Head of Academy

Nancy comes to CCA with more than 30 years of experience in a variety of educational settings, including public schools, homeschool, co-ops, Classical Conversations, and Scholé Academy. She is a graduate of the CiRCE Institute’s Teacher Apprenticeship program and is certified as a Master Classical Teacher. She has been married to her husband Kevin for 24 years. They have two kids in college. She enjoys cooking, walking her German Shepherd dog Arwen, and 70’s music. Nancy believes that Chrysostom Classical Academy is the right place for students, families, and teachers who want to embrace a lifestyle of learning and are committed to seeking God’s wisdom and virtue while learning to love one another.

I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion. (Proverbs 8:12)

Administrator

Linda recently retired from being the executive assistant to the superintendent of the Soquel Union Elementary School District. She is also a licensed insurance broker who specializes in Medicare planning and has her own practice called Terrance Insurance Services, Inc. She is very organized, proactive, and has done an incredible job getting our office organized and our school systems set up. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, raised in San Jose, and moved to Santa Cruz in 2016. She married her high school sweetheart and has three children, all of whom are professionals in their fields with families of their own. She is a very involved grandmother to her five grandchildren, one of whom is a CCA 5th grader.

Campus Grammy

Mrs. Cecy has a beautiful heart of service. She keeps our campus looking beautiful and takes wonderful care of our precious students. She epitomizes God’s call for us to “serve one another humbly in love” (Gal 5:13).

Kindergarten/1st Grade Teacher

As a teacher for over 20 years, Julie delights in nurturing the greatest potential in young children. She has earned a B.A. in Child Development, a Montessori teaching credential, and a Masters in Education. She and her husband, Rob, have four children, two of whom attend CCA. She’s the Director of Children’s Ministries at their church, Redeemer Anglican. She feels a deep connection to the vision of CCA and is excited about joining the teaching team this year. Julie enjoys spending time with her family, dabbling in crafts, cooking, jigsaw puzzles, gardening, and taking walks in nature.

2nd Grade Teacher

3rd Grade Teacher

Lana graduated from Aquinas College with a BA in English and recently graduated from San Jose State University with an MFA in Creative Writing. In addition to her education, Lana has a background in fine arts and sociology. During her studies, Lana also worked as a literary magazine editor, a writing tutor, dance instructor, college professor, social media editor, and communications specialist, among other roles. Lana is the author of two fiction novels, has published poetry and creative nonfiction, and also works at Agape Dance Academy.

Her passion for the arts and academia has deepened her commitment to education, and she's dedicated to creating fun and engaging classrooms. Her expertise in dance education and experience as a Byzantine chanter have made her an advocate for enriching students' faith through the arts. Lana believes that an appreciation for artistic expression can guide students in their spiritual journey and foster meaningful connections with others.

4th Grade Teacher

Rachael White is passionate about Classical education. She has 4 boys, all of whom attended a classical school for many years. In 2021/22, she had her own 4th grade class, where she fell in love with teaching. Her students best know her for her love of field trips and getting outside of the classroom to learn. Her teaching style is “work before play.” We work diligently and then we enjoy the fruits of our labor. The values she emphasizes are personal responsibility and owning one’s own actions. She graduated from University of the Pacific with a major in Communications and a minor in History. In her free time she loves going to the mountains with her family, hiking, entertaining, and cooking.

5th Grade Teacher

Louis was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. After attending Saint Francis High School, he went to Southern California to attend Biola University, where he earned a BA degree in Biblical and Theological Studies. After graduating, he returned to the Bay Area, and worked a variety of different jobs, including teaching humanities at a classical Christian school. Louis is excited to join the Chrysostom Classical Academy faculty as the 5th grade teacher. When he is not teaching, you will usually find him at a local Orthodox Church either chanting Byzantine chant, or singing in the church choir.

Dean of Students, 6th Grade Teacher

Mrs. Reynolds loves the trivium. She’s spent nearly half of her life learning the ins and outs of educating children classically. Beginning with her own children in a homeschool setting she first discovered the logical sense of teaching a child according to his frame. Training a child in the foundations of memorization, grammar, reading, and math sense is nothing short of a gift from God to her. She homeschooled and graduated her oldest 2 of 10 children. One of those is a graduate of Virginia Tech with degrees in Physics, Leadership, and a Minor in law. The other is currently pursuing a Doctorate in the Classics and Greek at the University of Boston. Mrs. Reynolds successfully taught at a Classical Academies for 6 years. Five of those years she was the full time 3rd grade teacher. She successfully ran the Latin program for CCA during the 22/23 AY. She brings 20+ years of hands on experience in classical education to Chrysostom Classical Academy.

7th & 8th Grade Bible, Math, Humanities, & Science Teacher, 2nd-8th Grade P.E. Teacher

Benjamin was born and raised in Riverside, California. He graduated from University of California, Santa Barbara in 2018 with a BA in Anthropology. During his time as an EMT and Field Training Officer in Santa Clara, he's learned how to teach effectively in high-intensity situations towards diverse groups of people. Before his baptism as an Orthodox Christian, he completed his catechism over a two year period which went over Church history extensively. Ben is both passionate and excited to help students better understand Bible history, along with providing students an adequate understanding of writing skills to prepare them for their future in education. Ben met the love of his life at Saint Lawrence Orthodox Christian Church in Felton, California and recently married her in July of 2022.

“With us everything should be secondary compared to our concern with children, and their upbringing in the instruction and teaching of the Lord.”

— St. John Chrysostom

7th & 8th Grade Latin, History, & Logic Teacher, Teacher Training and Development

Kelly Clawson is a 4th generation Californian and has lived in Santa Cruz since 1989 (year of the earthquake!). Her husband Hiram works in the Human Genome Project at UCSC. Their two daughters, Madeline (20) and Susanna (16) are still in Santa Cruz, but getting ready to launch into the wide, wide world.

With 12 years of home school experience under her belt, Kelly is a proud graduate of the CiRCE Institute Teaching Apprenticeship, and is currently in her third year of the Latin Apprenticeship. She teaches rhetoric and Latin part-time for CiRCE Online Academy.

In her spare time she takes as many classes - especially history and literature - as she can squeeze in, reads, and plays in her garden. When the mood strikes her, she brushes up on her Gregorian chant.

Calvary Christian Church

Sr. Pastor, Santa Cruz Baptist Church

Hope Church Soquel

Santa Cruz Baptist Church