K4- 12th Grade
Meet Our Staff!
Dean of Students
Vanessa Jodock
(Content coming)
5th & 6th Grade
Shannon Johnson
Hello, I am Mrs. Johnson and I am excited to be teaching your children this year! I love Jesus and teaching, so FHL is a great school to be apart of. I live in Pinewood, with my husband Mike, and three sons. Chris (17), Kyle (15), and Cole (14) have attended FHL since it opened in 2016, and they love the school as much as I do! I graduated from BSU in 2013 with a Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education. I have been teaching in the classroom for 10 years, but have been in the school district for 13. I started in Mahnomen in 2013 as a Kindergarten teacher and moved into 3rd grade before teaching 2nd grade at FHL. I have now experienced teaching K-6th grade and can't decide what I love the most. They all have their own fun perks! I have the privilege of teaching STEM this year for the elementary.
Jr. & Sr. High Math, STEM
Tim Hoyt
(Content coming soon)
3rd & 4th Grade
Wendy Nelson
Hello! I am Mrs. Nelson and I am so excited to be teaching your children this year! I am a wife of 20+ yrs and a mother of five children-- Jackson (17), Cora (13), Charlie (11), Jefferson (10) & Annika (5). We live on a hobby farm in rural Bagley and we have horses, pigs, dogs, cats, and a hedgehog on our farm. Things I enjoy doing are taking photos, singing/playing guitar, riding horse, and crafting. I was a homeschool teacher to my children for 7+ years before beginning teaching at FHL. I have always enjoyed working with children through Awana, VBS, 4H and doing daycare. I began teaching at FHL Academy in January of 2019. I have an AAS in Graphic design through BSU and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education through Grand Canyon University. I love teaching at FHL because our foundation is on the Word of God in everything that we do. I love seeing children learn more about Jesus and grow closer to Him as we seek Him each and every day! God has brought me on a journey that has required me to rely fully on Him and I am eager to see how He works in me and in my students this year!
Jr. & Sr. High Language Arts
Sarah Merritt
Hello! My name is Sarah Bennett, and soon I will be Mrs. Sarah Merritt as I am set to marry my best friend, Bobby Merritt, this September! We have quite the testimony and love to share what the LORD has done, so please feel free to ask! I have served the students at FHL Academy off and on since 2017 when my children started attending, and this is my second year officially serving as a teacher! My children are Malachi (13), Mikayla (12), Nariah (9), and Isaiah (4). We live on Lake Bemidji and love spending our summer days with friends and family at the beach and having barbecues and bonfires, or curling up with popcorn and a movie by night! I am a few credits away from a Master’s degree in professional counseling, which is what I do part time in Bemidji each week, but the LORD is directing my steps and has ignited a passion in me to invest in our youth through teaching at FHL the rest of the week! I am loving this season we are in! My experience working in the education field consists of working as a para at FHL in 2017/2018 and substitute teaching for 2 years in the public school system around Bemidji. Last year I worked at FHL as the high school Language Arts teacher and thoroughly enjoyed teaching Bible study and Discipleship as well! I have been licensed through the MN Dept of Education, and I have served for several years in the Sunday school, AWANA, and VBS programs through our local church! I am very passionate about Jesus and sharing what He has done in me since He got ahold of my heart in 2009, and I love nothing more than to see other people encounter Him and grow in Him, and what an honor it is to come alongside these students as they learn academics and grow deeper in their walk with the LORD! I am excited to see what the LORD will do this year through FHL! Thank you for entrusting me with your children!
1st & 2nd Grade
Abigail Davies
(Content coming soon)
Jr. & Sr. High Music Jr. & Sr. High Language, Drama, & Home Ec
Scott Paavola Cathy Paavola
We are Scott and Cathy Paavola and we have 3 daughters, Joy, Elisabeth (12th grade) and Iris (8th grade). We have been in the area since 2000 and have homeschooled from 2006 until 2017. We then made a move to begin working with FHL Academy, Scott with Music and Cathy with the 1st and 2nd grade language arts classes. We currently teach in the middle to high school grades.
Scott was trained in music at UWS and has many years of giving lessons and in using music in ministry. He will continue to give music lessons, work with the worship teams and musical productions. The classes that Cathy will be teaching are Language Arts for 7&8, 11-12 grades, as well as the Drama and Home Ec for 5-8th grade classes.
K4-Kindergarten Teacher
Amy Murray
I am so excited to be starting my second year at FHL! I learned so much last year and am eager to get started again.
My husband Sean and I have lived in Bagley since the summer of 2020 along with our three children (Addie, Olivia and Emmerly). We made the decision to enroll Addie and Olivia at FHL two years ago and now this year all three of our children will be there.
Along with pre-k and kindergarten I am also teaching art for preschool through 8th grade. Art is a passion of mine and I love to see the children find ways to creatively express themselves!
I started my undergraduate work at Bemidji State and graduated with a Bachelors of Science from the U of M in Crookston. After coming to know the Lord I pursued and completed a graduate degree from Northland International University in central Wisconsin for Biblical Counseling.
It thrills my soul to have the opportunity to invest in the lives of children and see them grow in wisdom and know God in a deeper way. One of my greatest joys is to see children understand who Jesus is in the Bible, what He has done and what He is doing in our lives today.
FHL is a very special place and I consider it a privilege to have the opportunity to be teaching here!
Jr. & Sr. High Science
Lisa Swanson
(Content coming soon!)
Jr. & Sr. High History
John Swanson
(Content coming soon!)
Jr. & Sr. High Electives
Jeremy Davies-Wage Economics, Industrial Arts
Liz Nelson- Spanish
Cathy Paavola - Home Ec, Drama, Keyboarding
(Content coming soon!)
