Our Leaders
Brigitta Powers, Headmaster
Brigitta Powers holds a B.A. in Ancient Mediterranean Religions from UNC—Chapel Hill. She has spent the past fifteen years researching and implementing the classical model of education. Mrs. Powers has taught middle and high school classes for the past 13 years, including such courses as Latin, U.S. History, Western Cultural History, British Literature, Formal Logic, and Rhetoric. Mrs. Powers has six children, the oldest of whom was part of the first SBCS graduating class in 2023. Her other five children attend St. Benedict’s.
Mrs. Powers currently teaches math and literature.
Rebecca Dauby, Assistant Headmaster
Rebecca Dauby and her husband have four children. She has a B.A. in mathematics and writing from the University of Evansville. While at UE, she was a contributor and an editor for the Evansville Review. Mrs. Dauby worked as a program analyst at NSWC Crane before becoming a full-time mother for 11 years. In 2016 she joined the teaching staff at St. Benedict’s. She and her family are parishioners at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church, where she is also the administrator of religious education.
Mrs. Dauby is currently teaching: lower-school mathematics, and upper-school Latin, literature, geography, and classical/faith formation.
Our Teachers
Christain Craney (Preschool)
Chris Craney and her husband have three sons. The oldest two sons are grown and live in North Carolina and Carmel, Indiana. Their youngest son lives with them in Spencer and attends St. Benedict's. The trio have lived in Spencer for 2 1/2 years and are proud members of St. John the Apostle Church. Prior to teaching at St. Benedict's, Chris worked for MCCSC as the assistant manager in the cafe at Summit Elementary School. Before moving to Spencer they lived in Noblesville, where she drove a school bus for Noblesville & Hamilton Southeastern schools for 10 years while also caring for fellow bus drivers' children during the day. Chris also owned and operated a licensed home daycare business in Illinois for over a decade and completed yearly continuing education courses in childhood development. She enjoys working with kids and finding the best way for them to learn.
Scout Denny (Preschool)
Scout Denny and her husband, Stephen, live in Smithville, Indiana and are parishioners at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church. Scout is an undergraduate academic advisor at Indiana University and received a B.A. in political science and global studies from the University of Minnesota in 2020 and an M.A. in Russian and East European studies from Indiana University in 2022.
Melissa Courter (Kindergarten)
Melissa Courter received a bachelor’s degree from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. She worked as a free-lance musician in the archdiocese of Newark and Paterson, New Jersey for 25 years before moving with her family to Indiana in 2021. Mrs. Courter served her parish in New Jersey in many capacities over the years, including parish council, religious education, baptism preparation, and music ministries. She has served as the kindergarten and/or first grade teacher at St. Benedict for the last 3 years. She and her husband Mike have 4 children and are soon to be first-time grandparents. They are members of St. John the Apostle parish.
Alexia Tiefenbach (Kindergarten)
Alexia Tiefenbach, her husband, and their daughter moved to Ellettsville, Indiana from Cleveland, Ohio in August of 2020. During her time in Ohio, Mrs. Tiefenbach worked in a daycare taking care of toddlers and was briefly employed part time as an assistant preschool teacher. After moving back to Indiana, she decided to stay at home and homeschool her daughter, who is now a student at St. Benedict’s.
Stephanie Wagner (1st Grade)
Stephanie Wagner, her husband Seth, and their six children are parishioners at St. Vincent de Paul parish in Bedford. She received an associate degree in nursing from Vincennes University. She worked as a registered nurse specializing in dialysis before staying home to educate their children full time.
Allison Kindt (2nd Grade)
Allison Kindt and her husband, Joseph, have five children, ages 2–11 years. They live in Bedford, Indiana and are parishioners at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. Allison holds an associate degree in nursing, a bachelor's degree in speech pathology and audiology, and a master's degree in speech-language pathology. She spent over ten years working in the medical field, first as a registered nurse and later as a speech-language pathologist, before leaving the workforce to raise her children. She educated her children at home using the classical method for three years prior to joining St. Benedict's teaching staff.
Meagan Worland (3rd Grade)
Meagan Worland received an associate degree in optometric technology from Indiana University—Bloomington in 2008. She worked in private optometry and ophthalmology practices until 2017, when their first child was born. Meagan and her husband, Brett, reside on a farm in Owen County with their 4 children and are dual members of St. John’s Catholic Church in Ellettsville and St. Jude Catholic Church in Spencer.
Elise McGorrey (4th Grade)
Elise McGorrey and her husband live with their children in Gosport, Indiana. They are parishioners of St. John the Apostle Catholic Church. Mrs. McGorrey received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Master of Education from Liberty University. She has worked as an art teacher, has volunteered as a catechist for teens, and has spent time as an army wife. The McGorrey Family decided to settle in Indiana in 2022. While they are not Indiana natives, the McGorrey family is enjoying rural life in the Midwest. Mrs. McGorrey currently stays home to raise her children and she loves being a part of St. Benedict’s.
Sierra Megel (4th Grade)
Sierra Megel and her husband have three children. She has a bachelor of arts in psychology from Indiana University. Before teaching at the school, Mrs. Megel worked at Cook Medical as a human resources business partner. She and her family are members at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church, where she participates in the fellowship committee.
Amy Barco (Latin)
Amy Barco and her husband, Martin, have four children. She received her B.S./M.A. in hearing sciences and audiology from Northwestern University. While her husband was in the Marines Corps and dental school, Mrs. Barco worked as clinical research manager for Med-El, an Austrian cochlear implant company. Since the birth of their first child eighteen years ago, she has been a full-time mother. She and her family are members of First Methodist Church of Martinsville.
Mrs. Barco has taught Latin, middle school science, and classical studies at St. Benedict's.
John Breen, Ph.D. (Latin)
John Breen has a B.A. in classical studies from Michigan State University, an M.A. in Latin from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in economics from Wayne State University. In between the M.A. and Ph.D., he taught economics, Latin, and Greek at Divine Child High School in Dearborn, Michigan. John lives in Bloomington with his wife, Paola, and daughter, Alessandra, and works remotely as a data analyst for Ford Credit.
Edward Castronova, Ph.D. (Western Civ., Economics, Government)
Dr. Edward Castronova, Ph.D. is a professor at Indiana University with more than 30 years of teaching experience in the college classroom, focusing primarily on economy and government. His research addresses the impact of new technology, especially games, on these subjects as well as society at large. Raised as an atheist, he entered the Catholic Church in 1995, and is now a Benedictine oblate of Saint Meinrad Archabbey. Dr. Castronova and his wife, Nina, have two sons, Luca (Wyoming Catholic College, Class of 2022) and Malcolm (Benedictine College, Class of 2028). Professor Castronova sees his time as St. Benedict school as the fulfillment of a lifelong dream to teach in a truly classical, fully Catholic environment.
Marshall Claxton (Science, Geography)
Marshall Claxton went to Ball State University and received a B.S. in natural resources and environmental management with a focus in emergency response and a minor in chemistry. For the last three years, he has coached LEGO robotics for St Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Bedford, Indiana. Mr. Claxton lives in Bedford with his wife and their two children. The Claxtons are parishioners at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church.
Marina Lehman (Literature, Latin, Math)
Marina Lehman lives near Solsberry, Indiana, with her husband, Landon, and their six children. They are parishioners at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church. Four of their children are enrolled at St Benedict Classical School. Marina holds an associate of arts degree in Biblical studies from Rosedale Bible College, as well as credits in Bible, English, and language from Purdue University and Regent University. She has worked as a freelance writer and has seven years of experience using classical education while homeschooling and teaching at St Benedict's.
Bill Montgomery (Faith Formation)
Bill Montgomery is retired from Merck Pharmaceutical Company with more than 20 years of sales experience. Mr. Montgomery has an undergraduate and graduate degree from the University of Arkansas—Fayetteville in education. He is an active member of St. John the Apostle parish.
Melissa Noll (Literature, Composition, Classical Studies)
Melissa Noll grew up in Kokomo, Indiana and received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Purdue University. She and her husband, Mike, were married in 1989 and spent a year living in Japan, where she taught English conversation. They have 5 adult children, none of whom live at home, and all homeschooled over a 20-year period, including Aaron Noll, who is currently a 3rd-year seminarian at St. Meinrad. The family moved to Bloomington eight years ago, and are parishioners at St. John’s. Melissa has been writing for fun since she was 12 and is a published author for a small homeschool publishing business. She looks forward to helping St. Benedict’s students gain confidence in their writing through classical teaching methods. The highlight of the year is the annual school play which Melissa has been producing for the last 6 years.
Jerome Quigley (Faith Formation)
Jerome Quigley is a retired civil engineer, having served the U.S. military both at home and abroad. He has been a CCD teacher for various parishes within the U.S. and at military bases overseas throughout his 30-year career and since his retirement. While living in Germany, Jerome and his wife Barbara were inspired by the European tradition of erecting Catholic wayside shrines along road sides and travel paths. For the past 25 years, Jerome and his family have made wayside shrines, which has become a full-time internet-based business and devotion. Jerome and his family are parishioners of Holy Name and St. Peter parishes in Greene County.
Kimberly Schneidt (Classical Studies, Biology)
Kim Schneidt is a homeschooling mother of five children ages 11 –20 and a recent convert to the Catholic faith. Kim has been homeschooling for twelve years, and after exploring many different philosophies of education, has found the classical method to be the best fit for her family. Kim holds a B.S. in athletic training and an M.S. in physiology, both from Ball State University. She also obtained an M.S. in physician assistant studies from the University of Iowa Medical College. Prior to becoming a stay-at-home mom, Kim practiced as a certified physician assistant for 10 years in various fields and enjoyed part-time employment as an adjunct faculty instructor in anatomy and physiology at numerous junior colleges during her time as a Navy spouse.
Michael Schneidt (Pre-Algebra)
Michael Schneidt is a retired naval officer. He currently works for NSWC Crane Division as the military administration officer. Mike holds a B.S. in liberal arts and a M.S. in information systems. Mike and his wife have five children and have been homeschooling for twelve years. They are parishioners at St John the Apostle Catholic Church.