Staff
Headmaster of Christ the King Academy
Contact: ALHoy@christthekingacademy.org
Andrew was born in Olympia, WA and has enjoyed living there his entire life.
He was educated in both private and public schools as a child, and received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from The Evergreen State College. He first read about classical Christian education while an undergraduate at Evergreen and has desired to be involved in starting a classical Christian school ever since. Andrew spent 11 years teaching in the public school system, where he spent the majority of his time as a middle school math teacher. He is also an elder at the Bible Presbyterian Church of Olympia where he teaches youth and adult classes on a regular basis and preaches on occasion as well.
Andrew has been married for 15 years to the girl of his dreams and has six delightful children.
Fifteen years after first reading about classical Christian schools, Andrew is finally fulfilling his dream by joining Christ the King Academy as the headmaster and teacher of upper age students.
He is thrilled for this opportunity and looks forward to coming alongside parents to help them raise their children in the fear of God, the knowledge of His Word, and the glory of the Gospel of grace.
Contact: EROdell@christthekingacademy.org
Erin grew up right here in Centralia. She was blessed to marry her wonderful husband, Thad O’Dell, twenty-four years ago. While Thad taught at W.F. West, Erin earned a B.A. in English from Washington State University. Then they adventured to Azusa, CA, followed by eleven years in Ellensburg, with God graciously adding four amazing children to their family along the way. In 2017, the O’Dells returned to Lewis County and have loved living near much family and building community here.
For the past thirteen years, Thad and Erin homeschooled their children. As she prepared to teach first grade to her oldest, Erin was introduced to and impacted by the concept of classical education, reading The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer. Erin’s family incorporated the classical method into their homeschooling, particularly for the two years that she served as Director of the Foundations and Essentials Classical Conversations program in Ellensburg. After the O’Dells returned to Centralia, Erin taught a middle and early high school writing class to local homeschoolers for three years, using IEW and The Lost Tools of Writing.
Erin is grateful to join the staff at CKA and for her two youngest children to attend the school! What a gift to collaborate with a community of families that prioritize the training up of their children in God and to glorify Him in all aspects of education. To partner with parents and to learn alongside her students is an exciting prospect! Erin looks forward to rich conversations, great books, and building of character, all through the lens of Truth.
Thad was born in Tonasket, WA and has enjoyed living in multiple places in Washington, California, and Taiwan. He moved to Centralia, WA five years ago.
Thad was educated in Omak, WA, and received his Bachelor’s degree in mathematics from WSU, Master’s degree in Theology: Biblical studies from Fuller Seminary, and Master’s degree in math from Cal state Fullerton. He has taught high school math for 24 years in multiple high schools, 4 years at Central Washington University, and is currently beginning his sixth year of teaching at South Puget Sound Community College. Thad and his wife, Erin, have home schooled their four children up to this point. Thad and Erin were first introduced to classical Christian education while taking part in a classical conversations group in Ellensburg, WA.
Thad has a passion for making math interesting and fun for his students. He seeks to instill/maintain the wonder of learning. God created this world and all that is in it with incredible order and design. Math is the tool that man uses to study the intricate patterns in God’s Creation!
When Thad is not teaching, he enjoys, studying the Bible, running, tennis, hiking, playing board games and in general spending time with his family.
Contact: AJCecotti@christthekingacademy.org
Heather was born in Yakima, Washington, but much prefers the Southwest Washington area where she moved with her mother as a toddler.
She was educated in public school and is about to finish her Bachelor’s of Elementary Education with an Emphasis in Teaching Reading degree from Grand Canyon University, which will formally certify her long history of education. She first learned about classical education while teaching third grade at a local Christian elementary school and became very excited to delve deep into understanding what it was and how it filled gaps in the traditional education system.
Contact: MSOdell@christthekingacademy.org
Born in California and raised in Ellensburg, Washington, Maya has lived in Centralia for the past six years. She was raised in the church and deeply loves Jesus and is grateful for the Gospel. She is thrilled to be in her second year teaching at CKA.
Maya’s heart for the Lord and people was significantly cultivated by her time in the classical Christian online school she attended for two years. Ever since her experience there, she has been excited about the possibility of teaching at a classical school and getting an opportunity to share her passion for the humanities and language, especially Latin, with students. She is so grateful to be a part of bringing a classical, Christ-centered education option to Lewis County. She has three primary goals in teaching:
To come alongside parents in their calling to raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4),
To give her students a strong appreciation for the good, true, and beautiful by making learning fun and exciting and creating a culture of worship in the classroom (Col. 3:23-24, Pr. 9:10),
To encourage her students to find their identities and confidence solely in God’s fearful and wonderful creation of them and everlasting love for them (Ps. 139:14, Jer. 31:3).
Bio coming soon…
Sarah is married to Board member, Andrew DeMulling. They live in Centralia with their two daughters, Molly and Matilda. They regularly attend Christ Covenant Church and Sarah enjoys playing piano hymns and psalms as a blessing to the church body.
Sarah grew up in Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island until 1996 when she and her family loved to Boistfort valley. She grew up attending church and was called and saved by Jesus in 5th grade and has pursued a life for Him ever since.
Sarah played many sports in her younger years. She continued on as an athlete and played volleyball and fast pitch at WF West Highschool and Centralia College.
She went to massage school in Tacoma and thereafter and has been a successful massage therapist for 17 years in Lewis County. She also coached 3 years of junior varsity volleyball for Napavine Highschool early in her massage career.
Exercise and activity is what Sarah loves to do any chance she gets. She enjoys lifting weights, hiit training, Pilates/barre, walking, hiking, bike riding, and rebounding.
It is Sarah’s passion to help educate kids in exercise science and activity. Her desire is to motivate and find each student’s passion for health and service to God. She’s currently pursuing courses to become a small group personal training instructor.
Bertha Klooz
Bertha has lived in Littlerock, Washington since 1975 where she has been a member of Littlerock Community Fellowship for over 30 years.
She was born and grew up in Sacramento, California where she lived with her God loving Christian Grandparents who helped her know and trust God from an early age.
She is continually grateful God has led her to teaching children as her life’s work. She taught elementary school for 30 years and after retirement has been assisting homeschool families and groups with their educational goals, primarily through teaching art.
She is grateful and excited to work with students, families, and the other educators at CKA and take part in Christian Classical Education.
In her free time, she is making art, teaching lessons in her studio, working in her garden and marveling at the natural beauty God so generously surrounds us with.