ACS is pleased to welcome seven new Early Education and Elementary teachers to our school family — Heather Aspenberg, Samuel Gottschall, Dena Johnson, Olivia Leach, Holly McCrosson, Jessica Samuels, and Michelle Wheeler. Several of these teachers have previously served at ACS in different roles, including as aides, substitute teachers, summer camp staff, and coaching the cheer team. What they all share is a passion for Christian education and a desire to show love and encouragement to their students and be a light for Christ.
Heather Aspenberg — Heather is our new PreK3B teacher. She first came to ACS last year to work as an Early Education Center aide and continued working over the summer in the Early Ed Summer Program. Two close family members who had previously worked at ACS encouraged her to apply — her mother-in-law, Patty Aspenberg, and her sister-in-law, Christy. Heather holds a BA in hospitality from Johnson and Wales, but after working for several years as a general manager at Sonesta in Somers Point, she decided to change direction and pursue a job in education. “I’ve been working with children since high school and really feel that’s my calling,” Heather said. Her life verse, found in 1 Peter 4:8, serves her well in her new position. “It’s easy to think negatively, but we have to love everyone, show them grace and mercy, and pray for them daily,” Heather said. Heather and her husband, Brian, live in Egg Harbor Township and worship at Fresh Start Church. They have three children, and their son, Liam, is in the 7th grade at ACS.
Samuel Gottschall — Sam is a native of Piscataway, but relocated to South Jersey some three years ago after meeting his wife, Elyse, who has deep roots in the area. His father-in-law is Kyle Huber, the lead pastor at Greentree Church in Egg Harbor Township. Sam holds an BA in music from Moody Bible Institute and a MA in elementary education from Grand Canyon University. Prior to coming to ACS, Sam was a special education aide in the Ocean City School District, and he is bringing that experience into the classroom as a new 5th grade teacher. Sam said his favorite verse is Hebrews 4:12. “This verse captures how I want to live my life,” Sam said. “It describes the Word of God as living and active, with the ability to create real change.” Sam and Elyse live in Egg Harbor Township and co-lead the children’s ministry at Greentree Church.
Dena Johnson — Dena has returned to the ACS faculty this year after teaching middle school and high school Spanish from 2016-2020. In her new position, Dena is teaching 5th grade grammar, spelling, writing, and Bible. “I love languages and I’m just moving from Spanish to English,” Dena said with a smile. Prior to serving at ACS, Dena taught Spanish in the Wildwood Crest K-8 school for 12 years. A Bible verse that has been especially meaningful to her in the last decade is Psalm 25:5 — “Guide me in your truth, and teach me, for you are God by Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” Dena also serves in ministry at Mission Point, where she has been a preschool Sunday school teacher for 22 years. Dena and her husband, Rob, have one son, Samuel, who is in 7th grade at ACS.
Olivia Leach — Olivia is a new 2nd grade teacher. She gained valuable experience serving at ACS over the past two years, as a substitute teacher and as a staff member for summer Cougar Camp and the Early Education Summer Program. She is a native of Boyertown, PA and holds a BS in early education and a MS in special education from Cairn University. She lives in Linwood and her brother, Chase, is an ACS 10th grader. She attends Coastal Christian and is also part of the Morning Star Fellowship worship team. Her life verse is 1 Timothy 4:12 – “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”
Holly McCrosson — Holly is a South Jersey native who grew up in Upper Township and graduated from Ocean City High School. She has known of ACS for some years and even considered transferring to it for her senior year of high school because she wanted to grow spiritually. In 2021, she earned her BA in elementary education from Southeastern University and decided to use her time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic to earn an MA in trauma informed education from Columbia College. As a new kindergarten teacher, Holly said a Bible verse that is meaningful to her is 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. “I want people to feel God’s love when they see me, and especially the children that I have the privilege of working with this year,” Holly said. Prior to coming to ACS, she worked as a preschool teacher at Tomorrow’s World in Marmora. Her home church is Calvary Baptist Church in Dennis, but this fall she has become involved with a church plant in Pleasantville, Rise City Church, started by several alumni from Southeastern University.
Jessica Samuels — Jessica joins the ACS faculty as our PreK4B teacher, bringing a wealth of experience with young children. She worked for eight years as a PreK4 teacher at the Gospel of Grace Christian School, formerly located in Linwood, and has been a stay-at-home mom for the past six years with her two children, Saylor, 3, and Shiloh, 6, who started attending ACS this fall. A talented musician, Jessica loves incorporating music into the classroom. She has been a worship leader for over 17 years with Gospel of Grace Ministries in Egg Harbor Township. She also enjoys working in the ACS Early Education Center alongside her sister-in-law, PreK4A teacher Jennifer Kelley. “Christian education is a top priority for my husband, Jake, and I and originally I was planning to be a flex aide in the Early Education Center, but God had other plans and I have learned over the years that no matter what we think, God is in control,” Jessica said. A Bible verse that has been meaningful to her in the past three years is Isaiah 55:8, where the Lord declares – “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Michelle Wheeler — Michelle has been an ACS parent, cheer team coach, and preschool aide, and is now excited to join the faculty as our PreK2A teacher. Michelle said she loves being part of a school where children are learning about God and His Word every day to help them follow the right path for the rest of their lives. Michelle holds an Associates degree from Wilmington University, where she was also on the Wildcats Cheer Team. Michelle and her husband, Sean, live in Mays Landing and have two children, Adrianna and Sean, who attend ACS. “My children love to pray and I’ve seen them grow so much spiritually since attending ACS,” Michelle said. She said her life verse found in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 encompasses how she tries to be an encourager in her daily life, at home, in the classroom, and elsewhere. “We all have some sort of goal in life and maybe all someone needs is just a few words of encouragement to give them the push that they need,” Michelle said. She and her family worship at Fusion Church.
ACS launched a new Community Farmers Market on its campus this summer that attracted close to 1,000 visitors and featured 53 different vendors over the course of 10 Saturday market days. Thank you to the many ACS family members, teachers, and students who participated as vendors and came out to shop, helping make the market a success as the first summer-long farmers market in Egg Harbor Township. On August 27, the final market day, vendors and ACS staff gathered for a group photo.
The market opened outdoors on June 18 with just five vendors — Busy Bees, Smith Poultry Farm, Root Cellar Tavern, Thirty-One Gifts, and April Made for Kitten Aid — and grew to average of 18 vendors per week, with some vendors moving into the air-conditioned gym and others staying outdoors.
Keeping the 37-acre ACS campus well-maintained is a significant challenge and involves a team effort among ACS groundskeeping staff and volunteers like Al Fry, who happily donates his time — at least 10 hours each week — to mow the grass and keep the some 15 acres of athletic fields and other outdoor areas looking pristine.
Board of Directors’ member Kris Jacoby, in her introduction of Fry said, “He is retired, but he hasn’t retired from serving the Lord. We’re very grateful that God led Mr. Fry, who isn’t an alumni parent or grandparent, to come serve at ACS by helping maintain our fields, enabling us to enjoy the beautiful property that God has blessed us with.”