CHESTERTON ACADEMY Faculty

John M. DeJak - Headmaster

John DeJak is the founding Headmaster of Chesterton Academy. He is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago where he received a B.A. in Classics. He received his J.D. from Ave Maria School of Law where he had the privilege of studying under one of the foremost proponents of natural law jurisprudence, Notre Dame Professor Charles E. Rice. From 2005-2008, John was a commissioned officer and practiced law in the US Army with the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry). In addition to his Headmaster duties, he serves as a commissioned officer in the US Army Reserve with the 214th Legal Support Organization, Ft. Snelling, MN. Prior to law school and military service, John taught theology and Latin at Catholic high schools in Chicago and Cleveland. In addition to his work, John has also contributed articles to The Wanderer and The St. Austin Review. John and his wife, Ann, have five children (expecting their sixth) and are members of St. Agnes Church in St. Paul.

CHESTERTON ACADEMY FACULTY

James Mills

James Mills has many years of teaching experience in both formal and informal settings. He has taught at Trivium School in Lancaster, Massachusetts and at Holy Hill in Hubertus, Wisconsin. He holds a B.A. in Liberal Arts from Thomas Aquinas College in California where he was also valedictorian. His senior thesis, “On the Ptolemaic Account of the Double Anomaly,” has been included on the college’s list of recommended reference materials to be used by the faculty during the sophomore astronomy tutorial–the first such honor accorded a graduate’s thesis at the college. An entrepreneur, he and his wife founded a medical transcription company, Bravo Transcription Service, five years ago. In his spare time, Jim enjoys wood carving, furniture making and musical composition. He is currently working on a Mass in honor of St. Raphael, a string quartet and a symphonic fanfare and choral entitled, “Christus Victor”. A Pennsylvania Dutch dowry chest he built from mahogany was on exhibit at the 1997 Northern Woods woodworking show in Minneapolis . He and his wife, Gretchen, homeschool their daughter, Margaret. The Mills family are members of St. Augustine Church in South St. Paul.

Julian Ahlquist

Julian Ahlquist attended Christendom College, studying under the eminent Thomistic theologian and ethicist, William H. Marshner. He double-majored in Philosophy and Theology, and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2007. While in college, he was involved in the student newspaper, the Legion of Mary (which involved door-to-door evangelization, where he also served as President of the local meetings), as well as choir, drama, script-writing, and independent film. Later on, he filmed, directed, and edited the official promotional video for Christendom College. Immediately after graduation, he was privileged to become the personal assistant and sometime film-editor to Ronald Maxwell (the director of the movies "Gettysburg" and "Gods and Generals"). In addition to many plays, he has acted on EWTN in such shows as "G.K. Chesterton: The Apostle of Common Sense" and Joseph Pearce's "The Quest for Shakespeare." He is a member of Holy Family Church in St. Louis Park.

Alyssa Bormes

Alyssa Bormes is a popular teacher, speaker, and retreat leader. She received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Minnesota. Under the direction of the late Bishop Paul Dudley, Alyssa received an M.A. in Catholic Studies from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul Minnesota. She also studied at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas (The Angelicum) in Rome, Italy. Her graduate thesis was entitled, “Is Frozen Embryo Adoption Morally Permissible According to Catholic Teaching?” A sought-after speaker on topics of theology and the spiritual life, her gift for analogy reaches people of all ages in unexpected ways. She is completing her first book, The Catechism of Hockey. Alyssa served as the Director of Religious Education at the Church of St. Peter in North St. Paul. She is a member of Holy Family Church in St. Louis Park.

Jean Matheny

Jean Matheny Jean Sherlock Matheny began drawing and painting in oils at a very early age. Her work first appeared in publications while she was in her early teens, and she produced a number of highly successful limited-edition art prints while still in high school. She received private instruction from nationally acclaimed artist Ron VanGilder during these years, and afterwards continued her education at Atelier Prohl, a traditional studio-school of drawing and painting. There she studied classical life drawing in pencil and charcoal, plaster cast drawing, and still life. Jean and her husband Dave (happily married since 1986) are active members of the Twin Cities Chesterton Society. They live in Ramsey, a northern suburb of the Twin Cities, along with one hawk, two cats, and three chickens. Jean's interests include falconry, gardening, and reading. She and Dave have been known to jump out of perfectly good airplanes and regularly fly ultralight aircraft. Jean's work can be found in collections around the world. Jean and her husband are members of Holy Family Church in St. Louis Park.

Laura Ahlquist

Laura Ahlquist was born in Treviso, Italy, and grew up in Mexico City. During her youth, she traveled extensively throughout Europe and is proficient in Italian, Spanish, English and French. She received her B.A. from Carleton College where she majored in Music (piano, choir, music history and music theory). She has taught Spanish and Italian with a company specializing in translation and the training of corporate executives doing business in foreign countries. She studied ballet and choreography with a veteran member of the Bolshoi Ballet, which gave her the opportunity to spend ten years teaching and performing Russian Classical Ballet. She has also taught piano. She and her husband Dale have six children and are members of Holy Family Church in St. Louis Park.

Dr. Robert Peterson

Dr. Robert Peterson holds a Master's and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota with emphasis in choral music and music education. He is active with the Minnesota American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), having served as State President as well as Repertoire and Standards Chair for High School Choral and Solo Voice. In 1994, Peterson was selected as Minnesota Choral Director of the Year by ACDA. Bob was the Director of Choral Activities at Edina Senior High School in Minnesota for over 20 years and was Director of Choral activities at Macalester College from 1998 to 2008. He has also taught at the University of Minnesota, and American high schools in Munich, Brussels, and Tokyo. Dr. Peterson is currently Music Director of the Twin Cities Catholic Chorale at St. Agnes Church in St. Paul. This choral ensemble performs major Latin Masses every Sunday morning with soloists and members of the Minnesota Orchestra.

Jim Carrico

Jim Carrico received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2006 with high distinction. While attending he acted as a research assistant in the Mechanical Behaviors Lab, in which he participated in the study of metal fatigue. Through the undergraduate research program, he performed an independent study on an innovative thermal energy storage device, which consisted of construction and testing of said device. In his senior year he was the treasurer of the UNR chapter of The American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He went on to work for two years as an Associate Mechanical Engineer at Hamilton Company, a manufacturer of liquid handling robotics, and then as a Design Engineer at Cummins Power Generation, an industry leader in generator set fabrication. He is currently attending the University of Saint Thomas at which he is pursuing his M.A. in Catholic Studies. His interests include systems analysis, control theory, the history of western education and the medieval disputation. He is a member of the Cathedral of Saint Paul.