Upper School Student Life

Angela Beall works as the administrative assistant to Jake Palumbo, Dean of Students. She holds degrees from Elim Bible College and Westminster Seminary. Angela enjoys coming alongside our students in their daily lives at school, whether helping them get to class on time or helping them with the next step in their personal life.

Leia Joseph works part-time as one of the ninth grade level deans as well as meeting with girls in crisis. She holds degrees from Catholic University and Westminster Seminary. Leia is grateful for the opportunity to walk alongside teenage girls in both the joys and trials of high school, and is passionate about exposing the lies given by culture to young women today.

Cynthia Tilghman-Lee teaches anatomy and honors anatomy and serves as grade level dean. She holds degrees from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University and Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine. Her medical residency was completed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her passions lie within the areas of cultural diversity and the encouragement of women of all ages.

Eric Hansen serves as the Student Life Director, where he oversees a wide range of student life activities, as well as being the faculty sponsor for prefects. He holds degrees from Messiah College and Covenant College. Eric is passionate about kids growing in their understanding of the Lord and of themselves, and beginning to catch a vision of their potential influence on others around them.

Doug Scheidt serves as the chaplain and senior Bible teacher. He holds degrees from Wheaton College and Trinity Evangelical School of Divinity. Doug is passionate for students to know and defend truth.

Jake Palumbo teaches AP chemistry  and applied science and serves as Dean of Students. He holds degrees from the University of Richmond and Covenant College. He loves having the opportunity to work with students and to help them see how a biblical worldview reveals the richness and meaning in all of life.

Student Life Team Vision

Student Life Team Vision

AACS believes that students’ academic success can only be fully achieved when other areas of students’ lives – their physical, social, emotional, spiritual, and relational selves – are healthy and working in concert with each other. Therefore, our goal and privilege as a Student Life Team is to help students navigate the challenges of high school and achieve social, emotional, and spiritual health. We aim to do this both by identifying – and responding to – individual student needs, and also by providing events and facilitating discussions that we hope will challenge kids to grow in the ways mentioned above. The Student Life Team is chaired by Eric Hansen, Student Life Director, and also includes Jake Palumbo, Dean of Students; Cynthia Tilghman-Lee, Grade Level Dean; Angela Beall and Leia Joseph (each of whom has extensive counseling training), Eliza Cary, and Chaplain Doug Scheidt.

Mission of Student Life Team

AACS’ Student Life Team seeks to help our students flourish as young men and women of social and emotional health and of Godly character and convictions. We seek to identify, and then appropriately address, both individual and corporate student needs. We react to student needs as they arise, and we seek to tap into the larger needs of the student body and proactively start important conversations that we hope will help meet these needs. We want to love students well and fulfill the school’s mission by modeling a true home-school partnership.