Faculty Biographies

Dr. Paul Buckley received his PhD and MS from Johns Hopkins University and his BS from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.  He is an ordained minister with Sovereign Grace Ministries and a graduate of their Pastors College.  He serves as the Lead Pastor of King of Grace Church in Bradford, MA, a church he helped start in 2002. Prior to pastoring Paul served as a Principal Investigator and Material Research Engineer for the Army Research Lab. He has taught at the high school and graduate level in Chemistry, Corrosion Technology, Spanish, Latin, Logic, Bible and Theology. His particular educational interests include theology, biblical leadership, philosophy, history and languages. He and his wife Peggy have four children and live in Haverhill.

Alexander M. Burgess received his B.A. in History and Humanities from Roberts Wesleyan College and his M.Div from Westminster Theological Seminary. He is a certified Massachusetts educator for History (grades 8-12) and an ordained Congregational minister. His particular interests include historical theology, liturgical theology, British and American religious history, world geography and local history. He is also a student of the history of Christianity’s interaction with other faiths. He taught for seven years at Salem Christian School in Salem, NH, and has been pastor of Ward Hill Church of Christ the King in Bradford since 1998. Mr. Burgess teaches World History I, World History II, U.S. History, Geometry, and Geometry Honors in our high school program at BCA. He and his wife Erin have four children and live in Ward Hill.

Margaret Cottrell graduated from Messiah College with a degree in Biology. Following graduation she lived in East Africa for one year working for a relief and development agency. upon returning to the United States, she recieved a masters in Education/Special Education from George Mason University and spent six years working internationally in Latin America and the Caribbean. She and her husband, Mark, coordinate short term mission trips for BCA.s high school missions program. Mrs. Cottrell is Massachusetts certified in Varying Exceptionalities k-12, Moderate Disabilities, Middle School Science, Health, and English as a Second language. Mrs. Cottrell has taught several different courses at BCA over the yeas and is currently the Academic Support Coordinator. Margaret, her husband, and three sons attend West Congregational Church in Haverhill, MA.

Troy Gabriele graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a Bachelors degree in Physics in 2008, where he also excelled as a varsity point guard and shooting guard playing intercollegiate basketball. Mr. Gabriele teaches middle school science, physical education, and calculus, and also serves as the athletic director and boys’ basketball coach for both middle and high school. Previous to teaching at BCA, Mr. Gabriele coached high school basketball at Georges Valley High School. He also played basketball at Gordon College as an undergraduate and took his team to two state championships in Maine as a high school student. He was married in August 2008 and he and his wife Stacha reside in Merrimac, MA. They attend West Newbury Congregational Church where Stacha is the youth pastor.

Heather Gaither teaches World Literature and Writing I and II at the college preparatory and honors levels to freshman and sophomore students. Mrs. Gaither also supervises the production of our BCA yearbook. An experienced, certified middle and high school Language Arts teacher, she graduated from Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri with an English major and subsequently earned a Masters of Education at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA.  Prior to joining BCA, she taught Language Arts, Yearbook Publication and Drama for West Junior High School, Smithton Middle School and Hillcrest High School in Springfield, Missouri. Mrs. Gaither and her family attend West Congregational Church in Haverhill, MA.

Michael Gerroir received a Bachelor of Arts from University of Massachusetts with a minor in Art History. He has worked for the Boston Globe for 15 years and has free-lanced as an artist for The New England Patriots, Andover Community Theatre, Merrimack Post Office, and the Burlington Marriott. Prior to teaching art at Bradford Christian Academy, Michael taught middle school art at Boxford Academy.

Dr. James Gustafson is Professor of Philosophy, emeritus at Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill, MA. Dr. Gustafson served as Professor of Philosophy at Northern Essex Community College for thirty-one years. Courses he taught include: Introduction to Philosophy, Ethics, Issues in Philosophy, Practical Logic, History of Philosophy, World Religions, Contemporary Western Religions, Introduction to Psychology, English Composition I, 2001, The Shape of the Future, Bioethics, and Christian Ethics. Dr. Gustafson received his B.A. from Wheaton College, IL, his M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary, and his Ph.D. from Boston University. He is the author of The Quest for Truth, an Introduction to Philosophy, currently in its 5 th edition. Dr. Gustafson is an adjunct lecturer at New Theological College, Dehradun, India and a visiting lecturer at Scott Theological College in Machakos , Kenya. Dr. Gustafson also serves as organist for West Congregational Church where he and his wife Ellie are members.

Brian J. Indrelie completed his Bachelor of Arts at Northwestern College in Minneapolis with majors in Biblical Studies and Intercultural Studies in 2003. He then went on to complete his Master of Divinity at Gordon-Conwell in 2007, and his Master of Theology degree in 2008. Brian previously taught Bible to urban youth at a rescue mission while living in Minneapolis. At BCA, Brian has built the four year high school Bible program, and has taught all Bible subjects including Hermeneutics, Old Testament, New Testament, Christian Thought, Ethics, Leadership, and Missiology, in addition to directing the high school chapel program. He has also pioneered BCA's ancient languages program, taeching beginning and intermediate Greek and beginning Latin.

Elisabeth Moreau received a Bachelor of Arts in History and Middle School Education from Gordon College in 2003. Elisabeth was very involved in both the LaVida and Discovery programs at Gordon College for five years, where she led numerous wilderness expeditions in the Adirondacks of New York. As a wilderness instructor, Elisabeth taught several classes, including ropes course initiatives that culminated in weekend camping trips. After graduating she lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado, desiring a time of retreat and personal growth in her relationship with Christ. While in Colorado, she worked at Compassion International (a Christian organization that sponsors children overseas). At BCA, Elisabth teaches middle school Bible and Geography. She organizes our Community Service Projects, Discipleship Small Groups, and Weekly Chapel Programs, and each summer, she leads our LaVida programs for incoming Freshman. Elisabeth is currently attending East Gloucester Community Church.

Douglas Osterloh chairs BCA’s expanding Science Department.  This year at the high school level, Mr. Osterloh teaches Biology and Honors Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, Advanced Placement Biology, and Personal Finance and Business Math.  On alternate years, Mr. Osterloh teaches Chemistry and Honors Chemistry, Environmental Science, and Physics.  He also serves as the faculty advisor to the High School Student Council. He began his teaching career later after completing law school and practicing as an attorney for a number of years. Prior to joining the BCA faculty, he taught high school science in the Sanborn Regional School system. Mr. Osterloh and his family live in Kingston, NH and attend Kingston Congregational Church.

Nancy Overhiser received her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina in 1983. Nancy has extensive grammar school experience teaching third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grades with educational expertise in reading mechanics, vocabulary building, and writing proficiencies. Previously, Nancy taught at Mountain View Christian School in Hummelstown, PA, and Emmanuel Baptist Christian Academy in Mechanicsburg, PA, and more recently at Boxford Academy as a long-term substitute. Nancy has also taught adult ESL and spent many years in private tutoring of elementary and middle school students. At Bradford Christian Academy, Nancy teaches fifth grade and our Language Arts and Mathematics (LAM) remediation classes for middle school students. Nancy attends West Congregational Church in Haverhill with her husband, Bruce.

Matt Perusse graduated from Gordon College with a degree in Communications and Spanish. Following graduation, Matt moved to Los Angeles, where he worked as an actor, appearing in several films, television series, and national commercials. With a desire to teach, Matt was led to the Voyager Outward Bound School in Minnesota, where he participated in and led several expeditions, including dog sledding, white water rafting, and canyoneering. In 2004 Matt joined the faculty of Portsmouth Christian Academy, where he served as a middle school teacher and director of theater. Matt has since received his Masters of Education from Gordon and Emerson Colleges and is pleased to teach Language Arts, Spanish, and Communication Arts at Bradford Christian Academy and direct our after school Theater Arts Program. Matt attends and is involved in the Sunday school program at First Baptist Church of Hampton Falls, NH.

Carolyn Sawyer received a BA Degree in English from Gordon College, where she currently teaches in the Department of Education. After teaching High School English at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School, she returned to the University of Mass at Lowell for her teaching certificate in Music Education. She taught Music and was Choral Director at Miles River Middle School in Hamilton for 18 years, where she also directed and produced many musicals. Her favorites are “Footloose”, “Bye Bye Birdie”, “Guys and Dolls”, and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” The select choir at Miles River received highest honors at the Massachusetts ACDA Middle School Choral Festival. A professional organist, Carolyn served as Director of Music at First Congregational Church in Boxford for many years, and is still a member of that church. Carolyn received her Masters Degree in Creative Arts in the Curriculum from Lesley College in 1998. During her years as a music educator, she served in many capacities as a member of the Northeast District Board of the MMEA: Festival Coordinator, Choral Adjudicator, and Choral Manager.

Jenneth Scharlach received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and Sociology from Gordon College in 1996 and is certified to teach in the state of Massachusetts. She taught for eight years at Boxford Academy, in Boxford, Massachusetts. During that time, Mrs. Scharlach taught first grade, fifth grade, and sixth grade. She also taught Latin to grades two through eight and music classes as well. AT BCA Mrs. Scharlach teaches middle school Language Arts, Latin, and History. She also serves as the faculty advisor to the Middle School Student Council. She is an active member of Byfield Parish Church in Georgetown, helping with Vacation Bible School in the summer and serving as chair of the Christian Education committee. Mrs. Scharlach grew up in Georgetown and lives there with her husband.

Gina Sweeney received her BA in Mathematics with a concentration in Computer Science in 1980 from Merrimack College in North Andover, MA. Upon graduation she worked for Avco Systems Textron as a computer programmer for six years. She and her husband, Kevin, live in Andover and have two children in college. In 1993 she received her certification to teach math. While their children were young Mrs. Sweeney worked part time in various teaching capacities. She taught Algebra II and Geometry at Andover High. She taught math and science to 6th graders at Austin Preparatory School. Most recently Mrs. Sweeney taught Pre-Algebra and Algebra I to 7th and 8th graders and directed K-8 remedial math at St. Augustine School in Andover. While at St. Augustine School she was active in a community service project to make winter hats for the homeless. She has served as the coordinator for the Central Catholic Girls Figure Skating Team for the past four years. At Bradford Christian Academy, Gina teaches middle school mathematics with an educational flare for integrating real-world projects and hands-on assignments into her rigorous college preparatory math curriculum.

Sharon DiStaulo Ziegler received her Bachelor of Arts in Combined Foreign Languages in French and Spanish from Gordon College. Sharon is actively involved in her church teaching and mentoring students in the youth ministry as well as singing in the choir. Sharon has also participated in short-term mission trips to the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Honduras. Sharon was raised in Montreal, Canada in an Italian-speaking household, and was immersed in the French language throughout her education. At BCA she teaches Latin and Spanish to the middle school students and Spanish to the high school students. This year, Sharon will co-lead our high school missions trip back to the Dominican Republic in April. Sharon lives in Haverhill, MA with her husband and attends West Congregational Church in Haverhill, MA.