Andrew Pearson believes the greatest reward from his day-to-day work here is that it requires no hyperbole or other means of exaggeration.
Each day, Mr. Pearson looks forward to showcasing the Christ School community, our core values, and all Greenies in new and meaningful ways. As Director of Communications, he oversees a four-person team of talented creatives who broaden the school’s reach through engaging video and photography.
Mr. Pearson has been responsible for much of Christ School’s external media (website content and social media) the past nine years, in addition to providing sports information for every athletic team since 2019. Christ School entered 2026-27 with a social media following that rivals any public or private school in North Carolina.
Mr. Pearson is originally from the Winston-Salem area and has lived in the Asheville area since 1995. He graduated from UNC Asheville in 1999 with a B.A. in Mass Communication. Mr. Pearson wrote for two local newspapers (the Asheville Citizen-Times and Hendersonville Times-News) for a combined 18 years, covering his share of Greenie triumphs, including the complete run by the Plumlee brothers.
Mr. Pearson lives just outside of campus in Fletcher, N.C., with his wife, Ursula, close enough to hear the Angelus bell from their front porch.
Dr. Jack Peterson quickly acclimated to Christ School as a mid-year hire during the 2022-23 academic year and is now ready to begin his fourth year as Director of the Learning Resources Department.
He describes himself as a creative, collaborative English teaching professional with strong administrative skills and a passion for student success in higher education.
Jack is the founder of Ao English, an online service that offers tutoring and editing. Dr. Peterson has previously been an instructor at five different colleges, most recently on a part-time basis at Durham Technical College in Durham, N.C. He was the Parish Administrator for Durham’s St. Titus’ Episcopal Church from 2021 to 2022.
After receiving his B.A. in English from Georgia’s Covenant College in 2002, Dr. Peterson studied at the University of Washington where he earned his master’s in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and then Indiana University Pennsylvania, where he received a Ph.D. in Composition and Applied Linguistics.
Dr. Peterson was born in Ohio, but has also lived in Vietnam, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Indiana, Washington, and now North Carolina.
Dr. Peterson enjoys writing poetry in his free time and his work has been published. His wife’s name is Amy and they have two children, including Owen '29. The Peterson family lives in Asheville.
Erin Price gets her fulfillment out of seeing how far imaginations can go in the Kennedy-Herterich Art Studio.
She has applied a lifelong love of art to 17 years of teaching up and down the East Coast. Her courses at Christ School include Art, Advanced Art, and AP Art History. During the school year, Mrs. Price posts updates from the studio to Instagram (@fineartsofchristschool), and Greenies are annually recognized through the Western North Carolina Regional Scholastic Art Awards, a juried competition for grades 7-12.
She has been a member of the faculty since 2019.
Mrs. Price received her B.A. in Studio Art with a minor in Saxophone Performance from Presbyterian College. She then attended The School of the Art Institute of Chicago where Erin completed post-bachelor courses in Painting and Graphic Design. Later, Mrs. Price received her master's in Art Teaching from Lander University and master's of Library and Information Science from USC-Columbia.
In addition to creating art and teaching, Mrs. Price enjoys spending time with her husband, Justin, and their son.
Emily Pulsifer P'15, P'17 champions Christ School at every opportunity, having seen what the curriculum and culture has done for her sons, Liam '15 and Zach '17, as well as many other students.
This passion translates into her daily work as Dean of Academics.
Mrs. Pulsifer has been a member of the faculty since 2009, was formerly the chair of the English Department, and was named 2019-20 Teacher of the Year.
Mrs. Pulsifer has also been a longtime faculty advisor for the Struan, the school’s art and literary magazine, an assistant coach for cross country and track, and a writing coach for seniors as they prepare college applications. She earned her B.A. in History from Emory University, and her master’s in Creative Writing from the University of Southern Maine. Mrs. Pulsifer previously taught at Kents Hill School in Maine.
She reads, runs, and cooks in west Asheville with her husband, Andrew.
Nurse Mary Ramirez will treat every boy in the Wellness Center with the utmost care, but her favorite things about health care are encouraging preventative measures and self-advocacy.
Mary has more than two decades of experience in public health, summer camps, and school nursing. She received her B.S. in Nursing from Appalachian State University.
Mary and her husband, Victor, have two children, Max and Mya, who are very active with band. Mrs. Ramirez said she is “a quintessential band mom” outside of work, accompanying her family to events, fundraisers, and performances.
Finding the right person to be Christ School's first Director of Safety and Security was a search that began and ended with Ron Ramsey.
He was immediately tested, and passed, in dealing with the 2024 aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The storm knocked out power for weeks and irrevocably changed the campus landscape by felling more than 1,000 trees. Coordination of people and resources ensured a safe, expedient return for the students and faculty.
Mr. Ramsey’s love for the boys and scrupulous attention to detail have been part of the school’s fiber for 13 years. He has previously been in positions of leadership as chair of the Science Department, Director of the Outdoor Program, Principal, and Assistant Head of School 2021.
Mr. Ramsey earned a B.S. in Secondary Education from Tennessee Tech University in 1998 and an M.S. in Science Education from Montana State University in 2009. He began his teaching career at St. Andrews-Sewanee School, where Mr. Ramsey spent 12 years. Along with his duties at Christ School, Mr. Ramsey volunteers for the Buncombe County Rescue Squad and serves as a member of the Western North Carolina Mountain Rescue Team 3.
In his free time, Mr. Ramsey likes to fly-fish, read, and explore the outdoors with his family. He and his wife, Vivian, live on campus and have a daughter, Audrey.
Math instructor Sam Rhinehart jumped at the chance to return to the mountains, be closer to family, and most of all contribute to a healthy environment for experiential learning at Christ School.
Mr. Rhinehart shows his love for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in many ways, whether it is creating different engineering projects, programming, or designing items around his home. He is also a coach with the Robotics program.
Mr. Rhinehart graduated from UNC Asheville with a B.S. in Applied Physics.
In his free time, he likes to relax with a good book, watch movies, or play video games.
Tonya Richardson found herself drawn to Christ School by the Four Pillars, namely Academic Rigor and Spirituality, and how they meld into the daily experience for the boys.
Her proven track record in financial management, strategic planning, and leadership has been utilized as Chief Financial Officer since 2024.
Ms. Richardson was previously Director of Finance at Nashville’s Oak Hill School, living and working in the Music City for 19 years. There, she was responsible for managing financial operations, including developing and implementing budget controls, and ensuring compliance with relevant policies and regulations. Her experience included preparing financial statements, conducting financial analysis, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to achieve organizational goals. Ms. Richardson also oversaw all aspects of the human resources department at Oak Hill.
Ms. Richardson graduated from the University of Tennessee and holds degrees in French and International Business. She considers herself a V.F.L. (Vol For Life) and is passionate about her support for the college's sports teams. Ms. Richardson said she enjoys a vibrant life with two adult sons, a circle of cherished friends, and her pets. She comes from a family of chefs and has a profound appreciation for the culinary arts as well as reading, spending time outdoors, and traveling.
Ms. Richardson lives on campus.
Hanna Shelmire completely welcomes the daily interaction with the boys that comes with her new role as Bookstore Manager.
She put many names to faces as the Bookstore Associate for the 2025-26 academic year with duties that included managing campus-wide mail and freight distribution, fulfilling online orders, and supporting in-person retail.
Hanna is currently pursuing her B.S. in Psychology through Fayetteville State University and holds associate degrees in the Arts and Applied Science.
Mrs. Shelmire is an Asheville native whose family has called neighboring Madison County home for more than 200 years. Outside of work, she enjoys multi-day backpacking trips, mountain biking, gardening in the community garden here on campus, baking sourdough bread, and running (Hanna completed her first marathon this year).
She and her husband, Dean of Residential Life Wesley Shelmire, live on campus and also find fulfillment in traveling, spending time with family, annual beach trips, and card games during the holiday season.
Much like his paddle strokes, Wesley Shelmire consistently puts a high level of care and precision into every one of his assignments at Christ School.
He was named Dean of Residential Life starting with the 2025-26 academic year, adding to a full plate that also includes form director for the ninth grade, Director of the Outdoor Program, dorm parent in Cuningham House, and support for Modern Life Skills programming.
Mr. Shelmire first joined the school in 2022 as Assistant Dean of Students, helping organize our outreach with Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity. Mr. Shelmire enjoys sharing his expertise as an avid kayaker and promoting the Outdoor Program in general.
Outside of Christ School, Mr. Shelmire has worked at Camp Mondamin in nearby Zirconia, N.C., where he has been Head of Paddling and a Trip Leader.
A native of the Dallas area, Mr. Shelmire graduated from the University of Colorado in 2020 with a B.A. in Sociology. He was a member of the Applied Leadership Program and Core Leadership Program during his time in Boulder, Colo.
Mr. Shelmire has always had a special interest in the outside world, specifically identifying plants and fungi. Additionally, he can play the saxophone, guitar, piano, and harmonica. Other hobbies besides climbing, yoga, meditation, reading, and trail running.
Wesley and his wife, Bookstore Manager Hanna Shelmire, live on campus.
Dr. Spenser Simrill, a former Outstanding Teacher Award winner at the University of Georgia, joined the Christ School community in 2019 after a decade and a half as a college English instructor in Athens, Ga.
Along with teaching, Dr. Simrill has been the faculty advisor for the Little Stump News broadcast journalism class and an assistant coach for Greenies cross country.
Outside of Christ School, he presented "A Blueprint for Racial Healing" at the 2024 TEDx Asheville event, and in 2025, CNN's The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper spotlighted the unique dynamics of Dr. Simrill's family in "Simril(l)s: A Family in Black and White." The documentary was nominated for an Emmy.
Dr. Simrill worked in the UGA Office of International Education as a Program Coordinator from 2002 to 2017. In the past, he has taught a semester-long project in digital media and storytelling through the Lovett School in Atlanta. Dr. Simrill graduated with a B.A. in English from UGA in 1998, and later a Ph.D. in English from the same university in 2004. He has led or assisted programs dealing with outdoor education, photography, and publications.
He lives on campus with his wife, Maggie, and their children.
Testing and learning as a whole would not look the same at Christ School without Dale Sparacino.
In her 34 years, Mrs. Sparacino has helped start the Learning Resources program and continues to aid it as well as teach the Test Prep Class. She earned her B.A. in Special Education from Florida Atlantic University in 1980 and her teaching background includes jobs with Henderson County Schools and the Hun School of Princeton, N.J.
Mrs. Sparacino enjoys the outdoors, travel, and time spent with her family. Her husband’s name is David.
Christ School would not run nearly as smooth without the daily efforts of Steve Stay P'27, who has been Registrar and Executive Assistant to the Head of School since 2020.
Mr. Stay began his career as a middle and junior high school counselor in Carthage, Mo., then spent five years as a high school counselor for students with special needs in Doha, Qatar. From there, he worked in the post-secondary education arena at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar as an academic counselor for first and second-year medical students.
Mr. Stay received his B.S. in Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic from Brigham Young University and an M.A. in School Counseling from Ohio State University.
Mr. Stay and his wife, Rachel, have four children, including Elliott '27. They live in Fletcher, N.C. In his free time, Steve likes to sing, play guitar, hike, bike, volunteer, make chainmaille trinkets, act, and play tabletop role-playing games.
Mister Greenie himself, aka Dan Stevenson ’72 P'15, is doing what he loves at a place he holds dear as Senior Endowment Gifts Officer.
Mr. Stevenson returned to work for his high school alma mater's Advancement Office in 2011 after a 35-year career in business.
Mr. Stevenson takes pure joy in reconnecting with former classmates and friends as well as facilitating those relationships for others. He is especially happy to see the school’s growth and current momentum, adding “Christ School is thriving like never before and you will be proud of what you see when you come to campus for a visit.”
Mr. Stevenson won the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2022. The boys dedicated the 2023 Angelus yearbook to him.
Mr. Stevenson graduated from the UNC-Chapel Hill with a B.A. in History in 1978. He stays fit by running. Mr. Stevenson and his wife, Jill, have two sons, Dan III and Andrew ’15, and live in Asheville.
Enrollment and overall interest in Christ School continue to hit peak levels with Palmer Straughn as Director of Admission.
Mr. Straughn worked in college admissions for 13 years before coming to Christ School in 2017.
A seasoned fly fisherman and backpacker, Mr. Straughn could not have picked a better school to continue his work in admissions and fuel two of his greatest passions. Christ School’s location offers world-class fly fishing and some of the Southeast’s best hiking. After heading up the Outdoor Program at Wofford College, Mr. Straughn graduated with a B.A. in History in 2004 and began as an Admission Counselor at Lees-McRae College. Mr. Straughn would go on to advance to Associate Director of Admission and Senior Associate Director of Admission at Wofford.
Mr. Straughn co-presented “Navigating the NCAA and Admission” at the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling (SACAC) Drive-in Workshop (2015) and followed that effort the next year by co-presenting “Application Case Studies.” At the SACAC’s annual conference in 2014, Mr. Straughn co-presented “Not Just a Small School: The Benefits of a Liberal Arts College.”
Mr. Straughn and his wife, Sara, live on campus.
Christine Swoap immediately bolstered the World Languages Department in 2025 with proven expertise following a long career teaching Spanish language, culture, and literature through community-engaged courses at Warren Wilson College in nearby Swannanoa, N.C.
At the conclusion of her first year, she led Christ School's international trip to Salamanca, Spain.
Mrs. Swoap’s academic and research interests center on language acquisition, pragmatics, and best practices in service-learning and community engagement. Her work explores how student involvement with immigrant populations fosters intercultural communication, cultural humility, empathic practices, and meaningful critical reflection.
She holds an M.A. in Spanish Literature from the University of Delaware and a B.A. in Spanish and Psychology from Binghamton University. Throughout her career, she has employed inclusive pedagogies to design learning experiences that connect language to lived experience, through global programs and sustained partnerships with community organizations.
Mrs. Swoap was born in Malone, N.Y., and lives in the Asheville area with her husband, Bob. The couple have three children – twins Sofia and Julien, and their younger brother, Nolan. In her free time, she enjoys running, hiking, skiing, traveling, dancing, playing board games, and spending time with friends and family.
Residing on campus and the daily ebb and flow of boarding school are part of what drew Wenshun Tang to Christ School.
Mr. Tang teaches in the World Languages Department with his specialty being Mandarin. He is an assistant coach for Greenies tennis.
Prior to Christ School, Mr. Tang spent time in Wuxi, China, teaching English and before that taught five levels of Mandarin, assisted with admissions, while serving as a liaison to international families at Florida Prep Academy.
Mr. Tang received his B.A. in English from Nanjing Normal University in China and his master’s in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Vermont’s SIT Graduate Institute.
Always eager to keep learning and bettering himself, Mark Thompson P’24, P’26 has been involved in education for three decades, including 14 years as an administrator.
He joined the History Department in 2022, and is currently the faculty advisor for the Global Studies Program and an assistant cross country coach.
Mr. Thompson was formerly Assistant Head of School at The Greenfield School in Wilson, N.C., and prior to that was Head of the Upper School at North Cross (Va.) for 12 years. He has also worked at schools in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and New York.
Mr. Thompson received his B.A. in History from Bates College in 1991 and his master’s in Social Studies Education from Boston University in 1995.
Mr. Thompson describes himself as an avid reader, runner, and hiker. He ran in college and has completed five marathons, a Half Ironman triathlon, and other shorter races.
Mr. Thompson and his wife, Carolyn Lowe Thompson P'24, P'26, live on campus and have three children – Tyler ’24, Spencer ’26, and Kaile.
