Meet our Support Staff

AZVA's staff is committed to ensuring the finest education possible for your children. From providing expert tools and strategies to teaching materials and parent support, our staff is dedicated to making sure that you have what you need to deliver a well-rounded, enriching education to your children. Here are some of the people who maintain AZVA's high standards of education.

 
Response to Intervention Coordinator
Hope Terhaar has been with AZVA since September 2006, and has ten years of experience in education. After graduating from Ottawa University with a BA in elementary education, she received her MA in elementary education from Northern Arizona University. During her career in education, Hope taught second and sixth grades, and also worked for the Arizona Department of Education in the Character Education Department. She is an Arizona Highly Qualified Teacher and is certified in regular education for K-8.  She is excited to support students through the Response to Intervention program.

Compliance Coordinator
Sharon Slater, middle school lead teacher, joined AZVA in December 2004. She earned a post-baccalaureate teaching certificate from Ottawa University and is certified in K-8. She has seven years of experience as a public school teacher for the Kyrene and Chandler districts, and a Phoenix area charter school. Sharon has taught kindergarten through high school, including long-term substitute positions in special education. Before becoming an educator, she earned a BS in accounting from Arizona State University and worked as a corporate controller.

Instructional Coordinator
Rebekah Stines holds her BME degree and is certified in both K-12 music education and K-8 elementary education in the state of Arizona. Before coming to AZVA, Rebekah taught for four years in a traditional brick-and-mortar school, where she served as lead teacher and curriculum specialist. One of Rebekah's former students nominated her for  “Who’s Who among America’s Teachers” three times, for which she feels very honored.  She is currently in her fourth year at AZVA and has served in both the K-8 program as a general education teacher and, for the past three years, in the high school program as an instructional coordinator and guidance counselor.

Enrollment and Retention Specialist
Nikki Hofmann has been with AZVA since the beginning of the school's second year. She received her bachelor's in elementary education with an endorsement in middle school education from the University of Northern Iowa, a well-known teacher-training university. Nikki loves working at AZVA and is dedicated to serving our families.

Testing Coordinator

Melody Williamson joined AZVA in February 2006. She received her Bachelor of Arts in education with an ELL certification from Arizona State University, where she graduated summa cum laude. Melody was hired straight out of college by the Washington School District, where she completed her student teaching, to teach in a multi-age classroom. After four years of classroom teaching experience, she accepted a music-teacher position within the Washington School District, where she taught grades K-7. She feels her applied experience in an extensive multi-age environment has prepared her well for her position at Arizona Virtual Academy and is excited to be a part of our team.