Faculty & Staff Gallery

Blaise A. Hockel, a graduate of Benedictine College in English Literature and a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from The American College of Education, is the spiritual and intellectual head of the school. He has been working in classical education for several years as a humanities teacher and sees the pursuit of Christ as the most beautiful of tasks. Mr. Hockel is a diligent student of literature, history, philosophy, and languages, recognizing that by study one can better come to understand Truth through the marvels and mysteries unveiled in our striving after Him. It is his express desire to work for the betterment of our students that they may all become saints, and his dedication to that task will not waiver.

Ms. Elizabeth Yeh, a graduate of Brown University, is the product of a classical high school education having attended Liberty Common High School in its first years of inception. Her background in economics, business, Aquinas and the Church Fathers, Catholic social thought, and studio art leave her to be well suited to the task of serving the school as our Executive Director and Art Instructor. With experience in the private sector and entrepreneurial pursuits, Ms. Yeh’s aim to develop the school and build and integrate community surrounding it is an impressive task to which she is well suited.

Mrs. Emma R. Ward received her degree in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville. She has diverse experience in administration and development which she has acquired through working for a variety of Catholic institutions.

She is a born and raised Colorado native who grew up in a devoted Catholic family and attended St. Louis elementary school and Mullen High School in Denver.

Mrs. Ward thrives in working to support those around her so that they can succeed to the fullest of their abilities. Her care for details and her ultimate desire to serve the Lord in whatever way He leads her will serve the students at the Chesterton Academy of St. John Paul II and those in the surrounding communities well.

Mr. Steven R. Lewis, a graduate of Loyola Marymount University, is a humanities teacher with training in philosophy, theology, and music. He has served both as a missionary for FOCUS, an evangelist and young adult coordinator for the Oakland Diocese, and has created an enormous amount of Catholic apostolic media in his television series “Repent and Submit” and his YouTube series “Steve the Missionary”.

There are few individuals whose ardent zeal and love for the faith are so readily apparent in the very outset of meeting them; Mr. Lewis is not only one such of these men, but moreover has made all of his professional career a work of ministerial services, and he is very enthused to share this gift within our school. Mr. Lewis teaches philosophy and music theory for the Chesterton Academy of John Paul II.

Peter M. Crnkovich, a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville with a degree in Communication Arts, teaches our Trivium courses: composition and logic. He has training in philosophy, theology, and English composition and literature. Since graduating in 2016, Mr. Crnkovich has spent the intervening years teaching in schools in both the private and public sector. Nothing pleases him more than instilling a love of reading and writing in others.

Mr. Crnkovich was raised in the Catholic faith, receiving his formation from both a small Catholic school founded, in part, by his parents and Opus Dei. He desires to make the love of Jesus Christ and Our Mother a part of his everyday life and work. He hopes to pass on that love to his students.

Ms. Taryn Dennis obtained her Bachelors in Theology and French from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. After, Ms. Dennis went on to earn her Master of Sacred Theology from the International Theological Institute Theological Institute in Trumau, Austria.

Honored with many academic awards, Ms. Dennis teaches our theology courses not merely for her formidable knowledge and fierceness of faith, but because of the tender care with which she has helped persons to encounter the person of Jesus Christ. As both a domestic missionary and missionary abroad, Ms. Dennis has worked with young adults in pondering not only how to grow in their intellectual and interior life, but also in their interpersonal relationships.

Darrell E. Falconburg, a graduate of the College of Idaho with a B.A. in History and a M.A. in Philosophy from Mount Angel Abbey and Seminary, teaches our humanities courses. He is working part-time toward a Ph.D. in Humanities from the Great Books Honors College at Faulkner University. Mr. Falconburg comes with experience tutoring composition and Western civilization for college undergraduates and teaching the humanities for a Catholic high school. He has experience serving in young adult ministry, providing parish catechesis, and doing missionary work.

Mr. Falconburg converted from atheism to Catholicism during college. He has since found that to be fully human is to love the Good, know the Truth, and delight in Beauty —and that this is to love, know, and delight in Christ Himself. He believes this is the purpose of a true education, as it is the ultimate purpose of life.

Mr. Julian Sicam teaches Latin at St. John Paul II High School and is a graduate of Benedictine College where he received a Bachelor's degree in philosophy. He has gone on to receive a Master's degree in philosophy from the University of St. Thomas in Houston at the Center for Thomistic Studies and is currently on his way to receiving a PhD.

He has studied Latin for five years and had extensive experience with the works of St. Thomas Aquinas in their original tongue, including a translation of his De Principiis Naturae (On the Principles of Nature). He is committed to being an instrument by which God might infuse the Catholic faith into the students of JPII through the great intellectual tradition of the Church by way of her official language.

Mr. Josiah N. Engblom, a graduate of Wheaton College, is a science teacher with training in geology. He has received his Master’s degree in hydrogeology from Colorado State University and holds a professional geologist’s license in the State of Wyoming. He has served on a number of water and sanitation development projects around the world where he used his knowledge to help provide access to clean drinking water to rural communities. For the last several years Mr. Engblom has been a science teacher for parochial schools in Norther Colorado, and is now enthusiastic to be working with our inquisitive high schoolers.

Outside of his professional training, he is a father of five and enjoys keeping up with his children on the trails, crags, and slopes throughout beautiful Colorado.

Mr. Wesley E. Pace is our school’s math teacher with bachelor's degrees from Colorado State University in Mathematics Education and from the University of Colorado in Philosophy. His training in the arts of logic and mathematics, along with an ardent faith in Christ, enables him to instill a love of truth and purpose in his learners. He believes the language of mathematics is a portal to the intersection where faith and reason meet.

Mr. Pace lives the Catholic Faith by serving at the Fort Collins Mission on a regular basis. He supervises the Young Men’s Service League, a group dedicated to building strong mother-son relationships, in their service to the larger Northern Colorado community. He is constantly in search of ways to grow and share his love of Jesus Christ by leading others to a path where faith seeks understanding.