Board Member’s Profile

Dr. Gifty Chung Director, Forest Trail Academy

Dr. Chung is originally from Ghana, West Africa. She comes from a family background of educators. Her family truly believes in the proverb, it takes a village to raise a child. Dr. Chung’s family has had a tremendous educational impact in her village back home. Struggling in the American education system herself, she vowed to continue her passion of educating all students no matter their environmental situations.

She believes that appropriate education is one thing in which everyone should have equal access.

Alternative education such as online schools has become the solution for numerous people in various situations. Being the director and a board member of Forest Trail Academy has been a dream come true. Dr. Chung received her BA in Sociology and a minor in general education from the University of Florida (Go Gators). She received a Masters in Secondary Education with licensure in Spanish, and Principalship certification from the University of Akron. She later earned her doctorate degree in Education/Educational Leadership from the University of Phoenix.

Dr. Chung’s Philosophy of Education

Rachael Johnson

Teacher, Forest Trail Academy

Rachael Johnson joined Forest Trail Academy in April 2008 as a secondary math teacher. In addition to teaching, Rachael has written secondary math courses for Forest Trail Academy and acts as Curriculum Developer for mathematics and foreign language courses. She also serves as Chair of the Technology Committee and is a member of the Curriculum and Accreditation Committees.

Rachael completed her undergraduate degree at Western State Colorado University in Gunnison, Colorado. There she majored in Mathematics – Secondary Education Emphasis and minored in Psychology. Rachael chose to complete her student teaching at Gunnison Valley School, the school district’s alternative high school. This experience sparked her interest in alternative education and her passion for working in a “nontraditional” classroom. Rachael went on to teach Algebra 1 and Geometry at Lewis-Palmer High School in Monument, Colorado. Here, she was able to share her experiences in alternative education as a member of the school’s Alternative Planning Committee, responsible for designing and implementing the district’s alternative education program.

After completing her Master of Education in Information Science & Learning Technologies, Educational Technology Emphasis online via the University of Missouri, Rachael developed an interest in online education. This lead her to her current position with Forest Trail Academy.

Ms. Elizabeth Szczypka

Elizabeth Szczypka was born and raised in Torrance, California. In 2008, she earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Middle Childhood Education at Miami University, with specific focuses in science and language arts.

Elizabeth spent a year as an Au Pair in Switzerland and then another year as an Americorps volunteer in Denver, Colorado. In 2010, she moved back to Switzerland to teach in an international school. She taught a wide variety of subjects, from biology and geography to English as a Second Language. While in Switzerland, Elizabeth earned her Master of Education in Educational Administration and Leadership from the George Washington University (distance learning), graduating in 2012. Early on she realized that if distance education could offer her the perfect opportunity to learn despite her location then perhaps she could help children the same way.

In 2010, Elizabeth joined the Forest Trail Academy family as a middle school science teacher and then trained as curriculum developer. She continued to work full time at the international school in Switzerland for several years before moving to Edinburgh, Scotland. No matter where life took her, Forest Trail Academy was a constant in Elizabeth’s life. Elizabeth is still passionate about teaching and developing new courses while keeping our current courses up to date and relevant.

Ms. Erin Sager

Erin Sager was born and raised in Norfolk, VA. She graduated from Old Dominion University, also in Norfolk, in 2007 with a Bachelor’s of English and secondary teaching licensure. It was at ODU that Erin first became familiar with distance learning.

After graduating from college, Erin lived abroad for a time. First for half a year in London, then for just over a year in Japan, where she worked as a conversational English teacher. In 2010, it was time to return home to Virginia. Erin soon began teaching high school English in Virginia Beach. With Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Erin received online pedagogy training, taught her first online learning classes, and really became passionate about distance learning.

In 2012, her husband’s Army career moved them to Alabama, and Erin joined the Forest Trail Academy staff as an English teacher. Since then, she has taken on the additional roles of English Department Chair and Dean of Students. During her tenure with Forest Trail Academy, Erin has moved several more times. She spent three wonderful years teaching middle school Language Arts in Honolulu, Hawaii. From there, she moved back to Virginia, where she taught one year of middle school Language Arts in Hampton. In addition to her roles at Forest Trail Academy, Erin currently works as an Instructional System Designer for a U.S. Navy contractor.

Forest Trail Academy Accreditation and Memberships

What Students Say

Demi Arthur
“Forest Trail Academy is the BEST school ever, the staff is amazing!! I recently graduated from Forest Trail Academy after going there for 2 years. I went to public school…”
Sarah Kosar
“FTA was a great alternative option for me so far as high school went. I transferred out during my junior year after having a rough time in public high school…”

Audrey Barnett
“Forest Trail Academy has been a blessing to me. I compete in the sport of rodeo across many states, and it takes time and dedication to train and condition both …”
Joshua Lawrence
“FTA gave me HOPE. I don’t have the pressures of exams and trying to keep up with the rest of the class. I get to go over the work as…”

Brittany Wooten
“Hello my name is Brittany Wooten. I graduated from forest trail academy in 2009. I decided to choose fta because I wanted to accelerate my high school education. Fta was …”
Yasmen Wass
“FTA has been a blessing to me!! I didn’t fit in at my old school, i had trouble learning in such a disruptive classroom which meant my grades falling, coming…”

Allison H.
“Thank you Forest Trail Academy for helping my student excel! Placing my high school freshman in your program was the best choice! He works through the program at his pace…”
Katie Bowcutt
“Katie Bowcutt wins title ex-aequo, PKRA Jr World Champion, 2013Freestyle Kiteboarding.Thanks for your support, Forest Trail Academy…”