Faculty & Staff

Mr. Pawlowski graduated from Wayne State University in 2018 earning a bachelor’s degree in secondary education with a major in math and a minor in history. He has been teaching math and history at Chesterton since 2021 He is a catechist at St. Basil the Great Parish in Eastpointe, where he attends mass. Homeschooled all the way through high school, Mr. Pawlowski has developed a deep love and passion for Catholic tradition. David is a vociferous reader and especially enjoys books about history and theology though he also appreciates a good mystery novel.

Mrs. Melanie Smith has been an active leader in the Catholic Homeschool community for 20 years, and a part of the Chesterton family since year one in 2020. With a graduate in 2022, another in 2024, and two sons enrolled for next school year, she looks forward to many more years of helping the school grow and flourish and seeing the fruits in her own family. She is a devoted wife of 25 years to Ryan, mother to 11, and grandmother to one. Mrs. Smith and her family are members of St. Joseph Shrine in Detroit, Michigan.

From travel agent to music educator, to homeschooling mom, to volunteer coordinator at Troy Historic Village, and administrative assistant at historic Ford House, Julie comes to Chesterton Academy rather serendipitously but providentially! Julie graduated with a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Lowell (MA) and taught privately and in coops. Happily married for over 30 years to her husband Martin, she taught music in Catholic Schools until raising and homeschooling their family of three sons. All three young men went on to get full-ride scholarships to Universities, leaving Julie free to pursue new frontiers in the Museum industry until God had other plans! Julie loves sharing the Faith and joy (and of course, puns!) with such an authentically Catholic high school. Julie enjoys being a grandma to 3 wonderful grandchildren, cooking, and being in nature, Their son Kevin is a seminarian at Our Lady Of Guadalupe Seminary - the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter. Please pray for him and his vocation!

Dr. Mark Hnatiuk joins Chesterton Academy after a career in the medical industry as a craniofacial reconstructive surgeon. He completed his undergraduate studies at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, receiving a B.S. in Biology. He would go on to complete his Doctorate in Medicine from Wayne State University. More recently, he finished his M.A. in Theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, and is currently pursuing an M.A. in Philosophy online at Holy Apostles College and Seminary with a concentration in ethics. Since 2005, he has been active in surgical missions to underserved areas around the world, including Peru, the Philippines, and Ukraine. Dr. Hnatiuk has been married for 22 years and has a daughter at university. He enjoys playing drums, piano, hiking and camping, boxing workouts, pier-fishing, and napping with his pug. He grew up in the Ukrainian Catholic Church and loves the Divine Liturgy as celebrated according to the Byzantine Rite. His favorite saint is Pope Saint John Paul II. He is grateful and blessed to be part of the Chesterton family.

Coming soon

Mrs. Hopersberger holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Michigan, and a Master of Music in Flute Performance from Wayne State University. She has taught middle school and high school Band and Choir, as well as Elementary General Music. After a significant conversion of heart, it became clear that her work in public schools was not compatible with her life as a Catholic wife and mother. At the conclusion of the 2021-2022 school year, she left her public school teaching job to work as the Director of Religious Education at her parish. She joined the faculty at Chesterton Academy OLOG in January 2023.

David J. Oster, Sr. is the Head Coach of the Chesterton girls and boys basketball teams. He has 40 years of experience as a basketball coach and has been a high school government and economics teacher for 30 years. He and his wife, Kathleen, founded Our Lady of All Hoops (OLAH) in 2001. OLAH is a Catholic apostolate that encourages devotion to the Blessed Mother through various basketball outreach programs. David and his wife have six children and are members of Holy Family Catholic Church and St. Joseph Shrine in Detroit.

Abbey Schuster has a Master's degree in Occupational Therapy from Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH, where she had a full scholarship to play volleyball. In her four years as a six rotation outside hitter at Xavier, she was the Big East Player of the Year in 2015, AVCA All-American Honorable Mention in 2013 and 2016, and broke multiple school records. Abbey enjoys sharing her faith and her passion for volleyball with others. Aside from working in the hospital as an OT, she has coached youth camps, club teams, and given private lessons for more than seven years. Abbey, her husband, David, and their son, Wolfgang attend Assumption Grotto in Detroit.