DIRECTOR - DENISE BURGESS
TEACHERS & STAFF
Anna Mullenax - Kindergarten Humanities
Anna graduated from Montclair State University in New Jersey in 2009 with a degree in Family and Child Studies with an emphasis on child development. When God blessed Anna and her husband, Ralph, with their first child, they prioritized a Christ-centered home education. They now have four children, Clara, Lydia, Isaac, and Josiah, who have all been homeschooled and will now be attending Veritas. Anna sees education as an opportunity to encourage students to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, and mind. She loves literature and books and loves to incorporate living books in her teaching! She is passionate about striving to provide an education that is good, true, and beautiful and prays that her students' hearts will be shaped by the truth and beauty of the Gospel. Anna has experience in teaching Sunday School to children of various ages, teaching co-op classes to Kindergarten-2nd graders, and as a homeschool mom. Anna and her family are members at St. Mark Reformed Church in Franklin. Anna also enjoys spending time gardening, baking, and reading.
Tammy Arthur - First Grade Humanities
After graduating from Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana with an Elementary Education degree, Tammy taught second grade for three years in a Christian School. After having children, she went back to teach in public school as a first grade teacher for nine years, followed by three years as a reading/phonics specialist for kindergarten through fifth grade. She has also enjoyed teaching Bible classes in the public school and looks forward to sharing her love for Jesus with the children she will teach at Veritas. In 2018 she and her husband, Steve, moved from their hometown in Indiana to Nolensville to be near their three children and four grandbabies. Her hobbies include singing, hiking, skiing, and natural health.
Rebekah Baker - Second Grade Humanities
Rebekah graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in 2005 with a degree in Elementary Education. Once in the classroom, she quickly discovered the joy that is found in helping children grow in wisdom and knowledge. She sees teaching as not only growing the mind but also growing the heart to love and follow Jesus. She has taught in both public and private schools and has spent the last 7 years homeschooling. Rebekah is married to her high school sweetheart, Benji, and they have three children Caroline, Anna Laura, and Reid.
Sommer Whisnant - Third Grade Humanities
Sommer attended the University of South Carolina, received a degree in Psychology and later went on to receive a Masters of Social Work. She received her licensure to become a LCSW. Sommer started her career at the Department of Social Services with foster children, followed by a career in mental health for children and adolescents. She worked closely with young children through Head Start and elementary schools to ensure their overall success. Sommer has always played a role in being a strong advocate for children regardless of their different needs. She has spent significant time in specialized reading development. She has spent the past 2 years homeschooling her 3 children and worked as a substitute at Veritas. Sommer is married to Brian and is mom to Jack, Hadley and Caroline. They attend the Village Church in Nolensville and stay very busy with the children’s activities and events in the community.
Nicole Richardson - Fourth Grade Humanities / Third & Fourth Grade Science / Elementary Art
After graduating from MTSU with a Bachelor of Science in Child Development and Family Studies, Nicole worked as a development evaluator and parent advisor in the Early Intervention Program for the Department of Education. She has also worked as an educational assistant and a preschool teacher in Murfreesboro City Schools. Nicole is an IEW Accredited Instructor. Together with her husband Jason and daughter Sarah, she attends World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro. Their family enjoys outdoor activities, especially camping and spending time on the lake.
Denise Burgess - Fifth-Sixth Grade Humanities / Fifth & Sixth Grade Science / Saxon 6/5
After eighteen years of homeschooling, Denise's children have all finished high school. Before Denise started her family, she taught in public school for eight years and private school in Medellin, Colombia for two years. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Spanish and Elementary Education from Grand Valley State University in Michigan and a Master of Education from Point Loma Nazarene College in San Diego, California. Recently Denise taught for four years at the Veritas Classical School in Chattanooga. She loves all things teaching and learning. She reads books about how to make teaching more effective and recently took a class called "Learning how to Learn." It is her desire to come alongside the next generation of homeschoolers, to encourage and assist them in the challenging and rewarding task of homeschooling.
Rebecca McKisic - Seventh-Eighth Grade Humanities: ELA
Mrs. Becca McKisic has a BA in English from Bob Jones University. She has over ten years of experience teaching children of many ages in church and Bible study programs. She is passionate about encouraging the love of reading in others. As a homeschool mom and also a former homeschool student herself, she is excited to have the opportunity to teach the next generation of homeschoolers. Becca and her husband, Steve, have a daughter, Gabby, who attends Veritas. They are all book lovers! Becca enjoys reading, walking in God’s creation, and playing games with her family.
Wayne Wilson - Seventh-Eighth Grade Humanities: History, Bible, Logic
Mr. Wayne Wilson was born in Murfreesboro and grew up in the Lascassas area. He has lived in Murfreesboro for the past 20 years. Mr. W received his B.S. in Social Sciences with an emphasis in history at MTSU. After teaching for 36 years in public schools in Rutherford and Williamson counties, Mr. W. recently retired in May of 2021. Mr. W is married and has four sons and six grandchildren. He is looking forward to sharing his love of history with Veritas students.
Heidi Davidhizar - First & Second Grade Science / Saxon 1
Heidi attended Youngstown State University in Ohio, majoring in Physical and Health Education for 2 years before enlisting in the United States Air Force. She served as a linguist in the Air Force for 4 years and following her enlistment attended McDaniel College in Maryland where she received a degree in Social Work. She later attended the University of Southern California and received a Masters of Social Work. Her career has included work in mental health for adults, children, adolescents, and families as well as substance abuse recovery with adults. Her passion though has been raising her three boys who she began homeschooling in 2020. They were a part of a cooperative program, Christiana Homeschool Academy in Maryland for 2 years where Heidi taught Saxon 5/4. Heidi and her husband Brian, along with their three boys Ezra, Asher, and Roman, attend the Church at West Franklin and look forward to becoming more involved there as well as at Veritas and in the community.
Rachel Wyncoop - Saxon 2
Rachel Wyncoop graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA. She then went on to receive her bilingual teaching credential (BCLAD) from California State University in Fullerton, California. She has homeschooled her two children for the past three years and previously worked at a homeschool tutorial teaching Spanish to elementary, junior high and high school students. Before that, she taught 1st-6th graders in the public school system for 11 years. She has been married for almost 24 years. Her family moved to Nolensville 1 1/2 years ago from Orange County, California, and they absolutely love living here in Tennessee! Some of her passions include riding horses, baking yummy desserts and enjoying the Spanish language and culture whenever possible. She is very much looking forward to teaching at Veritas, bringing both nurture and structure to her classroom setting.
Melissa Shelby - Seventh & Eighth Grade Science / Saxon 3 / Pre-Algebra
Melissa enjoys teaching and feels working with kids is great fun. She has a Masters’ degree in Professional Science with a concentration in Biotechnology, along with a Graduate Minor in Bioscience Research. She supported her undergraduate and graduate programs at MTSU through teaching the University’s Physical Science, General Chemistry, and Honor’s Chemistry labs. Ms. Shelby has been active in the homeschool community with her own children since 2002. She has taught most subjects, spanning most grade levels over the course of her homeschooling career. Melissa is an avid traveler and loves canoeing and sleeping under the stars. She adores animals, fish aquariums, aviaries, medicinal gardening, and the august nature that supports all life. Meeting families from around the world is a great joy to her. As a Cherokee person, she enjoys sharing her culture and has produced many Indigenous American events for the Middle Tennessee community, including MTSU’s 2017 Powwow. Her family includes her Jack Russell, Bella, 10 exotic birds, and 3 egg laying hens.
Crystal Webb - Saxon 5/4 / Saxon 7/6
Crystal graduated from MTSU with a B.S. in Psychology. After working in sales and management for 13 years, God called her to homeschool her children. She has homeschooled her two children, Riley Jo and Brady, for the past 5 years and loves it. She is blessed with a supportive husband, Jonathan, and they attend World Outreach Church. They love to travel, spend time in nature and play games as a family. Crystal loves to garden and read in her free time. Math was one of her favorite subjects in school and she looks forward to sharing that love with her math students at Veritas.
Becca Schmidt - Spanish
Bekah graduated from Olivet Nazarene University with a B.S. in Spanish Education and Communication Studies. Her love of language and culture began as a young girl when she lived in Brazil for four years, and grew as she spent a college semester in Latin America. After graduation, her husband, Ben, was offered a job overseas and they lived for almost three years in Brussels, Belgium. Bekah has taught Spanish in various immersive settings from birth to high school but has most recently completed a homeschool year teaching her four children in grades 5, 3, 1, and preschool. Ben, Bekah and children- Isaiah, Brooklyn, Joseph, and Noelle- enjoy visiting new places, playing board games, and reading together.
Donna Richardson - Point Person
Donna recently retired from the Rutherford County school system after working within the special education program for 25 years. Donna and her husband Randall have been married for 45 years and live in Arrington. Their granddaughter Sarah attended Veritas before entering high school. Donna is a member of Stones River Baptist Church in Smyrna. She enjoys visiting antique stores, cooking, and spending time with family.