Headmaster

Mr. Copeland serves as Headmaster of Drexel High School. A North Carolina native, Mr. Copeland attended Judson College, where he studied both history and humanities at the undergraduate level. He also holds a graduate degree from Missouri State University in History. Prior to joining Drexel, Mr. Copeland served as Upper School Principal at Covenant Classical School, where he also taught in the humanities. He loves both Classical education and the Church for how they foster virtue, holiness, wisdom, and love for God and neighbor. In his leisure time, Mr. Copeland enjoys tea, books, home cooked meals, daily Mass, gardening, wrestling his kids, and chatting with his lovely wife. You can read more from Mr. Copeland on his blog, The Green Dragon, hosted by the Classical Education group, The CiRCE Institute. 

Humane Letters Teacher

Dr. Adderley (known to his students as “Doc”) was born in England and has lived in America since 1989.  Husband, father, and author, he became Catholic in 1991.  He has lived in Florida, Georgia, Montana, and Missouri, Wyoming and South Dakota, teaching English at a variety of colleges, most notably at Wyoming Catholic College. One of Dr. Adderley’s pastimes is writing.  The first novel in his Matter of Britain series, The Hawk and the Wolf, was published in 2008, and followed by two sequels; in 2013, he began writing a new series of books, the McCracken Adventures.  Set in the early twentieth century against a backdrop of war and tumultuous world events, the McCracken Adventures are adventure novels for Catholic readers in 6th-10th grade.  One early reader described them as “Indiana Jones with a Rosary.” What is most important to Dr. Adderley at Drexel is that his students find joy in their studies and become lifelong readers, enriched by ideas they first encounter in high school.  He wishes his work at Drexel to be a legacy to all the wonderful teachers who have inspired him.

Science & Mathematics Teacher

Mrs. Akerblom teaches Science and Mathematics at Drexel. She is a dedicated teacher with twelve years of experience in private, home- and hybrid-schools. She brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to the classroom. Mrs. Akerblom has a strong foundation in math and science, with a MS degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Virginia and BS and BA degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Theology from the University of Notre Dame. She is excited about leveraging her skills and experience to continue building up the academic program and Catholic culture at Drexel High School. She lives with her husband and three of their six children in Gastonia, with one of them attending Drexel High. In her spare time, she enjoys going to daily Mass, taking walks with her dog and her husband, traveling, and enjoying meals with family and friends.

Humane Letters Teacher

Mr. Scott teaches History and Theology at Drexel High School. He is a long time Gastonia resident and is a graduate of Belmont Abbey College, where he received Bachelors degrees in philosophy and economics. His love for Catholic classical education began at a young age, and he further developed and pursued his passion for studying and teaching the Great Books as a member of Belmont Abbey’s Honors College and as middle school teacher at Ascent Classical Academy. Mr. Scott cherishes and is passionate about Catholic classical education because it endows students with a lasting sense of wonder and reverence at a world so filled with beauty, grandeur, purpose, and adventure—a world that shines forth God’s creative glory. In his free time, he enjoys reading, walking, playing volleyball, and spending time with family and friends.

Latin & Mathematics Teacher

Mrs. Tomaszewski teaches math, Latin, and logic for Drexel High School. She has over nine years of experience working in classical schools. Mrs. T earned her BA studying philosophy from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign where she also minored in psychology. However, the two best things she received from her university experience were reception into the Catholic Church Easter of 2013 and meeting her husband, Christopher. She also received her MA in classical and liberal education from Belmont Abbey College. Mrs. T and her husband love to travel and take care of their beast of a German shepherd, Borromeo. When not teaching, she can be found studying languages, craning her neck in European cathedrals, reading extensively, drinking far too much coffee, and planning adventures with friends flung across the country.

Theology Teacher

Professor Tomlinson, a native of South Carolina, teaches in both the philosophy and theology departments, as well as the Honors College at Belmont Abbey College, is an instructor for the Veterum Sapientia Institute, and also serves as a teacher of theology for Drexel High School. Prior to this, he completed undergraduate studies in philosophy and classics at Christendom College, followed by masters and doctoral degrees in church history and historical theology respectively at The Catholic University of America and the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC. Outside of the classroom, Prof. Tomlinson teaches piano and banjo, and is also the founder of the Integrated Humanities Symposium, a formational initiative for high school and college students, as well as a weekly bluegrass and folk music gathering in Belmont that has grown to include students, professors, seminarians, members of the monastic community, as well as veteran musicians from the local area.