Meet Our Team

Meet the experienced teachers and staff at Nature Discovery Christian Academy that provide excellent Christ-centered academic education.

Matt Hennon - Director/Administrator & Preschool Teacher

Learn more about Mr. Hennon

Matt has lived many places including Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Georgia, but he was raised and spent most of his childhood in Florida. In addition to playing soccer competitively for 14 years, he coached girls’ soccer for kids under ten. He was also involved with YMCA youth programs. Matt attended the University of West Florida in Pensacola and majored in Environmental Science. He has taken numerous environmental education classes as part of his major. In 1998, Matt moved to Oregon with his wife, Heather, and worked at the Wood Gallery on Newport’s bayfront. While on the coast, Matt also taught Sunday School for first through third graders at the Siletz First Baptist Church.

In 2000, Matt and his wife started Nature Discovery Christian Academy out of their dedication and desire for children to creatively channel their natural curiosity for science and have the opportunity to attend a unique Christian school that not only teaches the basics, but also fosters a love for God and the natural environment. The school was moved to Eugene, OR in 2006 after out-growing the Toledo, OR site, which had classrooms for pre-kindergarten through second grade. Upon relocating, the school has grown in size each year. Nature Discovery Christian Academy is now educating children from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.

Brandon McPherson - Preschool Assistant

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Brandon McPherson was born in Pennsylvania and moved to the Willamette Valley, where his father was raised, when he was 2 years old. He was homeschooled by his parents and participated in Bethel school district Home Source through 8th grade. In 9th grade he started classes at LCC and received his GED later that year. He was also teaching swimming lessons and doing physical therapy for children with disabilities at this time. In 2011 he received his Nursing certification from Salem ITT after spending several years traveling and volunteering abroad. He did some work in Hospice and later as a charge nurse in a facility specializing in adults with traumatic brain injury. Brandon is multilingual and passionate about teaching and language acquisition. He has spent part of his career teaching English as a second language. He is interested in botany and loves animals of all kinds and he likes to share his knowledge and interest with young learners. At NCDA he teaches pre-k and and afterschool care and tries to include nature themes in his classes. He believes in giving children the freedom to be creative and encourages thinking outside the box.

Heather Hennon - Kindergarten Teacher

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Heather was raised and spent her entire childhood in a small town in Missouri. Like Matt, she had a strong love for animals and the outdoors and knew she wanted a career that would develop those interests. During high school, she worked as a vet tech and spent her summers teaching swimming lessons to preschool and elementary age children. She attended the University of West Florida as a marine biology major and graduated with both a B.S. in Marine Biology and a B.A. in Psychology. In college, she worked as a lab teaching assistant for several zoology classes, as an intern at the Gulf Breeze Zoo, and as a vet tech. After college, she was employed by the Verona School District in Missouri as a Special Education Teacher. Heather also spent time substitute teaching at many schools in the southwest Missouri area.

Upon moving to Oregon, she worked at Hillside Day School as a preschool teacher and also coordinated and taught the kindergarten enrichment program. She taught Sunday School for first through third graders at Siletz First Baptist Church. In the summer, she taught Vacation Bible School for the same age group. She was also employed at the Oregon Coast Aquarium where she worked as part of the education staff. She wrote the curriculum and taught science camps for children from the preschool to high school age. It was during this job that she decided that she wanted to combine her love of teaching with her love of science and decided to work with her husband on a business venture that would allow them to share their love of science with children. Heather enjoys teaching the children at Nature Discovery Christian Academy about God and nature, and feels blessed that her own four boys attend, too.

Murphy Gumaer - Kindergarten Teacher's Aide

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Mrs. Gumaer was born in California, and moved around many times in her early childhood. By the age of nine she and her family planted some roots in the state of Arkansas, and this is where she stayed through a couple of years of community college. She then moved to Washington to follow where she felt led by the Lord for spiritual growth. She lived in a home with other young believers of Christ while they ran a home fellowship/ bible study group weekly, and she balanced young adulthood responsibilities. In Washington she met her now husband of over eleven years. They have three school age children that she has been a stay at home mom to for more than seven years. She is passionate about helping others. Her hobbies include camping, hiking & exploring the outdoors, working out, spending time family, and watching & playing sports.

Michelle Latourrette - 1st Grade Teacher

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Mrs. Latourrette grew up in Southern Oregon on a goat farm with over 250 dairy goats. She was raised with strong work ethics and a great love for agriculture, farming and animals. She is the mother of four adult boys and four amazing grandchildren; her family is everything to her. She loves helping animals and rehabilitating injured animals when the need arises. She is also a crafter, jewelry maker, painter, plant hobbyist, candle maker, hiker, rock hound and creates essential oils. She has a very close relationship with the Lord. He is her foundation and guidance in life.

She has been working with youth since 1996 where she started her journey as a Youth Counselor at the Inn-Between Shelter in Josephine County. She has been a Casa Advocate, Social Service Worker, Resident Counselor, Drug / Alcohol Counselor, Transport Officer and Teacher. She is well-versed in trauma support care and understands that every youth comes from their own unique background. Six years ago, she started working with younger children as a Preschool Teacher through Head Start.

She feels very blessed to help set a strong foundation through Christ and educational values for the youth she serves. She believes God has brought her to her current role at Nature Discovery Christian Academy. We couldn’t agree more!

Audrey Smith - 2nd Grade Teacher

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Audrey’s love for teaching sprouted from her parent’s love for teaching. Her dad, a 5th grade teacher for 23 years, and her mom, an Educational Assistant and Behavior Support assistant for 22 years, always encouraged her to get into education and here she is! In addition to the influence of her parents, being involved in sports and coaching gave her a love for helping kids grow. A team environment, working together and learning through practice and competition led her to coaching at Thurston High school, the UO club volleyball program and finally at New Hope Christian College as the assistant volleyball coach and recruiting coordinator for athletics. After this, she transitioned to being an Educational Assistant and a Behavior Support Specialist in the 4j public school district.

In her free time, she lifts weights, plays with her nieces, and is a taco and coffee connoisseur. She also creates floral arrangements for weddings with her sister. So, she would love to talk flowers and gardens with you! Finally, she loves to get together for weekly Sunday dinners with all of her family.

She is thrilled to be here at NDCA and to have this awesome responsibility.

Amie McAllister - 3rd Grade Teacher

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Amie was born in New Jersey and has also lived in Florida. She moved to Oregon in 2015. Amie has been teaching since 2007 in many different positions, including substitute, paraprofessional, camp counselor and in-home teaching. She also spent four years as a Boys and Girls Club site coordinator in Florida. She loves singing, sewing, making jewelry and paper crafts. Her fiancé, Josh is becoming an airline pilot.

Amie was raised in the church, her grandmother served as minister at Mountain Lakes Community Church in New Jersey since Amie was a small child. Amie got her start in the career of teaching from leading Sunday school at a Presbyterian church as a teenager. In the classroom Amie is fun, flexible and hands on! She believes each child is unique and deserves love and respect. She believes a well-planned classroom and parent-teacher communication is crucial. Amie takes advantage of every “teachable moment”! Amie is very excited and honored to teacher here at Nature Discovery Christian Academy.

Kim Grossnicklaus - 4th/5th Grade Teacher

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Information about Mrs. Grossnicklaus is coming…

Janice Burton - 6th/7th Grade Teacher

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Mrs. Burton was born in Northern California but moved to Oregon at the age of four. She grew up in North Bend and then moved to Eugene to attend the University of Oregon where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in education with minors in history, French, and special education. She then earned her Master’s degree in curriculum and instruction with concentrations in reading and Bible literacy from Concordia University. She has taught in private Christian schools and at a charter school. She has also done independent tutoring and home-schooled her three sons for a while. She was involved in the Boy Scouts for about 20 years. She likes cooking, sewing, and reading, and camping. She is involved in her church’s missions group, and she has been an American Civil War re-enactor since 1995. Her philosophy of education is that “All children can learn. As teachers, it is our responsibility to find out how each child learns and to adapt our teaching to meet each child’s needs.”

Kevin Burton - 8th through 12th Grade Co-Teacher

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Information about Mr. Burton is coming…

Margaret Wofford - 8th through 12th Grade Co-Teacher

Learn more about Mrs. Wofford

Information about Mrs. Wofford is coming…

Have Questions?

We appreciate your interest in Nature Discovery Christian Academy. Please contact us if you have questions or would like to schedule a tour.

NATURE DISCOVERY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY