Mars Hill Tutors

Ben Hughes has taught at Mars Hill since 2006 and has served as chair of the English Department for over a decade. He has taken on the role of Headmaster for the 2023-2024 school year. A Mars Hill alum ('04), he majored in English at Asbury University ('08), and was ordained as the pastor of Emmanuel Christian Fellowship in the summer of 2017. He and his wife Emily homeschool their five children, the oldest of which (Micah) is in his first year at Mars Hill.

Since receiving his history degree at the University of Kentucky, Chad Grissom has continued his education through classes on Biblical languages, geography and archaeology of the Bible, and personal study of the Bible, theology, history and philosophy. These studies have taken him to California and Israel. He is committed to life-long learning that spills over into his classes. He is also the pastor of Trinity Christian Fellowship and gives pastoral direction to a local pre-school-6th grade cooperative.

Dr. Pittard is currently a senior lecturer in statistics at the University of Kentucky.  She has been teaching math at Mars Hill since 1996. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Potsdam College in New York State and earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in statistics from the University of Kentucky.  She has also homeschooled her own five children.

Carly has been married to JP Barlow for 18 years, and they have five children, three of which are enrolled at Mars Hill. She was formerly a CPA for PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Brooke Clark is a Mars Hill graduate, class of 2000. She graduated from Asbury University in 2004 with a Bachelor's of Arts in Latin and English Literature, and an unofficial degree and a lot of experience in theatre production. She is passionate about reading and telling stories via theatre, as well as helping students see Latin isn't as terrifying as they thought.

Rebekah is a Mars Hill graduate of 2017. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Asbury University, where she taught general chemistry labs for one year. She then worked at Valvoline’s research and development lab until the birth of her first son. Now she is a stay at home mom with her two sons. She has a passion for the beauty of science and how it displays God’s intricate design and order in creation. She loves walking with students through the study of science and hopes to share her wonder of it with them. She has taught Life Science at Mars Hill since 2024 and is married to Josh Cochran, a graduate of Mars Hill.

Kate Flannery, who taught U.S. History and Art History at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School for 7 years, received her bachelor’s in Secondary Social Studies Education from Asbury College and her master’s in Educational Leadership Studies from UK. Mrs. Flannery has also studied and developed a lecture series on the philosophy of modern education.

Audrey Hazlett is a Mars Hill graduate of 2015. She received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Cultures with a focus in Greek philosophy. She has taught Latin at Mars Hill for two years and at a local pre-school-6th grade cooperative for five years. She has also taught violin lessons privately for seven years. She is the oldest daughter of the Mars Hill History Department Head Chad Grissom and English teacher Shannon Grissom.

Shannon Grissom received her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders and her Master’s Degree in Speech/Language Pathology from the University of Kentucky. She has taught at Mars Hill since 1998. Shannon and her husband, Chad, have homeschooled their six children, all of whom are graduates of Mars Hill.

Shelby Grissom holds a Master of Liberal Arts from Houston Christian University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Kentucky. She has taught English at her alma mater, Mars Hill, since 2020. Her master’s thesis, “A New Courtliness: The Gawain Poet’s Unique Representation of the Chivalric Knight,” examined how Christianity shaped some of the earliest English literature. Shelby has a passion for seeking the truth of the gospel woven into the great literature of the English language. In her free time, Shelby can be found editing her novels, baking, or reading.

Kel Hahn is the Associate Director of Foundation and Corporation Philanthropy for the University of Kentucky Office of Philanthropy. He received a bachelor’s degree in English from Indiana University in 1997 and a Master of Divinity degree from Asbury Theological Seminary in 2008. He and his wife, Dawn, have four children: Samuel, Carter, Ian and Emily. Kel has taught at Mars Hill since 2006.

Joel Jirak has Bachelors degree in Computer Science and Philosophy from Georgetown College and has a Masters of Information Networking from Carnegie-Mellon University. He and his wife Bethany have seven children, four of which are Mars Hill graduates.

Jordan John is the Marketing and News Director for the University of Kentucky’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. She received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Asbury University in 2010, and has previously worked as a News Editor for the Frankfort State Journal, Marketing Director for the Stanford Stewardship Group, and Deputy Director of Public Affairs for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Jordan has taught at Mars Hill since 2019 and is married to Dr. Jerram John, a graduate of Mars Hill.

Rodney Johnson works in corporate finance and strategic planning for the University of Kentucky Healthcare. He received a bachelor’s degree in Accounting with a minor in Spanish from Asbury University, a Masters degree in Finance from the University of Kentucky, and is a Certified Public Accountant. Previous work experience includes investment analysis at Edward Jones, portfolio management, financial analysis, business consulting at Blacksummit Financial Group, non profit accounting and teaching at Asbury University. Rodney has taught at Mars Hill since 2014.

Dr. Rebekah Leet works as a board certified Pediatrician at the University of Kentucky, specializing in non-operative orthopedic issues for children. After attending the University of Kentucky as a Singletary Scholar and Gaines Fellow, she obtained a BS in Biology with a minor in Classical studies before attending medical school at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. Following graduation she completed a Chief year in Pediatrics followed by a non boarded fellowship in non-surgical orthopedics at Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Lexington where she worked closely with various levels of orthopedic conditions, ranging from physiologic conditions of the limbs and spine to children with complex cerebral palsy. Wishing to spend more time with her husband and children, she transitioned back to General Pediatrics and enjoys participating in the various educational programs offered by the CF church community, homeschooling her children, painting, swimming, going to the Boyko’s sauna, fruitlessly trying to keep up with whatever book the ECF bookclub is reading, and watching UK basketball.

C. Andy Martin has been a principal firmware engineer at Microsoft since 2024 creating silicon and cloud hardware for Azure. Previously he was a senior principal engineer at Badger Technologies for 7 years developing robots, a firmware engineer at Lexmark for 10 years making laser printers and scanners, and prior to that the lead software engineer at Lumenware for 3 years building remote access systems. He received his M.S. in Computer Science, B.S. in Computer Science and B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Kentucky. He also minored in mathematics and graduated Summa Cum Laude with Honors in the Honors Program. Andy has been teaching at Mars Hill since 2011, starting in the Mathematics department and pivoting to Science ten years later in 2021.

Kenton Sena earned a B.A. in Biology from Asbury University and a M.S. in Forestry and a Ph.D. in Integrated Plant and Soil Sciences from the University of Kentucky. He taught in the Lewis Honors College at the University of Kentucky for 8 years and developed a research program focused on forest restoration. He currently serves as the Director of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement for the Lewis Honors College. He lives in Lexington with his wife Susanna (a Mars Hill alumna!) and three children: Silas, Eden, and Elanor.

Stephen is a Mars Hill graduate of 2011. He received a bachelor's degree in computer science from the University of Kentucky, and is currently employed with AppOmni Inc. as a software engineer. Stephen has an affinity for the game of chess, and hopes to one day resurrect the Mars Hill chess club.