Faculty and Staff
Leadership
Faculty
Mrs. Ana Meyers
Kindergarten Teacher
Mrs. Kimberly Rhine
Kindergarten Teacher
Raised by honest, hard-working, service-orientated parents, in a small town in the picturesque state of Maine, Kim developed a strong work ethic and sensitive moral compass compelling her to a life-long endeavor of learning the true, doing the good and loving the beautiful!
After graduation from Cedarville University with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Elementary Education and Bible Comprehensive with a minor in Youth Ministry, Kim spent a year in Pushkin and St. Petersburg, Russia teaching ethics and morals based on the Bible. Upon returning to the states, she married Drew, and they have been married for over 25 years. They have four adult children and two grandchildren!
Throughout the years, Mrs. Rhine has had numerous teaching and serving experiences including: being in hundreds of classrooms in Indiana and Michigan as a guest teacher on short term PK-12 teaching assignments, 9th and 10th grade English teacher in IPS and TPS, directing a Preschool and Kindergarten program in Fishers, IN, teaching PK and Middle School at Toledo Christian Schools, teaching in two Toledo based homeschooling co-ops where her children attended, teaching Kindergarten Sunday School and facilitating women’s Bible studies.
A few of Mrs. Rhine’s favorite things are children’s books, teaching, and little tiny things! Mr. and Mrs. Rhine love their church family at Christ the Word in Sylvania and they love living in the woods in their log home in Swanton, which they share with their personal chef, Eli, and their three dogs!
Mrs. Noelle Dawley
Kindergarten Teacher
Email : ndawley@nocacademy.org
Ms. Heather Hughes
First Grade Teacher
Email : hhughes@nocacademy.org
Mrs. Nicole Humason
First Grade Teacher
Email : nhumason@nocacademy.org
Mrs. Humason was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio in a family where her father and all three siblings became educators. She received a B.A. in Psychology from Bowling Green State University and a Masters in Elementary Education from the University of Toledo.
Before beginning her teaching career in the fourth grade classroom, she developed and implemented various drug prevention programs for elementary and middle schools throughout Northwest Ohio.
While teaching fourth grade in Toledo Public Schools, she met her husband Jeff (who is NOCA’s Art Teacher). They have been married for twenty-six years and have eight children ranging in age from twenty-four down to five.
After Mrs. Humason’s first child was born she decided to stay home and homeschool her children using the Classical Model. This year all four of their daughters will be attending NOCA.
Mrs. Humason enjoys attending her children’s sporting events and dance recitals, baking and cooking, spending time outdoors, and visiting with family and friends. She is excited to be a part of the NOCA family! “The object of education is to teach us to love what is beautiful.” –Plato, The Republic
Mrs. Lydia Winslow
First Grade Teacher
Email : lwinslow@nocacademy.org
Mrs. Lydia Jutte was born in Sidney Ohio and then moved overseas to Indonesia when she was six years old. Her dad was an aircraft mechanic and she grew up in the jungles of Indonesia. She received my B.A. in Elementary Education with a focus on Pre- Primary Education from . After graduating, Mrs. Jutte lived in China for two years teaching Kindergarten. During the past four years, she has worked and taught at Emmanuel Christian School.
During her free time she loves being outside and doing a variety of activities: long boarding, roller blading, paddle boarding and kayaking. She also enjoys going on walks with her husband and dog, and playing board games together.
She is excited to teach children to uphold and practice the 7 virtues of NOCA: wisdom, prudence, friendship, courage, moderation, responsibility, and justice.
“I consider it a privilege to be a part of a school culture that honors and upholds these virtues.”
Mrs. Susan Bachmayer
Second Grade Teacher
Email : sbachmayer@nocacademy.org
Mrs. Susan Bachmayer was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio. She attended the University of Toledo and majored in Elementary Education. After graduation, she taught first grade at Calvary Christian School, which providentially is the same building that NOCA currently resides in. Then, she went on to teach 2nd grade at Toledo Christian for seven years.
After getting married and eventually having five children, she left the classroom to pursue raising and educating her children at home. “I have fond memories of the time I spent at home educating my children. While homeschooling, I fell in love with classical education through a local program called Classical Conversations.”
Now, as her children are older, she felt a call to return to the classroom. Mrs. Bachmayer has been a substitute teacher at NOCA, so she is familiar with our classical curriculum and school philosophy. “One of the great beauties of classical education is that it teaches students how to learn and how to think. I look forward to challenging my students in these areas.”
Mrs. Loretta Tolly
Second Grade Teacher
Email : ltolly@nocacademy.org
Mrs. Loretta Tolly is a Buckeye transplant from Western New York. She has two B.S. degrees, one in Biblical Studies from Emmaus Bible College and another in Elementary Education from Buffalo State. She has a Master’s in Elementary Education/ Classroom-Reading from Buffalo State as well.
Mrs. Tolly has taught students from the Ituri rainforest of Zaire (Congo, Africa) to the concrete jungle of East Buffalo. She moved to Cleveland, Ohio and taught second-third grade at Christian Community School until marrying Brad Tolly (who happens to be a teacher as well!) and moved to Toledo.
Loretta taught at Monclova Christian until the birth of their son, Tyler. With a smile, she explains that she took an eight-year maternity leave. 😊 She homeschooled their son until second grade. Nine years ago, Mrs. Tolly dove back into the classroom, teaching second grade at Emmanuel Christian School.
Mrs. Tolly loves to read, write, and travel. She is looking forward to joining the NOCA family and partnering with parents to help students learn the true, do the good, and love the beautiful!
Mrs. Michele Audet
Third Grade Teacher
Email : maudet@nocacademy.org
Mrs. Lynn Wilhelm-Rodriguez
Third Grade Teacher
Email : lwilhelmrodriguez@nocacademy.org
Mr. Tyler Bock
Fourth Grade Teacher
Email : tbock@nocacademy.org
Mrs. Rebecca Book
Fourth Grade Teacher
rbook@nocacademy.org
Mrs. Book joins NOCA as one of our k-6th grade teachers. She was born and raised in Northwest Ohio. She graduated from the University of Toledo with a B.A. in Education and concentrations in History and English. She is currently completing her Master’s in Children’s Literature from Eastern Michigan University.
Mrs. Book spent years outside of education working in real estate before embracing teaching as a vocation. Both of her parents were educators so, in a sense, she joined the family business! She has taught at Toledo Christian School, Ann Arbor Public Schools, and most recently, in Toledo Public Schools.
Mrs. Book loves spending time with her family, traveling, and cooking. Her twin daughters will be seniors in high school this year, so she and her husband are savoring the last year before becoming empty-nesters.
Her husband, Bob, is a social worker and philosopher. Together they love to cook and plan a retirement in Italy. Mrs. Book looks forward to sharing her love of books with her students at NOCA!
Ms. Kathleen Nichol
Fifth Grade Teacher
Email : knichol@nocacademy.org
Ms. Samantha Malcolm
Fifth Grade Teacher
Email : smalcolm@nocacademy.org
Ms. Malcolm recently earned her B.A. in Politics from Hillsdale College and is excited to move south to join the NOCA team! She has three younger siblings and spent her childhood in the Ohio communities of Sylvania, Uhrichsville and New Philadelphia.
Classically educated from the age of 8 years old, she is eager to inspire a love of learning in her students. Her favorite subjects include logic, art history, literature, theology, and politics.
In her free time, she enjoys oil painting, walking her two dogs named Wesley and Jessie at the park, dominating ultimate frisbee, playing European board games, and gardening.
“Classical education eschews indoctrination; rather, it fulfills the true purpose of education which is, as the word implies, to ‘lead forth.’” –Ms. Malcolm
Mr. Stephen Froedge
Upper School Latin Teacher
Email : sfroedge@nocacademy.org
Mr. Froedge earned his B.A. in Classical Studies from the University of California, San Diego—his hometown. He went on to earn an M.A. in Classical Studies from the University of Kansas before ultimately earning a PhD in Classical Philology from the University of Illinois. At both universities he focused on Latin poetry.
Since completing his schooling in 2020, Mr. Froedge has been teaching Latin and mythology at the middle school and high school levels at a classical school in Las Vegas. He is thrilled to continue his teaching career at NOCA.
In addition to high school and middle school teaching, Mr. Froedge has served as an editorial assistant for academic journals and taught Latin and mythology at the collegiate level over the past ten years.
He met his wife while they were both students at the University of Illinois. They have a wonderful five year old daughter (Livia). They love to travel and were lucky enough to celebrate their daughter’s second birthday in Germany, while studying abroad. They also enjoy hiking and bookstores.
Mr. Gary Varney
Upper School Latin Teacher
Email : gvarney@nocacademy.org
Mr. Geoff Kujawa
Upper School History Teacher
Email : gkujawa@nocacademy.org
Mrs. Jaclyn Willman
Upper School Literature & History Teacher
Email : jwillman@nocacademy.org
Mrs. Heidi Spence
Upper School Literature Teacher
Email : hspence@nocacademy.org
Heidi Spence, a Michigan native, earned her B.A. from Adrian College in English Literature and German, and her M.A. from Michigan State University in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She has spent most of her professional career in higher education, including positions in academic advising, study abroad, and adjunct teaching (ESL and Freshman Writing).
Mrs. Spence is excited to return to the classroom to focus on her favorite subject-literature! She believes strongly in lifelong learning and the curiosity to research and question, and thus feels Classical Education is a great fit!
In fact, NOCA was the reason her family moved to Ohio last fall, and she can’t wait to join her four children at NOCA to encourage her students to “read good books and ask hard questions”!
In her spare time, she loves reading (of course), gardening, cooking, going to art museums and theater productions, thrifting and supporting fair trade, and watching her kids play hockey, soccer, and dance!
Mr. Erick Gremlich
Upper School Math Teacher
Email : egremlich@nocacademy.org
Mr. Erick Gremlich, Upper School Math teacher, has been teaching high school mathematics for 13 years, including 11 years experience in AP Statistics and 3 years experience in AP Calculus. Mr. Gremlich earned his B.A. in Mathematics Education from the University of Utah in 2007 and his M.A. in Mathematics Education in 2011.
He has lived in Utah, Nevada, Nicaragua, and Georgia, and is pleased to now call Ohio home. He loves science fiction and fantasy, especially Dune, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Sherlock, Stargate, and Christopher Nolan films. Mr. Gremlich plays cello and enjoys classical music, especially the music of Rachmaninoff. He is an avid reader, with some of his favorite books being Dune, the Stormlight Archive, Atlas Shrugged, the Star Wars Thrawn novels, Alice in Wonderland, and Sherlock Holmes stories.
In his spare time he likes to enjoy nature, eat Thai food, watch movies, read books, and spend time with his wife and son.
Mr. Gremlich is excited by the opportunity to work in classical education and fit mathematics to the needs of his students. He is particularly excited to include historical sources in mathematics education and introduce students to the original ideas of mathematicians and help students learn those ideas for themselves.
Mr. Luke Maser
Upper School Math Teacher
Email : lmaser@nocacademy.org
Miss Natalie Walter
Upper School Math Teacher
Email : nwalter@nocacademy.org
Ms. Kathleen Tomasewski
Upper School Science Teacher
Email : ktomasewski@nocacademy.org
Mr. Giridhar Raju Chejerla
Upper School Science Teacher
Email : gcherjerla@nocacademy.org
Mr. Jeff Humason
Art Teacher
Email : jhumason@nocacademy.org
Mrs. Jodie Kania
Assistant Art Teacher
Email : jkania@nocacademy.org
Ms. Stephanie Hulbert
Music Teacher
Email : shulbert@nocacademy.org
Mrs. Angie Blank
Music Teacher
Email : ablank@nocacademy.org
Mrs. Donna Caryer
PE Teacher
Email : dcaryer@nocacademy.org
Ms. Jackie Meyers
PE Teacher
Email : jmeyers@nocacademy.org
Mr. Dylan Goodman
Intervention Specialist
Email : dgoodman@nocacademy.org
Mrs. Patricia Crawford
Intervention Specialist
Email : pcrawford@nocacademy.org
Mrs. Chelsea Chelliah
Behavioral Specialist
Email : cchelliah@nocacademy.org
Mrs. Chelsea Chelliah was born and raised in Toledo where she still resides with her husband of nine years along with their three children. She received her B.A. (2012) and M.A. (2016) in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Toledo.
During college she worked as an Assistant Teacher in preschool classrooms with children of various learning differences. After her time in the classrooms, she worked as a Case Worker and Addictions Counselor at a community mental health agency.
For the past six years she has enjoyed her time as a stay at home mom. Now that her youngest will be entering kindergarten, she is excited for this new season. Mrs. Chelliah defines herself as a woman of faith with compassion and empathy for all people.
She looks forward to assisting NOCA students and families in communication and problem solving.
Ms. Debra Schaller
Instructional Aide
Email : dschaller@nocacademy.org
Ms. Amanda Baerwaldt
Instructional Aide
Instructional Aide
Email : abaerwaldt@nocacademy.org
Ms. Kelsey Szymanski
Instructional Aide
Email : kszymanski@nocacademy.org
Mrs. Angela Reusch
Instructional Aide
Email : areusch@nocacademy.org
Staff
Mr. Pete Mowry
Facilities Manager
Email : pmowry@nocacademy.org
Miss Amanda Crowder
Office Operations Manager
Email : acrowder@nocacademy.org
Ms. Dawn Pannenberg
Receptionist
Email : dpannenberg@nocacademy.org
Mr. Robert Bane
Student Logistics Coordinator
Email : rbane@nocacademy.org
Mrs. Jenn Kujawa
Enrollment Manager
email : jkujawa@nocacademy.org
Mrs. Jenn Kujawa joins our Office Staff team focusing on Enrollment Management and Marketing. Mrs. Kujawa started at NOCA as a parent volunteer, then substitute teacher, and will now be working in our office.
Mrs. Kujawa graduated from Archbold High School and has a degree in Public and Institutional Administration from BGSU. After two years working in Higher Ed at Lourdes College and Bellarmine University, she stayed home to raise and homeschool her children. During that time, she built her photography business and began working with global fair trade artisans to sell their jewelry and bags. She is excited about the opportunity to put her degree, entrepreneurial, and marketing skills to work at NOCA.
Mrs. Kujawa and her husband, Geoff, have 3 sons and an adopted daughter from India. They have lived in Sylvania for 11 years. She enjoys traveling globally, weekends at the lake, reading, gardening and cooking in her free time.
Mrs. Barbra Shaffer
Administrative Assistant
Mrs. Shaffer is the oldest of seven children and grew up in Mercer County, Ohio. Faith and hard work are apart of her family’s fabric.
She received her associates degree in Accounting from the Wright State University Lake Campus. She has worked in administration at construction and retail companies since graduation.
Barbra and her husband Aaron have 5 children, and the youngest three attend NOCA. She is very excited to be at NOCA with her children.
“The classical education’s emphasis on virtue, recitations, table talks, and classical literature has been a tremendous blessing to our family! I look forward to supporting NOCA’s mission as an Office Administrative Assistant!”
Properly Certified Teacher/Parental Information Request
In compliance with the requirements of the No Child Left Behind statute, Northwest Ohio Classical Academy will inform parents of information about the professional qualifications of your student’s teacher(s). The following information may be provided:
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Whether the teacher has met the Ohio Professional Standards Commission requirements for certification for the grade level and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction;
- Whether the teacher is teaching under a provisional status through which Ohio qualifications or certification criteria have been waived;
- The college major and any graduate certification or degree held by the teacher; and/or,
- Whether the student is provided services by paraprofessionals, and if so, their qualifications.
If you wish to request information concerning your child’s teacher’s qualifications, please contact the Office Manager of NOCA at 567-420-6180.