Administration

Patricia Espedal is excited to return as the kindergarten teacher this fall! She has been part of the Charis community since 2017 and officially joined the staff in 2022. A Colorado native, Patricia now lives in Madison, WI with her husband, Jordan, and their three daughters. She is thankful God has her in this season as the kindergarten teacher at Charis. She is an avid gardener where she grows as many vegetables and flowers as she can fit within the space, her favorites being carmen peppers and dahlias. She also enjoys gardening, tent camping, hiking, biking with her family, and challenging 1000 piece puzzles.

Ashlie is our kindergarten teaching aid. She and her husband, Brandon, have 6 children. Prior to coming to Charis, Ashlie homeschooled her two oldest children. She is passionate about Christian classical education and loves the time-tested approach of cultivating wisdom, virtue, and a love for learning. She values the blending of history, literature and biblical truth, believing it gives students not just knowledge but also the tools to think deeply and defend their faith. She looks forward to helping inspire not only minds, but also the hearts of her students and encourage students to pursue truth, goodness, and beauty in all areas of life. She loves to spend time with her family and friends. She likes to bike, make homemade ice cream, and sit around a fire enjoying fellowship.

Brenda Boese is very grateful for the privilege of being the first grade teacher at Charis. She has an elementary education degree and has taught in both public and private schools as well as homeschool. Believing strongly in christian education based on a classical model, along with strong parental involvement, has made Charis a delightful community in which to utilize her passion for teaching. With the firm conviction that God has created each one of her students for a special purpose, her desire is that each one would develop a love for learning, a solid foundation upon which to continue learning, a desire for excellence, and a heart to seek after and know God. She and her husband, Jeff, have six adult children and a growing number of grandchildren. Mrs Boese enjoys reading biography, history, and Bible study books, skiing, ice skating, biking, swimming, shooting clays, pickleball, and kayaking or paddleboarding.

Joy Dion worked as a teacher's assistant at Amy's Academy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Afterward, she and her family moved to Shawano, Wisconsin to help start a church, a mission they dedicated themselves to for nine years. Joy homeschooled her three children from kindergarten through the present using the Abeka video curriculum. Recently, they moved to the Madison area, where Joy is excited about working with Charis to impact the lives of children around her with the love of God. She enjoys hiking, camping, swimming, and other activities with her husband and three daughters. Joy and her family are also huge Green Bay Packer fans.

Abby Moore is thankful to return to 2nd grade where she has taught for a number of years. She graduated with a degree in Early Childhood Education and taught in elementary classrooms until God gifted them with little ones at home. She returned to the classroom when CCA needed a preschool teacher in 2012 and later took on the 2nd grade teacher role. She has been married since 2002 to Chris, a Lieutenant for the Dane Co. Sheriff’s Office. They live in DeForest with their 4 children. The Moores attend Christ Fellowship Church in Sun Prairie and enjoy leading worship and hosting small groups. They were excited to learn about Charis in its earliest days – its mission as a school matched their goals as a family: to be gospel-driven and committed to quality education. Their family has been blessed to learn, love & grow with the Charis family. Abbey enjoys time with friends & family, outdoor hobbies, and coffee chats!

Jessie Sadler is grateful for the opportunity to join the CCA staff this year as the 2nd grade aid. This is her 7th year as a co-teacher to her two daughters. She is married to Tim who is Lead Pastor of RChurch in Madison. Jessie has previously worked at a preschool in Madison, where she taught 4K for 10 years. The Sadler family enjoys playing softball, hiking, music, trying new restaurants, local events, and spending time with friends and family.

Inna Bohn is glad to teach at Charis.  She is married to Kevin and has three children at the school. A native of Ukraine, Inna holds a M.A. in linguistics with a major in English Language and Literature and a minor in education, as well as a B.A. in the French Language and Literature. She speaks several languages and has a passion for translation, poetry, literature and Latin. In addition to teaching, she has been a missionary translator for the last 20 years. She was a full-time missionary in Ukraine with Campus Crusade for Christ for ten years, and later a teacher and counselor with Coram Deo International Counseling Institute in Ukraine. She loves to study and teach God’s word, the counseling ministry of CCEF, traveling and learning about different cultures, fine dining and high tea, Clive Cussler novels and TV shows Frasier and Father Brown, as well as spoiling her favorite dogs Gunner and Finn.

Maggie has previously worked at Charis as a kindergarten teacher and was happy to return as a Teaching Assistant. She has a Master's Degree in Social Work and her previous background included working with students with disabilities, both in K-12 and college environments. After learning about classical education, she wanted to become involved in a local classical school and was happy to have found Charis. In addition to Charis, she also works as her church's Kids Program Director. She lives in DeForest with her husband, Kody. In her free time, she enjoys reading, birding, and gardening.

Katherine Borkovec will be teaching 4th grade this year. She has taught at Charis in various capacities including 2/3rd Grammar School teacher, Joyful Discovery, P.E. and substituting. Katherine graduated from UW Madison in 2005 with a degree in Landscape Architecture. After realizing that teaching was a passion, she earned her teaching certification through Concordia University. Katherine and her husband, Brian, have three daughters, and in her spare time she loves to check out children’s books at the library, camping with family and friends, and sailing.

Stacey White is excited to be joining the Charis staff as the assistant teacher for fourth grade and lead teacher on Fridays. After graduating with a degree in elementary education, she taught 2nd grade until she married her husband, Kaleb. When God blessed them with four children, she stayed home and has loved being a mom for the past 10 years. She, and her family, enjoy camping, playing games and spending time with family and friends.

 Lindsey is grateful for the opportunity to be a 4th grade teacher's assistant and grounds coordinator at Charis this year! She is married to Dave, who has served on the Board. Their three daughters have been students at Charis since they were in kindergarten. Lindsey was born and raised in the Madison-area and graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in Occupational Therapy. The Gennrichs are members of Red Village Church. Lindsey loves being with her family, traveling, long hikes in the mountains, helping with her family's lawn business, and exploring new places. 

Amanda Hobert will be teaching 5th grade and teaching Old Testament Survey this year. Amanda and her husband, with their three children, moved to Madison with the Vine Church and have also planted Redeemer City Church. Amanda received her undergraduate degree in Communications from the University of Northern Iowa and her Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Reformed Theological Seminary. She has also worked with Navigators in college ministry. Amanda has held many roles at Charis from teaching to administrative. She enjoys reading, going on walks, and having coffee with friends. She loves being involved with Charis because the school points to the Gospel and partners with parents in providing a classical approach to education.

Chris Rosenberger is a retired Army veteran with 22 years of service. During his military career, he felt the Lord calling him into ministry, giving him a passion for teaching and preaching. He is married with two sons and lives in Fort Atkinson, where he serves as an Elder at Forge Church. He holds an Associate's degree in law enforcement from Rasmussen college and a Bachelor's degree in biblical studies from Indiana Wesleyan University.  It was while pursuing his Masters of Divinity at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he first learned about the classical education movement from Dr. Mohler. In God's amazing timing, this introduction coincided with his growing desire to be involved in Christian academia, leading him to Charis where he began teaching in 2025.

Edward Copin was born on a farm in Hicksville, Ohio during the Clinton administration to two very suspicious parents.  To their disappointment his promising love of reading at a young age was captured entirely by an addiction to pop fantasy.  His life spiraled as he was forced to drop out of homeschool, and his dad banned him from fiction.  Desperate for swords (if not sorcery), Coplin turned to reading history where he discovered a lifelong love.  Fueled by his natural aptitude for arguing, he followed this love of history to a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Grace College.  He then followed a pretty girl to a life as a middle school history teacher. He teaches the Greek classics (that his parents wished he had learned as a child), middle school PE and 6th grade history and literature.  He attends Gateway Community Church in Middleton with the aforementioned pretty girl, Mrs. Mary Coplin.

Donette Zempel is excited for another year at Charis! She earned her degree in education, then founded and directed a Classical Conversations home school community in Lake Mills for 6 years, where her passion for classical education was born. She is married to Dan and they have two children whom she homeschooled through the 8th grade before attending and graduating from CCA. She attends Real Hope Community Church in Lake Mills and spends her free time quilting, being outdoors, and deepening relationships with friends.

Mary Coplin majored in Social Studies Education, History, and Political Science and minored in English and Biblical Languages at Grace College where she met her husband. She joined Charis in 2024 and teaches high school courses while also serving as guidance counselor. She and her husband have one daughter. Outside of school, she enjoys serving at church, cooking for a crowd, following U.S. gymnastics, and reading many books at once.

Rachel Johnson is excited to return to Charis this year.  She has an undergraduate degree in Secondary Mathematics Education and a master’s degree in Mathematics, both from Illinois State University. She taught high school math in Illinois for 8 years, coached mathematics student teachers at Illinois State University, and also currently teaches at Edgewood College here in Madison. She and her husband, Kyle, have 3 young children and the older 2 boys will be attending Charis this year as well. They moved to Madison from Illinois to help plant Isaiah Church.

Rebekah Farmer pursued her love of math in college by earning a Mathematics degree from North Greenville University and an Industrial Engineering degree from Clemson University. She moved from South Carolina to Madison to work for Epic, but after 2 years realized her passion was working with kids. She transitioned her career to teaching in 2025 when she began substituting in the Madison public schools and teaching at CCA. She gets extra time with kids on Sundays by volunteering in kids ministry at Redeemer City Church and helping with The Basement Youth Group.

Chelsea Peck teaches physical science courses to logic and rhetoric students. She and her husband have lived in Madison since 2015 and have three children. The Peck family is part of the Vine Church in Madison. Mrs. Peck received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and mathematics and a master’s degree in mathematics from Iowa State University. Before coming to Charis, she homeschooled her daughter for a few years and taught science at a homeschool co-op.