Team

Stephen and Danielle Piscura

Cofounders
Stephen: Head of School · Danielle: Programs Manager

Stephen and Danielle Piscura experienced firsthand the negative impact of educational disadvantages and, conversely, the transformational power that accompanies access to a distinguished, Christ-centered education. After many years living in Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood, and growing a family of their own, the Piscuras are honored to cooperate with God as He makes a way for their neighbors to gain access to the very same education which they desire for their own children.

Danielle earned a B.A. from Miami University and a M.Ed. from Cleveland State University in 2009 with specialization in Curriculum and Instruction and a particular focus on urban education. She went on to gain an endorsement in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. She student-taught, substitute-taught, and led a classroom of her own in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District for years when, in 2013, she stepped out with an emerging dream to partner with Stephen to found a school for underserved children in their community. She is privileged to shoulder a wide range of roles and responsibilities at GCA, including serving as its Programs Manager.

Stephen grew up in Northeast Ohio and moved to the city of Cleveland in 2008. He met Danielle on a vision-trip to Thailand, where they discovered their shared passion for a lifestyle of service to God and others. Stephen earned a B.A. from Kent State University studying literature and photojournalism. He is privileged to serve as GCA’s Head of School.

Stephen and Danielle have three children—Levi, Solomon, and Nienna, all of whom are GCA students or alumni. They attend church at St. Anselm Anglican Church.

Jennifer Figueroa Branch

Director of Admissions & Operations Manager

Jennifer is a Clevelander who loves her city. She spent five years as an administrative assistant in a legal office, while also serving as personal assistant to an international church leader for more than ten years. These experiences serve GCA well, given how many hats Jennifer wears at the school! Her work encompasses a range of financial, administrative, and managerial tasks. She works closely with the Head of School to direct the school’s admissions processes. She conducts prospective-student open houses on a monthly basis, ensures compliance with the state of Ohio, supports core financial and HR processes, and much more! Jennifer served as a founding member of GCA’s board of directors, but resigned that role in order to become the school’s very first employee! She and her husband, Christopher, are the proud parents of two daughters, Rosalina and Lily, both of whom are students at GCA. Jennifer resounds with the words of Vincent Van Gogh, her favorite artist, when he declared, “I am still far from being what I want to be, but with God's help I shall succeed.”

Eberle Matovich

Director of Curriculum

Eberle is from Hawaii, where she grew up surrounded by the beauty and diversity of island cultures. She had the opportunity to teach K–12 students at Mana'o'i'o Baptist Academy, the small Christian school that she founded on the island of Maui. One of her favorite aspects of teaching younger grades is getting to celebrate and foster her students’ natural love for learning. Eberle enjoys exploring Ohio with her husband Scott and their two children Magdalene and Aquilla, both of whom attend GCA. C.S. Lewis sums up her worldview: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

Stacie Smock

Director of Student and Family Support

Stacie serves as GCA’s Director of Student and Family Support. She graduated from Clarks Summit University in 2017 with a B.A. in Early Childhood Education. During her time at university, Stacie developed a passion for ministry. That passion led her to Cleveland in 2018, where she interned at Cuyahoga Valley Church as a missions and youth intern. Since living in Cleveland, she has had the opportunity to be a mentor, advocate, and provide trauma-informed care to at-risk youth. These experiences serve her well at GCA, as much of her role involves shepherding students and cultivating relationships with the students and families of GCA. Stacie is passionate about community. She loves to help out and serve wherever she can. If she’s not at church or work, you can find her at a coffee shop, with friends playing board games, hiking the Metroparks, or at home doing something crafty and enjoying a good action movie.

Amanda Roberts

Director of Nutrition

Amanda resides in Cleveland’s near east side with husband, Britton, and their three children: Carrick (a student at GCA), Brennan, and Iona. Instead of “hats” Amanda wears many shoes at GCA. She was hired in 2020 as Nutrition Director to operate the school’s healthy-lunch program, she cooks the fresh meals daily, and in 2022 she served as the Nature Study teacher and common-arts coordinator. Amanda finds great joy in exploring God’s beautiful creation and desires to share that joy with her students. Connecting people back to the source of their food and teaching them how food is medicine have been guiding principles in Amanda’s journey. She taught nutrition education in many underprivileged communities for The Greater Cleveland Food Bank and The Cleveland Clinic for six years before joining the GCA team. Amanda has been on board with the GCA mission since its inception. When she isn’t cooking or teaching, Amanda can be found in the school’s community garden or exploring Cleveland with her family.

Kelsey Andrews

Latin Teacher and Instructional Aide

Kelsey was born and raised in Northeast Ohio. She graduated with a B.A. in English and Classical Education from Hillsdale university. Kelsey is honored to serve as GCA’s Latin teacher and an instructional aide and shares the school’s passion to cultivate the love of God in the hearts and minds of students. It is her desire to see students enthusiastically explore God’s marvelous world, fall in love with His marvelous ways, and serve those around them by becoming restorers of peace. Outside of teaching, Kelsey enjoys cooking, painting, gardening, and hiking through the Cuyahoga Valley National Parks.

Nickolas Athineos

Lower School Teacher: Arithmetic and Geometry

Born in a suburb of Cleveland, Nickolas moved to the city in 2016. He earned a B.A. from Moody Bible Institute studying Theology and Church history and a M.A. from Cleveland State University in English Literature. He is privileged to teach arithmetic, geometry, and other skill-based subjects to GCA’s oldest students.

Bethany Bonham

Instructional Aide: First Grade

Bethany was born and raised in Columbia, MO. After studying in both Missouri and Texas, she moved to the Cleveland area to be nearer to family. Her family’s love for the city is infectious, and they introduced her to The Garden Christian Academy, where she serves as an instructional aide to GCA’s youngest students.

Raeann Campayne

Lower School Teacher: Kindergarten

Raeann graduated from Cleveland State University with a degree in Psychology. Since she has always had a heart for children, after graduating she began working at a preschool which she served for eight years. She enjoys spending time with her family and trying new foods. She also loves to sing and is a worship leader at her local church. She believes it is a gift to work with children and is grateful for her opportunity to do so by serving as GCA’s kindergarten teacher.

April Fox

Lower School Teacher: First Grade

A native of the Cleveland area, April earned her bachelor’s degree in Education from Bowling Green State University and went on to gain her master’s degree in Literacy Education. She worked as an Intervention Specialist for twelve years, serving students with moderate-intensive special needs. A passion for helping little learners build strong foundations of literacy and a love for learning drew April back to the classroom in after a five-year absence while she was at home with her own children. Since joining the GCA team in 2020, she has served as a kindergarten, a first-grade teacher, and as Student Services Coordinator. April and her husband have two wonderful children who are students at GCA. They enjoy being out in nature, reading, crafting, and sampling all the tacos they can find around Cleveland. The following quote is from one of her favorite books: “Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive—it’s such an interesting world.” —Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Jayna Hoover

Lower School Teacher: Humanities

Jayna grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland and graduated from Westside Christian Academy in Westlake. She graduated from Liberty University in 2024 with a degree in Politics and Policy and with minors in History, Biblical Languages, and Biblical Studies. Jayna has always been passionate about classical Christian education and considers it a great privilege to partner with GCA’s mission to bring that education to the inner city of Cleveland. When she’s not teaching humanities to GCA’s oldest students, Jayna enjoys playing pickleball, reading about theology, drinking good coffee, and serving at her church in multiple capacities.

Alla Karapunarly

Lower School Mentor Teacher: Second Grade

Alla serves as GCA’s second-grade teacher, providing mentorship to Miss McGuire, her co-teacher. She graduated from Cleveland State University with a degree in Early Childhood Education. She moved to the United States from Moldova at a young age and has lived in Cleveland for the past six years. It is Alla’s desire to serve the community in which she was raised. She and her husband, Billy, are members of St. Anselm Anglican Church where they regularly serve the parish in a variety of roles.

Kiersten Kennedy

Instructional Aide: Kindergarten

Kiersten was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania. She was brought up in the Church, which led to her appreciation in tradition and reverence for Christ. She entered college with the goal of joining the mission field, but God had different plans! After lots of reflection and redirection, she found her home in Ohio and made her way to The Garden Christian Academy, and she is glad to be a part of this beautiful missional community! She is honored to be assisting the kindergarten class this year as they begin their journeys in loving to learn and learning to love!

Dr. Caleb Kudlo

Music Teacher

Dr. Caleb Kudlo and his wife, Julia, make their home in Cleveland’s Near West Side. He first came to Cleveland as a student and, after studying abroad in Israel, was called back to serve in the city. Dr. Kudlo has served as a pastor and worship leader downtown at CityView Church since 2015. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Performance from Cleveland State University, a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry from Carolina University, and a Doctor of Worship Studies in Ethnomusicology from Liberty University. As GCA’s music teacher, Dr. Kudlo leads students to appreciate diverse artistic expressions and foster their engagement with Christ and His world through musical creativity.

Kestrel Logan

Lower School Teacher: Fourth Grade

Kestrel is a South African native who immigrated to the east coast of the US at a young age, eventually making his home in Chicago’s inner city. After witnessing both the tragic disparities in educational opportunity and the potential for life-giving love in a classroom setting, Kestrel enrolled at Moody Bible Institute. He graduated with his B.A. in Elementary Education after student teaching on Chicago’s north side and is delighted to continue his journey of learning along with the fourth-graders at GCA. Kestrel finds great joy in gardening, cycling, running, and attempting to grow as a beginning jazz pianist. You can usually find him playing word games and praising God for the gift of good ice cream at his home in Clark-Fulton.

Sarah McGuire

Lower School Co-teacher: Second Grade

Sarah McGuire was born and raised on the west side of Cleveland as the youngest of nine children. She graduated from Lutheran West High School with her twin sister and began taking courses at Grove City College in Pennsylvania. Through some unexpected circumstances and ultimately God’s sovereign provision, Sarah returned to Ohio and started down the path that would lay the foundation for her to become a teacher at The Garden Christian Academy. She is currently taking courses for her B.S. in Educational Studies through Grand Canyon University.

Sarah also volunteers for the worship and high school ministry teams at her church. She is grateful for God’s grace and unconditional love, and is passionate about sharing these with others out of the abundance that she has been given. Sarah finds great joy in making connections, singing, reading books, exploring the wonders of God’s creation, and painting.

Craig Michalski

Lower School Teacher: Writing

Mr. Michalsk’s seventh-grade math teacher was the inspiration behind the thought that teaching would be a rewarding profession. Years later he would use his English degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio as a launching pad to land an English teaching certification from Cleveland State University. Miami University was also where Mr. Michalski dedicated his life to Christ. In his role as a teacher, Mr. Michalski has had the privilege of teaching in Ohio, California, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Florida. Two teaching experiences were at Orthodox Jewish schools. A dedication to foreign missions enabled him to serve abroad on seven different occasions. When he isn’t delighting in his role as an educator, Mr. Michalski can be found enjoying outdoor recreation, coffee, a book and good conversation with family or friends.

Bekah Pausch

Lower School Teacher: Third Grade

Bekah earned a degree in Elementary Education. After graduating, Bekah moved to Cleveland to become more involved in CityView Church. It was always her desire to work and worship in the community in which she lived. Bekah is passionate about ministry in the city of Cleveland.

Missy Roberts

Fine Arts Teacher

Missy was raised in northeastern Ohio and has lived in Cincinnati, Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Los Angeles. She spent eight years in Minneapolis pastoring a church with her husband Ken. They returned to the Cleveland area in 2016 to be near family.

Missy owns and operates her own company, Missy Roberts Studio, and is regularly commissioned to paint pet portraits. She is currently working on creating more pieces for her collection titled North American Mammal Portraits.

Missy’s passion about God and His creation is described when she writes:

Almost every creature on God’s earth has something about it that calls forth awe and wonder inside of me. The softness of the small gray field mouse, the hard shine of the black stag beetle, and the majesty of the great blue whale, enthrall me. Beauty in nature makes my heart leap and bound with pure joy. Walking through a woodland forest, quiet meadow or the ocean surf deeply feeds my soul.

In addition to her many art projects, Missy enjoys writing and illustrating children’s books, reading and writing poetry, hiking, biking, and spending time with her six grandchildren.

Missy considers it an incredible privilege to have the opportunity to foster the precious hearts and minds of the children God has entrusted to us at GCA.