Administration

Mr. Martin Cothran, Director & Instructor
Mr. Cothran, a writer and teacher who lives in Danville, Kentucky with his wife and four children, is the director of the Online Classical Academy. He is the editor of Memoria Press's "Classical Teacher" magazine, and is the author of Memoria Press's Traditional Logic, Material Logic, and Classical Rhetoric programs, as well as Lingua Biblica: Old Testament Stories in Latin. He is the Latin, Logic, and Rhetoric Instructor at Highlands Latin School in Louisville, Kentucky. He holds a B.A. in Philosophy and Economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara and an M.A. in Christian Apologetics from the Simon Greenleaf.

For the past 15 years, he has been an influential voice on public policy issues at the Kentucky State Capitol. His articles on current issues have appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer, Louisville Courier-Journal, The Lexington Herald-Leader, and various other newspapers around Kentucky. He has served on several state commissions dealing with state education policy and is a frequent guest on Kentucky Educational Television’s "Kentucky Tonight" program, a weekly PBS program broadcast statewide. He has been heard on ABC Radio News, American Family Radio, and Family News in Focus.

Mr. Cothran is a popular speaker and author who has been described as “a master of the 30-second sound bite” by the Lexington Herald-Leader, and “articulate and relentless” by the Associated Press.

Mr. Scott Piland, Assistant Director & Instructor
Mr. Piland is 32 years old and a native of Missouri. He holds a BA in Theology from  the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Scott is also a graduate of Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and holds the Advanced M.Div degree with emphasis in biblical and theological studies. He is also pursuing a second masters degree in New Testament. He currently teaches logic courses in the Upper School at The Highlands Latin School in Louisville, KY, and teaches Logic and Latin for Memoria Press. He is also the assistant director of The Memoria Press Online Classical Academy. He lives in Louisville with his lovely wife and three children. All general questions about Memoria Press Online should be directed to him. To email him, simply click on his image to the left.

Memoria Press Online Faculty

Mrs. Laura Bateman, Instructor
Laura teaches 4th grade at Highlands Latin School in Louisville, KY. She and her husband, Nick, moved to Louisville to allow him to complete his Masters of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Before moving to Louisville, Laura and her husband lived in Jackson, TN. In Jackson, she taught 3rd grade at the Augustine School. This was her first exposure to classical education and where her love for it began! Also in Jackson, she received her B.M. in Music Education from Union University. She and her husband have served in

Mr. Jason Borah, Instructor
Jason Borah joined the Highlands Latin School faculty in 2011 to teach fourth grade.  He brings four years of teaching experience from classical schools in Oklahoma where he has taught both fourth grade and upper school History, Government, and Logic.  Jason earned his B.A. from Moody Bible Institute and his M.A. (magna cum laude) from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.  He enjoys making Chicago-dish pizza, drawing pencil portraits, and listening to the Blues.  Most of all, Jason loves being with his wife Rebekah, whom he married in August 2011. Jason teaches Classical Composition, as well as Informal Fallacies for Memoria Press Online Academy

Mr. Sean Brooks, Instructor
Sean Brooks received a B.A. in Religion from Missouri Baptist University where he majored in Biblical Languages. Sean has taught Latin for two years at Highlands Latin and is currently serving as a 6th grade teacher at HLS. He and his wife moved to Louisville in 2007. Sean's wife, Lindsey, is pursuing her B.S.N. from the University of Louisville. Currently, Sean teaches the Senior Thesis/Research Paper course for Memoria Press Online. For inquires about this particular course, click on Sean's image to send him an email.

Mr. Paul Cable, Instructor
Paul holds the B.A. in English Literature from the University of Georgia and the M.Div. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. A native of Georgia, he now lives with his wife, Ashley, and two children, Graeme and Eleanor, in Wheaton, IL, where he is pursuing the PhD in New Testament at Wheaton College Graduate School. For four years he taught English literature, grammar, history, test prep, and Christian Scripture at Educational Resources in Louisville, KY. Paul is currently Adjunct Professor of New Testament Greek at Mid--America Reformed Theological Seminary, where he teaches intermediate Greek grammar and syntax. He studied Latin both in high school and college, where he sat under Latin scholar Richard A. LaFleur. He plays guitar and dobro, and has a terrible hook but loves golf anyway.

Mrs. Andrea Cavanaugh, Instructor
Andrea Cavanaugh teaches 6th grade at Highlands Latin School. She holds a BA and MA in English and has eight years of teaching experience. Before moving to Kentucky, Mrs. Cavanaugh taught a variety of upper school literature and writing courses at a classical school in Virginia. She and her husband moved to Louisville in 2007 and enjoy living there. She enjoys taking walks in the Crescent Hill neighborhood, being involved in her church, cooking, and reading. She also oversees the organization of a small book club that meets monthly for discussion. She loves being part of the HLS faculty and is teaching the Short Story class this year for Memoria Press Online.


Mrs. Hilary Cesare, Instructor
Hilary holds a B.A. in Music from the University of Louisville, with minor concentrations in Italian and Medieval Studies. While at U of L, she was a member of the Cardinal Singers, the #2 ranked choir in the world. She competed and performed in Spain, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Sweden, winning the 2009 World Choir Championships in South Korea. While in the choir, Hilary often employed her knowledge of Latin, due to the extensive amount of Latin music the choir sang, and even translated texts for concert programs and CD texts. She was a member of the third graduating class of the Highlands Latin School and upon graduating, served as the Assistant Choral Director. Hilary also has a Church choir and teaches piano lessons to local homeschooling families. Recently married, her husband gave her a great name for a Latin teacher, Mrs. Cesare.

Dr. Carrie Christensen, Instructor
Carrie is a graduate of Centre College, and has completed her research for a PhD in Biology at the University of Louisville. She is currently an instructor at St. Catherine College in Kentucky. While working on her M.S. at Tennessee Tech., she taught human anatomy and physiology, conducted research in animal behavior, and in her spare time milked cows on her family’s dairy farm!  Carrie formerly taught biology, anatomy and physiology at Highlands Latin School, coordinated science activities for the lower school, and taught anatomy and physiology to nursing students at the local community college. If you have questions about our Biology courses, click on Dr. Christensen's picture.

Mr. Jacob Elfrink , Instructor
Mr. Elfrink is a native of Missouri. While growing in the Midwest, Jacob had the privilege of being home schooled, which included several years' experience in online schooling. He holds the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts from Thomas Aquinas College, with majors in Philosophy and Theology. His curriculum there placed heavy emphasis on the critical study of Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas by use of the Socratic method. Presently, Mr. Elfrink is pursuing a medical degree from the University of Missouri and working as a deckhand fishing in the Gulf of Alaska over the summers. For the 2012 - 2013 school year, Mr. Elfrink will teach Material Logic, a semester course that examines some of the more crucial aspects of Aristotelian thought.

Mr. Jim Fielder, Instructor
Jim Fielder is a revolutionary figure in popular music. Mr. Fielder was the founding bassist with the legendary band Blood, Sweat, and Tears in the late 60s and early 70s, a group that not only produced hugely popular hits such as "Spinning Wheel," "When I Die," "You Make Me So Very Happy," "God Bless the Child" (on all which you can hear Mr. Fielder playing bass), and many more, but was also the key influence on other supergroups such as Tower of Power and Chicago. Mr. Fielder, who has been Neil Sedaka's bassist for 32 years, also played bass on the first two albums for the supergroup Buffalo Springfield, on jazz guitarist George Benson's "Tell It Like It Is," and other recordings by Danny O'Keefe, Al Kooper, Chris Hillman, Mary McCaslin, and Gene Clark, the founder of the Byrds. You can read online interview with him here. Mr. Fielder is the only member of our staff not only to attend Woodstock, but to play at it. He is now a youth minister at his church and lives with his wife Alyse and two sons near Tyler, Texas. If you have questions about our Understanding Music I & II courses, click on Mr. Fielder's picture.

Mr. John Gill, Instructor
John Gill is a California native, born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.  He received a BA in European History from the University of California, San Diego and an MDiv at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary.  After completing his MDiv, John taught World History, US History, and Christian Religion to seventh and eighth graders at Tabernacle School for three years.  He is currently living in Louisville, where he is a PhD candidate in Church History at Southern Seminary.  John is married and has two young sons.  Besides family, school, church, and work, John's interests and hobbies include coffee, photography, fountain pens, music, eating food, and most things Apple.

Mr. Jordan Goings, Instructor
Jordan received his B.S. from the College of Biblical Studies in Christian Leadership in 2006. He later earned his M.Div from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and intends to pursue a PhD in Philosophy in 2011. He brings public and private school teaching experience to his position as a 5th grade instructor at The Highlands Latin School, as well as experience substituting and grading for college classes. Mr. Goings greatly enjoys reading, watching the Boston Celtics, and spending time with his wife, Sharla, whom he married in 2006.

Mrs. Sharon Grant, Instructor
Sharon holds a BS in Geophysics from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and an MS degree in nuclear engineering from Texas A&M. She has worked as a nuclear engineer for Philadelphia Electric Company and for the Department of Energy at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. Sharon and her husband Steve have been married for twenty-two years and have four terrific children. Sharon and Steve have embraced a classical Christian education as their homeschooling philosophy. In addition to teaching her children Sharon has taught at her co-op in San Diego, CA, where she resides. She has taught Prima Latina, the Latina Christiana series, First Form Latin, among other courses. With Memoria Press Online, Sharon has taught our math and college preparatory courses since 2009. If you have specific questions about our Algebra, Geometry, PreCalculus, or college preparatory courses, click on the image to email Mrs. Grant.

Mrs. Ashley Gratto, Instructor
Ashley was raised in Louisville and attended Milligan College in Tennessee, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics.  She previously taught high school math and currently enjoys teaching fifth grade at Highlands Latin School.  She enjoys teaching the challenging curriculum and seeing her students succeed.  She and her husband Dominic just welcomed their first baby boy, Everett, in December.  In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, baking, traveling, and serving in her church.

Mr. Brian Hanson, Instructor
Brian Hanson teaches 3rd-6th music as well as Logic & Rhetoric at HLS.  He holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s Degree in Piano Performance from Bob Jones University where David Lehman and Yunhua Lovell were among his teachers. He has had further studies with the late Donald Walker at Northern Illinois University and has performed in master classes with Andrzej Dutkiewicz and Anna Klein. Brian’s students have excelled in competitions, several of which have been laureates. He has also been active as an adjudicator for piano, choral, and composition competitions. Brian has taught piano at Bob Jones University and South Shore Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to teaching at HLS, he currently teaches piano at the Seminary School of the Arts at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Brian has also served as the Minister of Music at several churches where he directed choirs of all ages and organized musical activities. He is an active composer of choral and instrumental music with published work by SoundForth Press. He was named the winner of the 2010 John Ness Beck Foundation Award for his choral anthem, Jesus, Lover of My Soul. Brian holds an M.A. in theology from Bob Jones Seminary and is currently pursuing the M.Div. in the School of Theology at Southern Seminary. He and his wife, Johanna, who is an accomplished pianist, collaborate frequently to perform duet music. He enjoys spending time with his three young children (Stefan, Olivia, and Silas), reading theology and history, and biking.

Mrs. Abigail Johnson, Instructor
Abby Johnson is a longtime lover of classical education. She graduated in the first class of Whitefield Academy in Kansas City, MO, and went on to New St. Andrews, a Classical Christian Liberal Arts college in Moscow, ID. There she had the opportunity to learn under excellent classical professors including Douglas Wilson, Dr. Peter Leithart, Dr. John Schwandt, and Dr. Chris Schlect. She also had the opportunity to direct junior high theater for 2 years at Logos School in Moscow, ID. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Culture, she married Mat Johnson and moved to Costa Rica, where they lived for 6 years and had two children, Eleanor and Elias. While there, she worked intermittently as an English tutor for second language students. Upon moving back to Kansas City in 2011, Abby began working at Whitefield Academy as a teacher of the Progymnasmata and Logic, and also as a music aide. Being a classical music enthusiast she sings in the semi-professional choir "Te Deum. When not pondering or practicing the finer points of Aristotle or Bach, she enjoys getting out with her family on the bicycle trails in their community. Mr. Johnson teaches Classical Composition for Memoria Press Online Academy.

Mr. Cody King, Instructor
Mr. King is originally from Las Vegas, NV, and grew up in a military family. He grew to love the classics in high school and college, and eventually graduated from Union University with a B.A. in Christian Studies and Philosophy. Mr. King currently teaches Latin, Greek, Classical Studies, and Literature in the Upper School at The Highlands Latin School in Louisville, KY. For Memoria Press Online, Cody teaches Latin and Christian Studies courses. If you have specific questions about the Fundamentals of the Faith course or the Moral Philosophy course, simply click on Mr. King's image to contact him.

Mr. Steven Lange, Instructor
Mr. Lange is pastor of Hope Lutheran Church in Louisville, and teaches Latin IV in both the Upper and Lower Schools at The Highlands Latin School. For Memoria Press Online, Mr. Lange teaches Latin and Greek. He received his B.A. from Northwestern College in Watertown, WI, and a M. Div. from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 1997. His previous teaching experience includes teaching Greek at Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota. He and his wife, Krista, have three children. If you have questions about the First Form Greek course, click on Mr. Lange's picture to email him.

Mr. Stephen Long , Instructor
Mr. Long currently resides in South Bend, IN, where he is an MTS graduate student at the University of Notre Dame. Formerly, he was a Greek, Latin, and Mathematics instructor at The Highlands Latin School in Louisville, KY. He graduated summa cum laude from Virginia Tech with a double major in Math and Classical Studies in 2004. He also holds an MA in Classics from the University of Virginia. While studying for his MA in 2006, he wrote a thesis called "A Duel and a Wall: the Narrative Contribution of Iliad 7." Stephen has also pursued graduate studies in Hebrew and Christian theology from Southern Seminary and New Saint Andrews University. Mr. Long currently teaches upper-level Latin.


Mr. Blake McKinney, Instructor
Mr. McKinney is a native of Tennessee. In 2008, he earned a B.A. from Union University with a dual emphasis in Music and Christian Studies. Mr. McKinney moved to Louisville, KY in 2008, where he received the Advanced M.Div. degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2011, upon the completion of his thesis entitled, "Baptists, Freedom, and the Third Reich: An Examination of German Baptists in Nazi Germany 1933-1934." Mr. McKinney currently lives in Louisville with his lovely wife, and they are expecting their first daughter in April.  In keeping with his lifelong fascination with history, he plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Modern German history in 2013. Mr. McKinney is pleased to teach history for Memoria Press Online Academy. 

Mr. Glen Moore, Instructor
Mr. Moore holds a B.S. in Secondary Science Education, as well as a Masters degree. He teaches Latin, pre-algebra, and middle school science at Highlands Latin School in Louisville, Kentucky.  Mr. Moore has taught science, math, and Latin at Palmetto Academy in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, as well as physics at the Western School of Technology and  Baltimore

Mr. Brandon Nygaard, Instructor
A native of Iowa, Mr. Brandon Nygaard graduated with a BA in Classics (minor in Writing) from Samford University. Brandon is a former Upper School teacher at Highlands Latin School. He holds the M.Div from Southern Seminary, where he was a research assistant for a church history professor. Brandon is excited to have the opportunity to teach and is passionate about classical education. He is married to his lovely wife Tara and resides in Louisville, KY. He currently teaches basic and advanced history courses for Memoria Press Online. For inquiries about how Mr. Nygaard teaches our online history courses, including our new Modern European History course, click on Brandon's image to send him an email.

Mrs. Anne Parry, Instructor
Mrs. Parry teaches 3rd Grade at HLS where she is an extraordinarily organized and conscientious teacher. Anne earned a B.S. in Biology from the University of Georgia, and though she was tempted to attend veterinary school, she opted to pursue her family’s traditional craft of teaching. Anne had teaching experience in Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 2nd Grade before she came to HLS, where she uses her skills to assist our 3rd graders in the transition from primary to grammar school. Mrs. Parry teaches Latina and Classical Studies for Memoria Press Online.

Mr. John Randolph, Instructor
Mr. Randolph received his BA from Liberty University, and also holds an M.Div and Th.M in Church History from Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY. John is married to his lovely wife Kristie and has one son. They currently live in North Carolina where John is a pastor. While pursuing graduate studies, John was an instructor at Highlands Latin School and also worked at the Memoria Press office. As a bit of a jack of all trades and a gifted teacher, you still might occasionally see John at a Memoria Press convention or two, and he currently teaches Latin courses for Memoria Press Online Classical Academy. He has been with the online academy since 2010.

Mr. Paul Schaeffer, Instructor
Paul Schaeffer attended Cheryl Lowe’s cottage school from 1996-1998. He later received an A.A. from the Legion of Christ’s College of Humanities in Cheshire, CT, and taught middle school and high school Latin at Immaculate Conception Apostolic School in Cornwall, Ontario. He also worked as the assistant to the formation director of the International Leadership Semester in Rome, where he studied a year of philosophy. He joined the HLS faculty in 2011 to teach Classical Studies in the Upper School.

Mrs. Katie Schutte, Instructor
Mrs. Schutte received her B.A. in Mathematics and Teaching from Michigan State University, and is a Latin and mathematics teacher at The Highlands Latin School. Katie also holds the MA from Colorado University. She moved to Louisville from Colorado where she taught 6th grade for three years. She enjoys spending time with her husband who attends the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and their daughter, Aren Ruth.  In her free time, Katie enjoys running, hiking, reading, crafting, and learning.

Mrs. Christina Szrama, Instructor
Mrs. Szrama attended Furman University and graduated with a Bachelors in Music Education, with an emphasis in elementary education. She lived in France for 3 years as a child, where she attended French schools. She learned French like some kids learn to swim: no other choice for survival! She kept up French throughout high school and college, even winning an all-expenses paid week to Paris as part of a French contest ("Allons en France"). She also enjoyed recording the aural lessons for Memoria Press' First Start French 1 & 2, and still travels regularly to France and Europe with her husband Ryan. She also taught at Dorothy Sayers Classical School for three years (pre-k for 3 years and middle & high school choirs for 2 years).

Dr. James Taylor, Instructor
James Taylor holds the PhD in Philosophy of Education, Kansas University. He is previously Chairman of the Teacher Education Program at Hillsdale College, Michigan and Assistant Professor of Education, University of Tulsa. He has taught at several private schools on both the secondary (high school) and university levels. He is a student of the famous Integrated Humanities Program (in the liberal arts) at Kansas University and is the author of the wonderful book about that program,  Poetic Knowledge: The Recovery of Education. Taylor was awarded the Paideia Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Education in 2007 by The Circe Institute, founded in 1996.

Mr. Brett Vaden, Instructor
Mr. Vaden is currently an instructor at The Highlands Latin School. He is a 2004 graduate of The Moody Bible Institute in Chicago with a degree in Biblical Languages. He brings several years of teaching experience from both The Highlands Latin School and substitute teaching with Jefferson County Schools. At Southern, Brett earned a Advanced M.Div. in Biblical and Theological Studies and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Pastoral Theology. Mr. Vaden's wife, Rachael, works at home as a wife, homemaker, and mother to their two children. If you have questions about Composition courses, click on Mr. Vaden's image to email him.

Mr. Tom Vierra, Instructor
Tom Vierra has taught in the classical school setting for the past eight years. He was a founding faculty member at two different schools in the Phoenix area, teaching Great Books seminars, writing, and Ancient, Medieval, and American history. In his most recent position as Academic Dean, he was brought on to help build a new school by overseeing the development of the curriculum and of the faculty culture. He holds B.A. degrees in History and Philosophy, an M.A. in Philosophy, and has nearly completed his Ph.D. program in Philosophy at Arizona State University. He is currently working on his dissertation which focuses on ancient Greek and Roman moral philosophy. He is married with three children.

Mrs. Danielle West, Instructor
Danielle West is a graduate of Union University and holds a bachelors degree in psychology (2000).  Danielle has previous teaching experience at Christian Academy of Louisville, and for the past two years has taught the Middle School English Literature II course for Memoria Press Online Academy.  Danielle has been married for eleven years and is a mother of three, two of which attend Highlands Latin School.  Danielle also works as the childcare event coordinator for Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, KY.

Mr. Ryan West, Instructor
Mr. Ryan West currently resides in Louisville, KY with his wife and three small children. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Union University in Jackson, TN, a Master of Divinity and Master of Theology from Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY, and is currently completing a Doctor of Philosophy at Southern Seminary in Historical Theology. The West family loves to travel - having lived in Thailand and India as their most exotic destinations. Mr. West is a third year teacher for Highlands Latin School and Memoria Press Online Academy, having taught Latin, US History, British Literature, and Classics.