
Upper School
Logic School: 7th-8th | Rhetoric School: 9th-12th
Trinity Christian School uses the classical teaching model. Student learning follows three stages, called trivium, based on the development of the mind as students grow.
Classical Trivium Model
The Logic Stage
The Logic Stage is the second stage of the trivium and takes place during grades 7th-8th. In this integral piece of the learning puzzle, students acquire the skills to articulate logical thoughts and create logical arguments for what they believe.
As we like to say-- At Trinity, students are not taught merely what to think, but how to think.


The Rhetoric Stage
The Rhetoric Stage is the third stage of the trivium and takes place during grades 9th-12th. This capstone stage begins to shape a student's life to impact the world around them.
Students learn the art of persuading others of truth using language and writing. They often partake in circle discussions called "Socratic Dialogue" and allow others to speak as they listen and vice versa. The Rhetoric Stage instills a basic respect for thought, ideas, and truth as students learn to express their beliefs.
Meet Our Upper School Team

Mrs. Stephanie Beyea
Rhetoric School Science
Stephanie was born in Alaska and as a teenager, moved with her family to Idaho, where she stayed for college and received her Bachelor of Science in Biology & Botany from Idaho State University. Later, she completed her Master’s in Science Teaching from Northern Arizona University. Stephanie moved to Prescott, her husband's hometown, in 2009. She has been teaching at Trinity since 2011, with a 5 year break to raise her children, making this her 11th year with the school. Outside of the classroom, Stephanie loves to be outside gardening, paddleboarding, hiking, hunting, and camping with her husband and children.

Mrs. Karla Burkitt
Logic & Rhetoric School Theatre
Karla has been teaching theater for over 25 years and has been an elementary and Jr High theater teacher since 1999. At sixteen years old, while on a cross-country tour with American Baptist Youth from all over New England, she felt called by God to study theater and make it her life’s work. Karla earned her BA in Theater from Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa and completed a summer course at the Abbey Theater in Dublin, Ireland. She is the co-founder and artistic director of Laark Productions and has directed a dozen Shakespeare productions for that company as well as numerous plays for Franklin Phonetic School, Prescott Fine Arts Association, Blue Rose Theater, Prescott Christian Church, Arizona Classical Theater, Park View Middle School and Bradshaw Mountain High School. Her writing credits include many historical plays and children’s theater. Mrs. Burkitt and her husband have three adult sons and one teenaged daughter.
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Mrs. Grace Dougan
Logic School Science / SWAN
Born and raised in Arizona, even from a young age, Grace has always felt passionate about exploring God’s incredible creation. Through growing a 12-bean soup mix when she was three, catching honeybees, and exploring the Grand Canyon, Grace discovered that God uniquely placed intricacies in nature to point humanity to Himself.
Grace studied science at Grand Canyon University, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology and then completed her Master’s degree in Biology with an emphasis in Upper-Level Education. During her time at GCU, she spent two semesters working as an instructional assistant for Organic Chemistry and then joined the GCU faculty as a Biology Lab Instructor.
This year, Grace is excited to join Trinity as the 7th grade science teacher. Using classical education and discovery-based learning, she hopes to use science to point her students toward God. Motivating, empowering, and encouraging students in their faith and character through classical science education are at the heart of Grace’s teaching mission at Trinity.
In addition to teaching, Grace enjoys mountain biking, backpacking, watercolor painting, reading a good book with a cup of tea, and spending time with her husband.

Mr. Ken Jimison
Rhetoric School Bible
Ken graduated from LIFE Pacific Bible College in San Dimas, California with a degree in both Pastoral Ministries and Bible. After college, he joined Liberty Christian School in Anderson, Indiana, where he served as both a teacher and a coach. Ken also pastored for over 20 years before joining the Trinity family in 2008. During his time at Trinity, he has served in various roles in leadership and teaching. Ken and his wife Cindy, have 5 children, 4 of whom have graduated from Trinity.

Mr. Zach Jimison
Rhetoric School Humanities & Bible
Zach is a 2017 alumnus of Trinity and graduate of Biola University, where he earned his bachelor’s in English Writing and became a perpetual member of the Torrey Honors College. He returned to Trinity after graduating and serves our school as a Bible, History and AP English teacher and developer of our Classical Teacher Training Institute. Zach is married to his high school sweetheart and has one young daughter.

Ms. Jennifer Kistler
Logic School Art & Photography
Originally from Oregon, Jennifer and her family moved to Prescott in 2012. Having a love for art since childhood, Jennifer completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Economics, with a minor in Art. More recently, she completed two college certificates in graphic and website design. Jennifer has enjoyed working at Trinity as an art aide, classroom aide, and substitute teacher and is excited to instruct and encourage students in art while pointing them to the ultimate Artist and Creator. Jennifer enjoys doing crafts, spending time with family, nature, and horses. Jennifer has two grown sons who are alumnus of Trinity. She is grateful to serve God at Trinity and be part of His Kingdom work here.
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Mrs. Carly Laipple
Logic School Humanities
Carly is a proud Prescott native whose roots go back 4 generations.
She has spent more than 10 years teaching students in both public and private schools, and just returned from a year in Tokyo, Japan, where she taught at an international school. Carly also lived in Argentina, traveled extensively around the world, and firmly believes that most of life's best lessons happen outside the classroom. She loves learning about different cultures and collecting stories—many of which eventually find their way into her lessons. Carly is passionate about helping students grow not only in knowledge and understanding, but also in character and faith.
She is excited to join the Trinity Christian School family this year, and brings her husband of 20 years and 2 daughters back to the community with her. She is looking forward with great anticipation to exploring literature, uncovering the lessons of history, and proving to her students that both subjects are much more exciting than they could ever imagine.

Mr. Doug Lindquist
Rhetoric School Humanities
Doug comes to Trinity with a BA in Ministry Leadership and an MA in Philosophy. He has had the opportunity to serve in various ways, including sharing the gospel with gang members in jails, providing crisis support to teen boys in a group home, and working with Muslim refugees. He has served as a pastor, professor, and mentor to college students and younger generations. Doug is excited to continue that work at Trinity, where he hopes to encourage students in their journeys of faith and learning. He married his wife Hanan in 2024 and they hope to start a family soon.

Mrs. Liz Marymee
Rhetoric School Humanities
Liz has been teaching high school literature since 2001. She began her teaching career by teaching students who could not attend school due to health issues. This very rewarding time in her educationc career lasted 17 years. When she married in 2014, Liz moved to San Diego where she taught ninth and tenth grade literature for 6 years. Deeply held convictions led her to seek employment outside of California in a Christian environment that would ensure that her religious convictions were celebrated. In 2022, she found that home at Trinity Christian School. In July of 2026, Liz earned her Master of Arts Degree in Classical Teaching from Templeton Honors College. She finds teaching is not just her day job, but her God-given calling and vocation.
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Mr. Iziphozonke (Izi) Mlambo
Rhetoric School Humanities
Born and raised in South Africa, Izi came to faith at a young age and has spent much of his life serving at the intersection of ministry, medicine, nonprofit leadership, public speaking, and student mentorship. Trained in Pre-Medicine and in the Torrey Honors program at Biola University, he is passionate about helping young people pursue truth, wisdom, and faithful Christian living. His leadership and service have been recognized both nationally and internationally, including being named among the Top 50 students in the world for the Global Student Prize, sometimes referred to as the “Nobel Prize for Students.” Izi is married to his college sweetheart, Katrina, and together they are grateful for God’s leading to Arizona and excited to invest in the lives of students at Trinity Christian School.

Mrs. Victoria Miller
Logic School Math
Victoria is a 2018 alumnus of Trinity Christian School, having attended since
kindergarten through her senior year. She then stayed in the Prescott area to get her associate
degree from Yavapai College while being an assistant coach for the Lady Warriors highschool
basketball team for three seasons. Every summer was spent keeping in touch with Trinity
through their ministry with PICK where they would take kids to Colorado for a week to
experience Christ’s love and freedom. Once Victoria moved to Flagstaff to pursue her bachelor
degree in Political Science from Northern Arizona University, conversations began to arise about
teaching as her interest was piqued when she was a teaching assistant for the university. The
continued relationship post-graduating from Trinity made it obvious that this would be the place
she would return as God made a way for her to be of service.

Mr. Patrick Mooney
Logic School Latin
Patrick earned his bachelor's degree in History and Classics (emphasis in Latin) from the University of Mississippi. Afterwards he earned his Masters degree in History from the University of Tennessee where he studied Medieval Latin manuscripts, paleography, and the crusades.
In 2016, Patrick moved to Prescott where he taught 6th-12th grade Latin for five years at a local public charter school. In 2022, he switched to a career in web development where he worked primarily on tourism websites across the United States. In 2025, Patrick returned to teaching part-time at Trinity and has been teaching Latin here since. He is thrilled to be back in the classroom helping the next generation of students fall in love with the Latin language as well. Outside of the classroom, Patrick loves spending time with his family hiking, camping, and exploring Arizona.

Ms. Angela Overmyer
Logic & Rhetoric School Science
Angela grew up on a farm in rural Indiana. She received a Bachelor of Science from Purdue University in Animal Science. A couple of years later, she went to seminary to get a Master of Arts in Youth and Family Ministry from Grace Theological Seminary. Currently, she enjoys activities outdoors such as mountain biking, softball, disc golf and hiking to name just a few. Angela feels very privileged to be a part of the Trinity team and the opportunity to teach and invest in the lives of students.

Mrs. Heather Parla
Rhetoric School Spanish
Heather, an Oregon native, felt a strong calling from God to move to Prescott with her family in 2023 and become part of Trinity Christian School. She graduated from Portland State University with a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies, focusing on Latin America. Her love for the Spanish language and culture was ignited during her time studying abroad in Ecuador. She homeschooled her five kids for over four years and was part of a classical Christian co-op. This is where she was first introduced to the classical teaching method and has had a passion for it ever since.
Heather is married to her amazing husband, Anthony, and has 5 kids who all attend Trinity. She loves hiking Thumb Butte, eating good food, and Jesus. She looks forward to taking her students on an adventure into the world of Spanish here at Trinity.
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Mr. Jonathan Reed
Logic School Humanities & SWAN
Jonathan is originally from a small town in Central California but moved to Prescott in 2020, where he finished his junior and senior years at Trinity. He quickly fell in love with the school and the community. After his senior year, he went on several mission trips and volunteered at a summer camp with Phoenix Inner City Kids, which helped cultivate a passion for working with and investing in future generations. He attended Grand Canyon University and later completed his degree through the University of the Cumberlands, earning a Bachelor’s in General Studies with an emphasis in Education and Christian Studies. During this time, he spent a summer in Pittsburgh as a church intern and later began working at Trinity in student support.
Jonathan enjoys building relationships with junior high students through teaching Literature and coaching basketball and cross country. Jonathan is married to his high school sweetheart, Karis.

Mr. Nate Roberts
Logic School Math
In 2002, Nate graduated from Midland Lutheran College in Nebraska. When he finished his enlistment in the US Army, he and his wife, Shannon, moved to Arizona where he has served and taught in Prescott Valley for the past 20 years. In his free time he enjoys taking his family on camping, hiking and snowboarding trips. They love fishing and boating, as well as many summers spent on the baseball and softball fields. Nate and Shannon have raised 6 children and love to take them on all types of adventures together. His passion for teaching has blessed him with amazing opportunities to minister while coaching both football and basketball. Throughout the years he and his wife have diligently served the Lord in several youth ministry programs and are excited to continue to share and teach his word to the youth of Trinity Christian.

Mrs. Donna Seidman
Logic & Rhetoric School Latin
As a former Classical homeschool mom of seven (five boys, two girls), Donna learned Latin later in life while teaching her own children and others in Classical co-ops and charter schools in California. For nearly five years, she taught Latin at Trinity Classical Academy in Valencia, CA, while serving on the Excellence Through Classics committee board. Donna is the Executive Director of Ascanius: The Youth Classics Institute awarding grants to Latin and Greek teachers and continues her involvement in Latin communities nationwide through ACCS and SCL. She holds a Bachelor's in English from UCLA, and a Master’s in Classics from Villanova University. She loves to teach Latin actively, applying both the skill of reading and grammar while students read, hear, speak, and think in Latin!

Mr. Rich Shearer
Rhetoric School Humanities
Rich came to follow Christ as an elementary school student and was blessed to grow up with two strong Christian parents. He attended the University of California, Riverside, where he completed a B.A. in History, M.A. in History, and a secondary school teaching credential. Rich has been married to his wonderful wife Kellee for 33 years. They are blessed to have and in led in many areas as a high school history teacher, department chair, head varsity coach, athletic director, high school administrator, adjunct college professor, and state high school sports commissioner before moving to Arizona this June. Rich and Kellee are excited for what God has in store for them after following God’s calling to move to Arizona.

Mr. Chad Shelabarger
Rhetoric School Math & Science
Chad received his Bachelor’s degree in Christian Ministries from Southwestern College (now Arizona Christian University), after completing two years at the University of Arizona. He returned to college to become certified as a high school math teacher through Arizona State University (yes, U of A & ASU). Chad has taught at Trinity since 2007 and is a state certified secondary math teacher who teaches Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Trigonometry, Precalculus and Calculus for Trinity. He also teaches high school Chemistry and Physics. He has been coaching varsity volleyball at Trinity for over 16 years and he has been the volleyball department head for the last decade. He loves to play a plethora of sports, such as volleyball, basketball, football, and softball. He also loves outdoor activities such as camping, water sports, and rock climbing. Spending time with his family, however, trumps the rest. He has been married to his wonderful wife, Melanie, for 26 years. Their two children are graduates of Trinity.
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Mr. Luke Thorne
Rhetoric School Mathematics
Luke studied engineering before completing his Bachelor of Science in Public Administration at Northern Arizona University.
He spent four years as an assistant pastor at Wayside Bible Chapel, walking with people through everyday life, Scripture, and spiritual growth. That pastoral experience now shapes the way he mentors students, encouraging them to grow in wisdom, character, and confidence methods, mastery‑based learning, and plenty of curiosity‑driven exploration.
Most recently, Luke taught for four years at Northpoint Expeditionary Learning Academy, where he learned to make learning active, hands-on, and joyfully challenging.
Luke is excited to be teaching mathematics and finance at Trinity this year. He brings a love of creative problem solving to the classroom and shows students how productive struggle turns tough problems into moments of growth and creativity.
Happily married with two beautiful children, Luke enjoys reading novels, experimenting with gluten‑free baking, tinkering with 3D printing and design, and exploring Arizona’s wild places with his friends and family.

Mrs. Holly Weisel
Rhetoric School Art
Holly has taught art at Trinity since 2014. She takes great joy in opening the minds of her students to the world of art and developing their abilities to create, enjoy and appreciate art.

Mrs. Christi West
Rhetoric School Math
Born and raised in Arizona, Christi graduated from Prescott High School. She then studied Bible Theology at the Moody Bible Institute in downtown Chicago. Through her service experiences at Moody, Christi soon saw the Lord encouraging her love of students and teaching. After graduation, she came back to Prescott where those desires to teach were again fueled as she worked in the classroom of the Yavapai County Juvenile Detention Center. She returned to school and received a post-bachelor's degree in secondary education emphasis in mathematics. Married to her college sweetheart, and blessed with four special daughters, Christi enjoys living life to the fullest as she embraces the beauty of God's creation.

Mr. Tom West
Logic School Humanities
Tom was born in Prescott and is a 1990 graduate of Prescott High School. From there, he went on to get a Bachelor’s degree in Missionary Aviation from Moody Bible Institute. Following the Lord’s lead to join His work in Prescott, Tom came to work at Trinity in 2016. Tom is honored to serve the students of Trinity and partner with parents in helping students grow in awe of God’s work in the world as well as grow in their relationship with Christ. He and his wife Christi, have four daughters.
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