Board of Directors
Sarah Kwilinski, President and Founding Director
Sarah Kwilinski is a certified special education teacher currently pursuing a Masters of Arts in Classical Teaching from the Templeton Honors College at Eastern University. Her interest in high-quality pedagogy and curricula led her to the classical education renewal movement. She admires Charlotte Mason and Maria Montessori and seeks to create a classroom where both would feel at home. Sarah serves as the Director of Programs for Sundial staff and also serves on the Board of Directors as its President. She is the Liberal Arts academics instructor for children ages 5 to 8. Most recently, Sarah presented a case study on the design of Sundial at the National Symposium for Classical Education in Phoenix, AZ. She lives in East Lansing, MI.
Amy Richards, Founding Director
Amy Gilbert Richards, PhD is Affiliate Professor and Chair of Philosophy at Eastern University in St. Davids, PA a suburb of Philadelphia. She is also a Faculty Fellow of the Templeton Honors College's Master of Arts in Classical Teaching program. She lives in Havertown, PA. For more background, visit her faculty page at Templeton.
Mindi Grieser Cromwell, Founding Director
Mindi Grieser Cromwell, PhD is Chair of the Ministry and Theology Department at Central Christian College of Kansas. She lives in McPherson, KS. For more background, visit her faculty page at Central.
Officers
Jeremy Dowsett, Secretary
Jeremy Dowsett is a doctoral student at the University of Dayton where his focus is in the area of moral theology/ethics and Catholic social teaching. He lives in Lansing, MI. For more background, visit his student page at the University of Dayton.
Anneli Mung, Treasurer
Anneli Mung runs her own business The Rooted Bookkeeper. She lives in Lansing, MI. For more background, visit her business website.
Staff
Sarah Kwilinski, Director of Programs and Liberal Arts Instructor (see above)
Allison O'Rourke, Nature Study Guide, Common Arts Instructor (Indoor / Home), and Classroom Assistant
Allison O'Rourke has a Masters of Social Work from Michigan State University. She has spent her career working with and advocating for children as an Early Interventionist for Early On and as a School Social Worker at both a charter school and a public school. Allison took a few years to stay home with her four children and during this time she started teaching nature-based classes to children at a local park. Allison and her family love the outdoors and spending time tent camping. Allison is excited to bring this love of adventure and exploration to the students at Sundial.
Jeremy Dowsett, Classroom Assistant (see above)
Abby N. Evans, Latin, Literature & Art, and Instrumental Music Instructor
Abby is thrilled to join our team, both as an enrichment instructor and parent of two newly minted Sundial students. Abby earned her Bachelor of Arts from University of Northwestern - St. Paul, MN where she studied as much Latin as was offered while completing her degree in music. Abby is a long-time music educator with a keen interest in pursuing excellence while having fun. As a newly published author/illustrator, Abby is excited to share her love of learning and the arts with the students of Sundial Classical! For more information about her professional work, check out abbynevans.com.
Rufus Chappell of Happendance, Dance Instructor
Rufus Chappell IV is a professional dancer from Farmington Hills Michigan. He started training in professional dance five years ago and has not looked back. He has degrees from Liberty University in Virginia: business, finance and economics. Rufus is a former collegiate gymnast and still trains in the southeast area of Michigan. He is fluent in English in Spanish and loves to travel. Rufus has goals of working commercially on dance TV shows and in movies.
José Luis Maldonado, Music Instructor
José Luis Maldonado, Jr. was born in Montebello, California and grew up in the city of Whittier. He began his musical studies at age 8 as a saxophonist. He did not begin singing until he was 19 years of age, when he studied Bel Canto with world class soprano, Ann Gresham. José is a baritone and a new Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) student at Michigan State University. For more background, visit his professional website.
Matthew Romans, Common Arts Instructor (Outdoor / Workshop)
Matthew Romans has worked on and managed organic farms for over 10 years. A graduate of MSU's Organic Farmer Training Program, he currently works as the Program & Education Specialist at the Greater Lansing Food Bank's Garden Project, coordinating 100+ community gardens & developing educational resources for gardeners throughout mid-Michigan. He lives in East Lansing MI, and loves seeing students engaged in building applied knowledge & skills.