2019-2020 Faculty
Administration
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Brian Daigle (Headmaster and Teacher)
Email Brian at BDaigle@SequiturBR.com Brian received his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design from the School of Architecture and Design at University of Louisiana-Lafayette. After working on the first half of his Master of Arts in Trinitarian Theology and Culture at New Saint Andrews College, Brian completed a Master of Humanities from the University of Dallas. Doctoral studies include coursework at Louisiana State University in Comparative Literature. Along with various published works on logic, literature, and culture, Brian’s work has been featured in Classis Magazine and The Classical Difference. Brian is also the rector at Christ the Redeemer Anglican Church in Baton Rouge and Director and professor at The Classical College. He and his wife, Lauren, have three children - Emery, Charlotte, and Benjamin. |
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Kevin Lindholm (Director of Operations and Art Instructor)
Email Kevin at KLindholm@SequiturBR.com Kevin is the lead art instructor for Sequitur Classical Academy and former adjunct professor of life drawing and color & design at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (Lafayette, LA) and Southeastern Louisiana University (Hammond, LA). He hails from sunny California with an interest in reformed theology, cultural theory and criticism, and art theory and criticism. Along with experience teaching kindergarten through graduate level art, Kevin holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (emphasis in printmaking) from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette and a Master of Fine Arts degree (emphasis in printmaking) from The Ohio State University. Kevin’s art work is currently being considered for various publications. |
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Thomas Achord (Logic and Rhetoric School Head and Teacher)
Email Thomas at TAchord@SequiturBR.com Thomas grew up in St. Amant, Louisiana. After high school, he served in the United States Air Force for six adventurous years as an F-16 avionics technician. Mr. Achord has studied Economics under the Ludwig von Mises Institute of Auburn, Alabama, holds a bachelor's in History and Philosophy from Louisiana State University, and recently obtain a master’s in theology from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Thomas is the general editor of The Soul and the City: A Read in Moral and Political Philosophy (available here). He has taught logic, humanities, Greek, Latin, math, economics, and government. Mr. Achord enjoys spending time with his family, reading widely, fishing, hunting, and shooting firearms. |
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Julie Dreher (Grammar School Head and 4th Grade Teacher)
Email Julie at JDreher@SequiturBR.com Julie is the mother of two current Sequitur students and one Sequitur graduate now attending LSU’s Honors College. She holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and her students quickly come to understand how much she enjoys teaching grammar and writing in particular. Julie started research into classical education almost 20 years ago and is keenly aware that she will only scratch the surface in this lifetime. She has enjoyed homeschooling her own children for more than a decade, teaching in co-op and hybrid school settings, and continuing the journey in Sequitur’s classrooms. The Drehers are members of St. Matthew the Apostle Orthodox Church in Baton Rouge, where she sings in the choir and serves on the mission council. |
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Lee Stephenson (Academy Dean and Teacher)
Email Lee at LStephenson1@SequiturBR.com Lee Stephenson is the Academy Dean and a Logic and Rhetoric School recitation, humanities and logic instructor at Sequitur Classical Academy. She is from Atlanta, Georgia, and attended the University of Virginia where she received a B.A. in History and Leadership, and an M.S. of Commerce in Marketing and Management -- degree choices which can only be explained retrospectively. She is currently a teaching apprentice with the Circe Institute, and spends her time after school re-reading classical texts she teaches, because they will always be orders of magnitude greater than her tiny mind can comprehend. She attends Grace Mid City Church in eponymous Mid City Baton Rouge. |
Grammar School Instructors
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Serah Mitchell (1st grade)
Email Serah at SMitchell@SequiturBR.com This is Serah’s third year teaching first grade at Sequitur. She received a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts from Middle Tennessee State University. During childhood Serah spent every afternoon playing school, recruiting her younger siblings, neighbors, dolls and stuffed animals to be her students. She cannot believe that God has seen fit to allow her to have her dream job teaching at this academy. Serah is the mother of three Sequitur students and has homeschooled for 9 years. She and her husband Steve have been married almost 24 years and have lived in Baton Rouge for the last 15 years. The Mitchells are members of the Grace Baptist Mid-City church family. |
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Sharon Brewer (2nd grade)
Email Sharon at SBrewer@SequiturBR.com Sharon grew up in Lafayette, LA then attended Louisiana State University where she received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Special Education. After teaching in public and private schools in the Baton Rouge area, she home schooled her own five children together with her husband. She eventually went back to teaching in a Christian classical school then tutored students in her home for several years. When she is not teaching, Sharon enjoys reading, playing tennis with her husband, spending time with her precious grandchildren, and worshiping with the saints at Grace Bible Fellowship, where she has been a member for over thirty years. Sharon is excited to be back in the classroom as a part of the Sequitur community. |
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Danielle Abbott (1st/2nd Grade)
Email Danielle at DAbbott@SequiturBR.com Danielle Abbott assists in Sequitur’s first and second grade classrooms. She has homeschooled her children for almost a decade and been part of the Sequitur community for three years. Two of the Abbott children are current Sequitur students, and the third anxiously awaits her turn. Danielle loves Jane Austen literature, cooking for her family, and going on dates with her husband Kyle. Last year she enjoyed Chesterton College’s "Reading the Bible as Literature" course, and this fall she is looking forward to taking a literature course with fellow teachers at The Classical College. The Abbotts worship at Christ the Redeemer Anglican Church in Baton Rouge. |
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Tara Taylor (3rd grade)
Email Tara at TTaylor@SequiturBR.com Tara grew up in Houma, LA and attended Nicholls State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in General Studies. During the past seven years she has homeschooled her children in the classical model. Tara teaches third grade and is excited to enter her first year of teaching at Sequitur. She gathers for worship with CrossPoint Baptist Church where her husband serves as pastor. Tara has been married to Nick for 18 years and they have four children, who also attend Sequitur. She enjoys running, yoga, spending time with family and friends and gardening. |
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Abbi Varnado (5th Grade)
Email Abbi at AVarnado@SequiturBR.com Abbi is an LSU graduate with a BS in Psychology and a BA in French. When she first heard about Sequitur, she fell in love with its vision to educate children in everything through the lens of the Gospel; she feels honored to be playing a part in a movement that is determined to change culture and exalt Jesus Christ. She and her husband, Jordan, are members of Antioch Community Church, where they have learned much about serving the global Church and doing all things for the glory of God. In her free time, she loves to go on adventures with her husband, take care of their plant babies, and try out new recipes on anyone that will take up her offer to come over for dinner. Abbi is likewise pursuing her certification in classical Christian education in the Teaching Fellowship program at The Classical College. |
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Thaddeaus Swart (6th grade)
Email Thaddeaus at TSwart@SequiturBR.com Thaddeaus grew up in Northern California, where he graduated from high school and went on to attend the Joshua Wilderness Institute at Hume Lake Christian Camps. While attending JWI, he met his wife, Elaine, and followed her back to her hometown, Baton Rouge, LA. He finished his Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Language at Southeastern Louisiana University, and has worked in Christian Classical education since 2008. Along with Brian Daigle, Thaddeaus co-authored his first book, How to Eat a Book: A Gastronome's Guide to the Classics, and thus found an outlet to combine two of his great passions—food and literature. He is blessed to most often combine those two passions in the form of making breakfast for, and reading stories to, his son, Asher. |
Logic and Rhetoric School Instructors
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Paula Haley (Math)
Email Paula at PHaley@SequiturBR.com Paula is a Rhetoric School math instructor for Geometry, Algebra 2, and Precalculus. Paula deeply loves rightly connecting concepts in math to its source, an orderly, masterful Creator God. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Louisiana State University and a Master of Divinity degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. As a home school mom, Paula has taught for over fifteen years and is active in her church and the local home school fellowship and athletic board. |
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Emily Ingalls (Math)
Email Emily at EIngalls@SequiturBR.com Emily is a native of Baton Rouge and teaches Algebra 1 for the Logic School. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Louisiana State University Health Science Center in New Orleans, LA. She worked as a registered nurse in multiple fields including oncology, orthopedics, cardiology, gastroenterology and legal nurse consulting for 13 years. The past four years she has spent homeschooling and raising her four daughters, three of which are part of the Sequitur community. Emily and her family worship at Istrouma Baptist Church (Ascension campus). |
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Blayke Weatherford (Music)
Email Blayke at BWeatherford@SequiturBR.com Blayke Weatherford grew up in Denham Springs, LA. He received his Bachelor of Music from Southeastern Louisiana University and is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity with specialization in Christian Apologetics from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. In addition to teaching music at Sequitur, Blayke is a freelance pianist and percussionist, performing in a variety of styles and contexts, including classical, jazz, orchestral, and musical theatre. In his free time, Blayke enjoys spending time with friends and family. He has interests in the study of folk music and ethnomusicology, especially issues pertaining to the church and Christian worship. Blayke is a member of Istrouma Baptist Church. |
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Adele Velasquez (Math and Science)
Email Adele at AVelasquez@SequiturBR.com Adele teaches Pre-Algebra and Physical Science for the Logic School. She was born in Singapore and grew up in Metairie. She received her Bachelor of Science from Louisiana State University and went on to teach at a Christian classical school that her husband, Alex, co-founded and where their four children attended during their early years. Homeschooling has been her “career” for over a decade, along with serving as a board member, teaching at local homeschool cooperatives and tutoring mostly math. Adele cherishes time with her family and is grateful to worship at St. Paul’s Anglican Church. |
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Daniel Loper (Math and Science)
Email Daniel at DLoper@SequiturBR.com Mr. Loper teaches Geometry, Physics, and Calculus at Sequitur. He is currently in his senior year at LSU to receive his Bachelor's degree in Economics. He and his wife Madison are members of St. Matthew the Apostle Orthodox Church in Baton Rouge. Mr. Loper loves being in nature and playing sports with his wife and friends. Since the start of college, he has tutored the ACT test, and now works as Test Prep Administrator for the Classical College. He is excited to learn all about Classical education alongside his students. |
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Sharon King (Science)
Email Sharon at SKing@SequiturBR.com Mrs. King is the 7th grade Earth Science and 9th grade Biology instructor. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from Texas A&M University and a Master of Science in Biology from University of Louisiana, Lafayette. Sharon has shared her enthusiasm for science with numerous homeschool and 4-H groups over the last 8 years while homeschooling her own two rhetoric-age children who also attend Sequitur. She is thankful for discovering classical Christian education, Church of the Highlands, and the vibrant community of home educators in Baton Rouge. In addition to teaching, she loves animals of all kinds, gardening and riding her bike. |
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Tom Brewer (Logic, Humanities, Rhetoric, Recitation, and Composition)
Email Tom at TBrewer@SequiturBR.com Tom grew up traveling as a dependent in an Army family. He later joined the Army and served four years in the infantry with the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, HI. He reenlisted for three more years in the Military Police at Ft. Polk, LA. After leaving the Army, Tom attended NSU in Natchitoches for two years and then transferred to LSU and received a General Studies degree. He returned to LSU to receive a degree in Secondary Education – English. After teaching for a couple years at Baton Rouge Commercial College, he taught high school at the Silliman Institute in Clinton. Tom returned to LSU in 1988, this time to be employed as a Computer Analyst doing desktop support for LSU Libraries until retiring in 2017. In 1997 Tom also helped found Baton Rouge Christian Classical School, where he served on the board and the curriculum committee. When BRCCS closed, Tom and his wife Sharon returned to home schooling their five children. Tom also helped produce the 1989, not-so “cult classic” film Dark Heritage. Tom and Sharon attend Grace Bible Fellowship in Baton Rouge where Tom also serves as an open-air evangelist. |
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Fr. Joshua Trant (Humanities and Latin)
Email Fr. Joshua at JTrant@SequiturBR.com Father Joshua teaches 8th grade Humanities and Latin at Sequitur. He received a Bachelor of Arts of Intercultural Studies and Linguistics from Houghton College in western New York where he met his wife, Heather. His collegiate preparation led him to language survey half way around the world on staff with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Father Joshua completed his seminary training with a Masters of Divinity degree from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Yonkers, New York. In 2016, he was assigned to St. Matthew the Apostle Orthodox Church in Baton Rouge where he serves as parish priest. As a native Texan, he believes in the existence of the perfectly wood-smoked brisket and is committed to its pursuit in his spare time. He lives with his wife and daughter, Tabitha, in Baton Rouge and enjoys family game night, beach trips, and Maine oysters. |