Faculty & Staff
Members of our faculty are people of excellence, both personally and professionally; all staff members are screened to assess lifestyle, knowledge, and teaching skills.
Teachers are required to have a college background and experience with children. We employ those who show enthusiasm, creativity, kindness, and professionalism.
Jason Patterson
Head of School
Fr. Patterson (B.A. Trinity College; M.A.R. Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; D.Min Westminster Theological Seminary) has been the Rector of St. Mark’s Church since 2011 and the (rural) Dean of the REC Convocation of Philadelphia since 2019. In 2013 he and his wife (Sara) founded St. Mark’s Classical Academy. Hobbies include reading, fly-fishing, iconography, photography, travel, and playing catch with his son. Fr. Patterson and his wife reside in Jenkintown with their son.
Sara Patterson
School Administrator
Mrs. Patterson’s undergraduate studies were in Psychology (Trinity College). She serves as our Registrar and Bookkeeper. She, together with Fr. Patterson, founded St. Mark’s Classical Academy in 2013 and has been an active part of the school each year. A native of Nicaragua, Mrs. Patterson is fluent in Spanish. Her hobbies include reading, travel, and cooking. In addition to her duties in the course of each school day, Mrs. Patterson leads our after-school Cooking Club and plays a very active role in the life of St. Mark’s Church.
Deborah Ghrist
Director of Curricula and Faculty Support
Mrs. Ghrist is a former school librarian (M.L. S. Syracuse Univ., 1994) whose love of history and literature (B.A. Medieval History, Univ. of Toledo, 1992) inspired her to homeschool her own children so they could explore connections across subjects in their learning. After 19 years of homeschooling and 15 years teaching in co-ops, she loves teaching and creating community among students of all ages. When she’s not driving her teens somewhere, Mrs. Ghrist enjoys reading about far-flung times and places, gardening, and engaging in armchair archaeology. She and her husband, Rob, live in Jenkintown with three of their four children and are parishioners at St. Mark’s Church.
Giovanna Vega
Kindergarten
Mrs. Vega is a native of Peru where she grew up and studied Business Administration at the Universidad del Pacifico. She worked in logistics and procurement for several years in Peru, before moving to Philadelphia in 2001. Mrs. Vega has been living in Abington with her husband and two children since 2004. She joined St. Mark’s Classical Academy in 2018 and loves working with the Kindergarten students. Mrs. Vega is fluent in Spanish and her hobbies include travelling, crocheting and cooking traditional Peruvian dishes.
Brianna Marsch
1st Grade
Ms. Marsh grew up in a homeschool family of five kids (often referred to as the “von Marsh Family Singers”), where a love for learning, exploring, and creating had been woven into the fabric of her upbringing. She is the Co-Founder and Director of Scattered Seeds Creative Arts, a family-run arts education organization. Ms. Marsh has been working with children between the ages of 4 and 18 for over 10 years teaching classes, camps and workshops in acting, dance, musical theater, fine arts, and creative expression. She graduated from Eastern University with a BA in Music, Theater, Dance and Business. Ms. Marsh has performed in over 30 local professional and community theater productions.
Samantha Ford
Kindergarten
Mrs. Ford has lived in the area all her life and is a graduate of Abington High School. She studied music education and has a bachelor of music from West Chester University, where she met her husband Rob. She taught for several years in public and private schools before deciding to stay home to raise her four children. She is an experienced homeschooler, has served on the Vestry of this parish, and has been a member of St. Mark’s Church since 2011.
Ben pearce
3rd Grade
Ben Pearce is a graduate of Christopher New Port University (2018, B.A. Philosophy) and Westminster Theological Seminary (2023, M.Div.). He was confirmed as a member of St. Mark's in 2023 and is currently pursuing ordination in the Reformed Episcopal Church. Ben has been a teacher at our parochial school since Spring 2023 and is an active participant in our Fellows Program. In addition to his work at St. Mark's, Ben is also an apprentice instructor in Hebrew at Westminster Theological Seminary.
Brian Davison
4th Grade
Mr. Davison studied literature at Grove City College where he also minored in Classical Christian Education and History. After his studies he returned to teach at his alma mater, Tall Oaks Classical School (Delaware). After seeing the benefits of his own classical education, he says that his lifelong dream was to teach full time at a Classical Christian school. His hobbies include reading 20th century American literature, drinking Earl Gray tea, talking, and playing basketball. He and his wife, Sarah, live in Wyncote with their children (Homer, Mavis, and Blythe).
Kelly Wong
5th & 6th Grade
Mrs. Wong has been teaching art classes and homeschooling her 5 children, ages 22-4, using classical methods for 15 years. She is the Interim Director of the Greater Philadelphia Homeschool Science Fair. Mrs. Wong attended small Christian schools as a student and still values the close friendships she made there. She chose to study Architecture at Penn State University because she loved both art and math as a child and couldn't decide between them. Now she uses her design skills as the Costume Designer for two theater companies and to construct every crazy costume her children can think up. She married an architect, Robert, so they can continue their design critiques everywhere they go together.
Matthew Maule
7th & 8th Grades
Fr. Maule, a native of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, graduated from Patrick Henry College (B.A. Political Theory '12), the John Jay Institute (Spring '14) and the Reformed Episcopal Seminary (M.Div '18). He has been a part of St. Mark's parish since 2014, where he currently serves as Assistant Rector. Fr. Maule teaches science and math at our school and is a frequent teacher and preacher here. Hobbies include reading, cooking, and hunting.
Anna Ueeck
Mathematics
Mrs. Ueeck, born and raised in Oregon, earned her B.A. in Elementary Education and Middle School Math Endorsement from the University of Portland. She spent over 200 hours supporting teachers in local classrooms prior to completing her student teaching and math practicum her senior year. During her undergraduate studies, Mrs. Ueeck tutored some upper elementary students in math and graded calculus and statistics assignments for professors on campus. She taught 1st grade before moving to Pennsylvania with her husband. In her free time, Mrs. Ueeck enjoys reading, cooking, baking, playing board and card games, running, and hiking (or any other reason to be outside).
abigael castor
Choir & Music
Miss Castor grew up in Chalfont, PA, and was home schooled according to the classical model. She attended the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, where she received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in French Horn Performance. She also completed a minor in Early Music with a specialization in voice and recorders and a concentration in Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Among her favorite performances are singing in a staged production of Henry Purcell's opera, Dido and Aeneas, and in a full period-instrument performance of J.S. Bach's Johannes-Passion. Miss Castor is an active performer in the Philadelphia area and has taught privately for many years. She lives in Doylestown, PA, where she also enjoys hiking, gardening, reading, and discussing philosophy, art, and literature with friends and family.
Niko Choceli
Art & Art History, Grades 4-8
Dr. Chocheli is one of the foremost artists to emerge from the Republic of Georgia. He began drawing at the age of 4. His formal art training is based on the classical European teaching traditions and culminated in the granting of a MFA from the Tbilisi Academy of Fine Arts.
Exhibiting his work from an early age, he has conducted more than 32 group exhibitions worldwide including France. Italy, Belgium, Germany, Japan, Greece, Russia, India, and Australia. He has held more than 30 solo exhibitions in the United States. His work is often compared to such Old Masters as Michelangelo and Leonardo daVinci for the refined lines and powerful forms of his drawings. Niko's work is in the renowned collection of Lasalle University s Art Museum, where it is included among the work of such masters as Tintoretto, Rembrandt, and Picasso.
Since the late 1990's Niko has illustrated seven published books with a unique style reminiscent of the brilliant colors and imagery of medieval illuminated manuscripts. Besides his interest in history and folk tales from around the world, he is most inspired by the deep spiritual beauty of ancient lconography, which he considers to be "art for eternity.”
Niko is also an impassioned historian that frequently speaks about a variety of subjects including fine art, art history, Iconography, Orthodox Church History, the history of his homeland, and the Georgian Orthodox Church.
Maitre d’ Armes Mark L. Masters
Fencing
Head Fencing Master and owner of the Fencing Academy of Philadelphia, Mark is a certified fitness instructor from the American College of Sports Medicine. In addition to his certifications from the US Fencing Coaches Association and the International Academy of Arms as a fencing master he holds a Master of Arts & Education degree in Recreation Programming and Management.
As a competitor Mark lived abroad and trained with some of the best European fencing masters. Although he has too many personal and coaching results to list, some of his significant results include training world champions Graham Wicas in Epee, Delia Turner in Saber and Jr. World team fencers in all weapons.
Since 2013 St. Mark’s has partnered with the Fencing Academy of Philadelphia to offer excellent fencing instruction to all students in Grade 1 and above.
Julia Castor
Art, Grades K-3
Miss Castor was born and raised in Chalfont, PA, where she was homeschooled through the principles of the classical model. She has devoted the majority of her life to the study of fine art and ceramics, learning and working with many incredible artists and craftsmen from around the country. She has studied at the Chocheli Art Atelier for many years, focusing on expanding her knowledge and technical training through an intense program that emphasizes the use of art history, great literature, and classical technique in the Renaissance style. She also continues to grow her business as a working studio potter, selling her ceramics throughout the local area, as well as promoting fine craft through participation in artist internships, gallery shows and residencies.
Miss Castor strongly believes in nurturing students with an impassioned approach to art and art history that encourages and challenges them to learn to use their minds and hands with skill and dedication. She seeks to encourage the unique artistic voice in each student, thereby allowing them to grow in creativity as they grow in knowledge.
When not in the studio, Miss Castor enjoys reading, playing classical guitar, hiking, baking, and studying history, philosophy and theology.