Mr. Arends earned his undergraduate degree from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, in exercise science. After that he earned two master’s degrees from the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis.

Mr. Arends is passionate about the Catholic faith and loves sharing it with others. He lives in South St. Louis City with his wife and two kids and enjoys eating his wife’s cooking, watching the NBA, and generally dominating geography-related trivia.

Jenny Cook teaches 8th grade American Literature and Formal Logic. She earned a B.A. in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College in Annapolis, MD in 2006, and a Master’s in Teaching from Western Oregon University in 2008. She specializes in middle school Language Arts and American History. Jenny and her husband, Allen, homeschooled their children for three years, giving her a true appreciation for the “best of both worlds” hybrid model of education which JPII offers.

She is extremely happy to be part of the JPII family as a teacher and a mother of five enrolled students.

Jenny has no spare time between mothering and teaching duties, but enjoys playing classic Nintendo games, planing fun birthday parties for their seven children, and Jazzercising unironically.

Mrs. Flores is a lifelong Catholic and learner, born and raised in St. Louis as the first daughter of a very musical family. She is excited to bring her love for liturgical music into the classroom. After beginning her training as a musician in the Archdiocesan Children’s Choir, she was a Choral Scholar and cantor at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis for four years under the remarkable direction of Dr. Horst Buchholz; she has been working around the Archdiocese of St. Louis as a cantor and accompanist since 2014. Her degree is in music theory. In addition to her work at JPII, she currently holds her dream position as the Director of Sacred Music at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Alton, IL. She lives in St. Louis with her new husband (also a musician!) and their very spoiled dog.

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, serve the Lord with gladness, come into His presence with singing.”

Mary Hermann teaches pre-algebra. The 4th of 10 children, she has worked at JPII St Charles in the past and has several siblings who are JPII graduates (and a brother who met his wife when they were both teachers at JPII). She was a lay consecrated woman for 12 years, half of which were spent working at a boarding school in Rhode Island. She holds a bachelor’s degree in religious and pastoral studies and has taught Middle School religion for 10 years. She chased her now husband Alex for a whole summer before he realized she was interested. Eventually (with the help of a novena and a comment from a friend) it worked and they married in 2021. They have an active and outgoing one year old (named after St John Paul II) who makes sure they don’t get too much sleep and that they notice every truck on the road. She enjoys reading, baking, doing puzzles, listening to audiobooks, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. 

Dr. Charles G. Kim, Jr. is an instructor of Latin at JPII. Dr. Kim holds a Ph.D. in Historical Theology focusing on Patristic Theology from Saint Louis University. In addition to teaching at JPII, Dr. Kim serves as Assistant Professor of Classical Languages and Theology in a joint position at Saint Louis University and Kenrick-Glennon Seminary. He has published two books with Catholic University Press: The Way of Humility, St. Augustine’s Theology of Preaching and Ecclesiastical Latin: A Primer on the Language of the Church. Dr. Kim is blessed to be a husband to his wife Abby, father to his son Charlie and his daughter Ramona, and caretaker of two dogs and ten chickens. 

Mr. Levanos was home-schooled, received a classical Christian education in highschool, and obtained his BA and MA in history at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He is passionate about Catholic theology; Christian apologetics; and Western history, philosophy, and literature. At JPII, Mr. Levanos teaches Medieval History and Literature and American History. In addition to teaching at JPII, he works as a sidewalk counselor for Coalition Life (a pro-life organization dedicated to protecting the unborn) and teaches PSR at St. Raymond-St. Elizabeth Church. He is honored that God has given him the opportunity to teach at JPII and prays and aspires to encourage his students to grow in their knowledge of, faith in, and love for Christ. 

After studying at Thomas Aquinas College, Mr. Martel knew what he wanted to do with his life. The delight and wonder of learning were what he wanted to pass on to the younger generations. He has been involved with the home-schooling community here in St. Louis since the 1980’s and served as teacher at Gateway Academy and now currently at St. John Paul II. What Mr. Martel likes about JPII is its dedication to a classical curriculum as the best foundation for a solid education and its 3-day format allowing the parents to actively exercise their very important role of mentoring their children’s formation.

The Catholic faith also plays a central role in the presentation of all academic subjects integrating faith and reason so necessary for proper human development. All that he loved and was privileged to learn while at Thomas Aquinas College is what he wishes for all students of JPII.

Originally from Green Bay, Wisconsin, Mrs. Katya Vail graduated Summa Cum Laude from Saint Louis University, where she received her Bachelor’s in Theology with minors in Spanish and Catholic Education. In the Spring of 2025, she will receive her Master’s in Theology from the Aquinas Institute here in St. Louis, where she was awarded the merit-based Aquinas Scholars Award. Her area of interest in Theology is Systematics, with a special emphasis in Soteriology. At JPII South, Mrs. Vail is pleased to teach 9th/10th grade Church History and Public Speaking, as well as 7th/8th grade Religion. She is a parishioner at St. Francis de Sales Oratory.