Megan Alwine is passionate about classical Christian education. A homeschool graduate, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Classics from Baylor University in 2005 and a Master of Latin degree from the University of Florida in 2007. Currently she is a Senior Adjunct Instructor in the Classics Department at the College of Charleston. In 2022 she founded Highlands Latin Cottage School, where five of her eight children attend and both she and her husband teach. When not immersed in the world of Latin and Greek, Megan enjoys swimming, hiking, and reading British mystery novels.

Alicia Williams, hailing from beautiful central Virginia, has been a stay-at-home mom and homeschooling parent of two girls using Memoria Press curriculum for over 8 years. She graduated, summa cum laude, with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Spelman College. She attended several graduate schools gaining experience in statistical analysis, public policy, and student affairs within the realm of higher education. Her work as a Resident Director expanded her skills in event planning, facilities management, emergency and crisis response, and building relationships between students, parents, and school administration. Since becoming a full-time homemaker, Alicia has served in a variety of leadership positions within the community and at her church, Christ Church Presbyterian. After enrolling her daughters at HLS this year, Alicia thought that she could put her experience and skills to use at Highlands and support the growth and mission of the school. By God’s amazing providence, this has been a great fit. Besides keeping a good sense of humor, she has two major rules for life that you will hear from her often: 1) Make yourself useful, and 2) Pursue excellence, not perfection.

Mrs. Molly Hare is Assistant Head of School and teaches Kindergarten at HLS. She is a native of Charleston and has taught in various schools since graduating in 2010 from the College of Charleston with a degree in Early Childhood Education. Her family took the most refreshing leap into homeschool in 2022 and everyone is thrilled and thankful to be at Highlands, both learning and teaching! Molly is passionate about the capacities and dignity of the early childhood learner. When not at Highlands, the Hare family’s favorite pastime is making sure the minivan stays sandy from beach adventuring all seasons of the year. Her family worships at St. Philip’s Church.

Mrs. Rebecca Simpson is a first-grade teacher at HLS. She is also a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist with experience supporting children in language development, early literacy, and communication. Her background in speech-language pathology deeply informs her love for teaching foundational reading, handwriting, and the habits of attention cultivated in the grammar stage. Rebecca has taught in classical and homeschool hybrid settings and is passionate about classical Christian education. She believes the early years are a sacred season for forming both the mind and the heart through beautiful language, rich literature, memorization, and the joyful pursuit of what is true, good, and beautiful. She holds her Masters Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and has worked with children and families across a variety of educational settings. Rebecca enjoys reading, baking bread, exercise, and spending time outdoors with her family. She and her family are members of St. Theresa the Little Flower parish. She is grateful for the opportunity to teach in a school that seeks to cultivate wisdom and virtue. She loves teaching at HLS because of its commitment to academic excellence, ordered classrooms, and the formation of students in both character and intellect.

Mrs. Anne Lundgren is an enthusiastic and dedicated educator with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Winthrop University. With over 15 years of experience homeschooling her four children, three of whom have already graduated, Anne brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her teaching role. Currently in her third year teaching second grade at Highlands Latin School, she finds great joy in fostering a love of learning in her students. Outside of the classroom, Anne enjoys reading, gardening, baking, and spending quality time with her family. She is passionate about creating a nurturing and dynamic learning environment for her students and cherishes the connections she makes with them.

Mrs. Liesl Cressman grew up outside of Annapolis, MD, but she and her family most recently moved from Corpus Christi, TX. She holds undergraduate degrees in Communication Studies and Spanish from Grove City College and a Masters degree in Leadership from Gordon College. She has several years of teaching experience, and she considers herself blessed to have attended a Classical Christian school as well. A few of her favorite hobbies include theater, music, dancing, gardening, and reading, and her family worships at St. Philip’s Anglican. Mrs. Cressman is honored to be able to be a part of the great community at HLS, and she is excited about the opportunity to share her experiences and knowledge with her students.

Anna Kelley hails from Lexington, SC and is a first-time teacher at Highlands this year. She graduated from the University of South Carolina Honors College with a degree in Philosophy. She is a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, and she loves having the opportunity to promote and instill Christian values in her students. Ultimately, she loves teaching at HLS because of the families and students. Seeing her students be kind, work hard, and always eager to learn something new has inspired her to be a life-long learner in and out of the classroom.

Dr. Adam F. McCune grew up in Russia, homeschooled by Bible translators who met in graduate school studying linguistics. He studied English literature at Wheaton College (BA, 2006), the University of Virginia (MA, 2011), and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (PhD, 2016), and has taught literature and writing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Baylor University, and the College of Charleston. In addition to research publications, he is the co-author of The Rats of Hamelin: A Piper’s Tale and author of Austen Staged: Jane Austen’s Short Stories Adapted as One-Act Plays. He adapts Jane Austen’s teenage writings as plays for the Jane Austen Summer Program, and translates everything from Aesop’s Fables to a Soviet-era birthday song for his children, James and Henry, and for his YouTube channel. His work in data analysis and in the digital humanities, including work for the The William Blake Archive, gives him an interdisciplinary perspective on literature and research. A relative newcomer to Charleston, he loves the delicious food and the stunning stretches of water.

Mrs. Melissa Hwang grew up in Jacksonville, FL. She attended Princeton University, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2009 with a Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology. She worked in research labs at the University of Virginia and Indiana University for 3 years, studying genes implicated in the development of breast cancer. She also worked as a birth doula in Chicago before becoming a full-time homemaker. She has been home-educating her children since 2017 and teaching math at HLS since 2025. Three of her four children currently attend HLS. In her spare time, she enjoys outdoor activities, reading, knitting, sewing, woodworking, and baking bread. She and her family worship and serve in ministry at One Fellowship Church.

Mrs. Courtney Jeffrey teaches a variety of middle school humanities and Latin classes at HLS, as well as high school literature. A pastor’s kid from New Mexico, Courtney was homeschooled by parents who loved God’s Word, music, and good books. She was introduced to classical education by an online humanities teacher in high school. Courtney received her B.A. in Liberal Arts and Culture (with an emphasis in classical languages) and her M.A. in Theology and Letters, both from New Saint Andrews College. She then spent several years working in the corporate world, both in startups and larger companies, but she continued to teach high school humanities classes at a homeschool co-op on Friday mornings. She is now thrilled to be the wife of an English professor and mother to three tiny boys whom she gets to stay home with (and bring to HLS!). When she’s not teaching or spending time with her favorite little boys, you’ll find Courtney managing her Airbnb, trying to catch up on her (grossly neglected) cinematic education with her cinephile husband, or listening to audiobooks at the gym.

Mrs. Katherine Young is an avid proponent of quality education of the whole person with interdisciplinary excellence. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Furman University and a Master of Science in Medical Physics from Vanderbilt University. She delights in the pursuit of truth and seeks to cultivate wonder and awe in her students at the beauty of nature, the order of mathematics, and the joy of problem-solving. She is thrilled to continue to use her God-given talents to serve as a teacher in a wide range of subjects. She and her husband Jason have four children, three of whom are at HLS and one who is impatiently awaiting his entrance into kindergarten. When not on campus, you are likely to find Katherine at one of the local beaches, planning a family trip, reading a good book, volunteering at her church with Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, or cooking and baking with her family.

Mr. Conor Synnett earned a Bachelors degree in Philosophy from the University of South Carolina and a Masters degree in English Literature from the College of Charleston. He has taught many years as a high school English teacher. He currently teaches in the English Department at the College of Charleston and at the American College of the Building Arts. Bringing over 15 years of teaching experience, Mr. Synnett is thrilled to have the opportunity to explore good literature with our HLS students!

Dr. Richard Gilder is from New York City. He earned a Masters degree from City University of New York (CUNY) in 1991 and a Ph. D. in Classical Studies from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997. He enjoys teaching Latin at all levels and published a beginning Latin textbook entitled Via Facilis: Mastering Latin and Understanding Language. He has taught at a variety of institutions over the years and has gained over 40 years of teaching experience teaching Greek and Latin to every level of students from third grade through graduate school. He is an ardent New York Rangers hockey fan and a Yankees fan. He is also a strong supporter of school choice, and this is his first year teaching at HLS.

Dr. Blanche McCune received a BA in Ancient Languages and English, summa cum laude, from Wheaton College (IL) in 2007, and an MA and PhD in Classics from the University of Virginia in 2009 and 2014. Since 2019 she has been a faculty member in the Department of Classics at the College of Charleston, where she teaches courses in Latin, Greek, Classical Mythology, and Great Books of the Classical Tradition; before coming to Charleston, she held a visiting position at Baylor University where she taught courses in both the Classics and Great Texts departments. Her academic research and publications focus on Roman lyric and epic poetry and the reception of the classical literary tradition in medieval English literature. “Mrs. Dr. McCune,” as she is known by students, and her husband “Mr. Dr. McCune” (Adam McCune, PhD in English, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) both teach at Highlands Latin Cottage School and have two boys with profound disabilities who both attend HLS and have been thriving in the loving Christian community at the school. A South Carolina native from Aiken, Mrs. Dr. McCune enjoys local produce and cuisine and, when she can, going on long walks to take in the Lowcountry’s flora and fauna.

Dr. Andrew Alwine earned a BA from Baylor University in Classics and History in 2004 and an MA and PhD from the University of Florida in 2006 and 2010. He is an Associate Professor of Classics at the College of Charleston with research interests in Greek history, the history of democracy, Greek oratory and law, ancient historiography, and the development of classical education in the United States. Dr. Alwine has taught classes on early church history, ancient Greek, American history, and Latin at HLS.

Dr. Gabriel Williams earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Physics from Morehouse College (2006), a Master of Science in Physics with a concentration in stellar astrophysics from the University of Texas–Rio Grande Valley (2008), and a Doctor of Philosophy in Atmospheric Science, specializing in atmospheric physics, from Colorado State University (2012). After more than a decade as an atmospheric physicist at the College of Charleston, he now serves as Assistant Professor of Applied Physics at The Citadel, Guest Fellow in Mathematics and Physics at New Aberdeen College, and Mathematics Faculty at Memoria Academy. As a homeschooling parent, he is deeply committed to classical Christian education and to reviving the central role of the quadrivium. He is particularly interested in articulating how the natural sciences belong within the classical tradition and how their study complements and enriches the liberal arts. Outside of his academic research and teaching, Gabriel enjoys reading philosophy, theology, economics, and political theory, and listening to classical music and jazz. In January 2026, his first textbook entitled An Introduction to Synoptic-Dynamic Meteorology was published.

Mrs. Irene Rowe obtained a BA in Fine Arts at the College of Charleston and also attended Long Island University for their Master Arts workshop. This is her 4th year teaching Art at HLS. Previously, she taught Art K4-8th at Nativity Catholic School. Her method is to encourage creativity through art projects with mixed media and a variety of techniques. Mrs. Rowe intends for all students to be excited about creating art in a positive environment. She has one daughter and is enjoying her 12th year of marriage to Michael Walsh (Coach Mike). She has been worshipping at St. Philip’s Church since 2013. Her favorite activities include making art, swimming, bicycling, hiking, reading, diving into art books and God’s creation. Mrs. Rowe has been an independent painting contractor since 2007.

Mr. David Acres started his musical career as a boy chorister in Exeter Cathedral in Devon, England at the age of seven. He trained in voice and choral directing at Exeter Cathedral under Lionel Dakers, Lucian Nethsingha and Andrew Millington, and went on to sing as a lay clerk at Exeter Cathedral and Buckfast Abbey for over forty years. He founded and directed several choirs in the Exeter area including Counterpoint, Cantores, The Grandisson Consort and The Kents Consort.

Mr. Acres performed as a professional singer in Devon and the South West of England for over thirty-five years, as well as singing at the cathedrals of Gloucester, Wells, Truro and Winchester. He has appeared extensively in the UK, Northern Ireland, France, Spain and Norway, performing with several professional ensembles and also with Buckfast Abbey’s Schola Choir. He appears on four Exeter Cathedral recordings including Ascribe Unto The Lord on Herald and The Psalms of David Vol. 1 on Priory. and has recorded on the Alpha, Signum, Hyperion and Decca labels.

Mr. Acres came to America in the Fall of 2013 after meeting his wife in the Summer of 2012 at Wells Cathedral in England. He is currently the Director of Music at Old St Andrew’s Parish Church in Charleston and directs The King’s Counterpoint, Vox Regis, Cantores Charleston, Regis Homines in Charleston and Contrapunctus Early Music in Cleveland. This is his first year teaching music at Highlands Latin School Charleston.

Dr. Edward Francisco is a writer and retired professor of English with forty years of teaching experience. He is the author of ten books and another forthcoming. Last year was his first teaching literature and composition at HLS. Each of his students was extraordinary, as was his experience teaching them.