Mrs. Stacey Bowman | Executive Director
Born and raised in Texas, Mrs. Bowman loves music, snowshoeing, tennis, and reading. In her twenties, she served as a missionary in South America and Eastern Europe, where she reveled in learning the local culture, food, and language. She received a B.A. in Russian and then a juris doctorate from the University of Iowa, where she met her husband and with whom she now has three children. Thanks be to God, she converted to the Catholic faith in 2009 and now serves as a lector and catechist in her parish, as well as an advocate with the tribunal at the Archdiocese of Denver.
After 12 years in private legal practice, she left it upon experiencing another kind of conversion, this time to the truth, goodness, and beauty of classical education. Mrs. Bowman believes that classical Catholic education is giving students what they need, not merely for human flourishing, but also eternal happiness in union with Christ. Mrs. Bowman is thrilled to bring both legal and school management experience, along with a love of our beautiful faith, to benefit all operational aspects of our school.
Mrs. Rachel Cardella | Administrative Assistant
Mrs. Cardella is a welcome addition to the administrative team, focusing in the areas of office administration, human resources, communications, marketing, and development. She is a parishioner at Our Lady of Loreto parish in Foxfield. She holds a B.S. in Strategic Communications from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Most recently, she served as Transaction Coordinator and Social Media Manager for a custom home building and property management company. She is excited to use her skills for the benefit of OLV families.
Mr. Alex Crane | Headmaster
Mr. Crane has long been fascinated by stories. The beauty and goodness of Narnia and Middle Earth captured his imagination and helped him fall in love with the truth of Salvation History. Studying Scripture and theology alongside secular history taught him to view all of human history within the context of God's unfolding revelation. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Secondary Education from Colorado State University and a Master of Arts degree in Theology with a concentration in Biblical Theology from the Augustine Institute. Now in his fourth year at OLV, he joined classical education after ten years of teaching theology and history at the Girls Division of Regis Jesuit High School. He has a particular passion for teaching Scripture and helping students see the narrative thread that runs from Genesis to Revelation and understand their own place in that story as members of the Body of Christ.
Mr. Crane lives in Lone Tree with his wife, Ashley, and six rambunctious saints-in-training. When he is not delving deeper into Scripture scholarship or reading about the saints, he maintains a love-hate relationship with home improvement projects.
Mrs. Lisa Cushnie | Admissions & Business Director
Mrs. Cushnie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Irvine, and an MBA from Cal State Fullerton. She spent ten years working in the aviation aerospace industry in California and Utah before getting married and staying home to raise a family.
She and her husband are parishioners at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Littleton, and have four children, who she homeschooled through 6th grade.
Mrs. Cushnie served for three years on the governing board of a top ranked Colorado liberal arts high school, gaining experience in school governance, reviewing and evaluating curriculum, and writing school policy. In her spare time, Mrs. Cushnie enjoys reading, sewing, home improvement projects, and going out to coffee and dinner with friends.
Ms. Tina Dam | Art
Ms. Dam grew up in Colorado and graduated from the University of Denver with a Bachelor’s in Psychology, licensure in Elementary Education, and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction. While at DU, she studied abroad in Florence, Italy and pursued a studio art minor. While teaching at Our Lady of Lourdes, she began to understand and love classical education. Alongside teaching, she desired to deepen her knowledge and practice of faith, which led to a Master’s Degree in Theology from the Augustine Institute.
Ms. Dam reflects, “It is my privilege to pursue truth, beauty, and goodness uniquely through art and beauty within a strong Catholic community. I hope to inspire students in the appreciation of God’s beauty through His incarnation and creation, by developing technical and artistic skills and understanding the richness of the human expression through the ages of art history in its cultural and historical influences, while exploring the understanding craftsmanship of arts as an expression of innate gifts and talents engaging their minds and spirits. I look forward to meeting and learning more about each student as we embark on this journey together!”
Miss Kirsten Grandon | Humanities, College Guidance, and Dean of Women
Miss Grandon teaches Humanities, particularly history and philosophy, and mentors young female students as Dean of Women. Now in her second year at OLV, Miss Gradon is already much beloved as a teacher and mentor to our students, with her engaging and lively teaching style.
Miss Grandon holds a B.A. in Theology and Catechetics and an M.A. in Catholic Studies from Franciscan University of Steubenville. Miss Grandon also served as a year-long missionary in Belize, a Residence Director for Franciscan’s study abroad program in Gaming, Austria, and taught 8th and 9th grade students at Regina Caeli Academy in Denver.
Miss Grandon believes these experiences have allowed her to be formed by men and women eager to live deeply Catholic lives. After the fast-paced, exhilarating environment of living abroad, she has never regretted heeding the Lord’s invitation to a mission of family. She was also drawn to Our Lady of Victory insofar as teachers take seriously their role as a support, rather than a replacement, to the Catholic family.
Mrs. Jordan Grant | Humanities and Dean of Students
Mrs. Grant returns for her third year at OLV to teach Humanities and serve as the Dean of Students. What she loves most about Our Lady of Victory is the school's commitment to pursuing an authentic and abundant Catholic life, which constantly reminds her that she is a part of the living, breathing Body of Christ. Watching her students walk with God and grow in His wisdom fills her with hope and deep admiration for the goodness of the young men and women who choose God every day in the midst of a secular world.
Mrs. Grant was born and raised in Colorado Springs. After high school she joined the military, and spent several years in college in San Diego, where she competed nationally and internationally in speech and debate and spent one year competing in sand volleyball. After leaving the military, she went to the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, to complete her degree, where she worked as a tutor, club volleyball coach, and an administrative assistant to the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. Through the grace of God and the faithfulness of His people, Jordan converted to Catholicism there.
She looks forward to growing deeper in her new faith as a baby Catholic while serving the Chesterton Academy of Our Lady of Victory community.
Mr. Nicklaus King | Humanities and Social Dance
Nicklaus learned how to live when he studied the liberal arts at Wyoming Catholic College. There, he learned that life can only become complete when it is spent on the loving pursuit of the True, Good, and Beautiful. And he learned how to live out this life: absorbing the greatest works of human literature from Homer to Aristotle to Dostoevsky, conversing into the night about life's greatest mysteries, guiding backpacking and rock climbing in the wilderness, and living a liturgical life rich enough to gather all these things to God.
After graduating in 2019, he designed and taught an immersive Latin course at a developing classical school in Idaho. Desiring to continue pursuing wisdom and to learn from European culture, he then attended the International Theological Institute (ITI) in Austria. He graduated in 2023 with a master's degree in Sacred Theology and a deep familiarity with the teachings of the Church Fathers and Thomas Aquinas and their connection to Platonic and Aristotelian philosophy. During his time in Austria, he also co-taught a freshman course for the ITI on Aristotle’s Ethics and directed choirs for the ITI and a parish in Vienna, promoting a repertoire of Gregorian chant and early polyphony. He has composed sacred music and performed for dignitaries including cardinals, papal nuncios and the president of Hungary.
In his free time, you can often find him perched on a castle wall with a guitar or leading friends in rousing folk songs around a fire. He has spent much of the last two years gaping at the most beautiful churches and mountains from Rome to Warsaw or dancing at the Viennese balls, and he is on a mission to bring the beauty of European architecture and culture back to America in whatever way he can.
At Our Lady of Victory, Nicklaus hopes to help his students to take part in a life pursuing the unfading treasures of this life and the next. He prays that his work as a teacher will help his students to receive the gift of charity and to fall in love with the True, Good, and Beautiful.
Mrs. Christina Ouyang | Biology, Chemistry, and Drama
Mrs. Ouyang grew up in a Washington, D.C. suburb in Maryland. She holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences with a concentration in neurobiology and physiology and a B.A. in Dance, both from the University of Maryland (UMD). Through her training at UMD’s school of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies, Mrs. Ouyang became well versed in the theater arts. During her three years living in Los Angeles, she honed her passion for comedy at Second City Hollywood, where she studied the craft through the training center’s conservatory program.
Mrs. Ouyang began her teaching career upon moving to Los Angeles as a teaching fellow with a program at Loyola Marymount University, through which she earned an M.A. in Secondary Education and a Secondary Science teaching credential, while teaching middle school full time at Our Lady of Lourdes School in East Los Angeles. Simultaneously, she worked as a member of the faculty at the Los Angeles Music and Arts School, where she was able to participate in the training of young performing artists.
Her experience teaching religion to middle schoolers ultimately moved her to pursue further theological study. In Spring 2022, Mrs. Ouyang completed her M.A. in Theology with a concentration in Sacred Scripture at the Augustine Institute. Married in December 2021, she lives in North Denver with her cell biologist husband. In her spare time, she enjoys improv comedy, taking dance classes, analyzing movies and television, and studying biblical languages.
Mrs. Anna Polley | Administrative Assistant
As a parent and one of the founding families of OLV, Mrs. Polley has already contributed hundreds of hours to the mission of our beautiful school. As administrative assistant, Mrs. Polley helps with projects related to development, fundraising, facilities, and serves as our volunteer coordinator.
Coach Jayce Rastrelli | Athletic Director
Coach Rastrelli comes from a vibrant Catholic family where he is the youngest of seven children and the proud uncle of 27 nieces and nephews. He graduated from Regis Jesuit High School and holds a B.S. in Exercise Science: Human Performance and Sport Coaching from the University of Northern Colorado.
As OLV’s first Athletic Director, Coach Rastrelli aims to augment our joyfully Catholic culture by helping young people strengthen their faith and grow in virtue through training and athletics. As Coach Rastrelli firmly believes, when athletics and fitness are oriented toward the goal of Heaven, they help instill a powerful confidence and faith that will benefit all aspects of students’ lives. As Coach Rastrelli likes to say, by interceding for others through triumph and tribulation, we are building an athletics culture for God, by God, where students build lasting friendships and increased respect for themselves and others.
Mr. Erik Reuter | Latin, Science, and Dean of Men
Mr. Reuter believes that true learning has the finality of being passed on to others through teaching, and he is grateful to return for his second year at OLV, expanding his own knowledge while he continues to pour into our students. This year he has the added privilege of mentoring young male students, as he serves as the Dean of Men.
Mr. Reuter credits the two-year period he spent as a novice in The Disciples of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary (DCJM) with allowing him time in “one of the best schools of humanity aimed towards the Divinity.” While studying in the Universidad San Justino in Madrid, and pursuing courses in Classical and Christian Literature, he gained an appreciation and affinity for the Classical world. He began to see the pertinence of ancient myths and culture in modernity.
Mrs. Annika Schimmoller | Spanish, Science, and School Nurse
Born and raised in Littleton, Mrs. Schimmoller feels blessed to be able to put down roots again in this community. At CU Boulder, she studied Spanish Language and Literature and Integrative Physiology and had the opportunity to study abroad in Madrid. She reflects, “This immersion in another culture transformed both my ability to rely on the Lord and my understanding of the universality of the Church. I'm excited to help students to bridge the gap between learning a language in school and seeing its value in community and spiritual life.”
Mrs. Schimmoller believes both nursing and teaching contribute to the nurturing and formation of the whole person and is excited to explore this synergy at OLV.
Outside of work, Mrs. Schimmoller enjoys running, hiking and camping, cooking, and reading.
Miss Genevieve Stefanick | Humanities
Ms. Stefanick joins OLV as our new humanities teacher, covering theology and philosophy classes. She will also serve as the faculty sacristan.
Miss Stefanick teaches philosophy and theology and serves as the faculty sacristan.
Miss Stefanick was raised with an understanding of the primacy of the Catholic faith and has been involved in several ministries since her time in high school.
She continued her pursuit of serving God while at Franciscan University where she worked as the Works of Mercy Coordinator and led mission trips for teens across the country. Miss Stefanick graduated with her bachelor of arts in Humanities and Catholic Culture. This degree formed her in the Catholic Liberal Arts tradition and taught her how to pursue God through the experience of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness in the world.
Miss Stefanick is excited to further the mission of Our Lady of Victory by helping convey to students the abundant life Christ offers to those who pursue Truth.
Mr. Tim Thaler | Math and Music
Mr. Thaler joins OLV from Holy Family High School, where he has taught for the last four years, including calculus, physics, and statistics. Before Holy Family, Mr. Thaler taught for seven years at Faith Christian Academy.
Mr. Thaler holds a B.A. in math from the University of Utah, a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from Colorado Christian University, and will complete this spring a second master's degree, this time in statistics, from University of Kansas Medical Center.
Mr. Thaler enjoys singing in the choir at Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish.
Dr. Paula Wilderman | Math, Science, and Academic Dean
Born and raised in the small town of St. Philip, Indiana, Dr. Wilderman’s entire formal education was filled with incredible and inspirational teachers who left a huge impression on her. After spending her early career in medical and industrial research, Dr. Wilderman is now following her true passion of teaching math and science. In addition to teaching, she is looking forward to helping mentor girls in virtue and character in the House System.
Dr. Wilderman lives in Parker with her husband and their three dogs. In their free time, they run a rescue for Australian cattle dogs and enjoy doing woodworking projects.
Dr. Wilderman joins OLV from Ascent Classical Academy in Lone Tree, where she has taught math and biology since the school opened in 2018. Dr. Wilderman was a finalist for Colorado's Teacher of the Year Award in 2022.
Dr. Wilderman holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Southern Indiana and a PhD in Microbiology/Molecular Biology from Miami University.