Our Leadership

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Stuart served in the U.S. Navy as an officer in the Submarine Force for 30 years, retiring as a Commander in 2011.  He subsequently served as the Pacific Northwest Area Operations Manager for a Defense Contractor for seven years.  He was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Utah in 1983 and a Master of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Oklahoma in 2002.  

Stuart and his wife, Rebekah, have been members of Coram Deo Church since 2008 and have found it a joy and privilege to serve the church in various capacities ever since.  When approached by one of the church Elders, who asked him to consider applying for the Head of School position for the new Classical Christian School that the church was starting, Stuart jumped at the opportunity and was selected by the Elders to serve as the first Head of School for Coram Deo Academy.  Stuart and Rebekah are the parents of three adult children, all of whom were homeschooled.  While the concept of Classical Christian Education was new to Stuart, he has come to love it and wholeheartedly embraces the application of it at Coram Deo Academy. 

Melissa Butler joined Coram Deo Academy in 2023, bringing with her a decade of experience homeschooling her own children. As our school secretary, Melissa is dedicated to fostering an environment filled with beauty and joy, all for the glory of Christ. Her days at CDA are spent tending to student and staff needs, communicating with parents, organizing school events, and keeping a pulse on administrative needs of the school. Melissa has been happily married to her husband for 19 years, and together they have three children. As a family they have attended and been members of Coram Deo Church for over 16 years where they can be found serving in a variety of different ministries.When she’s not in the office, Melissa finds joy in creative pursuits such as knitting, quilting, sewing, and baking. She is often found enjoying these hobbies with her ever-present companion, a cup of coffee. 

Stacey was born and raised in Auburn, Washington and moved to Silverdale with her husband in 2010.  She studied at Green River Community College before transferring to the University of Washington where she earned her B.A. in Spanish. During her senior year, she had the opportunity to study abroad in Spain at the Universidad de Cadiz.  Her family has attended Coram Deo Church for 12 years and have been members 2017.  She loves working with children as a Paraeducator in the Central Kitsap School District helping struggling readers as well as serving in her church as an assistant to the Children’s Ministry Director for the elementary program. She is the wife to an amazing husband and mother of three awesome kids. She loves reading, camping and all things Jane Austen… except Mansfield Park.

Brooke Zylstra holds a B.A. in Business Management and Technical communications from Arizona State University. She has pursued and completed theological studies in York, England and Jerusalem, Israel. Prior to her role as a Primary teacher at Coram Deo Academy, Brooke was a supervisor, trainer, and coffee master at Starbucks Coffee Company, and became a homemaker and mom in 2019.   

Brooke has been joyfully married to Mark since 2018 and they are blessed with a jolly, spunky daughter. She and her family have been members of Coram Deo Church since 2021. Children are a blessing and heritage from the Lord, and Brooke is excited to partner with parents in guiding their children towards Christ and the gospel. When she’s not in the classroom, you will find Mrs. Zylstra baking, spending time with her family, hosting friends, planning next year’s garden, hiking, reading, and drinking lots of coffee.

Briana is a Kitsap County native with over 17 years of teaching experience.  She began homeschooling her children in 2007 and has, so far, graduated two of them.  Along with raising her family, she has served the community in various capacities including coaching sports, leading co-op groups, and teaching Sunday school classes.  Her motivation is  to share the love of Jesus with others, especially the next generation. 

Outside of the classroom, Briana can be found hanging out with her husband and best friend, Alex, along with their eight children. They enjoy music, BBQing, feasting with family, gaming,  thrift shopping, and walking the city with a good coffee in hand. 

 Katie fell in love with classical education in 2017 and has been helping other people fall in love with it since.  She has spent the last four years classically educating her three children at home. She has been the Director for Classical Conversation for the last 3 years. She can often be found swimming and camping with her family. She also loves road trips, knitting, sewing, quilting all with one airpod while listening to a book or podcast. 

"I believe the Trivium is how all people naturally learn, and I am excited to walk alongside the families of Coram Deo Academy as we plumb the depths of the Classics together. I believe that Christian classical education trains our affections so we will know what is true and beautiful."

Kimberly is a primary teacher at Coram Deo Academy. She is a wife and mom and has spent the last 10 years homeschooling her five children. Kimberly has a deep love of learning and an insatiable curiosity about life and how the Lord has ordered it all! She loves to share this enthusiasm with others! When she is not reading, you can find her hiking, camping, and exploring with her favorite people. She is excited to join Coram Deo Academy Faculty, where she can share her love of learning, teach Christ at the center of everything, and equip students with a Biblical worldview.
 

Andrea is a primary teacher at Coram Deo Academy. Prior to teaching at Coram Deo Academy, she homeschooled her children and taught for 19 years at a public elementary school.  Andrea graduated from Trinity Western University with a B.A. in General Studies (English/ Education/ Music) and from Whitworth College with a Master's in Teaching. She holds a teaching certificate with endorsements in K-8 Elementary Education and 4-12 English/ Language Arts. Andrea loves being part of the Coram Deo Academy faculty, where she can teach Christ at the center of everything and equip students with a Biblical worldview. She is a wife to a wonderful husband and mom to two great kids.  Andrea loves reading, gardening, hiking, and inspiring wonder for God's creation in her students.  

Stephanie is a teacher's aide at Coram Deo Academy. She has been married for 14 years and loves being a mom to her four kids. Stephanie has been teaching for 14 years, she started in the public school system and went on to teach in private Christian schools and homeschool co-ops. Born and raised in Texas, Stephanie and her family moved to Washington almost two years ago. She is excited to join the Coram Deo Academy family and to partner with parents in the education of their children. 

Crystal has been teaching for almost 20 years and has over 30 years experience as a classically-trained pianist, as well as being fluent in Spanish. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education (K-12) and Piano Performance and Pedagogy in 2007 from Seattle Pacific University, and also took several upper level Latin American and Spanish studies courses. Crystal has a passion for learning and is really excited to embark on her journey teaching in the classical tradition. She looks forward to helping students make connections both with their faith and the world around them. She finds tremendous joy as a wife and mother, dabbling in gardening and sourdough, and filling her home with music, friends, and good food and drink.

Rhiannon Petrick holds a B.A. in Foreign Languages and Literature from Washington State University. She taught at a private school in Bellevue, Washington, before moving to Kitsap County in 2009. Mrs. Petrick was a homeschool mom for eight years before joining the staff at CDA. She enjoys gardening, reading, tromping around the woods and beach, watching her kids play sports, and road trips to visit extended family. She lives in North Kitsap with her husband, Russ (he’s a firefighter), and five children. 

Madeline Doornink has been passionate about classical education since middle school when she took her first integrated humanities course online as a homeschooler. This passion continued into college as she earned an AA in Liberal Arts at New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho. After college, she married the love of her life and moved to Kitsap County to start a family. She and her husband have four young boys and a new baby on the way. She is honored to have the opportunity to share her love of great books with the students of Coram Deo Academy. At home, you can usually find her chasing around her children, taking care of their home, and somehow finding spare time to bake, embroider, and read.