecting kids from online harms.

1st Grade Math

Peggy Kang

Mrs. Kang attended the University of Maryland and earned her BA in Criminology and Criminal Justice with a concentration in Psychology.

Her lifelong passion is teaching children, most notably in children's ministry where she has been a volunteer, teacher, or director for over twenty years.

Teaching at Arrows gives Peggy an opportunity to help children find joy in growing in knowledge and how it all comes back to Jesus.

Mrs. Kang currently resides in Centreville with her husband and three children ages 15, 9, and 3.

STEM Teacher | After-Care

Jill Atchison

Jill holds a Bachelor of Science degree from West Virginia University and has several years' experience teaching, particularly science to elementary and middle school students in a homeschool co-op.

She is passionate about helping students discover the wonder of God's creation through S.T.E.M. and hands-on learning. She hopes to inspire curiosity, creativity, and exploration while encouraging students to grow in their love of learning.

Jill is married to Sean and has five amazing grown children living in Va, NC, Florida and Japan!
In her spare time, she loves to garden, hike, read and thrift.

Her favorite Bible verse is Romans 8:38: For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Middle School English

Christina McCall

Virginia Tech:
B.A. in Creative Writing. Engineering Coursework: two years of study in Materials Science and Engineering. School Director: Theater, three one-act plays. Contributor, numerous ghostwritten non-fiction books. Trained in Institute for Excellence in Writing; Teaching the Classics

Enrichment Team | Music

Annie Park

Annie is an experienced music educator with more than 25 years of experience across diverse age groups and educational settings.

She earned her BA in Music Composition from Hanyang University and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Yonsei University in South Korea. She also holds a Master of Music in Chamber Music, with a concentration in Piano, from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Annie is certified as a Music Specialist through the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI).
Throughout her career, Annie has taught music in both academic and ministry settings. She enjoys helping students develop their musical skills through singing, movement, rhythm, instruments, and ensemble experiences. She is committed to helping students grow in musical skill, confidence, creativity, and appreciation for music.
Along with teaching at Arrows Christian School, Annie serves as a church organist and children’s choir director. She believes music is a gift from God and seeks to encourage students to use their talents to glorify Him. One of her favorite Bible verses is Psalm 150:6: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”
Annie lives in Ashburn with her husband and their son. She enjoys playing the piano and organ, working with choirs, and spending time with her family.

Spanish Teacher

Debora Fermino

Washington Business School: Accounting and Business

Zion Christian University:
Thoelogical studies

Previously, Debora owned and operated a language school where she taught both English and Spanish. She has translated and edited more than 30 books published in both Portuguese and Spanish.

Debora also helped plant a church in Triangle, Virginia and served as a worship leader in a Hispanic church for almost two decades, ministering in Spanish and supporting multicultural communities.

Most recently Debora has taught Spanish and Portuguese at the high school and middle school levels while also serving in administration at her local church.

Middle School Math

Mathew Ahn

Military Veteran

Liberty University:
Master of Divinity and Bachelor of Science

Trinity Washington University:
Certificate in Elementary Education

Mathew lives in Reston, VA, with his wife, Linda, and their five-year-old daughter, Haven. He is passionate about teaching future generations to think critically while pointing them to Jesus Christ, and is excited to bring his prior experience teaching middle school math to the team.

3rd and 4th Grade Lead Teacher

Marissa Angus

Virginia Tech:
B.S. in Human Development from

University of Virginia: Master of Teaching in Special Education (K-12)

Marissa loves reading, hiking, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. She is looking forward to teaching at Arrows and encouraging students to grow in their faith.

Kindergarten Teacher

Katherine Culver

Methodist University:
B.S. in Elementary Education and has been teaching as an elementary school teacher since 2009. She and her husband and two daughters reside in Leesburg and can often be found crafting at the library or traipsing joyfully through the woods. Katherine is also often found singing or playing piano as her love of music lead her to join her church worship team. She is looking forward to joining the Arrows team and returning to Kindergarten where she hopes to instill a lifelong love of learning, literature, and imagination.

Meet Our Advisors

Janet Gilroy

B.A., Political Science, Minor in Sociology, University of Oklahoma
Alternate Path to Teacher Licensure, University of Virginia
M.Ed., Educational Policy and Leadership Studies, University of Texas, Arlington

Kristin Pushak

B.A., History and Spanish, Geneva College, Beaver Falls, PA
M.A., Global Affairs, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Advanced Teacher Training, Eckerd College

Joy Barresi

B.A. History, Minor in Music, Berry College
M.A. History, George Mason University
Career Background as fundraising professional including work as Development Director for classical Christian school
VELA Founders Network Member and Innovation in Education Advocate
Founder, Central VA Learning Community