Faculty Directory

Jacob Flaherty is a Minnesota native who recently moved to Vero. He and his wife Esther have been married for fifteen years and are the parents of six wonderful children. Jacob received a B.A. in K-12 Vocal Music Education, with minors in Catholic Studies and Philosophy. He has worked as a choir director, organist, and has taught of a variety of subjects, including music theory, music history, and theology. Jacob has prepared and directed Gregorian chant and polyphony, directed plays and musicals, coached baseball, and led youth groups. He strives to follow the example of his favorite (and patron) saint, St. John Bosco, and has a great love of history, geography, poetry, and the fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Ray Bradbury. He enjoys composing hymns, motets, and Masses, and likes football, baseball, and learning about architecture. His favorite scripture verses are Nehemiah 8:10 and John 17:3.

Kate Chenault is a graduate of classical Catholic homeschooling, where she learned the importance of literature, history, theology, and philosophy. She attended Walsh University, where she tutored in the humanities subjects while attending classes in history, art history, and philosophy. She received her B.A. in Museum Studies and Visual and Performing Arts in 2024. After graduating, she worked as a high school Latin teacher while also volunteering as a Pioneer/Patriot Unit Leader with the American Heritage Girls. She brings her background in the liberal arts, her passion for the humanities, and her experience teaching a variety of subjects to her role as Freshman Humanities Teacher at Chesterton Academy of Vero Beach. In her free time, she enjoys reading classic literature and singing in her church's choir.

Lars Emery grew up in Plant City, Florida. He earned his BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of South Florida (Go Bulls!), where he met his amazing wife in the Catholic Student Union. Prior to teaching, Mr. Emery had careers in real world science applications as an engineer at a chemical company and as a brewer of craft beer, connecting all three science domains - biology, chemistry, and physics. He is excited to teach math and science at the Chesterton Academy of Vero Beach.

He and his wife love traveling together, and while they treasure their international adventures, he thinks that America is a wide country that he hasn't explored enough. To remedy this, they have taken on the challenge of visiting all 63 US National Parks (with eight visited to date). He also loves board games, with a particular affinity for strategy games. His confirmation saint is St. Sebastion, and he is proud to be the Faculty Advisor to House Ambrose.

Born and raised in Florida, Kayla Burnam has called many corners of the state home—from Coral Springs to Wakulla. She graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic University with a degree in Studio Art and Cross-Cultural Studies, pursuing her lifelong vision to study, teach, and create art across the globe. After marrying her husband, Tyler, the two moved to Ireland to work with a Christian surfing organization, blending their love for faith, community, and the ocean. Her journey has since taken her to 13 countries, where she studied oil painting in Italy and shared her passion for creativity by teaching art in Jamaica. For the past four years, she has served as an upper school art teacher, inspiring students through both technique and imagination.

Beyond the classroom, Kayla is a devoted Florida wildlife artist and surfer, drawing inspiration from the natural beauty and coastal rhythms of her home state. She creates and sells her work along Florida’s east coast, celebrating the creatures, colors, and landscapes that make Florida so unique.