About: TNCA Staff

Andy Cross
Andy Cross is the Executive Director and Principal of TNCA and a 6th-8th grade Team Teacher. He was born and raised in South Florida. He attended the University of Vermont, where he studied Forestry and Environmental Education. During college, Andy went to Kenya to further his education and attended the National Outdoor Leadership School. He graduated with a B.S. in Forestry in 2002. After college he worked as a Program Director at Camp Highlander. He has also worked with Outward Bound, adjudicated youth, and one-on-one with at-risk students. Andy has been with The New Classical Academy since our first year. He lives with his wife, Jane, and their children, Adi and Belay. Andy enjoys hiking, traveling, playing softball, and spending time with his family.

Elise Anschel
Elise Anschel is a 6th-8th grade Team Teacher and the Latin teacher for the entire school. She has been with us since our first year. She grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, where she began studying Latin in the 7th grade. She earned a B.A. in Latin from Swarthmore College. After receiving teacher certification from the University of Colorado at Boulder, she taught Latin in both public and private high schools in Colorado Springs for two years. She left teaching to further her own education and in 2004, received an M.A. in Classical Studies from Duke University. She and her husband, Paul, have two children, Livy and Quinn, both students at The New Classical Academy. Latin poetry has been her passion for much of her life, and through teaching she strives to inspire a similar passion for Latin in her students. Elise enjoys cooking, reading, practicing ashtanga yoga, and exploring Western North Carolina with her family.

Katherine Daven
Katherine Daven is a 3rd-5th grade Team Teacher. She has worked with children of all ages as an elementary school teacher, social worker, service learning coordinator, and camp counselor. Katherine graduated from Warren Wilson College with a B.A. in Social Work. Throughout her college tenure, she ran an AmeriCorps team focused on drop-out prevention. From 2001 to 2008, she worked as the Outdoor Experiential Learning Specialist at Isaac Dickson Elementary School. The job involved teaching organic gardening, science, drama, writing, nature, and literacy. Katherine loves to work in a non-traditional teaching setting. One of her greatest passions is teaching children to knit. With her husband and their children, Sam and Maddie, Katherine spends many fun hours camping, hiking, hunting for geocaches, and playing in rivers and streams.

Kelly Hanson
Kelly Hanson is a 3rd-5th grade Team Teacher. She grew up in Syracuse, New York, and has lived in Asheville with her husband for 22 years. Kelly homeschooled her two children (who are now in college) through middle school; during that period, she taught numerous classes for homeschoolers, including drama, art, economics, and life skills. She also volunteered for 8 years in a mixed-age classroom at Issac Dickson, a Foxfire elementary school, where she facilitated a student-directed, year-long puppet play project annually. Kelly has been a LEAF in Schools and Streets Teaching Artist for 8 years, bringing groups of students to perform original student-led plays at this renowned local arts festival. She is currently attending Asheville-Buncombe Technical College to further her studies. At TNCA, Kelly also teaches drama, debate, creative movement, playwriting, and dance.

Nikki Montgomery
Nikki Montgomery is a pre-K-Kindergarten Team Teacher. She was born in Asheville and raised in the Swannanoa/Black Mountain area. She has an Associate's Degree in Child Development as well as early childhood certification from Asheville-Buncombe Technical College. She has been working with children for over 10 years in both formal and informal settings. Nikki's classroom focus is on assisting her young students in acquiring the social and emotional skills necessary for school success. She is beloved by students of all ages and is a "mother" to all. When she is not preparing for the next day's lesson, Nikki enjoys spending time with her wonderful daughter, Whitney, and their family. Nikki is also a foster parent.

Kelly Homolka
Kelly Homolka is a co-founder of The New Classical Academy, the school's Director of Marketing, and a 1st-2nd grade Teacher. She received a B.A. in Religious Studies and a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Kelly is certified in the Reading Reflex program, a phonics-based teaching method. She and her husband have three wonderful children; Emily and Daisy are TNCA graduates, and Frank is a TNCA student. Kelly has worked for the YMCA, as the director of children's services for a homeless shelter, and as an educator for many community and homeschooling classes. Kelly was raised in northern Virginia and has lived in Asheville since 1997. Her hobbies are traveling, hiking, skiing, and reading the classics.

Elise Cross
Elise Cross is a pre-K Team Teacher and a K-2 Teacher Aide. She earned a B.F.A. in 2002 from Western Carolina University (WCU), where she majored in classical piano performance. A recipient of  a prestigious A.J. Fletcher Scholarship, she served as the WCU Concert Choir Accompanist and tutored students in music, math, and English. After college, Elise taught piano, volunteered with the Blue Ridge Literacy Council as an ESL tutor, and worked in real estate. Elise is excited to be part of an educational community that engages its students in critical thinking in such a harmonious setting. She is currently training in Reading Reflex proficiency. She and her husband have lived in Western North Carolina since 1998, and they have two children, both of whom attend TNCA.