Julie Essley

Ms. Julie Essley has been teaching all ages for 34 years in a variety of settings. She began her career in 1983 at Will Rogers High School in Tulsa as the High School Vocal Music Teacher, leading chorale, jazz choir, and glee clubs. She then became the General and Vocal Music Teacher for Madison County Public Schools in Madison, Virginia where she developed music programs for grades 1-12. In 1992, she started teaching choral and general music in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. In 2003 she took on the role as English Teacher at Utsunomiya Adult Education in Utsunomiya, Japan, teaching English classes to Japanese adults and interacting with students outside of class to hone their conversational skills. Upon returning to the United States, Julie became the Speech Coach at Alpha Omega Speech & Debate Association in West Jefferson and Columbus, Ohio, teaching weekly speech classes and individually coaching competitive speech events.

Julie’s interest in classical education emerged in 1998 when she realized her daughter wasn’t being challenged at the local public school. She read The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and decided to classically homeschool her three children at "The Essley Academy" straight through the 12th grade. Two of her children became National Merit Finalists; the other child became a National Merit Commended student!

Wanting to bless additional families by offering a free classical education, Julie founded The Classical Academy of Columbus, Ohio with the assistance of the Barney Charter School Initiative of Hillsdale College. She drafted the founding documents which included the mission statement, philosophy, curriculum, assessment, and budget. In addition to that she visited other classical schools, generated interest and negotiated with a management company. She served on the Board of Directors from 2011-2014.

Ultimately and most importantly, Julie is a committed Christian with a wonderful testimony of a lifelong relationship with the Lord. She is currently a member of Capitol Hill Baptist Church.

Mary Brown

Mrs. Mary Brown is a native of Northern Virginia. She grew up as a homeschooler, finishing her high school years at community college. She then attended college at Liberty University (overlapping a year with Allison Morgan, unbeknownst to them both!) where she obtained her Bachelors of Science in Nursing. After graduation, she worked for 7 years as an RN in Labor & Delivery and Pediatrics in the DMV region. As may be subtly evident, Mary has always been inclined to work with parents and children.

Mary is deeply thankful that Potomac Classical was established nearly five years ago to come alongside parents as they seek to teach their children about the Lord and the beauty and depth to all that He has made. She is grateful for the opportunity to bring a little order into the confusion of the online school platform for enrollment and tuition as the school continues to grow and expand.

On Sundays, you can find her at Capitol Hill Baptist Church where she met and married her devoted husband Greg over a decade ago. The Lord has generously given them six sweet and energetic children to raise, five of whom are current students at Potomac Classical.

Caroline Craddock

Caroline Craddock is a grateful wife to her husband, Josh, and the thankful mother of four children. Raised in a Christian household, she came to understand the Gospel and personally accepted Christ as her Savior at the age of 11. Caroline was homeschooled in Maryland and Colorado from kindergarten through high school. Highlights of her homeschool experience include winning Expository Speech at a national homeschool speech and debate tournament, playing competitive soccer, and enjoying countless family road trips and camping adventures.

Caroline earned a full scholarship to The King’s College in New York City, where she studied Politics, Philosophy, and Economics, graduating with honors. She married her high school sweetheart, Josh, after her sophomore year. Following graduation, the couple moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 2015. While Josh attended Harvard Law School, Caroline completed a Master’s in Government at Harvard Extension School. Her graduate thesis on parental rights and freedom of education was a highlight of her studies.

While in Cambridge, Caroline also worked remotely for the conservative advocacy organization CitizenGO. After a brief stay in Denver for Josh’s judicial clerkship, their family relocated to Washington, D.C. in 2019, where Caroline began serving as the International Events Coordinator for Alliance Defending Freedom International.

As their oldest son, Winston, approached kindergarten, Caroline discovered PCC during an online search for Christian homeschool programs in Northern Virginia. She was immediately drawn to the “hybrid” education model, which she felt was a perfect fit for their family. After two enriching years at PCC, the Craddocks moved to Denver, Colorado, for Josh’s new role. There, they found a like-minded Christian collaborative community at Arma Dei Academy, where they have been involved for the past three years.

Now back in the D.C. area, the family is thrilled to rejoin the PCC community. In her free time, Caroline enjoys planning family adventures—so far, they’ve traveled to 34 countries with their children—along with group fitness classes, running, long walks, reading, and cooking Persian cuisine.

Jenna Tenold

Jenna grew up in Spokane, WA. She was homeschooled through tenth grade and attended a classical Christian school to complete her rhetoric stage. In 2008, she graduated from Washington State University with her Bachelors of Science in Nursing and promptly married her best friend (Bryceson), a Marine Corps Officer stationed in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. In 2010, Jenna and Bryceson studied Hindi before being stationed in New Delhi, India. Jenna worked as the head nurse at the US Embassy and taught English to children in the slums for two years.  

Jenna continued her education and completed a masters in Public Health from the University of Florida and a masters from Duke University to become a Physician Assistant. After the birth of their third child, Jenna sensed a shift in her calling and refocused all of her energy on their home and homeschooling their children. She has homeschooled for the past five years, incorporating much of the classical approach. In the process, she discovered a love for teaching!

Jenna and her family moved from Twentynine Palms, CA to Virginia this past summer to support Bryceson’s most recent assignment in the Marine Corps. She and Bryceson are thrilled that their family is joining the PCC community! PCC, with its mission and collaborative model, is an answer to prayer. 

Jenna’s faith in Jesus Christ began as a young child and has grown ever since. Following Him is her source of strength and joy. She loves to share testimonies of God’s amazing faithfulness and love. Having attended many different churches over the past 17 years, Jenna and Bryceson plan on making Immanuel Bible Church their home church.

In her free time, you will find Jenna snuggling with her four children reading books, attempting a new recipe, running, planning a travel adventure, or spending time with her extended family.

Carolyn Jenkins

Mrs. Carolyn Jenkins married her high school sweetheart after they graduated from The University of Virginia, where she studied architecture.

Carolyn is a licensed architect and has worked on historic preservation and renovation projects in Boston after graduating from MIT’s Master’s program in 2013. As an undergraduate student, she studied architecture and architecture history. Her interest in history has been recently rekindled as she taught 4th and 8th grade medieval history classes at a classical collaborative school. She loves to discuss the inspiration for and symbolism woven throughout medieval architecture and literature with her students. History and literature are full of stories of God’s beauty and goodness to his people. From early church history to Shakespeare, she has learned that every lesson relates back to Him.

Carolyn began to follow Christ during her freshman year of college. Two decades later, she is still learning to lean on Jesus more in her everyday life. Once they move from Maryland to Virginia, they intend to join Christ the King Anglican Church in Alexandria.

She enjoys running and uses a portion of that time praying and reflecting on God’s miraculous creation. Teaching Gospel truths to my children through homeschooling and our lifestyle is a top priority in her life.

Jacquelyn Walker

Jacquelyn Walker holds a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Pre-K through 4th grade from Texas A&M University. She brings a deep passion for education and has taught students of all ages—from preschool through high school—in settings that include Bible studies, homeschooling, and co-ops.

A committed Reformed Baptist, Jacquelyn values faith, family, and community. She joyfully serves her church as both a three-year-old Sunday school teacher and a youth group leader.

For 20 years, Jacquelyn proudly supported her husband through his career in the U.S. Navy, following him across the country during his service aboard submarines. As a result, she deeply sympathizes with the transience of Northern Virginia and understands firsthand the challenges it can pose to students’ educational consistency and emotional well-being.

Outside the classroom, she shares life with her amazing husband of twenty years and their four wonderful children. Their lively household also includes an energetic Australian Shepherd, a laid-back leopard gecko, a curious bearded dragon, and a playful guinea pig.

Lisa Law

Mrs. Lisa Law grew up in a Christian home in Southern Maryland and graduated from the University of Maryland Baltimore County with degrees in English and Psychology in 2004. She spent some time working in operations at a Christian web services company before taking her expertise in-house to manage and teach her children.

Lisa first heard of classical education when a friend recommended The Well-Trained Mind as a resource for beginning homeschooling. She began classically homeschooling her children in what they affectionately refer to as “Law School” when her oldest began school in 2011. While she has learned many lessons along the way and sometimes wishes she could start over, it was a delight to graduate her first high school senior in 2024 and Lisa is looking forward to seeing her three sons also make their way to the homeschool finish line.

No stranger to Potomac Classical, Lisa served as Potomac’s Latin teacher in 2019 and then began teaching kindergarten in 2020, the same year she received her Barton Tutor Certification. She remained in the kindergarten classroom for three years before taking a school year off to reimagine her family’s homeschooling journey. Lisa loves phonics and spelling rules and delights in helping children learn to read, whether it comes to them easily or not. In addition to helping students grow in reading skills, Lisa is passionate about seeing established readers grow in their appreciation for lasting literature, especially in its historical context. She strives to turn literary conversations to Christ by examining the worldviews of authors and characters and she hopes to challenge her students to find truth, goodness, and beauty in the works that they study.

After dismissal on school day afternoons, you might find Lisa chauffeuring her sons to cross country practice, watching college basketball, or officiating a swim meet. One of her greatest loves is her local church, Arlington Baptist Church, where her husband serves as the senior pastor. Lisa hopes to impart to the children of Potomac Classical not only an appreciation for reading and literature, but a love for Christ.

Julia Johnson

Julia Johnson was raised in a faithful Christian home in Texarkana, Texas, where her father has served as a pastor for more than 40 years. She came to faith in Christ at a young age and later attended Veritas Academy, a classical Christian school, where her love for the liberal arts began to take root. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with an emphasis in Musical Theatre and Vocal Performance from John Brown University.

Her academic and artistic journey was shaped by mentors like Dr. Jessica Hooten Wilson, who helped her wrestle with the relationship between faith and art and reminded her that true joy is found not in self-glorification but in worshiping the Creator through creative work.

Julia is classically trained in voice, theatre, and multiple forms of dance—including ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, and contemporary. She has participated in staged readings and masterclasses with Broadway professionals, choreographed musical productions, and taught both dance and voice to students of all ages. She finds deep joy in helping young artists grow in skill and confidence while anchoring their identity in Christ rather than performance.

Julia’s approach to music education is deeply shaped by her belief that students should be invited into a lifelong pursuit of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness. She views the arts not simply as a means of self-expression but as a way to form the affections, cultivate virtue, and glorify God. Her hope is that students will leave her classroom with a greater love for music, a clearer understanding of beauty, and a deeper joy in Christ.

Julia previously worked as a member of the growth and advancement team at DonorsTrust, a nonprofit donor-advised fund, and supported the president of the American Enterprise Institute with operations, board management, and the Institute’s fundraising efforts. With this experience, Julia will also be supporting PCC in Advancement & Development. She will play a vital role in advancing the mission of the school by cultivating relationships with donors, alumni, families, and the broader community.

Julia and her husband live in Arlington, Virginia, and are members of Del Ray Baptist Church, where they have been richly blessed by gospel-centered teaching and discipleship

Ronna Traylor

Ms. Ronna Traylor was born into a family of teachers, married into a family of teachers, and taught high school English for a decade before she began to teach art to younger students. She enjoyed both art and literature as a youth, but didn’t have the opportunity to take art classes until after her BA in English from Texas A & M and completion of her teaching certification while living in Houston, Texas. That first art class as an adult was pivotal in shaping her attitude about art education for kids. 

Ronna moved to Alexandria with her husband, Patrick, in 1995 for him to focus on environmental law at GW. She taught English at Langley High School while he completed his LLM and joined a firm in DC. Ronna enrolled in watercolor classes through The Art League School in Alexandria, but was limited to summer classes only while she taught full time. A two year break from full time teaching allowed her to enroll in multiple classes at the Art League and find her niche in watercolor. When she returned to full time teaching, she continued her art education during summer classes and managed to keep painting on weekends.

In hopes of beginning a family, Ronna did not return to the high school classroom in 2004. She and Patrick were blessed with the birth of their son, Benjamin, in January of 2006. The Art League School’s classes and instructors continued to grow Ronna’s personal interest in art and began to flame the spark that her first art class in Houston had struck. Ronna realized her interest in art had been a constant since childhood, but that after basic art classes in elementary school, her view had been that art was only for talented artists. Her entire approach to art education was shaped in the desire to ensure other students did not believe a similar falsehood. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote, “Every artist was once an amateur,” resonates in her mind, and is there as the base for her instruction to young students.

It is with that mindset that she joyfully approaches art instruction at Potomac Classical. Ronna was blessed to have been raised in a Christian home, blessed by the sound gospel truths taught at Capitol Hill Baptist Church for decades, and most recently blessed by the new church family at Del Ray Baptist Church where she and her husband are now members.

Paul Crookston

Paul was born and raised in Tampa, Fla., the fourth out of six siblings. He was homeschooled until sixth grade, when his parents enrolled him in a classical Christian school. In the coming years, he came to know the Lord and developed a love for history, Latin, and the classics. His school also won him over to the classical model of schooling, which he has enjoyed championing whenever the topic turns to K-12 education. 

To continue his Christian liberal arts education, Paul attended Gordon College. He had the privilege of studying abroad in the UK and completing the Jerusalem–Athens Forum honors program, where Gordon students ponder Tertullian’s famous question “What hath Athens to do with Jerusalem?” through reading and seminar discussions. He graduated with a degree in history and communication arts, as well as lifelong friendships and deepened faith. 

Right after graduating, Paul did a fellowship at National Review magazine in New York, where he took school choice as a major focus. This experience was crucial in developing his writing and editing skills, which served him well in the years to come working in professional journalism. standards of writing and editing. Then, the pandemic’s upheaval of students’ lives convicted Paul about Christians’ obligation to foster young people’s development. While he continued working as a freelance writer and editor, he searched for ways to help the looming crisis of learning loss. He began working with students at a local homework center focused on executive-function coaching, then he got a job teaching Latin and rhetoric at Cornerstone Schools of Washington, DC. After a year there, he started at Potomac Classical in 2022, the same year he married his wife Lauren.

During his years in the DC area, Paul has been attending Capitol Hill Baptist Church, which he joined in 2018. He volunteers on the sound and hospitality teams, so you may see him if you swing by for a cup of coffee after the morning service. Don’t hesitate to start a conversation about anything, even if it’s a while after church has ended. He’s always happy to chat about the news, the ancient world, or anything in between.

Heldana Gobena

Mrs. Heldana Gobena joyfully serves Potomac Classical Conservatory as a Classroom Aide. Heldana was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to a wonderful and loving mother and father and she is the youngest of four daughters. Both of Heldana’s parents worked for the United Nations helping refugees across various parts of Africa. The workload and needs of the UN caused her family to move around the continent of Africa every few years. She has lived in Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Tanzania to name a few! Ultimately, when Heldana was 11-years old her parents decided to come to the United States to offer their children a chance for a better education.

It was in Las Vegas, Nevada when Heldana was 16 that she learned the joy of serving at church as a Sunday School teacher. She eventually attended the University of Maryland and graduated with a degree in Information Systems Management. She’s now married to her husband, Araya Gobena, and has been blessed with four beautiful children, three of which attend Potomac Classical. They are actively members of Franconia Baptist Church.