FACULTY & STAFF
Petra’s faculty and staff are chosen for their passion to teach in a classical and Christian school and to inspire joy in rigorous learning. We seek educators who love God, who love children, and who are both enthusiastic and diligent about teaching. A bachelor’s degree (preferably in the subject or area of study to be taught) is required, but exceptions are considered when experience and personal scholarship compensate.
Experience in classical education, as a student or teacher, is preferable but not prerequisite; however, we only hire teachers who are favorably disposed to the classical model and are willing to be active learners of classical education. All Petra employees are expected to participate in church regularly.
Available Positions
- Petra Academy currently has no open positions.
Substitute Positions
Petra Academy seeks substitute teacher candidates. Teacher training or background is helpful, but not required; we simply ask that an applicant have a college degree demonstrating study in an area relevant to our curriculum.
Each applicant has the opportunity to select the grade levels and/or subject areas for which he or she desires to substitute. We are able to compensate our substitute teachers for their time at $70 per day or $35 for a half-day of service.
The process of becoming a substitute starts with notifying school administration of your interest. You can do so by stopping by our front office or by emailing Mark Christofferson. Once we know of your interest, we’ll contact you and walk through the process. Our substitutes are always appreciated, so thank you for your consideration.
ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERSHIP
TOSHA BOS
BUSINESS MANAGER
Mrs. Bos grew up just down the road in Manhattan and attended college both at Montana State University and Capernwray Bible School.
Since marrying Kent in 1997, Mrs. Bos has kept books for the family’s dairy business and trucking company, as well running an office fragrancing company they own. She is thrilled to live “in the country” where she has room to let her garden sprawl and can practice trial-and-error landscaping. She also loves finding the next great camping spot and reading brilliant literature.
The Boses have three children, all of whom attend Petra.
SARAH COOK
COMMUNITY COORDINATOR/OFFICE MANAGER
Mrs. Sarah Cook was born and raised on a farm in northwest Montana, making her way to Bozeman via Colorado State University. She ultimately ended up graduating with honors from Montana State University College of Agriculture, is a proud Bobcat, and enjoys cheering on the MSU basketball, football and rodeo teams.
Throughout high school and college, Mrs. Cook worked in the banking field, many of those years in the mortgage department. She obtained her realtor license in the fall of 2013 and went to work with Prudential (now Berkshire Hathaway), as she loves and enjoys working with people.
In her spare time, Sarah enjoys spending time outdoors hiking and camping and cross-country skiing. She and her husband, Jeff, have two young boys at Petra.
SAM KOENEN
ACADEMIC DEAN, SECONDARY DEAN, HUMANITIES
Mr. Koenen serves as Petra’s Academic Dean, carefully reviewing curriculum, and as Secondary Dean, working closely with teachers to develop Petra’s academic program by conducting weekly teacher training. A veteran teacher at Petra, Mr. Koenen began teaching here in 2000 while earning a Bachelor of Arts in English literature at Montana State University.
Mr. Koenen has lectured as part of the annual Association of Classical and Christian Schools conferences, speaking about how fairy tales awaken children’s moral imaginations. In addition to teaching at Petra Academy, Mr. Koenen serves as an elder at Trinity Church.
Having fallen in love with literature while reading Dostoevsky, it is no surprise that Mr. Koenen’s favorite literary character is Alyosha from The Brothers Karamazov. His favorite work of music is Arvo Pärt’s Tintinnabuli, and he reads almost every day from one of his favorite poets: George Herbert, Seamus Heaney, and Richard Wilbur.
He and his wife, Catherine, have four children. The Koenens enjoy flyfishing, birding, hiking, camping, messing with computers, and eating dinner together.
BETH STOHLMANN
ACADEMIC ADVISOR, CIVICS, ECONOMICS
Mrs. Stohlmann began teaching at Petra Academy in 2011. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Foreign Area Studies from the United States Air Force Academy and a Master of Arts degree in International Relations from Troy State University. She served as an Air Force Intelligence officer for five years and spent three of those years living and working in Germany.
Mrs. Stohlmann serves as Petra’s Academic Advisor and teaches 12th grade Economics and Civics. She and her husband, Andy, are the proprietors of the Bunkhouse Brewery in Bozeman and have three children at Petra.
MARK CHRISTOFFERSON
ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL, ADMISSIONS
Mr. Christofferson joined the teaching staff at Petra Academy in 2008, though his teaching career began in 1992 and includes twelve years at Heritage Christian School in Bozeman, two years at a Christian school in Taiwan, two years at a public high school, and five years in the classroom at Petra. He earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in English Teaching with a minor in History from Montana State University, where he graduated with honors.
Mr. Christofferson’s interests include music (singing, guitar, and trumpet), hunting, bird-dog training, biking in the summer and cross-country skiing in the winter, and storytelling. His favorite literary character is Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings. He and his wife, Tammy, have two children.
ELI DENISON
HOUSEMASTER, OLD TESTAMENT, NEW TESTAMENT, DRAMA, YEARBOOK
Mr. Denison began studying theatre while in high school in Fairbanks, AK, and continues to exercise that passion at Petra. He joined the staff in 2012, directing the extra-curricular drama program, and has since developed a curriculum that focuses on basic and advanced acting techniques, history, and appreciation of the art, as well as an introductory technical theatre class.
Prior to moving to Bozeman, Mr. Denison spent a year as an intern with French Camp Academy and several years as a student and staff member of Montana Wilderness School of the Bible. Both positions resulted in a passion for seeing young people flourish academically, spiritually, and personally, as well as learning valuable skills by being involved in direction of summer camp programs, leading bible studies, and organizing student activities.
Mr. Denison is married to Melissa, with whom he shares a long and romantic love story worthy of the cinema. They have one child, a son named Asher. Outside of school his other interests include woodworking, getting outdoors, and reading.
CLETE SEYLE
ATHLETIC DIRECTOR/PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Mr. Seyle comes to us from Midland Classical Academy in West Texas, where he taught English and Science while coaching basketball and baseball. Prior to Midland Classical, Mr. Seyle earned a bachelor’s in Agronomy (turfgrass management) from Texas A&M University and an MBA from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where he was commissioned into the United States Air Force. In Midland, Mr. Seyle served as deacon/Sunday School teacher at his local church plus groundskeeper of the school baseball field.
The Old Man and the Sea, Flannery O’Connor’s short stories, Night by Elie Wiesel, and Jungle Pilot (about Nate Saint) are favorite books. Mr. Seyle likes to bring his fly rod along for hikes in case he sees any fishy looking spots, and loves to backpack and snowboard as well. Besides the mountains, five nieces and nephews were the big draw to Bozeman, and he enjoys playing wiffle ball with the nephews every chance they get.
ELEMENTARY FACULTY
KRISTA BAZIAK
ART
Mrs. Baziak comes to us with her bachelor’s degree in Art from Northwest Missouri State, during which she spent a semester studying abroad in Hasselt, Belgium. She also has her master’s degree in Art from Montana State University, where she taught art as a graduate student. A member at St. John Vianney in Belgrade, Krista is married to Brian and they have one daughter, Elizabeth.
LUCY SHAW
4TH GRADE
Miss Dresser came to Petra by way of Hamilton Christian Academy in the Bitterroot Valley, where she taught a combined grade class for five years. She grew up in the Bitterroot Valley, but has lived in Bozeman before, as she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies from Montana Bible College in 2011.
Miss Dresser enjoys doing many things with family and friends, including (but not limited to) taking road trips, hiking and walking, playing pretty much any sport or game, going to baseball games, huckleberry hunting, cooking new recipes, kayaking, skiing, and swimming. She likes the literary character of Judah ben Hur, because of how his life was changed by the grace of Jesus.
SARAH HALE
PRE-K & AFTERNOON ENRICHMENT
Mrs. Hale’s love for God, sacred music, and eventual teaching vocation began in her upbringing in a close family and church community in the Lolo Valley. After attending Valley Christian School in Missoula, she studied education and music at Moody Bible Institute, where she met and married her husband, Kevin.
Since graduating from Moody, Mrs. Hale has been immersed in children’s ministries – for two years at a “Shabbat School” in Chicago; “God’s Children Sing” for five years at College Church in Wheaton; and teaching beginning and intermediate flute for six years in Bedford, New Hampshire where she also taught “The Lamb’s Workshop.” Mrs. Hale’s favorite literary character is Sammy in Edward Lewis Wallant’s The Children at the Gate, and she can occasionally be seen playing flute in the Bozeman Symphony Orchestra. She and Kevin have three children.
SARAH MCCLAFLIN
6th GRADE
A veteran teacher at Petra, Mrs. McClaflin joined our teaching staff in 2008. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baldwin-Wallace University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. Sarah also has teaching experience in homeschool, homeschool-cooperative, and teaching music in private and public settings.
Mrs. McClaflin and her husband, Shane, have four children who are at Petra and own an outfitting business, Sunrise Pack Station, that specializes in outdoor education, fly fishing, and multi-day-horseback trips into the back country of Yellowstone National Park.
While exploring literature and history with her students, Mrs. McClaflin continues to be inspired by the perseverance of Christian from A Pilgrim’s Progress, the love of Jesus and others fervently displayed in the midst of hardship by Betsie Ten Boom, and the steadfastness of William Tyndale.
SABRINA MOODY
3RD GRADE
Ms. Moody began her teaching career in 1990, serving a combined twelve years at private schools and four years at public schools. Her experience spans preschool to high school, and includes homeschooling through the 4th grade. She is the proud parent of one graduate from and two students at Petra, where she began teaching in 2012.
Ms. Moody holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Biology and English/American Literature from the University of California at San Diego, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1990. Her favorite literary characters are Odysseus and Penelope from The Odyssey, and Fern from Charlotte’s Web, and her favorite historical figures are St. Augustine and St. Francis.
RACHAEL WEBER
2ND GRADE
A native Californian, Mrs. Weber has enjoyed an exciting teaching career in 6 different states over the past 12 years, thanks to her husband’s career in the agricultural industry. Prior to moving to Bozeman, Mrs. Weber taught in a classical school in Raleigh, NC. She and Ryan have three children, all of whom attend Petra.
Mrs. Weber earned her B.A. in biblical studies and M.A. in curriculum and instruction from Azusa Pacific University, and her favorite literary character is Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird. When she’s not teaching, you’ll usually find Mrs. Weber in one of three places: in the stands cheering on one of her three athletic children, running on the trails with a friend, or fly fishing alongside her husband.
ANNE BENTZ
KINDERGARTEN
Ms. Bentz grew up in a logging camp in southeast Alaska. She went on to Montana State University and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education (K-8). She’s been a Petra parent since 2005 and has 3 children who attend, as well as her oldest who is a recent Petra graduate.
Her favorite literary character is Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables and she enjoys hiking, running, reading, music, and road trips.
MEGAN DUNHAM
1ST GRADE
Mrs. Dunham completed her Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education from Oklahoma State University. She then joined her husband as Navigator staff in Colorado Springs, had four daughters, and began their homeschool journey, which led them on a path towards classical education and launching a Classical Conversations program in St. Louis, where she earned a Graduate Certificate in Biblical and Theological Studies from Covenant Seminary, wrote on the topics of parenting and homeschooling for WORLD Magazine blog, and served as a staff writer for God’s World News.
Mrs. Dunham moved to Bozeman with her family in 2015. Her favorite literary character is Anne of Green Gables‘ Anne Shirley. She is a wife, mom, professional stacker, occasional crafter, and Mary Poppins wannabe.
HEIDI HORNUNG
CHOIR
Born in Spokane, Mrs. Hornung grew up in northern California and Billings, MT. She earned a Bachelor’s of Music in Piano Performance from Pacific Lutheran University and, as the pianist at Christ the King Lutheran Church, has a background in classical and sacred music, working 10 years as a staff accompanist for music majors and choirs at Montana State University and currently enjoying teaching piano to kids of all ages.
Mrs. Hornung’s favorite literary characters are Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird and Charlie from Roald Dahl’s Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. One of her claims to fame is that, when she was a child, Michael Jackson once cut in front of her while at Disneyland. She and her husband, Stuart, have three daughters.
BOBBI MILLER
KINDERGARTEN
Mrs. Miller studied Christian Education and Children’s Ministry at the University of Valley Forge, and has worked in early childhood education for 15 years. Mrs. Miller started at Petra in 2010 and was a workshop leader at the Association of Classical and Christian Schools national conference in 2014.
Mrs. Miller and her husband, Craig, have two children attending Petra. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, camping, and cooking. Her favorite literary character is Pinocchio, and one of her favorite pastimes is hula-hooping.
MARGARET TWICHEL
5TH GRADE
Mrs. Margaret Twichel is a graduate of Grove City College in Pennsylvania, where she studied Middle Level Math and English Education and was a member of their women’s rugby team. Classically homeschooled from Kindergarten through 12th grade, Mrs. Twichel is well-versed in classical philosophy and methodology and is appreciative of the education her parents chose for her.
Mrs. Twichel loves reading and studying, dancing and hanging out in coffee shops, as well as being outside in God’s creation. Married to Marcus, Mrs. Twichel is enjoying making her home in Bozeman.
ELIZABETH WICKLAND
LATIN
Mrs. Wickland graduated Summa Cum Laude from LeTourneau University in her hometown of Longview, TX, where she earned a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in English, with minors in Bible and Cross Cultural Studies. She discovered her love for classical education while teaching Latin at Petra from 2003 until 2006, when she left to stay home with her new-born daughter, and returned 7 years later to teach Elementary Latin, beginning in 2013. She has long been a lover of words, languages, and other cultures, and has traveled to 23 countries on 5 continents.
Mrs. Wickland loves to read, sing, and spend time with her family. She can think of few things better than curling up with a book in a hammock next to a lake on a nice summer day (or next to a fire the rest of the year). Some of her favorite authors include Francois Fenelon and C.S. Lewis. She is also inspired by the faithfulness of many of the hymn writers, including Horatio G. Spafford, who penned It Is Well with My Soul. Mrs. Wickland and her husband, Leif, have one child, who attends Petra.
SECONDARY FACULTY
JEFF KNAPP
MATH & SCIENCE
Mr. Knapp graduated from Concordia College in Seward, Nebraska, from which he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education with majors in Biology and Health. Mr. Knapp began his teaching career in 1995 and has taught at Lutheran schools in Denver, Colorado, and Salt Lake City, Utah, before coming to Petra in 2008.
Jeff and his wife, Anneli, have two sons. His favorite historical figures are Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.
RHONDA MEYER
MATH
Mrs. Meyer holds a BA in Mathematics from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, an MA in Pure Mathematics from the University of California at Davis, and a Preliminary Teaching Credential from National University. She taught at Petra in 1999, but was only able to teach one year due to beginning her family. She and her husband have five children. Two children attend Wyoming Catholic College and three children are enrolled at Petra. Rhonda began teaching at Petra again in 2016. They are members at St. John Vianney in Belgrade.
KRISTIN TE SLAA
PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY, MATH
Originally from Western Michigan, Mrs. Te Slaa holds a BS from Calvin College’s Secondary Education Program, where she majored in Physics and minored in Mathematics, and an MA in Science Education from Western Governors University in Salt Lake City.
Before coming to Petra in 2016, Mrs. Te Slaa taught mathematics and science in Christian high schools in Visalia, California, and Muskegon, Michigan. She and her husband, Nate, attend Manhattan Christian Reformed Church in Churchill.
SHERYL VINE
LATIN
Having taught Latin at Petra for four years from 2005-2009, Mrs. Sheryl Vine is back in the role, teaching 8th grade Latin, Advanced Latin I, and Advanced Latin II.
Mrs. Vine grew up in small-town Minnesota before studying English at The Master’s College (now University) in California. During her college years, she spent one enchanted semester at Oxford University in England and took an intensive semester of Latin, during which she had no time for anything else and after which she was hooked on Latin for good
Mrs. Vine has taught online for Wilson Hill Academy for several years, and she and her husband have four children, all at Petra.
LIBBY KUENEKE
HUMANITIES
Growing up in St. Louis (and in the house her great-grandfather designed), Mrs. Kueneke began teaching at Petra in 2013. Mrs. Kueneke graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Georgia Honors Program with a major in English and a minor in religious studies. She then earned her Master’s degree in Education at Colorado State University and taught secondary English for two years at a classical, core-knowledge charter school in Fort Collins.
Mrs. Kueneke loves classical literature, bluegrass music, gardening, yoga, and walks downtown for coffee with her husband, Greg. Her favorite literary character is Les Miserables‘ Jean Val Jean, and her favorite historical figure is William Wilberforce.
GINNY OWENS
HUMANITIES, RHETORIC, ORCHESTRA, VIOLIN
Originally from Detroit, Miss Owens earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Violin Performance from Bob Jones University, as well as a Master’s in English Literature from Wayne State University, after which she was employed as an adjunct professor in the English Department of University of Detroit Mercy where she taught rhetoric and composition. She began teaching at Petra in 2013.
Miss Owens has played violin and piano since she was a young girl, and even played the oboe at one point. She loves to read, especially anything by C.S. Lewis and British literature in general, as well as apologetics. She likes art museums, symphonies, opera, photography, hiking, theater, cats, cooking, and drinking tea and coffee. Her favorite literary characters are Portia from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice and Dr. Edwin Ransom from C.S. Lewis’ Perelandra.
GREGG VALERIANO
HUMANITIES, LOGIC
Originally from Memphis, TN, Mr. Valeriano earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Literature from Northeastern Bible College, a Master of Arts in Theology from Wheaton College Graduate School, and a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary.
After a two-year stint teaching at L’Abri Fellowship in Huémoz, Switzerland, “Mr. V.” (as he is affectionately known) moved to Montana and eventually began teaching humanities and logic at Petra in 2003. He and his wife, Anya, have two daughters and a son, and his favorite literary/historical figures are Abdiel from Paradise Lost and Edmund Burke.
DR. DAVID WILMINGTON
ASSISTANT ACADEMIC DEAN, HUMANITIES, SPANISH, COMPUTER SCIENCE
Dr. David Wilmington is a professor of theology and philosophy, having taught at Baylor University, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, and Yellowstone Theological Seminary here in Bozeman.
Before earning his doctorate, Dr. Wilmington taught 7th and 8th graders in North Carolina, where he designed the Middle School Language Arts curriculum. A mix of medieval scholar, virtues ethicist, and creative generalist, Dr. Wilmington will also continue in his capacity as Petra’s soccer coach.
Dr. Wilmington loves soccer, hiking, and playing saxophone, and he and his wife, Molly, have two children at Petra.