Faculty and Staff

Guy Bauer, B.A. Mathematics and History Teacher and Coach.

Mr. Bauer has over ten years of teaching and coaching experience at the middle school level, three of them at a private boarding school where he lived with his charges. He has also worked on curriculum development throughout his career. A native of New York, he taught and coached in the Fauquier County, Virginia, school system before coming to Chelsea Academy. Mr. Bauer is an avid outdoorsman. He and his wife have three children.

Jonathan Brand, B.A., M.A. Headmaster and History Teacher.

Prior to founding Chelsea Academy, Mr. Brand served as Chairman of the History Department at St. Anne's-Belfield School in Charlottesville, Virginia, and as Academic Dean at The American School in Switzerland, Lugano, Switzerland. During his ten years of teaching in Europe, he also led students in cultural excursions to significant sites all over the continent, but particularly France and Italy. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Virginia and a Master’s in History from The College of William and Mary. He and his wife have three children.

Mrs. Clark has distinguished herself as a master teacher at several levels, including college, high school, and middle school. In addition to working at St. Albans School and Portsmouth Abbey, she has written short stories, essays, screenplays, and children's stories, most notably the award-winning Follow the Drinking Gourd. She and her husband, Mark, have four children, whom they have homeschooled.

A classics professor and a trained opera singer, Dr. Clark directs the Chelsea choir, drawing on his passion for music and experience leading choirs at other independent schools, including Portsmouth Abbey.

After graduation from Christendom College, Mrs. Davis spent seven years with the Community of St. John, living in both France and the United States, first with the contemplative sisters and later with the apostolic. A perfectly fluent French speaker, she has experience teaching catechetics to both children and adults. She has written a children's book, which she translated into French and Spanish, and has worked with young people in numerous summer camps and retreats. Mrs. Davis and her husband live in Front Royal.

Joel Fernandez, B.S., M.A. Mathematics and Religion Teacher.

Mr. Fernandez graduated from MIT before earning a master's degree in Theology from Ave Maria University. In addition to teaching high school mathematics in Miami, Mr. Fernandez has taught religion at the middle school level and founded and led youth ministry groups.

Anna Maria Guttierrez, B.A. Art Teacher.

A graduate of Thomas Aquinas College, Mrs. Guttierrez received formal art instruction as an undergraduate and has worked as an artist for the past eight years. She has also studied classical voice and has won awards in competitive Irish dancing.

Jacob Guttierrez, B.A. Latin and Religion Teacher and Coach.

Mr. Guttierrez grew up in California and graduated from Thomas Aquinas College. He came to Chelsea Academy after teaching Latin at Villanova Preparatory School for four years. In addition to leading the Latin, chess, and philosophy clubs, he coached soccer, track and field, tennis, and cross country during his time at Villanova Prep. He and his wife have a son and live in Front Royal.

Having grown up in New Jersey, Mr. Killackey came to Virginia to attend Christendom College, where he graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Classical and Early Christian Studies. Mr. Killackey plays the Irish fiddle and holds a black belt in Taekwando.

Mrs. Mueller came to Chelsea Academy with great administrative experience, having handled the scheduling, transcripts, student registration, report cards, and attendance at a large high school in Marietta, Georgia, for almost ten years. She and her husband have five sons.

A native of Kansas, Mr. Nelson joined Chelsea Academy after teaching at Wayland Academy, a private boarding school in Wisconsin, for two years. During this time, he also taught math and English at Northfield Mount Hermon's summer program. A passionate sportsman, Mr. Nelson has considerable experience as a player, coach, and referee. In 2004, he was selected as the Kansas Youth Soccer Referee of the Year, and he served his college as director of intramural athletics.  Mr. Nelson lives in Front Royal.

For more than twenty years, since earning his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from The Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Occhiogrosso has taught science at the middle school, high school, and college levels in New York and Virginia. Most recently, he taught chemistry and earth science at Notre Dame Academy, where he also directed the science club and prepared students for participation in science fairs throughout the state. Dr. Occhiogrosso has been certified to monitor the water quality of local rivers, and he has studied robotics and Mechatronics in summer programs at Polytechnic and Stony Brook Universities. Throughout his career, he has led and participated in summer science programs for middle and high school students. Dr. Occhiogrosso and his wife have six children and live in Front Royal.

Father Papa spent more than twenty-five years working with young people before becoming a priest. He has written several books, including Teenage Guide for Confession. He currently serves as resident priest and chaplain at Human Life International in Front Royal. Father Papa celebrates weekly Mass and hears confessions for the school.

With degrees in English from Wake Forest University and the College of William and Mary, Mrs. Schäffer has considerable teaching experience, including two years at a private school in Virginia and twelve years with her children as a homeschool educator.

After graduating from Thomas Aquinas College, Dr. Sladky studied biology, chemistry, and physics in a pre-med program before deciding to change course and pursue graduate studies in history. He completed his Ph.D. in history at Catholic University. His professional experience includes several years teaching middle school math and science at Northridge Preparatory School as well as working with inner-city youth in Chicago. Dr. Sladky also worked as an editor of The Digital Library of the Catholic Reformation. He and his wife have seven children.

Ms. Torrisi is a native of Virginia and holds both of her degrees from Loyola University Maryland. She spent a year studying in Florence, Italy, with Syracuse University and has experience teaching English at both middle and high school levels in Maryland. A rock climber and tennis player, she has worked in summer adventure camps.

Henry Wingate, B.S. Art Teacher.

Mr. Wingate studied traditional representational painting in ateliers in Boston, Massachusetts, and Florence, Italy. An accomplished painter of portraits, landscapes, still-lifes, and larger figurative works, he has won several prestigious awards, and his work has been featured in Portrait Highlights and American Artist. He and his wife have four children.