Faculty & Staff

Mrs. Ann Elizabeth “Lisa” Williams

Principal & 5th-6th Grade Teacher

Mrs. Williams grew up in the Washington DC area. She received her Undergraduate degree from Georgetown University in the School of Foreign Service followed by commissioning in the United States Marine Corps as a Cryptological Intelligence Officer. After serving in the Marines, Mrs. Williams, her husband and four sons moved to Alaska. She  attained her Master of Arts in Education from Alaska Pacific University while teaching and raising her family. Mrs. Williams is both a certified teacher, and an experienced homeschool charter school parent and teacher through iDEA. 

Mrs. Williams became involved in classical education at Holy Rosary Academy teaching in both the Lower and Upper Schools. She then became Head of the Lower School and, later, Principal at Holy Rosary. 

Mrs. Williams was Headmaster at Chesterton Academy of Annapolis while living in Washington DC and participated in bringing the Chesterton Network into the international community through the monthly international Rosary prayed throughout the Chesterton network of schools across the United States, and in Italy and Iraq. 

Mrs. Williams taught at the  International School Westpfalz using the Cambridge Curriculum and Swiss SBW Haus des Lernens program prior to returning to Alaska to serve as principal at Our Lady of the Valley. 

Mrs. Williams enjoys spending  time with her family and her dog Argo, hiking and skiing in the Alaskan wilderness. 

Mrs. Simona Benshetler

1st-2nd Grade Teacher

Simona Benshetler was born and raised in Milan, Italy. She studied foreign languages at the Collegio Statale di Lingue Straniere Stendhal in Milan. In 1993, she moved to Houston, Texas, to work for an Italian company, where she later married her husband. Following the birth of her first son, Simona began working as a translator and voice-over artist for the International Space Center, in addition to recording various commercials. She also taught Italian and English to both children and adults, and directed a full-immersion English summer camp in Italy for European children ages 6 to 13.

In 2004, she and her family relocated to Palmer, Alaska, where she homeschooled her children for 10 years. In 2016, she began working as a substitute teacher in the Mat-Su School District and, in 2018, joined the faculty at OLV.

In her free time, Simona enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, reading, and traveling.

Mr. Daniel Tantanella

7th-8th Grade Teacher

Daniel Tantanella was born and raised in Colorado. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English with an emphasis in education from University of Northern Colorado where he did his student teaching in Bathurst, NSW in Australia. He taught for several years in Akiachak, Alaska before becoming a full-time dad. The next several years of his life were dedicated to homeschooling his growing family in a the classical tradition as they moved about the beautiful and immense state of Alaska. He enjoys mountain biking, fishing, camp fires, snowboarding, perfecting his pizza dough, and all things theological.

Mrs. Sarah Eppihimer

PreK-Kindergarten Teacher

Sarah grew up in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. She started her Fine Art studies at the School of Visual Arts in NYC, later receiving her Associates of Visual Communications in Graphic Design with a focus on English and Classical Literature.

In 2008, with her husband Mark, they decided to sell everything and head north for the Alaskan adventure and have been loving every minute of it. From living in the city, to a dry cabin in Bear Valley, to Petersburg-Southeast AK, and finally settling in Palmer.

Sarah has also worked successfully in the hospitality industry for 18 years, her last position being a Service Manager of Olive Garden in Anchorage. For the past 3 summers, she has worked for St. Therese’s Camp, and volunteers for VBS and St. Michael’s Church whenever possible. 

Sarah grew up enjoying the history and beauty of hiking the Appalachian Trail, Valley Forge and Gettysburg. She’s continued embracing her love of God’s masterpiece here in Alaska with walks, hiking, tent camping, shooting, throwing tomahawks, ice skating, skiing/tubing, painting/crafting, music, reading about and living out her faith, all the while cooking and baking with her two beautiful girls and energetic puppy.

Mrs. Claire Myers

3rd-4th Grade Teacher

Claire Myers was born in Anchorage, Alaska. She has lived in the state most of her life and considers Alaska her forever home. In 2020, she earned a Bachelor's degree in Art with a minor in English from the University of Alaska. Outside of academics, Claire notably served as a missionary in the local Urban Hearts mission from 2021-2024, where she met her now-husband, Kolbe. They currently reside in Wasilla, Alaska.

In her free time, Claire enjoys walks in the wild outdoors, reading about the saints, and visiting with family and friends.

Ms. Sadie Luppen

Office Administrator

Sadie Luppen was raised mostly in Alaska, with a few years also spent attending school in England. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in IT (Computer Science) with a focus on Security, AI Automation and Systems Administration. She is very interested in world travel, history, science, photography, and horticulture/botany, and has a multitude of hobbies. In between planning her next adventure, she lives in the Matsu Valley with her son Oliver, where they maintain a very large garden and do a lot of skiing, snowboarding, hiking and kayaking.

Ms. Brigid McMorrow

Teacher’s Assistant for PreK-K

Brigid McMorrow was born and raised in Anchorage, AK. She attended
Holy Rosary Academy in high school, where she developed an
appreciation for classical education. After graduating high school,
she spent a year in Connecticut working as a nanny and exploring life
on the East Coast. Upon returning to Alaska, she settled in Wasilla
and joined OLV this year.  In her free time, she enjoys baking,
traveling, and spending time with her family.

Ms. Arianna Reitzig

Music Teacher

Mrs. Arianna Reitzig was born and raised in Alaska. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Franciscan University and her Master of Music in Vocal Performance at Cleveland State University. While pursuing her master’s, Arianna worked as a nurse at the Cleveland Clinic and served as a music director at the Shrine of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. She has sung professionally in choirs and musical productions, including the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and Beatus Choral Ensemble, nurturing her deep love for the tradition of sacred music in the Catholic Church.

In 2024, Arianna married and drove the Alcan to Alaska with her husband. A new mom, she treasures spending time with her growing family and enjoys decorating her home, singing, working on creative projects, going to coffee shops, and hiking. She continues to work as a nurse and is passionate about helping students grow in both musical skill and a love for the beauty of Catholic sacred music.

Mrs. Carol Eby

Art Teacher

Carol Eby was born and raised in Ohio. She earned a B.S. degree from Bowling Green State University with certifications in art education and library science. Carol, her husband and 3 children moved to Alaska in 1991.  She enrolled in a distance education program offered through the University of Alaska, Southeast, earning a master’s degree in educational technology. During her career in education, Carol taught elementary art, was an elementary school librarian, and a high school librarian before retiring in 2015.  Now, as a volunteer teacher, Carol is sharing her love of art with the students at Our Lady of the Valley.

Ms. Kiera Odgers

After School Monitor

Coming soon…