Faculty & Staff

Ms. Rachel Jurado joined CATHF during the 2018-19 academic year as the school’s Director of Mission Advancement and Marketing. She earned an MA in English from the University of Notre Dame, specializing in 17th and 18th-Century British Literature. During her time at Notre Dame, she taught freshman composition along with an English course of her design entitled "Satire from Henry VIII to Obama." She graduated from The George Washington University with a BA in Early Modern European Studies. Before joining Chesterton, Ms. Jurado served dozens of nonprofits as a fundraising consultant and also worked at publications including The American Interest and The American Enterprise.

Mr. John Ellison has taught philosophy, history, Latin, and science at Chesterton Academy for the past two years. After several years working as a strategy consultant, he pursued graduate study at the University of Chicago, where he is A.B.D. in the Committee on Social Thought. During his time at UChicago, he taught classes in ancient and political philosophy, worked alongside his wife (with five lively children underfoot!) as heads of a residential House, and helped to administer the Fundamentals: Issues and Texts program.

Mrs. Bowles served as the school’s Executive Director from its launch in 2015-16 through the 2019-20 academic year. She plans the school’s Rome pilgrimage and guides the Executive Team and staff as they work to fulfill the school’s vision. Mrs. Bowles is a seasoned world traveler who helps organize CATHF’s and the Chesterton Schools Network’s Rome Pilgrimage.

Alojz Jurcik is an experienced math instructor who has taught for many years at several colleges in the Chicago area including the College of Dupage, Moraine Valley Community College, and Richard Daley College. Born in the Slovak Republic, Alojz has advanced degrees from schools in both Slovakia and the United States.

Mrs. Heather Kroupa graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in Chemical Engineering. After working in the engineering world for 10 years, she transitioned to teaching and tutoring. She received her Masters in Teaching from North Park University. She teaches math part-time at CATHF. She and her husband are blessed to be raising four children. On the side, she plays volleyball and teaches STEM Club at St. Joan of Arc School.

Mr. Joseph Linn is A.B.D. in Philosophy at Loyola University Chicago. He teaches a variety of classes including Philosophy, Mathematics, and Latin. He is a founding teacher here and has been teaching at the academy since 2015.

Mr. Christopher Lyon teaches History, Astronomy, Philosophy, and Latin. He coaches rugby and assists in our drama program. He is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and father of 3 lovely daughters. Mr. Lyon is also a published poet and historian and coauthors an epic fantasy series with his brother Mr. Patrick Lyon.

Mr. Patrick Lyon graduated from the Program of Liberal Studies (i.e., a Great Books Program) at the University of Notre Dame in May 2017. He teaches Literature, Writing Composition, and Latin. In addition to his teaching duties, he also coaches rugby and assists with our music program. He is married to the lovely Reba Lyon and they have two beautiful daughters.

Mrs. Janet Podczerwinski, in addition to working as the Choir Director at Saint James in Sag Bridge, has also been the Co-Choir director and a faculty member in the Musical Theater program at Kingswood Academy. She has been teaching Music and Drama at Chesterton Academy since 2016.

Dr. David Rahimi joined CATHF as a History, Literature, and Theology teacher in 2022-2023. He received his PhD in History from the University of Texas at Austin. His diverse specialties include the history of the Middle East, the modern United States, the Catholic Church, and capitalism. Some of his public academic writings on Islam and Christianity can be found at Public Discourse.

Ms. Kaitlyn Reznicek (‘18) recently graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology and Catechetics. Kaitlyn was a part of the Great Books Honors Program for 4 years, the leader of a mission trip to Ireland, and an office manager in the office for campus ministry and liturgy. She is currently continuing her graduate studies online through Franciscan University, and will graduate in the spring of 2023 with her Master of Arts in Catholic Studies, a cross-curriculum program of study that combines theology, history and literature, science and art.

Alexandra Scherb graduated from the University of Dayton with a Bachelor’s in communication, a concentration in journalism, and a minor in religious studies. After spending a year as a campus missionary at Northern Illinois University, Alexandra became the Administrative Assistant at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Academy, a Chesterton Network School in Rockford, IL. Her time at Chesterton has deepened the conviction and joy she feels for the Catholic faith.

Dr. Jacqueline Simon joined CATHF as a biology and math teacher in the 2021-22 academic year. After receiving a BS in biomedical engineering and mathematics from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, she went on to complete a doctoral degree in biomechanics at Rush University. Her dissertation research focused on evaluating the performance of a new total knee replacement using motion analysis and computational modeling; for her postdoctoral work, she studied pathological gait patterns in children.

Anneke Taglia is a "founding family" member of Chesterton Academy of The Holy Family and in 2023 her third child will graduate from Chesterton Academy. With a degree in Education from University of Michigan, Anneke taught a range of ages from 5th grade to college freshmen 8 years before beginning her own family. She homeschooled each of her 5 children through 8th grade and taught pre-algebra and algebra for 4 years in a homeschool co-op. She loves working to change the hearts and minds of reticent math students.

Mr. Jacob Taylor is a recent graduate of the Harding University Honors College where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies: Bioscience and Philosophy. In addition to his studies, Jacob was a private tutor, vice president of Harding University's Student Association, managing editor for the University's history journal The Tenor of Our Times and an active volunteer in local homeless missions and ministries. He and his wife Sidney recently moved here from Arkansas.

Ms. Lana Trapp has worked in small companies, large corporations, and nonprofit organizations including school environments. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Humanities from George Williams College.

Mrs. Vanda Varnai-Garcia has over ten years experience as a ballroom dance instructor and she has been teaching dance at the academy since 2016.

Ms. Mikayla Walsh grew up in Lemont, IL going to St James of the Sag! She lived in Ireland for four years studying at a Newman College and working in Tobar Nua Ministry. She graduated from St. Thomas Moore in New Hampshire with a Degree in the Liberal arts and spent the past two years teaching in San Antonio, Texas.

Bio coming soon.

Mrs. Roth has been teaching Art at Chesterton Academy of The Holy Family for 8 years!