At Tunstall High School, there are many teachers who played sports here during their high school careers. Whether it be football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, or any other sport, these teachers took pride in their athletics and have since then returned to Tunstall to teach.

Mrs. Adrian Nester

Mrs. Nester, one of Tunstall’s amazing English teachers, graduated from Tunstall with the class of 1997. During her five years (eighth-twelfth grade) at Tunstall High, Mrs. Nester participated in girls’ basketball, volleyball, and softball. She was also very active in clubs, such as Interact, the Trojan Club, National Beta, and many more. As a basketball player, she was a shooting guard and bench player. Her job was to relieve starting players who were either injured or overworked. While playing volleyball, Nester was a setter, and she played second base during the softball season. Due to her father’s involvement in sports and his coaching experience, he was a big inspiration for her to play sports. When asked what her favorite sport was, she said, “When I was in school, my favorite was softball. We were very successful. All four years, we were district champions: three years Piedmont district and one year Dogwood District.” Mrs. Nester has been teaching for twenty-three years as of December of 2024, but her first job was at Dan River High School. However, she said that her roots as a Trojan drew her back here to Tunstall to teach. 

Mr. Mark Austin

Mr., or Coach, Austin is the athletic director at Tunstall High School. Prior to the 2024-2025 school year, he taught a total of twenty-four years: three of which were at Chatham High School and the rest here at the home of the Trojans. Austin attended Tunstall for the duration of his high school career and graduated in 1996. While at THS, he played football, baseball, and basketball through his sophomore year but later resorted to just baseball and football. He was also a member of other extracurriculars, such as the Trojan Club, Interact Club, and Future Farmers of America (FFA). While playing baseball, Austin was the catcher. He also played tight end and outside linebacker for football, and he was a power forward while a member of the Trojan brotherhood of basketball. Austin says that he didn’t have a favorite sport; he just enjoyed playing in general. When asked which sport he enjoyed most, he said, “Pretty much whatever was in season.” Austin claims that his biggest inspiration to return to Tunstall to teach was his former coaches. He was excited to return to his roots and work with his coaches from his high school career. 

Mr. Adam Moore

Mr. Moore is a math teacher here at Tunstall. Not including the ‘24-’25 school year, Moore has taught a total of eighteen years. However, only four of those years have been spent at THS. During his high school years, he attended Tunstall and graduated with the class of 2002. While here, he was a member of the golf, wrestling, and baseball teams. As a wrestler, he was part of the one hundred thirty-five pound weight class and was catcher on the baseball team, but golf does not have particular positions. Moore says that he didn’t exactly have a favorite sport; however, if he had to choose, he really enjoyed baseball because it was the most challenging sport he played. He also took part in many clubs, such as National Beta, DECA, Spanish Club, and the Trojan Club. When asked why he chose to return to Tunstall to teach, he said that he didn’t have a specific reason, but he has always felt that Tunstall was home. To this day, he gets to be surrounded by people he grew up with and this drew him back here to teach. 

Ms. Sonya Stowe

Ms. Stowe is one of the Spanish teachers at Tunstall, and she is currently teaching her thirteenth year here; in total, Stowe has taught eighteen years, not including this one. Stowe came to Tunstall her sophomore year and stayed here until graduation in 2002. While at Tunstall, she was a part of the volleyball and softball teams. She was primarily a server for volleyball and second baseman for softball. Stowe’s favorite sport, she says, was always volleyball. In addition to being active in Tunstall’s athletics, she also was a member of many other school-related extracurriculars, such as National Beta Club, Spanish Club, Trojan Club, FEA, Interact Club, FBLA, and Library Club. When asked for her inspiration for teaching, Stowe said, “My mom and my dad inspired me to become a teacher. Mom has worked in the educational field most of my life, and Dad was a coach most of my life. They have been the best teachers in my life. They taught me valuable lessons in life, have always been supportive of my dreams, and have been happy with my accomplishments.” She also says that Tunstall has always been her home since herself and many of her family members attended here, and she enjoyed school while here, so she is glad to have returned here to teach. 

Mr. Marcus Huffman 

Coach Huffman, one of Tunstall High’s government teachers and football coaches, attended Tunstall all four years of high school and graduated with the class of 2003. While attending THS, Huffman was a member of the football and wrestling teams. He played guard and outside linebacker as captain of the football team and was a part of the one hundred fifty-two pound weight class. Huffman says that he only began wrestling to be a better football player. However, he ended up greatly enjoying the sport of wrestling. “I ended up falling in love with a sport I didn’t even know I would like,” he says. He was also an active member of many clubs, such as the Student Council Association, Spanish Club, Beta Club, and was class president his junior and senior years. Huffman says that he’s always known he wanted to return to Tunstall to teach. He says, “I knew my goal was to get back here. It took me twenty years to get back, but I did it, and I am so happy.” Huffman has now been teaching here for three years, and the 2024-2025 school year will be his seventh year teaching in total.