Author Robert John Meehan once said, “Teachers who love teaching, teach children to love learning.” This dedicated group of 15 educators truly exemplifies these words. Their commitment and passion for teaching is admirable. The connection they make with their students not only fosters a positive environment for learning, but also encourages and inspires students in many aspects of their lives. Orlando Family Magazine is honored to spotlight these K-12 teachers for being among the best in the area.

Kristina DiBisceglie 

Language Arts, Lake Mary Preparatory Middle School

DiBisceglie fosters a love of reading and writing through her middle school language arts classes at Lake Mary Prep. Novel studies, book clubs, writing units and authentic assessments are the foundation of her classes; however, it is her creativity and attention to detail that make these academic experiences come alive for her students in a way that keeps them highly engaged and makes a lasting impact. DiBisceglie’s passion for education shines brightly through her warm demeanor, enthusiasm for learning and the detailed feedback she provides as she creates a positive classroom environment in which students feel valued and successful.

Christy Requejo Eighth Grade Science, The First Academy Middle School

Christy Requejo

Eighth Grade Science, The First Academy Middle School

Requejo has taught at The First Academy Middle School for nearly 16 years and currently teaches eighth grade science and sixth grade math. When Requejo first arrived at TFA, she taught sixth grade science and sixth grade Bible. Currently, she also sponsors a sixth and seventh grade girls Bible study. Before joining the team at TFA, Requejo taught sixth grade math at Discovery Academy of Lake Alfred, a charter public school. She grew up in Miami and attended Warner Southern University before graduating with a bachelor’s of science in elementary education.

Jeff Fullmer

Exploring Images and Makerspace, Windermere Preparatory Middle School

Fulmer grew up in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. However, after high school, he set off and enrolled nearly 5,000 miles away at Hawaii Pacific University. Along with his wife Nancy, Fulmer traveled to Japan where for six years the couple spent weekdays teaching and weekends traveling around Southeast Asia. Next, they were on to the United Arab Emirates, where during their time teaching, they grew to a family of three with the addition of their son Zane. While the focus of their life shifted, they continued to teach and explore. They went on to Singapore, then Chile, then back to the Emirates, and finally to Orlando and Windermere Prep.

Meghan Smith

First Grade, Lake Highland Preparatory Lower School

Smith is currently in her third year of teaching at Lake Highland Prep and her 12th year as an educator. “The best part of my job is developing relationships with each individual student and creating the classroom community,” she shares. In addition to her English Speakers to Other Languages certification, she is also Gifted certified. Her skills and dedication to LHP extend beyond the classroom as the coach for Highlander game day and competitive cheerleading teams.

Corin Metz

Students With Exceptionalities, Thornebrooke Elementary

Metz’s biggest inspiration is seeing her students with exceptionalities thrive socially, behaviorally and academically. Students in her self-contained classroom flourish, in part, because she instills in them the belief that there are no limitations to what they can achieve. To help students attain academic success and skill acquisition, she creates adaptive materials to provide access for students with disabilities to the grade level standards. Students’ learning gains confirm the academic decisions she makes for each student impacts their learning. 

Will Zavala Geometry, The First Academy Upper School

Will Zavala

Geometry, The First Academy Upper School

Zavala is in his fourth year on the staff at The First Academy. He teaches geometry for students in eighth through 10th grades and a section of algebra and math for college readiness (senior level). Zavala is also the sponsor for Mu Alpha Theta, the Math National Honor Society. He grew up in North Florida and attended a small private Christian school from first to 12th grade. He went to college at UCF and earned his undergraduate degree in math education with a teacher certification in secondary math. He is going to graduate in December from UCF with a master’s degree in instructional design. 

Maribel Lopez 

Visual Arts, Timber Springs Middle School

As a teacher leader, Lopez stresses to interns that it is important to know the material and to design standards-based lessons, but it is crucial to know the students. She believes when students trust that their teachers care about them, they are more likely to develop a growth mindset. Lopez provides her students with the real-world applicability of showcasing their art through a variety of contests and exhibits. She also encourages her Art Club students to participate in community events using their artistic skills to offer hands-on activities and face-painting.

Kelly Borrowman

High School IB Biology and Marine Science Teacher, Windermere Prepatory Upper School

Originally from Illinois, Borrowman left behind the chilly winds of the Prairie State and traveled south to the warm breezes of the Sunshine State to attend the Florida Institute of Technology. While at FIT she studied her beloved sea turtles and obtained her degree in marine biology and ecology. Borrowman graduated with her master’s degree and began teaching on the college level but soon decided that she wanted to try her hand at teaching high school. Borrowman sets incredibly high standards for both her students and herself. Currently, she is pursuing her doctorate at the University of Illinois and is in the process of writing her dissertation.

Glynn Dettman

Robotics and Engineering, Lake Highland Preparatory Upper School

Dettman started at Lake Highland Preparatory School in 1996 and has been educating and mentoring students for the past 27 years. Dettman’s knowledge of robotics and engineering continues outside of the classroom as the LHP robotics team coach. He has led the team, which ranks in the top 2.5% in the world, to victory at the Tesla League Championship, where they took home awards for first place robot and the Inspire Award. In 2017, he also received the LHP President’s Cup of Excellence in Teaching Award. 

Kristen Leader

Second Grade, The First Academy Lower School

Leader joined The First Academy as a second grade teacher four years ago. She is a strong communicator, organized, and has a heart for the Lord. Those who spend time in her classroom see very warm, student-focused interactions, a quick instructional pace that keeps students engaged, as well as a sweet classroom community she develops among her learners. She is not only an impressive teacher to her students but a passionate TFA parent to two Lower School sons. She graduated from Florida State University with her bachelor’s in elementary education and master’s in early childhood education. 

Jessica Roberts 

Intensive Reading/Media Specialist, Corner Lake Middle School

Roberts is passionate about reading and inspires her students to find content that interests them. Under her tutelage, her intensive reading students improved their growth in reading more than 150%. She also created a Lunchtime Book Club to provide a select group of students’ extra assistance; and First Chapter Fridays, a video series of her reading the first chapter of a high-interest book. Book checkout has increased exponentially. In addition to assisting students’ growth, Roberts serves as a new-teacher mentor to help others improve their craft.

Charles Fritts

Fifth Grade, Palm Lake Elementary

Fritts is currently in his 22nd year of teaching in Orange County Public Schools, the last 11 of which have been at Palm Lake Elementary. He has twice been awarded Teacher of the Year; in 2011 at Bay Meadows Elementary and in 2018 at Palm Lake Elementary. A product of OCPS schools, he earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Florida and his master’s degree from Southeastern University. Fritts has been a mentor for new teachers as a facilitator for OCPS’s Great Beginnings Program as well as being recognized as a nationally board-certified teacher.

Alexandra Pittman

English Language Arts, Seventh Grade, Innovation Middle School

Using the Socratic method, Pittman teaches her students how to transfer their verbal reasoning skills into written text evidence. This tactic proved successful as her students made significant learning gains in reading and writing. Pittman enjoys seeing students grow outside of the classroom, too. Sponsoring National Junior Honor Society and Student Government Association, she inspires members to develop innovative practices, such as community beautification projects and the “Test Stress Relief” games they hold for students before FSA testing. 

Cristin Fink Fourth Grade, Windermere Prepatory School Lower School

Cristin Fink

Fourth Grade, Windermere Prepatory School Lower School

Fink has a passion for working with elementary-age children. She loves building learning communities and working with students to achieve their hopes and dreams. Fink firmly believes in building a classroom community as the foundation for academic and social growth. She uses techniques from her responsive classroom training to engage students in a daily morning meeting and builds in energizers/brain breaks throughout the day.  She has a master’s in curriculum and instruction for diverse learners from George Mason University in Virginia, which has been instrumental to her in helping her meet the needs of all learners in her classroom. She also has prior experience in communication and hospitality management which has helped her build relationships with her class families. 

Houman Rassa

Algebra, Eighth Grade, Lake Highland Preparatory Middle School

A new addition to Lake Highland Preparatory School, Rassa brings 19 years of teaching experience to his middle school classroom. Rassa’s approach in education is an individualized understanding of how each student learns. When asked about his favorite part of the job, Rassa says without hesitation, “It’s the opportunity I have each year to see students gain an appreciation and enjoyment for a subject that they may have struggled with, or not enjoyed, in the past. Being able to mentor students has made teaching such a fulfilling career.”