Mirus Academy - Mission and Vision

BOARD

Tim Stanley

Tim was raised in Southwest Harbor and has a long family heritage in the Mount Desert Island Area.

Tim studied history and political philosophy at the University of Maine and then pursued a juris doctorate at the University of Maine School of Law in Portland.

Tim is currently practicing law with Jones, Kuriloff & Sargent, LLC in Ellsworth, where he assists clients with estate planning, probate matters, and trust administration.

He and his wife Becca live in Ellsworth where they have recently grown their family with their first child, Sophia.

Gary Adams

Gary retired as a senior executive in a publicly traded company and now lives full-time in Southwest Harbor, Maine, where he and his wife, Birgitt, are members of Southwest Harbor Congregational Church. He has served on numerous non-profit boards and commissions, as well as private joint-venture boards. Gary also is a former two-term California city councilman.

He has an M.S. in engineering from U.C. Berkeley and a B.S. in civil engineering from Cal Poly Pomona. He also completed the senior executive program at London Business School.

Gary and BIrgitt have two adult sons, both of whom benefited from classical Christian education.

Colby Tucker

Colby and his wife Anna, live in Gouldsboro with their four children. His family attends United Baptist Church in Ellsworth.

Colby holds a Master's of Business Administration and a Bachelor's of Computer Information Systems from Husson University.

Colby is currently the Director of IT at the Maine Community Foundation in Ellsworth.

Administration

Aaron Hanson

Headmaster

Aaron has a B.A. in philosophy with a focus in epistemology (theory of knowledge). He also holds a Th. M. in systematic theology.

He has worked as a teacher in both private and secular settings, tutored in subjects from creative writing to calculus, and has taught both adults and children.

He desires to see every child grow in wisdom and wonder so as to mature into strong and humble adults in love with Christ.

Anna Hanson

Director of Development

Anna has a B.S. in Human Development and Family Relations and an M.A. in Biblical Studies.

She served as the youth director at Southwest Harbor Congregational Church for ten years and as the Director of Women's Ministry.

Since the inception of Mirus in 2012, Anna has been integral in the development of the school and in making connections with local communities.

She lives in the area with her husband, Aaron, and has four children.

Janet DeBellis

Administrator/Admissions

Janet grew up in southern New Jersey and studied architecture at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Before moving to Maine in 2005, she worked in the architectural field as an architectural designer and project manager.

During her tenure at Mirus, she has worked as an administrative assistant and a Junior Kindergarten teacher before transitioning into a full-time administrator/admissions position.

Janet and her family live on Mount Desert Island.

FACULTY

Elizabeth MacDonald

Junior Kindergarten

Liz was born and raised in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Since marrying a Mainer, Liz calls Ellsworth home. She and her husband, Steve, have three children.

Prior to teaching at Mirus, Liz worked in a variety of positions, including ESL teacher and Mirus Substitute. Liz has a B.A. in Communication from Eastern University and a M.A. in TESOL/Intercultural Studies from Wheaton College.

Liz has a passion for sharing the love of the Lord with her students. She is excited to work with our youngest students as they begin their classical education.

Stephanie Bradshaw

1st Grade

Stephanie lives in Ellsworth with her husband, Matt, and her two sons. She graduated from F.M.M.C., in Florida, where she studied Biblical studies and theology.

Stephanie joined the Mirus community when her oldest son started Kindergarten and quickly fell in love with classical education. She began volunteering and substitute teaching and then joined Mirus full-time as a first-grade teacher in 2021.

In her spare time, Stephanie enjoys spending time with her family or participating in local community theater.

Jeremy Averill

3rd Grade

Jeremy is the son of a pastor, was born in New Jersey, and raised in the Hudson Valley region of New York, Gloucester, Massachusetts, and Hampton, New Hampshire.

Jeremy studied history at the University of Southern Maine receiving his BA, and recently took graduate classes in education.

Prior to working as a third-grade teacher at Mirus, Jeremy had been working at Conners Emerson Elementary School in Bar Harbor.

He and his wife Hannah live in Bar Harbor along with their four young children.

Elizabeth Ramirez

5th Grade

Bio coming soon!

Brooks Linde

Dialectic & Rhetoric

Brooks grew up in Florida and graduated from Florida State University with a B.A. in Political Science.

He graduated with a Th. M. in Biblical Theology. There he met Colleen, a beautiful fellow student with a beautiful love for God.

Brooks and Colleen have been married for thirteen years and have three children. Their family enjoys church fellowship, reading, and outdoor activities

Demelza Ramirez

4th Grade

Demelza is a native of Ellsworth, Maine, and has lived here all her life.

She has worked as an assistant preschool teacher in YMCAs here in Maine, with elementary and middle schoolers in after-school and summer camp programs, and is on staff as co-leader of the catechesis program at Imago Dei Anglican Church in Bangor, Maine.

She is also an adjunct at New England Bible College & Seminary in Bangor, Maine. She has an M.Div from NEBCS, and a BS in Professional Writing from Taylor University in Upland, IN.

Charity Garland

2nd Grade

Charity was born and raised in Ellsworth, ME. Being a lover of many things led her to study liberal arts and English at the University of Maine where she received her B.A.

Charity loves working with children and enjoys helping with AWANA, CEF, and various other activities/clubs for kids.

She finds great joy in leading the 2nd graders into all the wonders that come with learning.

Anna Hanson

Kindergarten

Matthew Corey

Dialectic & Rhetoric

Matt Corey grew up in Albion, Maine. He graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in University Studies.

In addition to teaching he is a pastor, musician, and writer. His work can be found at the Theopolis Institute and Tribute.

Matt lives in Morrill with his wife Jenna, and their four children.

Jason is from southern California and moved with his family to Maine in 2022. He and his wife and two daughters live in Southwest Harbor and are part of Southwest Harbor Congregational Church.

He has a degree in Chinese language from Arizona State University and taught mathematics, history, and Chinese for nine years at a California public high school before coming to Mirus.

He enjoys running, hiking, and reading widely in his spare time.

Jason Loose

Dialectic & Rhetoric

Lucy Heath

Art

Lucy developed a love of the beauty in nature on forty wooded acres between two ponds in Belfast.

Lucy studied multimedia, art, and business at Navarro College and the University of Texas at Tyler, earning two certificates and an associate and bachelor's degree.

Matthew and Lucy are recently married and live in Orland with their dog, Gemma. They each have two grown children and scores of Downeast relatives. They attend Christ the King Church, except during football season when they attend Bucksport UMC.

Ana Mattson

Latin

Ana studied Child Development and Family Relations at the University of Maine and is currently enrolled at Wheaton College in their M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: Hebrew and Greek program.

She is passionate about biblical studies, language, literature, and human development. Ana has held various roles in both the education and social service spheres, and she is excited to be serving her community through Mirus Academy.

Ana resides in Bar Harbor with her husband, Caden.

Rebecca Edmondson

Music

Rebecca has taught in public and private schools in Maine and Pennsylvania for over forty years. She holds a BS in Music Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a Masters in Music Education from The University of Maine.

Her school music program was one of 12 in the country designated as a Model Music Education Program, her writing appeared in the American String Teacher, she has won composition competitions, and was named 2022 Hancock County Teacher of the Year.

She resides on MDI with her husband Bill, and loves spending time with her two grandsons.

Amanda Kral

Physical Education

Amanda grew up on Cape Cod and has a BA in History from Western New England University where she played softball and volleyball.

She came to Maine in 2010 as an Island Institute AmeriCorps Fellow for the Deer Isle-Stonington community and met her husband through her service project.

Amanda enjoys sharing her passion for healthy body movement with the students of Mirus. She lives on Little Deer Isle with her family.

Jeanie Gilpin

Mirus Cultural Advisor

Bio coming soon!