-Aug-05-2025-05-43-41-0399-PM.png "Margaret Courtney | FCS Stories")
“Someone told me once that 'knowledge is never wasted,' and I’ve found that to be spot-on in my life. There’s always something new to learn.”
- Margaret Courtney, Middle & Upper School Music
I just recently retired from 36 years in public education, most recently at Greenfield Elementary in Botetourt County. My husband and I have a goofy black Labrador named Jak, and we recently returned from an odyssey through Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus. My other world is writing. I’m a mainstream historical fiction author and write under the pseudonym Brook Allen. I love playing in my Church worship team, and look forward to meeting my new students at Faith!
Have you taught or been involved in schools somewhere else prior to FCS? If so, where, and how long?
If so, where, and how long? My first position was in Fayette County, in Lexington, KY, where my husband and I met. When he was transferred to Roanoke, I worked for nearly a decade at various elementary schools in Roanoke City before accepting the position in Botetourt at Greenfield. I served as a Music Teacher there for 20 years.
What post-secondary schools did you attend? Degrees held?
I graduated from Asbury College with a B.A. in Music Education. In 2002, I completed a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies at Hollins.
What are your hobbies or things you enjoy outside of the school?
Writing, hiking, traveling, loving on my dog, and making music with the OH Worship Team!
What or who inspired you to work in education?
My father pretty much told me that I needed to figure out how I could earn a living! Parents are like that. So I majored in Music Ed, and the rest is history.
What's a favorite book you've read?
I’ve been reading Sharon Kay Penman’s incredible works on the Plantagenet dynasty, and I finished the second one in May. It’s called Time & Chance. Being an author, it’s hard to choose just one, but that’s one that I really enjoyed this year.
How many books do you have stacked on your bedside table or in your "To Read" pile?
Currently, there are 27 print copies awaiting my attention and 28 on my Kindle. In other words, too many books and too little time!
What do you find most compelling or distinct about Christian classical education?
Wow. I happen to really be into ancient history, so when I saw Faith Christian School’s incredible collection of antiquities and spoke with Peter Baur about getting to share faith and prayer with students, I knew FCS was doing amazing things—grounding students in history, Latin, and most importantly, Jesus Christ.
What do you love about the idea of teaching at FCS or what do you anticipate appreciating the most?
I’m really looking forward to getting to know the staff and students, first and foremost. Sharing a respect for music and seeing it treated as a core subject area is most compelling, too.
If you have a "life verse" or a verse that is ministering to you right now, what might it be?
Since I love to travel and find myself in far-off places occasionally, I really value Psalm 139:7-12.
If you have a personal life's mission statement, what is it? If not, how might you describe what you feel called to as a believer?
Someone told me once that “knowledge is never wasted,” and I’ve found that to be spot-on in my life. There’s always something new to learn.
