Bryan Brooks holds a Bachelor’s in Political Economy from Hillsdale College and a Master’s in Political Science focusing on political philosophy and American politics from The University of Nebraska Omaha. He has lived in eight states, but he considers himself from Nebraska and California. He joined RCA in 2025.
Mr. Brooks first heard about classical education while at Hillsdale when he walked through a classical education job fair. Four years later, he felt the call to teach Upper School and fell in love with the classical model as he studied its history and saw the excellent results it produces. He taught at classical Christian school in Georgetown, Texas, for eight years and coached the school’s championship-winning debate and mock trial teams. When he began seeking out a move into administration, he knew that God was calling him to RCA the moment he stepped on campus. He is passionate about the loving, joyful environment at RCA and is delighted to help build its academic programs.
Mr. Brooks lives in Rochester with his wife Natalie, son Caedmon, and several cats. He is a board games nerd and can often be found browsing the shelves or playing in tournaments at local game stores. He also enjoys playing music, reading books with his family, and Nebraska Cornhuskers football.
Amy Boschen is fortunate to have known Jesus from a young age and to have come from generations of faithful people. She met her husband, David, in Sunday-school at church in the third grade. They have been married since 2007 and have two children who both attend RCA.
The Boschens, native to Northern California, followed the Lord’s leading to Rochester in 2019 where they found true community at Grace Road Church and Rochester Classical Academy. Amy’s background is in the medical field, working for many years in pediatrics, urgent care, and finally in labor and delivery as a nationally certified birth doula. This year brings her full-circle to a long-lost dream of teaching kindergarten.
Amy’s true passions are gardening, hiking, singing, reading, and writing. Her favorite authors are Jane Austen, Leo Tolstoy, Agatha Christie, Ruth Chou Simons, Thomas Hardy, and C.S. Lewis. You can usually find her barefoot and singing in the garden, hosting board game nights, or lost in thought writing in the corner of a coffee shop.
Leigh Ann Gausselin earned her Bachelors degree in Political Science from University of California Santa Barbara and is also a licensed practical nurse. It was during her college years that the Lord saved her; she committed her life to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior at 19. Prior to working as a teacher at RCA, she practiced as a licensed practical nurse and children’s teacher in California. She has taught in various capacities in the last 13 years: private school daycare and preschool, public after school tutoring programs, ESL online teaching for kids in China and Korea, Sunday school teaching, and substitute teaching for RCA.
She was also a stay at home mom for many years. Leigh Ann’s true joy is having fun adventures with her husband and two daughters, at home or abroad. In her free time, she enjoys photography, play dates, and reading. She attends and serves in children’s ministry at Webster Bible Church.
Katie Walter has been involved with RCA since its opening in 2019. Over the years, she has served RCA as a Board member and substitute teacher. Before moving to Rochester, she taught lower school at a Classical Christian school in California. She teaches first grade at RCA and supports development efforts.
Katie and her husband, Eric, have three children at RCA: Calvin, Theo, and Jamie. They also have two cats, who are not currently attending school. In her free time, Katie enjoys reading, puzzles, refinishing furniture, and thrifting. Her favorite color is green, favorite land animal is the mountain lion, and favorite sea creature is the whale shark.
Karyn attended SUNY College at Buffalo for my BS in Elementary Education with a minor in Psychology. She obtained her masters Degree at Nazareth College in Special Education. She taught for four years at Crestwood Children’s Center working with children with Emotional Disturbances grades K-2nd. She subsequently joined the US Army Reserves and made a move to North Carolina. I taught four years at the elementary-high school grade levels in regular and special education settings. During her military enlistment she was deployed to Bosnia. She married her husband, Henrey, who is a now retired Command Sergeant Major from the US Army. She have traveled around and lived in several different states, including North Carolina (3 times), Texas, Utah, New Jersey and New York City.
During the course of my husband’s several deployments she had the privilege to stay home and focus on raising her twins Malachi and Liberty. She also hold a certification in Radiography/ Mammography and worked in radiography for for over ten years. Outside of school, she enjoys making stain glass, kayaking, and attending Bible studies.
Laura Truesdell is a local educator who has been teaching upper elementary students since 2005. Laura is a Rochester native and received her master’s degree as a Literacy Specialist from Nazareth College. When she is not helping students reach their potential in the classroom, she enjoys gardening and traveling with her family. She and her husband, Eric, have three boys attending RCA.
At age 21, Mrs. Ruth invited Christ into her life and proclaimed Him as her Lord and Savior. A little more than a year later, she met Andrew, the man who would become her husband, while he was on leave from the Navy. They married in 2005 and have three children.
Mrs. Ruth has a Bachelor of Arts in English and an Master of Science in Literacy Education. She has taught children ages birth through eighteen in public school, private school, homeschool, and daycare settings. Her background includes classical training in piano and voice and has dabbled in basic guitar. She has studied French and Latin and practiced the arts of dance and martial arts. Her absolute favorite pastime is reading, reading, reading. Greek mythology has been of particular delight since age sixteen. She plans to teach herself logic and drawing and continue her way through the Great Books of our culture. She adores anything and everything by C.S. Lewis; she has thoroughly enjoyed studying his books on the Medieval era. Literature and history are by far her favorite subjects!
“The devil is fighting with God and the battlefield is the human heart.” Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
Natalie Schneider Brooks teaches Upper School at RCA. She holds a Bachelor’s in English Literature from the University of Nebraska Omaha. She also holds an MA in Rhetoric and Composition with an advanced certificate in Advanced Writing, also from UNO. She taught Upper School Humanities at Grace Academy of Georgetown in the Austin, Texas, area for five and a half years before joining RCA. She also helped coach Grace’s Mock Trial team and has coached competitive speech at all levels from junior high to college.
While she loves all literature, she especially enjoys the works of Tolkien and exploring the influence medieval history had on his writing. She lives in Rochester with her husband Bryan, son Caedmon, and a small zoo of animals. She’s excited to come to RCA at the inception of its Upper School and looks forward to helping both our school and students grow up in a close-knit and welcoming community.
Abbey Gebel teaches sixth grade math and fifth grade math. At SUNY Geneseo, Abbey earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary (K-6) and Special Education (K-12), Bachelor of Arts Degree in Violin Performance, and Master of Science Degree in Education (Reading). Her teaching career spans almost 25 years, and she has taught every grade level from Kindergarten through 12th in some capacity. Over the years, Abbey has been a reading specialist, core subject teacher (at RCA), homeschool mom and co-op tutor, art camp instructor/founder, private academic tutor, and student teaching supervisor. Most recently, Abbey has enjoyed homeschooling her five children, several of which are now RCA students.
Elizabeth Painter received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science from Nazareth College of Rochester, NY. She taught middle school and high school art in Churchville, NY for ten years, before leaving her position to move to California.
A former military spouse, Ms. Painter has lived in San Diego, Hawaii, and Tennessee. She had the privilege of staying home for ten years to raise her three children Molly, Truman, and Virginia. After moving back to NY, she taught at Greece Arcadia High School for three years before joining the faculty at Rochester Classical Academy.
Raised by parents who are artists and musicians and have a deep love for the Lord, Ms. Painter had a rich upbringing with a strong knowledge and foundation in Christ. She imparts this love and reverence not only to her own children but to her students as well. Ms. Painter is privileged to use her knowledge, training, and gifts to teach music and fine art, as well as Kindergarten at RCA.
Linnea Landin Burr is a wife and mother, and holds degrees from Houghton University in Choral Conducting (MM) and Instrumental Music Education and Piano (BMus). Prior to teaching at RCA, she taught 7-12 Choral Music in Bemus Point, NY. Mrs. Burr also served several summers as a teacher for Warren County Summer Music School in Pennsylvania, in addition to teaching private piano lessons.
She has taught students from elementary through high school levels in Music Theory, Sight Reading and Solfege, Conducting, Choir, Music History, and Piano. Music ministry is close to her heart; she leads the music teams for Community Bible Study in Rochester and serves in the children’s music ministry at Grace Road Church. She also teaches private piano lessons at Kanack School of Musical Artistry.
Nathan Baxter is not just a gym teacher; he’s an art student and a dedicated creative enthusiast. With over three years of experience working in children’s ministries and family-focused environments, Nathan brings a unique blend of passion and skills to his role.
His primary loves include God, art, youth development, conservation, and promoting physical fitness. Nathan’s active lifestyle extends beyond the classroom as he engages in various sports, running, and adventurous activities like rock climbing and hiking.
Originally hailing from Wisconsin, Nathan followed a spiritual calling that led him to Western New York, which he has called home for the past seven years. It’s where he met and married his wife, and now, they are proud parents to a kitty and an adorable Shiba puppy.
Violinist and music teacher Melissa Martin currently teaches and performs in the Rochester area. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Bob Jones University and her Master’s degree in Music Education from Boston University. Having taught private lessons in her studio as well as orchestra for over 12 years in public/private schools, she has experience working with students from age 5-85 who are at a variety of levels. She knows how to tailor the lesson to each student’s individual personality, learning style, and goals.
Ruth Redman received her Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration in vocal performance from Roberts Wesleyan University where she studied Music Education. She has taught private voice lessons, beginner piano and led children’s choirs over the years. She has also enjoyed teaching Spanish, Latin as well as literature based classes to young children. She has taught in Christian school, homeschool academy, and private tutoring. Mrs. Redman dedicated many of her talents primarily to the education of her own children for 3 decades. She is a founding member of the Gloria Deo Classical Homeschool Cooperative where she also taught.
Mrs. Redman is a native of Cuba. Having been born after communist takeover, her family fled the island and emigrated to Spain. They eventually came to the United States, which fulfilled a long-time dream of her parents. They settled in Rochester, where she has lived ever since.
God has blessed her with her husband Don, 5 children and 4 grandchildren so far. She enjoys physical fitness, making a joyful noise in song, grandbabies and fine dark chocolate, though not necessarily in that order. She counts it a great privilege to serve the Lord however she can, which includes teaching Latin to fourth, fifth and sixth graders at Rochester Classical Academy.
Zach serves as the Board President of Rochester Classical Academy and owns a 122-year-old lumber yard and custom milling business in the Adirondacks.
A former US Navy SEAL and seasoned entrepreneur, he has led multiple startups in San Francisco and NYC, including robotics, AI, and Web3 ventures.
On the board, he focuses on leadership, vision, and fundraising. Zach and his wife, Sarah, are active members of Grace PCA Church and have four children, three of whom attend RCA, with their youngest starting preschool next year.
He has also served on the boards of 51 Vets, supporting elite veterans transitioning to civilian careers nationally, and ScaleFLX, fostering tech job growth in Rochester.
Mary Delmastro has taught art history at several local colleges for over ten years, including Brockport, RIT, and Finger Lakes Community College, where she is currently an Assistant Professor. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Rochester and a Master of Arts in Art History through Syracuse University’s program of Renaissance art in Florence, Italy. She, her husband, and their two young children attend Greece Assembly of God.
Brian Roscoe is an Electrical Engineer who has worked in the automation field in Rochester since 2014. He currently works as a Controls Software Manager for Calvary Robotics in Webster, NY. Brian received an MS in Electrical Engineering from Clarkson University.
Brian and his wife live in Ontario, NY with their four children. Outside of work, he might be found hiking, playing board games, or getting lost in a good book. Brian also enjoys diving into creative engineering and programming projects at home when the inspiration hits him. He and his family attend Grace Road Church.
The right school can put your children on a path to becoming curious and joyful learners, reinforce character development they receive at home, and aim them toward a successful adulthood.
