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Our Model of Education

Inspired by Saint Pope John Paul II, we take as our motto Cultura Vitae, the culture of life. We make it our mission to prepare our students to triumph over the materialism and despair that pervade our culture and to accept our Lord's offer to have life and have it abundantly. Our classical curriculum combines a broad liberal arts education with a strong emphasis on the cultivation of Christian virtues and an appreciation of beauty.

Curriculum

The Three Pillars

  • We teach the classics of Western thought from physics to philosophy, and the interrelationship of the great ideas; teaching students not merely what to think but how to think.

  • We help students grow in the four cardinal virtues of prudence, temperance, fortitude and justice, which we believe are the foundation of leadership.

  • Our students come to understand and embrace the truth of why they exist: to know God, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world and be happy with Him forever in the next.

 Our Patron

G.K. Chesterton

The Chesterton Schools Network is named for the great English writer and Catholic convert, G.K. Chesterton (1874- 1936). Chesterton is our school’s patron because he exemplified the Catholic faith through a life filled with joy, wonder, and gratitude.

Chesterton was considered one of the world’s most outstanding men of letters in the early 20th century. An accomplished essayist, novelist, and poet, he wrote a hundred books on all different subjects. In 1922, he shocked the literary establishment by converting to Catholicism. He was later eulogized by Pope Pius XI as “a gifted defender of the faith,” and there is presently a popular movement to have him canonized. He not only represents the fullness of faith and reason, but also Catholic joy and common sense.

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The Chesterton Schools Network

We are part of the Chesterton Schools Network based in Minneapolis. An apostolate of the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton, the Chesterton Schools Network aims to inspire and encourage parent-led Catholic schools across the nation. The Network offers consulting services, templates for evaluating interest and operating a school, and the Chesterton Academy curriculum framework.

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Board of Directors

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Margaret DeMatteo, Chair

Growing up in Santa Barbara, Margaret attended Catholic school for grades K-12. She credits her high school "Meeting God" philosophy class for galvanizing her faith before she left home to attend Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Upon graduation, Margaret furthered her education, completing a Master of Arts in Teaching from Notre Dame of Maryland University while serving as a teaching fellow with Operation TEACH in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

After marrying her husband Dominic, his job led them to Arizona and Minnesota where Margaret continued to teach in both public and Catholic schools, including a term of service with Americorps. Together, Dominic and she have a strong desire for mission work and have spent time teaching and serving in Ukraine, South Africa, and Mexico.

As their family grew, they chose to settle in the Central Valley in 2013 where they are active parishioners and catechists at Good Shepherd in Visalia and 4-H club leaders. Inspired by their family’s favorite saint, Pier Giorgio Frassati, they can often be found exploring the majesty of the nearby Sierra Nevada mountains while they backpack, camp, and ski together - "Verso l'alto!"

As G.K. Chesterton said, "The world will never starve for want of wonders, but only for want of wonder." Margaret holds a California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with authorizations in Reading & Literacy and CLAD.

Jeff Hohne, Vice Chair

A Southern California native, Jeff and his six siblings were raised in a staunchly-conservative Catholic family. He is a career educator who spent 33 years in high school education, 15 as a high school principal.

His favorite saint is Saint Faustina and his number one favorite quote from G.K. Chesterton is “Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions”.

Luke Robinson, Treasurer

Luke Robinson, the 3rd son of 4 boys, was born and raised in Hanford, California. Luke attended St. Rose-McCarthy Catholic School K-8th grade, and Hanford West High School. He then attended Chapman University in the city of Orange, where he met his wife, Tawny, and graduated with a dual B.S. in Business Administration & Accounting. He played college football for 5 years, and worked as an intern where he gained considerable experience doing portfolio analyses, retirement plans, and 401Ks.

After college, he returned to Hanford and went to work for a family entity, becoming the General Manager for Adventure Park and Controller at Robinson’s Interiors. He is now a senior staff accountant at Martin C. Garcia Accountancy Corporation. He is an active parishioner at St. Brigid in Hanford and serves on the Finance Council, as a lector, and occasionally in the men’s choir.

Luke loves to spend time with his wife and six children, attending various sporting, 4-H, and school related events. He is eager and grateful to be a part of starting a Chesterton Academy in our community, where he believes there is a strong need for classical education, grounded in the Catholic Faith. Luke draws inspiration from his favorite saint, St. Joseph, pillar of families. His favorite G.K. Chesterton quote is, “A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it".

Nicole Jaeger, Secretary

As a military child turned military spouse, Nicole has been a lifelong student of resiliency and flexibility which has greatly assisted in her (imperfect) surrender to God’s plan for her life. Growing up in the Air Force, she’s lived and traveled all over Europe and Asia. She graduated from Florida State University and was relocated to the Central Valley by her husband’s Naval career.

Before living her best life as a classical homeschooling mother with five lively children, she relished unpredictable adventures working in local law enforcement at Coalinga and Visalia police departments. She is an active member of the community as a La Leche League Leader, empowering mothers to nurse their babies in the way God designed them to.

Continually, inspired by St. Teresa of Avila’s passion and wit, Nicole finds an overwhelming sense of peace in front of the Blessed Sacrament, praying the Rosary, and frequenting the sacraments. She endeavors to live a Christian life to the fullest and is always reminded by our Lord that He provides daily bread- not bread for the week- no matter how many dishes are in the sink, number of socks with holes, or minutes late she is to that place she was supposed to be. When G.K. Chesterton was asked, “What’s wrong with the world?” she resonates with his reply of, “I am.”

Laura Carillo

Laura is honored to serve as a board member for the upcoming Chesterton Academy of the Holy Hearts. She is deeply committed to her faith, family, and community. As a mother of three, Laura understands the importance of education in fostering strong values and principles. She has been active as a room parent at George McCann Memorial Elementary, where she contributes to supporting students, teachers and families through fundraisers. She was also involved in the Our Lady of Fatima Committee, helping organize and celebrate this cherished tradition. Professionally, Laura has been a nurse since 2017, dedicating herself to compassionate healthcare and service.

Her faith is central to her life and she is a devoted member of the Good Shepherd Catholic Parish, where she serves in multiple ministries, including as a sacristan, a board member of the Guild of St. Thérèse, and a dedicated member of the Guadalupe Committee.

Above all, Laura is passionate about supporting traditional Catholic education and is excited to help bring Chesterton Academy to Visalia, ensuring future generations of our children receive a Christ-centered, rigorous education rooted in truth and wisdom. Our Lord’s mother and Queen of all Saints, Mary, is her favorite as she resonates with her example of strength, grace, and faith. Her favorite G.K. Chesterton quote is “The purpose of Compulsory Education is to deprive the common people of their commonsense”.

Jesus Larralde

Jesus Larralde is associate dean emeritus and professor emeritus of the Lyles College of Engineering, CSU, Fresno.

He lives in Clovis with his wife of 35 years, Mary Pat and they have four adult children, Alexandra, Gabriela, Julia and Daniel. Currently, he teaches civil engineering on a part-time basis.

He is most inspired by his favorite saint, St. Josemaria Escrivá. His favorite Chesterton quote is, "The most incredible thing about miracles is that they happen.

Maria Valadao

Maria Valadao was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil. She attended Faculdade de Tecnologia de São Paulo, where she studied Business Administration. She then went on to work in Corporate Office Administration at BASF and Roche Produtos Farmaceuticos.

n 2005, she came to the US on a sabbatical and shortly after met her loving husband, Miguel. Together they are raising their two boys on a dairy farm in Hanford. She is an experienced homeschooler of twelve years and takes much joy in family life. Her late daughter, Rita, was named after the Italian Augustinian nun, wife, and mother, St. Rita of Cascia, to whom she has a special devotion to.

She is a parishioner at St. Brigid's in Hanford and participates in multiple parish ministries, including the Homebound Ministry, where she cherishes the time she spends with the people whom she visits.

In her free time Maria enjoys travelling, gardening, and baking. G.K. Chesterton has inspired her with two favorite quotes: “If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly” and “A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it”.

John Warmerdam

John Warmerdam is a proud father of four (Gianna, Katelyn, Gabrielle, and Therese), and a loving husband of one (Christiana). He is a third-generation stone fruit farmer from Hanford, and manages his family’s business, Kings Orchards, LLC. He is dedicated to “farming better” and has been known for his work expanding regenerative agriculture practices in his industry.

He has, along with his wife, taught Natural Family Planning for fifteen years, and welcomes the opportunity to help share the teachings of the Catholic Faith with the next generation through the Chesterton Academy of the Holy Hearts.

In his free time, a rarity with farm work, he enjoys old movies, the New Testament, coaching recreational soccer, and rocking out on guitar when no one is around.

Benjamin Willett

Benjamin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and Master of Arts in English, with emphases in Theology and Rhetoric. His literary and academic interests lie in fairy tales and folklore, both from a cultural and a theological perspective, and in how all manner of rhetoric and communication manifest the Incarnation of Christ—the Word made flesh.

With a strong affinity for Chesterton, Tolkien, and other fellow Englishmen, along with pipe smoking and a good, room-temperature ale (possibly due to his English heritage), he aspires to Tolkien’s own hobbit-likeness. If he can help it, he spends his days teaching, reading and writing, and gardening. (Or what we call gardening: struggling to keep his wife’s garden alive in the too-hot California sun.)

Mr. Willett is the father of four adult children, all with their own grand adventures waiting just around the corner. And if he has learned anything over the span of his brief turn around sun, it is, to echo the sentiments of our great patron: to take himself far less seriously and take his soul far more seriously.

His favorite saints include his patron, St. Nicholas and very special friend Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. He believes G.K. Chesterton’s quotes could produce a quote of the day for a lifetime but his favorite is, “An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered; an adventure is an inconvenience rightly considered”.