Meet the Teachers
Dr. Kelly Burton
Teacher
Kelly Fitzsimmons Burton earned her Ph.D. in Humanities with an emphasis in Philosophy from Faulkner University. She has over 22 years of experience in teaching in person and online.
Kari Christophersen
Teacher
Kari Christophersen has lived in the US, West Africa, France, and Japan but has always called Moscow, ID home. She holds an M.A. in TESOL and two B.A. degrees, English and French, from the University of Idaho, as well as a Maîtrise in technical translation from the University of Haute Bretagne in France. She has taught in Japan, homeschooled her three kids, and enjoys cooking, being outdoors, and reading lots of good books to her kids.
Ryan Griffiths
Teacher
Ryan Griffiths lives in Taylorville, Illinois and has taught composition and critical reading to college freshman. He holds a Master's degree in English with a concentration in digital pedagogy from the University of Illinois in Springfield. His interests include English literature, creative writing, and film.
George Harrell
Teacher
George Harrell is a graduate with a master’s degree in Theology and Letters from New Saint Andrews College. He has taught an American history course for adults, and has published in the South African magazine “Die Boodskapper,” and US History and Economics at Kepler. He continues to live in the foothills of Idaho with his wife and his son Patrick, where he pursues the study of hidden things.
Danae Harlow
Teacher
Danae grew up in Salem, OR and attended a classical Christian school. In 3rd grade she was introduced to Latin, and it quickly became her favorite subject. Danae attended New Saint Andrews College where she tutored other Latin students. Since 2013, she has taught JH & HS Latin at Logos School (Moscow, ID). She is married Jordan Harlow and lives in Moscow, ID with their two cats and two horses.
Dr. Aaron Hebbard
Teacher
Dr. Hebbard has taught in Christian secondary and higher education since 2001. He earned his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees from Vanguard University in Biblical Studies in 1992 and 1996. In 2005, He earned his Doctorate (Ph.D.) from the University of Glasgow in the field of Literature, Theology and the Arts. He and his wife, Nicole, have been married since 1991 and they have six children and five grandchildren.
Dr. Barbara Helmkamp
Teacher
Dr. Helmkamp earned her Ph.D. in physics from Louisiana State University (1995) and an engineering degree in physics from Colorado School of Mines (1986). She has worked in petroleum engineering (petrophysics) for the Shell Companies in New Orleans and taught at both online and brick and mortar schools. She and her husband Bob Bob are members at Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church (LC‒MS) in Elizabeth, Colorado.
Dr. Junius Johnson
Teacher
Dr. Junius Johnson is an independent scholar, teacher, musician, writer, and the executive director of Junius Johnson Academics. He holds a BA from Oral Roberts University, a Master of Arts in Religion from Yale Divinity School, and an MA, two MPhils, and a PhD from Yale University. He is the author of 5 books, including The Father of Lights: A Theology of Beauty. He is married to Rebekah and resides in Memphis, TN.
Gladys Kober
Teacher
Gladys Kober has a master’s degree in Extragalactic Astrophysics from Observatório Nacional, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She currently works as a data analyst and image processor at GSFC/NASA. Her tasks at NASA include producing color composite images from the Hubble Space Telescope for press release.
Katie Lastowiecka
Teacher
Katie grew up in Northwest Arkansas where she was homeschooled alongside her three siblings. She attended the honors program at a state college, earned a Master's in Education, and spent several years teaching at a private Catholic school. She currently resides in Fayetteville, Arkansas where she attends St. Joseph’s parish and enjoys gardening with her husband, traveling, writing, and grain-free baking.
Dr. Garrett League
Teacher
Dr. League earned a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Art from TCU, an M.S. in Biology from Baylor University, and obtained his doctorate in biology from Vanderbilt in 2017. He also conducted postdoctoral research at Cornell where his research focused on disease carrying insects. Born and raised in Southern California, he and his wife now homeschool their three young children near Fort Worth, Texas.
Tracey Leary
Teacher
Tracey holds an M.Ed. from Auburn University and a B.A., Music and English from Huntingdon College. Born and raised in Panama City, FL, she was an avid reader growing up and enjoyed studying music as well. She and her husband, Ross, have three boys and have been homeschooling for more than six years. She has also taught in a large homeschool co-op, served on its board of directors, and wrote and compiled its secondary humanities curriculum.
Benjamin Lucas
Teacher
Benjamin Lucas is a husband, father, and teacher in a quiet town nestled among the rolling hills of Old Wessex. A born-again Christian, who was saved in his teenage years, Ben holds to the Westminster Confession and he and his family attend Yeovil Family Church and St John's Yeovil. He earned a BA in Modern Foreign Languages with a Year Abroad (German and Russian).
Dr. Stacy Lung
Teacher
Stacy Lung educated her children in the forests of northern Wisconsin, has taught students and adults online, and is the Director of the Environmental Learning Center at Christ Serve Ranch in Henning, MN. She has an M.S. in Environmental Ed. from Concordia University and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Educational Studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
Heather Magnuson
Teacher
Heather has been involved in classical Christian education since she began homeschooling her own boys—for more than fifteen years. Today, she is the director of Arete Homeschooling Collaborative in Panama City, FL. She holds a M.Ed. in Bilingual/ESL education from the University of Central Oklahoma and is completing an M.A. in Humanities with an emphasis in Classical Education from the University of Dallas. She and her family live in Florida.
Daniel Maycock
Teacher
Daniel grew up in Georgia where he was home schooled and studied at Schola Classical Tutorials. He earned B.A.s in English and Music, minored in Philosophy (Oxford University), and earned an M.A. from St. John’s College, Annapolis. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Early Modern Literature & Pedagogy at the University of South Carolina. He and his wife, Haley, live in South Carolina and have three wonderful children.
Dr. Karla Memmott
Teacher
Dr. Karla Memmott is a long-time resident of the Sacramento, California area where she lives with her husband, Kyle and dog, Kona. She home-schooled her children. She continues to support homeschooling parents by teaching online and in -person courses which include history, literature, writing, public speaking, and German. Additionally, she and her husband have coached high school mock trial.
Annie Nardone
Teacher
Mrs. Nardone is a C.S. Lewis Institute Fellow with a Master of Arts degree in Cultural Apologetics from Houston Baptist University. She has earned a B.S. in Graphic Design (1984) and an M.A. in Apologetics, Emphasis in Cultural Apologetics (2019). She has written for and contributed to numerous professional writing projects like An Unexpected Journal and Cultivating. She and her family reside in Florida where they attend First Baptist Church.
Dr. Daniel Newman
Teacher
Dr. Newman initially intended to become a doctor. After sensing a call to ministry, he pursued ordination and served in parishes on the south coast, near London, and in the countryside for nine years before moving to Moscow, Idaho in July 2022. He and his wife, Brooke, have six children. In his spare time, he enjoys fencing.
Dr. Scott Postma
Teacher
Scott served as a minister for 20 years and as a Christian educator for nearly 30 years. He earned degrees in the humanities (Ph.D., Faulkner University), classical studies (M.A.C.C.S., Knox Theological Seminary), religion and English literature (B.S., Liberty University), and creative writing (A.A., College of Southern Nevada). He also earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in theology from a former denominational institution back in the day.
Rocky Ramsey
Teacher
Rocky has a Masters of Science in Ecological and Environmental Engineering. He earnestly desires to see Christians more thoroughly equipped to handle the climate alarmism and fear mongering that occurs in current society.
Jillene Santoro
Teacher
Jillene Santoro is an Air Force veteran turned homeschool educator with 18+ years of experience teaching. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and children, but has lived all across the United States and has visited all fifty. She earned an M.S. in Graduate Operational Analysis at the Air Force Institute of Technology: School of Engineering in 1996 and a B.S. in Operations Research at the United States Air Force Academy in 1994.
Dr. Gregory Soderberg
Teacher
Dr. Soderberg has taught in Christian schools for 18 years. He is completing a Ph.D. in Historical Theology (Free University of Amsterdam) and holds a B.A. in Liberal Arts and Culture (New St. Andrews College), an M.A. in Church History (University of Pretoria). He and his wife have five children and enjoy hiking, boating, reading, and traveling.
Nichol Starr
teachers
Nichol is an attorney-turned-homeschooling mom and rhetoric teacher with more than 18 years of experience working with private schools and homeschool families. Deriving much of her educational philosophy from Charlotte Mason, she has spent the past several years working alongside students and parents as they plan for the high school and college years. She and her husband attend Providence Reformed Church in Nampa, Idaho.
Dr. Christy Anne Vaughan
Teacher
Dr. Vaughan holds an Ed.D. from Liberty University in Educational Leadership and serves as Secretary for Classical Christian Education International, Inc., and served as Head of Curriculum and Instruction at Brown County Christian Academy for three years.
Dr. Bridgette Whitlow-Spurlock
Teacher
Bridgette Whitlow-Spurlock is a homeschooling mother of 3 children and a military spouse. She holds a Doctorate of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, is studying at Liberty University for her Ph.D. in Advanced Educational Studies and Special Education.
Dr. Stephen Wolfe
Teacher
Stephen Wolfe is a graduate of West Point and has served as an officer in the US Armed Forces for over twelve years. He holds master's degrees in political science and philosophy from Louisiana State University (LSU) and will soon complete his Ph.D. in political philosophy at LSU. His teaching philosophy is oriented toward the formation of Christian wisdom in students. He currently lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Dr. Robert Woods
Teacher
Dr. Woods has been a Classical Christian educator for nearly 20 years. He has a B.A. in biblical studies and ministry from Point University, an M.A. in religious studies from Barry University, and a Ph.D. in humanities from Florida State University. He developed and chaired the Great Books Honors College at Faulkner University for more than 15 years and is the author of “Mortimer Adler: The Paideia Way of Classical Education.”
Partner Institutions
The Alyosha Society
A Kepler Partner
Bruce Etter studied Spanish and Bible during my undergraduate years and graduated from Columbia International University in 1992 and a Master's Degree in Religion at Reformed Theological Seminary. He married Julie in 1993 and they have five children, adopted and biological. He has been teaching in Christian schools since 1992 and have served as both teacher and administrator in six different schools.
New England Consortium of Classical Educators
A Kepler Partner in Classical Education
The New England Consortium for Classical Educators partners with Kepler Education to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing by providing training and resources for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations throughout New England.
Western Consortium of Classical Educators
A Kepler Partner in Classical Education
The Western Consortium for Classical Educators partners with Kepler Education to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing by providing training and resources for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations throughout the West Coast.
Bohnet Music Academy
A Kepler Partner in Music Education
We want to train our students to be capable, intelligent, and free musicians by encouraging joy, gratitude, and confidence in their musicianship skills, thus making them ready musical leaders in their home, church, and community (Psalm 33, 66, 149, 150). That’s our fruit, root, and reach.
The Consortium of Classical Educators
A Collaborative Initiative of Kepler Education
The Consortium of Classical Educators provides resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come.
St. Andrew's Academy and College
A Kepler Partner
We are serious about our faith, serious about our students, and serious about the great conversation—discussing the ideas and questions of meaning that have been around as long as we can see in history.
Sophora Services
A Kepler Partner
John Kelly owns and operates Sophora Services. He is Deputy Chief of the Space Projects and Partnerships branch at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California.