Our job is to prepare students to meet the demands of our changing, fast-paced society. The faculty and staff at Learner Middle & High School are dedicated to ensuring our students' success.
Teachers
Nicole Gerace, Math teacher
Nicole Gerace graduated from the University of South Florida with a B.S. in Special Education. She has certifications in Mathematics (6-12), Specific Learning Disabilities (K-12), and Elementary Education (1-6). For the past 14 years, Nicole has taught in a variety of environments including parochial school, public school, and private tutoring. She has a passion for teaching, especially in the virtual setting where instruction can be customized to accommodate students with different learning styles, backgrounds, and goals. Nicole resides in Orlando, Florida with her fiance and two children. When not teaching, she enjoys running, cooking, and spending time with family.
Gabriela Ayala, Language Arts Teacher
Ms. Ayala is passionate about education especially college readiness and access. She is active in educational policy and is an advocate for first generation potential college students. Ms. Ayala holds her Professional Teaching Certification in English 6-12 and has taught in traditional and on-line schools for over four years. Besides being a teacher, Ms. Ayala has attained her Masters in Educational Leadership from Florida Atlantic University and is currently a PhD student studying Higher Educational Leadership. When she is not with students or being a student, she is kept busy at home with her three boys; all under the age of 4.
Bob Strodtbeck, Social Studies Teacher
Bob Strodtbeck has been certified to teach English and Social Studies since 2007. He was endorsed to teach Reading in the spring of 2010. He has served as a teacher in the Orange County Public School System in Florida with several schools since 2005.
Before going into teaching, Strodtbeck worked in the pharmaceutical industry, radio, and did newspaper commentary. He continues to write with several various websites and enjoys reading modern history and 19th century literature. He lives in Orlando, FL, with his wife of 26 years, Pam, and has two children, Charlotte, 22, and Richard, 20, who Pam home schooled.
Lisa Byard, Social Sciences teacher
Lisa Byard graduated from the Stony Brook University in New York, with a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences. She has certification in Social Sciences (K-12). For the past 6 years, Lisa has taught in an all-girls Catholic School. She has a passion for teaching, where instruction can be customized to accommodate students with different learning styles and backgrounds. Lisa resides in Coral Springs, Florida. She enjoys long walks and travelling, when she not working.
Cynthia Opara, Social Sciences & Business teacher
Cynthia Opara graduated from the University of Phoenix with an MBA in Business Administration specializing in e-Commerce. Since completing her Bachelor’s degree in Education in 1993, she has been a dedicated educator both in the Public School System and private schools in the Central Florida area. Ms. Opara maintains Professional Certifications in Education (K-8) and in Business Administration (6-12).
Before going into teaching, she began her career in the legal field as a Paralegal. Additionally, she has successfully owned and operated an online business for the past 8 years that provided service to customers throughout the United States.
She is an accomplished Professional Photographer. On the weekends, she organizes a group of local nature photographers on monthly outings to photograph the natural beauty in the area. Ms. Opara enjoys quiet time on the beach and lives in the Central Florida area.
Ms. Opara teaches Economics, which is required of all students to graduate, and also teaches all Business Administration and Criminal Justice courses.
Karen Adams, Science teacher
Ms. Adams has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and is working toward a Masters in Education. She attended colleges in New York, South Carolina, and Florida and has spent over 20 years teaching and tutoring in the public and private sectors as a certified teacher, in sciences, health, math and SAT prep. Besides that, she successfully runs small businesses, one in the health field and has worked on inventions, farming, occupational counseling, bioethics, legislature and further research in sociobiology for the advancement of all culture/people and preservation of their nests/habitats/environment.
Jim Croasmun, Science teacher
Jim Croasmun graduated with a B.A. in Physics Teaching from Brigham Young University, an M.S. in Instructional Technology from Utah State University, and Ph.D. in Education from the University of Idaho. He has taught high school and college level physics and science courses over a period of 8 years and has a deep passion for teaching and learning.
He lives in Idaho -- about 50 miles from Yellowstone and has lived in Colorado, Utah, Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Jim enjoys running marathons with his siblings, playing chess, camping with his Boy Scout troop, and cooking Cambodian food (he used to be fluent in the language). He and his wife, Annette, are the parents of four boys.
Nykeva Hines, Health teacher
Nykeva Hines is a native born Floridian, from Miami. She is a graduate of American Senior High School, Class of 2001. While at American she participated in the marching band as a flag girl, ran track, and sang in the gospel choir. After graduation she received a scholarship to attend Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama. While at ASU she also marched in the band as a flag girl, ran track, and joined Sigma Alpha Iota music fraternity.
While in school, she realized that she loved helping and meeting new people, so she chose to become a Physical Education teacher. In May of 2006 she received her bachelor's degree from Alabama State University in Physical Education. She has taught Physical Education in Miami Dade County Public Schools.
During her free time she loves to spend time with friends and family, travel, shop and work out. Her goals are to educate on the importance of staying healthy, to stay humble and focus on success.
Jessica Mauger, Spanish teacher
Jessica grew up next door to Mickey Mouse in Orlando, Florida, where she earned her BA in Liberal Studies at the University of Central Florida with concentrations in Spanish, Communication, and Behavioral and Social Sciences.
She has also lived in Mexico where she continued her study of the Spanish language and culture while volunteering at community centers, teaching English classes. She has a real passion not only for travel and culture, but for enriching the lives of students through her teaching. Every summer, Jessica continues to make it a priority to lead missions teams of Spanish students and medical professionals to volunteer in rural mountain villages in the country of Honduras.
Kim Harris, Art teacher and Guidance Counselor
Kim D. Harris has a passion for education, technology, and the arts. She is a certified art teacher (K-12) and is an active practicing artist in the south Florida area. She has a Bachelors degree in Sociology, an Ed.S. in Curriculum Instruction/Arts Integration, as well as a Masters in Guidance and Counseling. Presently, she is a lifelong learner at Union Institute & University, where she is pursuing her doctorate in education. Ms. Harris’s research focuses on the impact of the arts on social justice and human rights issues.
In addition, she has facilitated programs for Arts for Learning/Miami, City of Lauderdale Lakes, Broward County School Board, and Broward County Libraries, by way of after school programs, outreach programs, summer camp, and early childhood education programs.
Her own artistic development allows her to expound on her creativity by planting seeds of creativity in the youths from all communities. Together they will depict a dramatic harvest of artistic creativity to beautify the world. As creative people, as artists we have to keep the innovative and imaginative torch burning.
Principal
J Lee Harshbarger, Principal
J Lee Harshbarger, the principal of Learner Middle & High School, has a Master of Arts in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from Azusa Pacific University in California and has been teaching for nearly 14 years. Previously, he worked as a site coordinator for a language school, in charge of teachers, curriculum, students, and business aspects of the school. He has also served as a team leader among teachers in a university's language program.
In addition, he has a B.A. from Anderson University in Indiana, with a Marketing major, a Broadcasting minor, and an emphasis in Music. He has more than 15 years of corporate business experience in fields including retail, insurance, and entertainment. He lives in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He has lived in 5 different states, Japan and Taiwan, has worked in Beijing, and traveled to a number of other countries.