Faculty
“Wonder is the desire for knowledge.” — St. Thomas Aquinas
At Aquinas Classical Academy we foster an environment of life-long learning among our faculty that overflows into the classroom. Students and faculty journey together on a common quest for knowledge by reading from the same primary sources and gleaning insights from the fundamental teachers of our school: the authors themselves.
Stephen Holland, Headmaster
Stephen Holland joins Aquinas Classical Academy after 12 years of teaching at a Catholic high school in the Archdiocese of Seattle. He was with the school since its inception, helping to build its literature department and its culture. Mr. Holland earned an MA in Teaching from Loyola University Maryland and holds a bachelor degree from Gonzaga University in English as well as minors in history and jazz performance. He and his wife, Amber, both grew up in Olalla and are excited to be returning to Kitsap County. They have seven children and currently homeschool in the classical tradition.
Mr. Holland is inspired by Pope St. John Paul II’s message that “Catholic education is, above all, a question of communicating Christ, of helping to form Christ in the lives of others. The cause of Catholic Education is the cause of Jesus Christ and of his Gospel at the service of man.” Above all, Mr. Holland is dedicated to ensuring that ACA is a place where students, parents, faculty, and community members encounter Christ so that we may ever conform ourselves to Him.
Mikaela Clemen, Dean of Faculty — Math & Theology
Mikaela Clemen holds a Bachelors in Mathematics from the University of Washington and earned her Masters in Teaching from the University of Portland through the Pacific Alliance for Catholic Education. She has taught many mathematics courses, though her favorite is Precalculus.
She has found that the more she follows where the Lord leads, whether it be teaching in Alaska, hiking the Camino de Santiago, or becoming a Third Order Dominican, the more deeply she experiences His grace and love. One of Mrs. Clemen’s favorite Bible passages is from I Kings 19, where Elijah hears the Lord coming as a whisper. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, sewing, gardening, and making or listening to music.
Hannah Graves — History & Latin
Miss Graves holds a Bachelors in Liberal Arts from Wyoming Catholic College where she participated actively in the Outdoor Leadership Program. She has since earned her Masters in Scriptural Theology from Christendom College and is working towards an MA in Liturgical Studies through the University of St. Mary on the Lake. She is passionate about the study of Latin as it opens so many windows into the past and preserves so much of our Catholic heritage. She is very excited to be back in the Pacific Northwest which has always been “home.” In her spare time, she enjoys reading, knitting, weaving, and hiking.
Michael Holland — Theology
Mr. Holland was immersed in an abundance of fitness and health during his undergraduate years at St. Martin’s University where he ran, threw, and jumped as a decathlete! During this time, he also fell in love with monastic life in the Benedictine tradition and had the incredible privilege of being fully welcomed by the monastic community for the liturgy of the hours, Mass, meals and regular participation in the monastic schola. More recently, he was able to pursue a Master’s in Theology from Holy Apostles College and Seminary. Michael, his wife, and their two children live in Port Orchard and attend their family’s long-time parish, St. Nicholas in Gig Harbor. Mr. Holland’s desire at Aquinas Classical Academy is to help students learn to keep Christ central to their daily lives, as well as to always seek God’s loving design throughout their lives.
Valerie Shepard — Literature
Mrs. Shepard is passionate about teaching and with a BA in Liberal Studies, a Minor in Music, and a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, she is capable of teaching in a variety of capacities. Though born and raised in San Diego, CA, she took a leap of faith eleven years ago and moved to Washington, her husband’s home state, where they are now raising their three children. In her free time, Mrs. Shepard loves reading, playing the flute, and spending time in the beauty of nature. Her favorite Bible verse is Romans 12:5, “…so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another.”
Adam Kraeger — Earth Science, Physics, Calculus & Fitness
Mr. Kraeger holds a Bachelor’s degree in Material Science and Engineering from the University of Washington and a Master’s degree in Education from Pacific Lutheran University. He enjoys reading and studying all things science from horticulture and quantum chemistry to applied plasma physics and sustainable, regenerative farming. This year, Adam is teaching Earth Science, Algebra I, and Physics. Additionally, he helps serve meals for Mary’s Place and works on his brother’s microfarm. Above all, Adam finds happiness in being a proud father of two beautiful children and peace through the acceptance of God’s will no matter the hardship or trial. His favorite Bible verse is Psalm 22:31-32: “And I will live for the Lord; my descendants will serve you. The generation to come will be told of the Lord, that they may proclaim to a people yet unborn the deliverance you have brought.”
Julie Flynn — History
Mrs. Flynn has been teaching the humanities for 16 years. She and her husband Rob have six children and five grandkids. Julie graduated from the University of San Francisco with a BSN and worked as an Oncology and Hospice RN before raising her family. She also was blessed to study the liberal arts at the St. Ignatius Institute while at USF. She is very excited to be a part of Aquinas Classical Academy!
John Anderson — Mathematics
Mr. Anderson has been working in Christian Education for 23 years, teaching mathematics and theology. He has also worked as a youth minister, swimming coach and lifeguard. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics as well as a Master of Theological Studies degree. John has been married to his wife, Rachelle, since 1982. They have ten grown children who are serving God and His people in a variety of ways. In his spare time, John enjoys coaching with Special Olympics as well as running, hiking, swimming, golfing and other outdoor activities with his family.
As a math teacher, Mr. Anderson draws inspiration from Johannes Kepler’s quote that, “The chief aim of all investigations of the external world should be to discover the rational order and harmony which has been imposed on it by God and which He revealed to us in the language of mathematics.”
Abigail Harrison — Mathematics
Mrs. Harrison received her undergraduate degree from Samford University in Mathematics and Secondary Education. In 2024, she earned her Master’s of Education degree in Mathematics from the University of West Alabama. She has taught primarily at the high school level, and her favorite courses are Algebra 2 and Precalculus. She enjoys showing students how God is revealed through the order of beauty of higher-level mathematics. Originally from Tupelo, Mississippi, Abigail moved to Bremerton in 2024 for her husband’s naval career. Previously, she has lived in Connecticut, South Carolina, Maryland, and Alabama. She has two young sons named Kolbe and Caleb. In her spare time, Abigail enjoys hiking, playing the piano, and baking.
As a cradle Catholic, faith has always been a part of Abigail’s life. However, it wasn’t until her freshman year of college that she really felt her faith in God come alive through the Church. One of the Bible verses that speaks to her the most is Matthew 7:21, “Not all who say to me ‘Lord Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven.” She sees this verse as a call to put faith into action and to obey God’s call in our lives.
Dr. Victoria Crescenzi — Biology
Dr. Crescenzi was born and raised in the Bronx, NY. After receiving a BS in Biology and Religious Studies, she accepted a commission in the US Navy at New York Medical Center where she subsequently earned her MD. Her naval career passed through Maryland, Italy, and Virginia before landing in Bremerton at the Navy Hospital. Dr. Crescenzi has held faculty and leadership positions at Madigan Army Medical Center as well as the U.S. Navy Hospital in Bremerton where she remained after retirement for a total of 35 years of government service. She is married with two adult children and is a professed secular Franciscan. Dr. Crescenzi brings St. Francis’ love of creation to the classroom and humbly hopes her class can be called the ‘Theology of Biology.’
Bartz Sykes — U.S. Government & Economics
Mr. Sykes earned a BS in Aeronautical Engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a MS in International Management, and a MS in Politics with a focus on International Relations and Diplomacy from Vilnius University. He served more than 20 years in the U.S. Air Force as an F-16 pilot and Air Force Attaché. Mr. Sykes, his wife and six children lived around the world, including stops in Korea, Japan, Lithuania, Germany, and Russia. From each of these outposts, the Sykes family traveled widely. Mr. Sykes has worked for several defense contractors in instructional and engineering roles after retiring from the Air Force in 2012. Mr. Sykes does his best to listen so he can respond to his favorite Bible verse, “Do whatever He tells you.” (John 2:5)
Elisabeth Gates — Art & Art History
Miss Gates teaches Fine Arts at Aquinas. She is an extremely talented artist and works in mediums such as watercolor, gouache, colored pencil, and digital painting. Woven throughout Miss Gates’ art is the expression of her faith. For instance, the theme of light runs strongly through her work, “For God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to bring to light the knowledge of the glory of God on the face of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6) Miss Gates gives students at Aquinas Classical Academy the tools to depict the reality and beauty around them, visually express their ideas, and analyze other works of art.
Catherine Bennett — Drama
Miss Bennett has been involved in local community theaters throughout Kitsap County for over ten years. She was born and raised in Bremerton and has always called Our Lady Star of the Sea her home parish. She is excited to teach the students at Aquinas how to use the dramatic arts as a way to help them gain confidence in speaking and acting out their faith. As St. Benedict said, “Your way of acting should be different than the world’s way.”
César Castañeda — Latin
César Castañeda obtained his bachelors degree in history from California State University Long Beach, and earned his Single-Subject Teaching Credential through the same institution. He joins Aquinas Classical Academy after nine years of certificated teaching, having spent three of those years teaching kindergarten through eighth grades at Our Lady Star of the Sea. He and his wife both grew up in the Los Angeles region of southern California and met each other at a Latin Mass. Mr. Castañeda holds deep convictions about St. John XXIII’s apostolic constitution regarding Latin instruction and feels personally called to labor for the former pope’s vision: the restoration of Latin study and use. One of Mr. Castañeda’s favorite lines from St. John XXIII’s apostolic constitution is the following quote: “The church fathers recognized, in these outstanding literary monuments of antiquity, man’s spiritual preparation for the supernatural riches which Jesus Christ communicated to mankind “to give history its fulfillment.””
Sam Abraham — Music
Mr. Abraham earned his Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Classics from the University of Washington. It was there, thanks to the Dominican priests, that he discovered Catholicism: he entered the Church during his freshman year and never looked back. The musical heritage of the Church continually enriches and enlivens Mr. Abraham’s faith, and he has served as a Music Minister to the UW Catholic Newman Center for several years. Beyond his love of music, Mr. Abraham also admires the intellectual life of the Church, and studies the writings of Thomas Aquinas in his free time. Mr. Abraham hopes that every student, parent, and teacher at ACA will be able to say, with Aquinas, that they desire “Non nisi te, Domine.”
Diane Naples — College Counseling
Ms. Diane Naples was born and raised in a large Catholic family on Staten Island, New York. She completed her BA at City University of New York-Staten Island in Elementary Education. She homeschooled her 5 children for many years, and then began work in the public-school system. When her youngest went off to college, she also went back to school and completed her Master’s in School Counseling through City University of Seattle. She enjoyed working in several high schools as a School Counselor before entering the Department of Navy as a Human Resource Specialist where she retired at the same time that Aquinas was opening its doors.
Diane loves to spend time with her 11 grandchildren, hike, and read at the beach! One of her favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.
Diane is honored to serve part time as the Guidance Counselor with the theme of “Domine, quo vadis?” as she assists the students in their journey of exploration guiding them to engage and trust the Lord for His direction in their lives. She considers it a blessing to work at Aquinas Classical Academy, a truly Catholic environment with amazing staff, parents and students.
Austin Morga — Business Manager
Mr. Morga worked in the financial industry for 8 years after receiving his BS in Business Management from Franciscan University of Steubenville. He was born and raised in Kitsap County. Mr. Morga, his wife, and his young son recently returned to Washington from North Carolina. In his free time, Mr. Morga enjoys aquariums, sports (lacrosse, golf, football) snowboarding, climbing and spending time with his family. His favorite quote comes from St. Louis de Montfort (in his True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin), “It is as if a poor peasant, wishing to win the friendship and favor of the king, were to go to the queen and give her an apple – his only possession – for her to offer it to the king. The queen, accepting the peasant’s humble gift, puts it on a beautiful golden dish and presents it to the king on behalf of the peasant. The apple in itself would not be a gift worthy of a king, but presented by the queen in person on a dish of gold, it becomes fit for any king”.
Kim Pizanti — Administrative Manager
Mrs. Pizanti brings a wealth of experience to the administration of Aquinas Classical Academy as a retired US Navy Captain. She has an MBA in Manpower Systems Analysis from Naval Postgraduate School as well as a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University. She is married and has three wonderful boys. Her favorite Bible verse is Philippians 4:6-7, “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
John Boyle — Executive Director
John Boyle serves as Executive Director of Aquinas Classical Academy. He brings more than 20 years of experience spanning business, technology, and education, with a background in communication, relationship building, and practical problem solving.
John is grateful for the opportunity to help Aquinas grow in service to students and families. Working alongside the board and headmaster, he seeks to strengthen community support, steward the Academy’s resources, and help ensure that its faculty have what they need to carry out their vocation. At the heart of this work is his desire to help young people come to know Christ and seek God’s will for their lives through a faithful Catholic classical education.
John and his wife, Lyn, have four adult children and have been active parishioners at Our Lady Star of the Sea since 2000. One of his favorite Scripture passages expresses the spirit he hopes to bring to his service at Aquinas: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)
Thank you to Ian White Photography.
Join Our Faculty
Are you being called to join us in the Lord’s mission at Aquinas Classical Academy? Please email your resume along with a cover letter to headmasterholland@aquinasclassical.com. Your cover letter should answer the following questions: Why do you want to work at Aquinas Classical Academy? Why would you be a good fit?
Need to contact a teacher? Please send an email to adminmanager@aquinasclassical.com.