Lower School (K-6)

Mrs. Harmony Longenecker

Kindergarten

Harmony graduated from Manhattan Christian College with a BS in Family Studies in 2001. She was introduced to classical education in 2007 when her oldest daughter began attending a classical academy. Harmony spent three years classically home schooling her children while working together with her husband in the founding of TCA. She has worked closely with Hillsdale College, as well as other classical schools, in philosophy and curriculum development and staff training. She loves spending her day teaching Kindergarten and enjoys working alongside the teachers to implement the classical model. Harmony and her husband Josh have been married for 17 years and have 4 amazing children.

Mrs. Sarah McDuffie

Kindergarten

Sarah graduated from the University of Florida in 2016 with a degree in Family, Youth, and Community Sciences. She has worked with children who are going through hard times in life at grief camps for children and in the child welfare setting. She is very excited to be able to continue working with children as a Kindergarten teacher at TCA! Sarah has been married to her husband Ty for almost two years and as a couple they love spending time at the beach and trying new restaurants in town. Sarah also loves painting, crafting, running, and spending time with family.

Mrs. Jessica Carter

1st Grade

Jessica Carter grew up in Tallahassee and is a graduate of Florida State University. She moved to Sarasota with her husband who joined the Manatee County Fire Department. Jessica loves working with children and is thrilled to be teaching first grade at TCA! When she’s not at school she enjoys spending time on the beach and enjoying the outdoors with her three rescue dogs.

Miss Debbie Hegeman

1st Grade

Miss Debbie Hegeman was born in Jackson, Michigan and moved to Florida when she was in second grade. She has lived in the Bradenton/Sarasota area since fourth grade. She attended Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC, where she graduated in 1987 with a B.S. in Elementary Education. Miss Hegeman has taught every elementary grade level from 1st through 5th grade and two years of 6th grade English. Miss Hegeman enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, and playing with household pets.

Mrs. Heather Whitehouse

2nd Grade

Mrs. Whitehouse is Canadian! She graduated with her Bachelor of Music Education from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She taught kindergarten for the Carleton County Board of Education in New Brunswick before moving to Ontario with her husband, Derek. There, she home schooled her children and substitute taught from k5-grade12 for the Waterloo Board of Education. The Whitehouse’s moved to the U.S. in 2004. They have home schooled their four children using the classical model for 10 years. She has directed many children’s choirs including assisting with the Sarasota Young Voices until her employment here at TCA.

Mr. Dominic Stevens

2nd Grade

Dominic Stevens was born in London, England and, after a brief spell of living in Belgium as a child, has lived there all of his life. He recently moved to Florida with his wife and they could not be more excited about it. He graduated from Goldsmith’s, University of London with a BA Honors Degree in History, and later received a Post-Graduate Certificate of Education (with Qualified Teacher Status) from the University of Chichester. Dominic was a high school History teacher in London and previously worked as a teaching assistant in an elementary school. He is also a qualified soccer coach and plays the drums. Dominic is passionate about working with young people and is delighted to be joining TCA as a 2nd grade teacher.

Mrs. Caroline Chapman

3rd Grade

Caroline Chapman came to TCA after many years of working in the administrative field for various companies in Atlanta, GA, Jacksonville, FL, and Sarasota, FL. With her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Mercer University’s College of Liberal Arts, she understands and values the rich studies of a liberal arts education and is always excited to pass on her love of learning to her students. Caroline is married to Matthew, a fellow teacher, and they have an awesome dog named Oscar.

Mrs. Jennifer Mocherman

3rd Grade

Jen grew up in Sarasota and graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Psychology and Business. She then completed her elementary education courses at the University of South Florida. She’s been teaching for 7 years and is very excited to be teaching this year at The Classical Academy. Her husband, Jason, is also a teacher and they have 3 kids: Madison, Clay and Isabelle. Jen loves to spend her free time with family and friends. She also enjoys running, drinking coffee on her front porch and going to the beach.

Mrs. Maria Dent

4th Grade

Maria first attended college at the University of Central Florida where she cheered for two years. After leaving UCF, she continued her education and received her degree in Elementary Education from the University of South Florida. She has been teaching for over 10 years and also coaching cheerleading for over 15. Maria is a Sarasota native. She has two children who attend TCA. Riley is in 5th grade and Lacey is in 2nd. She got married over the summer to Kevin Feaster who is also a teacher.

Mrs. Jana Espy

4th Grade

Jana grew up in Alabama and graduated from Auburn University. She moved to Florida from Texas in 2000 and quickly fell in love with Sarasota and all it has to offer. Teaching kids and watching them learn and grow is her passion, and she has been doing this for more than 13 years. In her free time, Jana enjoys exercising, traveling, boating, and spending time at the beach. She and her husband, Bill, have one son attending the University of Florida.

Ms. Charlene Tillman

5th Grade

Charlene Tillman is a native of Manatee County. Graduating from Stetson University with a Bachelor of Music and the University of Cincinnati with a Master’s in Education, Ms. Tillman is in her 8th year of teaching. As a mother of two, Ms. Tillman enjoys spending time with her family at the beach, Orlando, the park or simply reading on the back porch. Ms. Tillman also enjoys training dogs and attending community cultural events.

Mrs. Rachael Witherspoon

5th Grade

Rachael Witherspoon received her Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, where she majored in English, and her Masters of Business Administration from the University Nebraska - Omaha, with an emphasis in finance and management. Rachael is a mother of four who occasionally runs half marathons. She enjoys all things nerdy, traveling with her family, and ice cream. Rachael brings her well rounded knowledge of English, math, and science to TCA as a 5th grade teacher.

Dr. Zachary Johnson

6th Grade

A native of the Sarasota area, Dr. Johnson received a Bachelors from Stetson University, a Masters from Yale University, and a Doctorate from Florida State University. His degrees are all in classical guitar performance. He still performs concerts around the United States, and is a sought after guitar teacher. Dr. Johnson taught in the Manatee school district for five years before coming to TCA. He lives in Sarasota with his two children, enjoys running, is (unfortunately) a die-hard Dolphins fan, and is an avid fan of Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek.