Chris Simpson attended UC Davis, CA, and continued her education at St. Mary’s College, Moraga, earning two teaching credentials and her Master’s in Education. She worked for 20 years in the field of Special Education. Chris has completed her Level 1, 2, & 3 national certification for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and is currently a catechist and the Director of Valley of the Sacred Heart Academy. Chris has been an active member of Catholic Advance since 2009. She is proud to have grown up in Dixon and to be an active member of St. Peter Church. The mission of Valley of the Sacred Heart Academy comes from her love of faith, education, and children

After attending Napa High School, Jesse Akers started and completed an apprenticeship working for the Navy at Mare Island interrupted by doing two years in the army. Later he started a successful light-commercial/domestic electrical repair business. Jesse’s education continued at UC Davis getting his undergraduate degree in fine-art-studio and then on to graduate school at UCD in education winning his multiple subject teaching credential with CLADD added. Immediately, Jesse was hired and worked for Vacaville Unified until he retired. He was always a 1st or 2nd grade general education teacher at the same Title 1 school. Jesse and his wife Dona live in Dixon and have been active members at St. Peter Parish for decades.

Karla Avila is the lead guide for the Primary Montessori class. Karla was born and raised in Sacramento, CA. She was blessed to be a child in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Level 2 and 3. Karla is an alum of Chesterton Academy at Valley of the Sacred Heart. She received her B.A. in Humanities with emphases on Creative Writing and New Evangelization from John Paul the Great Catholic University. She is passionate about storytelling and highly values the importance of learning excellent reading and writing. Karla was drawn to the Montessori method thanks to her mother and because she believes learning is a lifelong endeavor. Through teaching, she also hopes to foster a deep love for Christ in her students. Karla is currently working toward her Montessori certification.

Dominick DiCarlo is from Davis, CA, where he attended both Davis High School and UC Davis. He student taught at both of those institutions as well as various other local schools throughout the area. Dominick then moved to Tampa, FL where he taught for seven years at Jesuit High School. He directed the liturgical music program, organized the pep band, and taught theology, helping to design one of the most rigorous theology curricula in the country. He is very excited to return to California and take up the duties of Headmaster at Chesterton Academy. He desires most of all to aid young men and women in their search for Truth, Beauty, and Goodness.

Laurie Fio has been teaching art to children and adults for over 25 years. She holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in both English and Psychology from UC Davis, but art and writing have been a passion of hers since she was a young child. She is a published author and a self-taught professional award-winning artist specializing in animal portraits. Many of her art students have also won numerous awards. She enjoys all mediums, but colored pencil is her favorite because of the fine detail it allows. She looks forward to continuing to share her talent with children. “I truly love teaching art. Being able to share my passion with others and helping them create what is in their hearts is very exciting for me.'‘ Laurie is currently teaching Art and Literature at Chesterton Academy. Laurie has been an active member of the Catholic Advance Movement since 2009.

Terri Heynen received a bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University in 1986 and completed master’s degree in Theology at Franciscan University in 2018. Terri served as a munitions officer in the US Army from 1987 to 1991. She was a substitute teacher for two years, 2002-2004, in the Dixon Unified School District. Being a mother of 5 children, Terri has volunteered numerous hours in elementary school classrooms over a twelve-year period. She was a religious education teacher for ten years at St. Peter Church in Dixon. Terri has completed her Level 1 and 2 training of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. She is currently a catechist and teaches Philosophy at Chesterton Academy. Terri is an active member of the Catholic Advance Movement.

Michael Playford was raised in Dixon, CA. He attended UC Davis and received a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology. Michael has been a math and science teacher with Chesterton Academy since 2019. He enjoys teaching because of the students at Chesterton Academy. “Each student is unique and lively, which makes teaching a joy.” In his spare time, Michael works at Idexx Laboratory in Sacramento and enjoys running, learning history, and completing puzzles. He is interested in learning about the natural world, specifically math and equations in relation to the natural world.

Carmen Maravilla has been married to Jesus Maravilla for 31 years. Carmen attended Merced Community College and transferred to Sacramento State University, majoring in Spanish and minoring in Ethnic Studies. She was part of the California Mini-Corps Program, participated as a student, and was part of the Central Office staff. She has been in Catholic Education since 2010 after being a stay home mother for several years. Carmen taught Kindergarten and was Program Director for the Sacramento Leadership Co-op Program. She worked for Saint Patrick Academy for ten years as a receptionist, teacher's assistant, and Administrative Assistant. Carmen has volunteered as a Catechism teacher at Sacred Heart Church in Sacramento and St. Joseph Church in Elk Grove. She was blessed to be a Youth Facilitator for the youth group at St Maria Goretti Catholic church in Elk Grove, CA. Carmen enjoys gardening, bike riding, swimming, reading, and spending time with her family & friends.

Alex Playford served as an infantryman in the early 1990’s and then went on to get a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Sacramento State. Alex decided to pursue a career in corrections and was a correctional officer for California State Prison in Vacaville for 23 years. He retired in 2020 and he and his family actively serve at St. Peter Church in Dixon. Alex became a teacher at Valley of the Sacred Heart Academy in the fall of 2023. Alex is a student of philosophy, religion, history, political science, and Catholic apologetics. He enjoys sharing his love of learning at Chesterton Academy.

Sister Adriana Ponce was born in Mexico and graduated from Dixon High School. She studied childhood education for two years at Woodland Community College and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in theology at Franciscan University, where she is a junior. She joined Pro Ecclesia Sancta (PES) in 2009 and has served in various ministries in Peru and California over the years. Sister Adriana has also served at Valley of the Sacred Heart for five years and is currently the director of the Catholic Advance Movement. She is grateful for the opportunity to continue sharing her faith, education, and pastoral experience with families and children at Valley of the Sacred Heart Academy.

Andrew was born at Travis Air Force Base and raised in Vacaville, California. He attended Kolbe Academy and Trinity Prep, a liberal arts K-12 school in Napa, for all his elementary, junior high, and high school education. Andrew graduated from UC Davis and majored in Biological Science. Andrew plans to use his bachelor’s degree to attend medical school in order to pay forward all the kindness and charity he and his family have received from the Catholic communities living in Northern California. Andrew is gladly teaching Chesterton Science and Literature based on what he learned during his time at Kolbe Trinity and hopes to impart his knowledge of college-level courses to his students.

Barbara Mills earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in Linguistics with an emphasis in teaching from UC Davis. She also completed the teaching credential education classes at Fresno-Pacific University. While homeschooling her children, Barbara discovered the IEW method of teaching writing and became convinced of its benefits. Since becoming a registered instructor with IEW, she has been using the program to help students become better writers. Barbara is glad to be a part of the VSH community, helping students learn to build and create with words, sentences, and paragraphs; and also helping them learn to wield, evaluate, and analyze language. Barbara and her husband are both active at St. James parish, where she is a lector and a member of the hospitality committee.

Lizbeth Quintero has been married to Carlos Ávila for over 25 years, and together they’ve called Sacramento home since 2000. Originally from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Lizbeth earned her elementary teaching credential from Instituto América and spent six years teaching grades 1 through 5 in a Catholic school. Lizbeth is a trained Level II catechist in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. While she enjoyed serving the community through her work with the Diocesan Spanish Catholic Radio in Sacramento, she completed certifications in Mariology, Christology, and Ecclesiology through the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame. Lizbeth completed her Elementary Montessori training through Prepared Montessorian and is honored to serve as a Montessori guide, nurturing the minds and hearts of children through faith-filled, child-centered education. She believes the Montessori profession is as enriching for educators as it is for students. She and her family are part of the Catholic Advanced Movement, which continues to enhance their spiritual life.

Lidice Garcia was born and raised in Bakersfield, California. She obtained a B.A. in Classics with an emphasis in Languages and Literature at UC Davis, where she also worked as a grader and Greek tutor for the Classics department. She will continue her studies at UC Davis in the Postbaccalaureate program. Though Greek may be her favorite ancient language, Latin also holds a special place in her heart. She has joined Chesterton Academy in hopes of passing that same enjoyment on to her Latin students.

Stephanie Baker has a background in child and adolescent development and psychology, and worked in child development centers teaching, conducting assessments, and eventually became a director. After starting a family, Stephanie stayed home to raise her five children and began her homeschool journey with them. While homeschooling her children, Stephanie taught, tutored, and directed various homeschool programs. Her family found Valley of the Sacred Heart in 2016 and she has taught part-time on and off at VSH as her time allowed. She has taught grades pre-school-12th grade. She is currently completing a dual credential program (education k-8 and special education k-12). Stephanie is passionate about education and loves helping students in special education thrive. 

Juliana Brown is a wife and mother of three children. She enjoys homeschooling her three children. and having her family be a part of the Saint Mary's community in Vacaville. Juliana received a Bachelor's degree in Child Development from California State University, Chico, and a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology from Saint Martin's University in Washington State. She finished all required coursework and tests toward a certification in Theology of the Body from the Theology of the Body Institute in Pennsylvania. Juliana’s desire is to share God's truth about the goodness, beauty, and dignity of the human person, made by love and for love, to a world that desperately needs to hear this good news. If our children are given this beautiful foundation, our society will be strengthened and healed.

Sonia Warstler has been dedicated to nurturing the faith and growth of children for many years. A homeschooling mother since 2011, Sonia has cultivated a love for guiding young hearts and minds in their educational and spiritual journey. She began volunteering at VSH in 2017 as a Spanish teacher and catechist of The Good Shepherd, where her dedication to the community has continued to flourish. Sonia is a certified Level I and Level II catechist in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, and she is honored to share the beauty of the Catholic faith with children in a Montessori-inspired environment. She is grateful for the opportunity to serve the VSH community and to walk alongside children as they grow in faith, wonder, and love of God. Sonia and her family are part of the St. Joseph community in Clarksburg were they been happy to serve as lector, minister and altar boys. Sonia also enjoys to cook and bake with her family.

Born and raised in Kansas, Alicia is a mother to 3 and has been married to her husband for 15 years.  She has a B.A. in Anthropology and Modern Languages from Kansas State University and has lived in California since 2008. She serves as a lector and has assisted in the faith formation program and other community events at her family's home parish of St. James in Davis and she is currently completing the faith formation program through Lay Mission Institute. She spent years homeschooling her kids and time tutoring before coming to VSH. Her heart for education was fostered early on by helping her mother, a retired teacher, in the classroom. She is excited to join the VSH community and live the gospel message that each person is seen and loved by God.

Marie Villanueva has been an active member of St. Peter Parish since 1995, when she and her husband, Danny, transplanted from Davis with their three sons. Marie received a BA in Liberal Studies in 2001 and her MA in Education with an emphasis in Special Education from CSU Sacramento, and in 2023, a graduate degree from Santa Clara University in Pastoral Ministries. She has been teaching in the public schools for over 25 years and is now able to realize her dream of teaching in a Catholic school at Valley of the Sacred Heart. Marie is back in school to become a Montessori guide for Lower Elementary and is very excited to be on this wonderful journey. She loves teaching young minds and sharing the beauty of our Catholic faith. She is an active member of the Young Ladies Grand Institute. Marie enjoys reading, gardening, quilting, paper crafting, and spending time with family and friends.