Administration
Mr. Behler: Headmaster, Bible Teacher
KJ Behler has been married to his wife Laura since 2014 and they have 4 children. KJ graduated Cum Laude from UMKC with a Bachelor of Information Technology and has been a professional software engineer for over a decade. KJ is currently a graduate student at New Saint Andrews College in their Classical Christian Studies program. KJ is an Elder at Christ Church Leavenworth.
Teaching Staff
Mrs. Behler: Kindergarten - 1st Grade, School Nurse
Laura Behler has been married to her husband KJ since 2014 and they have four children. Laura graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelors of Science in Nursing from William Jewell College and has over a decade of experience in Nursing. She Graduated from UMKC with a Masters of Science in Nursing and has 8 years of experience as a Nurse Practitioner. Laura has served and taught children in any capacity and at any opportunity she’s been given for her entire adult life.
Mrs. Heath: 2nd-3rd Grade
Patricia Heath is a servant of her beloved Jesus Christ, a wife to Joel of 25 years and homeschool mom to her 7 children for the past 15 years. She finds art and music history fascinating, loves to identify flowers and birds, and is a lifelong reader. Pat is a graduate of Michigan State University and received her Bachelor’s degree in Child and Family Development and Early Childhood Education. She has 12 years experience teaching in the classical style and philosophy. She came to Leavenworth with her husband, who retired from a career in the U.S. Army. Pat is passionate about helping and encouraging parents to educate their children to love, worship, and serve God in any capacity He calls them. She also wants to help parents by providing an excellent education where God is acknowledged as the source and where children are encouraged to seek and identify the good, true, and beautiful.
Miss LaPorte: Preschool
Grace LaPorte was given a classical Christian education at home, from her mom, our very own Mrs. LaPorte. She enjoys watching her brothers play baseball, spending time at home with her family, drawing, and baking. She was a Preschool assistant and taught art, math, and poetry at St. Giles.
Mrs. Spratt: Humanities
Sarah Spratt is delighted to work alongside parents as they seek to bring the blessing of learning and wisdom to their children. She and her husband Daniel have enjoyed life together in Leavenworth Kansas for 18 years. They spent 10 years classically homeschooling their children, as well as overseeing a Classical Christian Co-op. Sarah grew up climbing trees, capturing snakes, and reading great books. Her love for the outdoors is still pursued in flower gardening and admiring the critters her children catch. Her enjoyment for great stories grew into a love for the English language, which she pursues through continued study of great literature, English grammar, poetry and writing. Sarah is blessed to worship Christ Jesus as her King and continues to learn and grow as a child of God.
Mrs. Vassar: Art
Mary Vassar has been married to her husband Aaron for 18 years, and they have been blessed with 4 daughters, one son-in-law, and one grandson. Their youngest daughter attends St. Giles, while another assists in the pre-school classroom. Mary’s passion for science, coupled with a desire to understand the body’s God given ability to heal itself, drove her to obtain her Nationally Registered Massage Therapy license through Wellspring School of Allied Health. A strong desire to see that children receive a distinctly Christian education, plus a life long love of art, and the daily story God is still writing, brings her to St. Giles for her second year to teach science, art, and history. Being part of a thriving Christian community brought the Vassar family to Leavenworth, where they intend to plant their flag and see that this generation, plus many more, come to know Christ as King.
Mrs. LaPorte: 4th-6th Grade/Music
Jessie has been married to her husband, Kyle, for 18 years. They have three children who have all been homeschooled using Classical Education methods, and they are about to graduate their first child.
Her desire in educating her children has been for them to be lifelong learners of the Word and His truth. She reminds her children, often, all truth is God’s truth and that’s why 2+2=4. She hopes to bring this same mindset to her classroom and to give her students the tools to equip them in the journey that the Lord has before them.
Mrs. LaPorte teaches Upper Elementary, Music, and Middle School Humanities.
Mr. Spratt: Secondary Math and Science
As a young boy, Darrell Spratt and his identical twin brother were blessed by God with exciting life adventures. They were junior scientists and detectives (picture the Hardy Boys Series) traveling overseas on ocean liners to live in Japan (after WWII) and Greece (as 4-6th graders). They enjoyed exploring Washington DC as high schoolers getting to sing with their school choir at the National Christmas tree lighting. Darrell was gifted by a saintly aunt with a leather bound study Bible and gifted by God with a love for and faith in His Living Words. He learned that the fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom and that Wisdom should be desired above all things.
Darrell’s adult life has centered on his wife Annette (a gift also from God), five precious children and their families (to include 16 grandchildren). Together he and Annette served in the nation’s Armed Forces with several tours of duty in Germany. Early in the 80’s they started educating their children at home.
He inherited a love for learning that includes computer programming; BA in Sociology; Military History; graduate studies in Human Communication (Journalism); Accounting; and the truths of God’s Word. He has a love for children and an intense desire to see them mature in godliness, righteousness and Biblical wisdom.
Mrs. Bennett: Math, Science, Writing
Courtney Bennett hails from the metropolis of Dallas, TX. She has been married to her husband Jeremy for 5 years. She graduated from Sam Houston State University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Wildlife Ecology.
She enjoys hiking, camping, her irritable chiweenie Lucy, perusing book stores, hammocking, crocheting, and drinking coffee with her nerdy husband. They have 1 daughter Winnie.
Mrs. Bennett has taught biology, physics, earth science, and chemistry. She currently teaches elementary and middle school Writing at St. Giles.
Mrs. Spears: Math
Lori Spears has been married to her husband Chase for 21 years and is mother to 5 children. She graduated from Lee University in 2002 with a degree in Math Education.
Mr. Spears: Writing
Chase Spears is passionate about the role of communication in training the next generation how to use their words to glorify God and proclaim truth. He has been married to Lori, his college sweetheart for 21 years. Together, they have five children.
Mr. Spears is a seasoned communicator, having spent his entire career working across military positions as a communication planner, spokesman, and executive director. Chase learned early on that those who communicate well can make a tremendous difference in the fight for truth. His work has been featured on news channels across the world, and he has published in places including the Los Angeles Times, the Baltimore Sun, and The Washington Post.
Chase is a doctoral candidate at Kansas State University, and holds an M.S. from the University of Tennessee, an M.P.S. from Georgetown University, and an M.M.A.S from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. He currently teaches classical composition for St. Giles, and communication coursework for Spurgeon College.
Mr. Smothers: Logic
Trevor Smothers has been married to his wife and high school sweetheart, Paige, for 11 years. They have four children (and another on the way!) Trevor completed a dual-degree program through Kansas State University and Manhattan Christian College, graduating with degrees in Sociology and Biblical Studies. He then attended Regent University School of Law where he earned his J.D. magna cum laude. He has been an attorney licensed in Kansas since 2015.
A La Carte Staff
Mrs. Baxter - Nature Journaling
Science is the systematic study of creation, based on observations. Romans 1:20 speaks of creation as a sermon on the invisible attributes of God, His eternal power and His divine nature. Creation testifies to these things and when we investigate nature, we are, in a very real sense, examining a sermon on the invisible attributes, the eternal power and the divine nature of our creator -- exposition with a microscope.
Megan Baxter seeks to develop in her students deep attention, curiosity, and gratitude alongside practical instruction in scientific methods of observation, field survey techniques and communicating information. In her class time will be spent observing local natural phenomena, sketching, taking notes and discussing ideas, observations and nature inquiries.
Megan is a homeschool graduate herself, and has been happily homeschooling her three daughters for seven years. She and her husband, Corey, have been Leavenworth residents for ten years. Prior to that, Megan spent several years doing field research in the national grasslands of the Dakotas. She enjoys utilizing her college degree in natural resource management, years of field experience and a God-given passion for natural science to share the wonder of God's creation with students of all ages.