Upper School (7-12)

Mr. Dominic Stevens

History (7th, 10th & 11th)

Mr. Stevens was born in London, England and joined TCA after moving to Florida with his wife, Kate, in 2017. He graduated from Goldsmith’s, University of London with a BA Honors Degree in History, and later received a Post-Graduate Certificate of Education in History from the University of Chichester. Mr. Stevens is also a qualified soccer coach and coaches TCA’s Middle and High school soccer team. Mr. Stevens loves teaching children and bringing the pages of history to life! Outside of teaching, his interests include soccer, playing the drums, reading, watching movies, going on vacations, studying history and spending time with his wife and two young daughters, Chloe and Lucy

Mr. Micah Kelley

History (9th)

Micah graduated from Liberty University with a BA in Biblical Studies and a minor in Koine Greek. He is married to his lovely wife, Casey, who is an ASL interpreter for Manatee County schools. Micah has a major passion for the teaching, coaching, and mentoring of young men and women in order for them to reach their greatest potential both in the classroom and life. Micah is an avid sports fan and musician with a great appreciation for the arts. He and his wife enjoy time with friends and family, concerts, coffee shops, board games, books, and specialty food/beverages!

Mrs. Jean Gutsche

History (8th & 12th) | Civics

Jean Gutsche earned a B.A. degree in education and psychology from Wake Forest University. After teaching in the local public school system, she earned a master’s degree at Wake Forest. The Gutsches lived in California for 5 years then relocated to Sarasota in 1995. Mrs. Gutsche home schooled her two children and began teaching history and Constitution at local home school cooperatives. Her interests are teaching wonderful TCA students, running and hiking, reading about history, and traveling with Mr. G. to places far and wide to see where great historical events happened.

Mr. Nathan Loomis

Algebra 2 | Philosophy | Constitution | Jujitsu | Men's Choir

Mr. Loomis graduated from the University of South Florida in 2005 with a degree in Finance and Management. He has always had a love for young people and, after several years in youth ministry, began teaching high school. He has now been teaching and tutoring students in Math, Science, and History since graduating from college, having taught in both traditional and online schools and running a thriving tutoring business. His amazing wife Jennifer is an English teacher and together they have 3 strapping sons, Aaron, Benjamin, and Matthew. In his free time, Nathan enjoys music and martial arts

Mr. Matt Moore

Culinary | Logic | Business

Mrs. Amy Olsen

Lit & Composition (7th)

Amy Olsen has taught Latin and Language Arts in classical schools and co-ops in Texas and New Jersey. Born and raised in Massachusetts, she holds her BA in music from Wheaton College and her M.Ed. Degree in English from Liberty University. When not teaching at TCA, Amy, a classically trained singer, helps her husband with his music ministry in Venice, and manages her company, Writing Tales, which distributes her own classical elementary writing curriculum. Amy and her husband Glen have three grown children, one of whom also teaches at TCA.

Mrs. Shannon Mitchell

Lit (8th & 9th) & Composition (8th)

Shannon Mitchell is a wife and the mother of two sons. She is a lifelong reader who, after years of staying home with her young children, ultimately fulfilled that passion for literature and writing by going back to school to pursue her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature at the University of Central Florida. She comes to TCA after five years at a public middle school. She anxiously looks forward to reading great works of literature with her students while teaching them the skills to write creatively and persuasively.

Mrs. Rebecca Leguizamon

Literature (10th & 11th)

Mrs. Leguizamon graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City with her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and earned her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee. She began her career in education in Tampa as a middle school Language Arts teacher, and held the title of Assistant Principal there for three years. At TCA, she has taught middle and high school, and currently serves as the Lower School Dean. She is a mom of five who all attend TCA and she enjoys spending time with her family at the beach, park, or traveling to new places.

Mrs. Jennifer Loomis

Literature (11th & 12th)

Mrs. Loomis graduated from the University of South Florida in 2004 with her Bachelor’s in English Education and from Argosy University in 2008 with her Master’s in Instructional Leadership. She has been teaching English for 14 years. She loves helping her students foster an appreciation for literature, hone their writing skills, but most importantly, find their place in the world. She is married to her wonderful husband and together they have three boys who attend TCA. In her “spare” time, Jennifer enjoys photography, going to the beach, and traveling with her family.

Ms. Sonya Clark

Geometry

Coach Sonya Clark attended Asbury University for her bachelor’s degree in Physical Education. She also has a master’s degree in Education from Eastern Kentucky University. Coach Clark taught Physical Education and Health at Sayre School (PreK – 12th private school) in Lexington, KY for 15 years prior to coming to FL and TCA. She has coached soccer at the middle school and high school levels for over 12 years.

Mrs. Jana Espy

Pre-Algebra

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.

Mr. Josh Longenecker

Algebra 1

Mr. L graduated from Manhattan Christian College with a BS in Pastoral Ministry, in 2001. He owned and operated a landscape/maintenance company, with 30 plus employees, for 7 years in Colorado Springs, CO. In 2007, he began teaching 5th grade, and in 2010 he and his family moved to Sarasota, FL. While teaching 5th grade in Sarasota, Mr. L received his Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership/Administration from the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee. Mr. L and his wife, Harmony, founded The Classical Academy of Sarasota with the aim of bringing an excellent classical education to families in Sarasota. Mr. L and Miss Harmony have been married for 20 incredible years and have 7 amazing children: Addison, Aubrey, Gavin, Kyan, Trey, Sophia, and Kai Tucker.

Ms. Charlene Tillman

Pre-Algebra

Ms. Tillman is a native of Florida, growing up in Manatee County and now resides in Sarasota. She attended Stetson University in DeLand, Florida graduating in 1996 with a Bachelor of Music. Ms. Tillman also earned a Masters in Education from the University of Cincinnati in 2016. She has been teaching at TCA for the last 5 of her 15 years of teaching. Ms. Tillman taught 5th grade for her first 4 years at TCA and then moved to lower school music and upper school Wind Ensemble. She is currently working on building an instrumental music program at TCA for the development of aspiring musicians, and is also the aftercare director. Ms. Tillman enjoys spending time with her two children, reading with a great cup of coffee, playing the oboe, and attending local performing arts events.

Mrs. Rachael Witherspoon

Algebra 1 | Chemistry | Biology | A&P

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.

Mr. Mathew Kepler

Calculus

Mr. Kepler was drawn to TCA after 17 years in private industry where he was a consultant, project manager and project analyst. With a BS from Pennsylvania State University, he is passionate about the sciences and has a love for education and his country’s heritage. He and his wife of 13 years have two girls attending TCA. In his free time, Mathew enjoys making home repairs, being outdoors, and practicing martial arts.

Mr. Mark Gutsche

Economics | Film

Mark Gutsche comes to The Classical Academy after a career in public relations and corporate communications. After graduating from the University of Colorado, he was a reporter for three years before working for companies such as Del Monte, Nabisco and Tropicana. Mr. Gutsche’s last corporate position was vice president of communications with Johnson & Johnson. He has been married to Mrs. Gutsche, TCA history teacher, for 38 years. They have two amazing children. When not sharing the miracles of the free market with students, he loves playing guitar with several Christian bands and hiking with Mrs. G in the Idaho mountains.

Mr. Bill Eppell

Physics (7th) | Earth Science (8th) | Marine Science

William was born and raised in New Jersey and lived there until he attended SUNY Maritime College in New York City. In 2018 he graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Marine Environmental Science and a Minor in Biology. Following graduation he worked as a Seasonal Instructor at MarineLab starting in spring 2019, and then a full time instructor starting in the fall of 2019. MarineLab is an education facility in the Florida Keys focused on hands on learning and biology based science. While working at MarineLab, William had experience teaching both classes and labs for grade levels between 5th and 12th grade. 2020 will be William's first year with TCA , and he is looking forward to the opportunity to teach students in the upcoming year.

Mr. Matt Favero

Computers | Yearbook