The Rev. Cn. John Boonzaaijer — Head of School

Born in Michigan to a Dutch immigrant family, John worked in the family’s European Pastry Bakery, as one of nine children. After eight years in his first pastorate in Sand Springs, Oklahoma (1994-2002), he and his wife Christine moved to Tyler, Texas, to teach and administrate in the parish school of Good Shepherd Reformed Episcopal Church and School, as Assistant Rector. He has served as Rector of The Chapel of the Cross (REC) since 2007, where he and Christine also began The Saint Timothy School in 2008. Driving truck cross country for a year between his curacy and first pastorate provided some of his best training for life “on the docks.” Each of the five Boonzaaijer children fills and nuances their full and colorful home.

Education: Christian Reformed School System (Kalamazoo, MI), and homeschool; B.Th. (1991); curacy (1993); M.Div. (2004); Th.M. (2009). As Head of School, Fr. Boonzaaijer leads daily Morning Prayer, and also teaches Upper School Mathematics and Middle School Bible; his favorite hobbies include working on boats and sailing them, woodworking, karate, piano, reading, and baking bread. His writing and seminars develop and apply parish life as “the good life,” extending from the altar of worship, and on traditional catechesis. He believes a true parish school in the Anglican Tradition develops a capable, knowledgable, virtuous, and devout student in any walk of Christian faith.

Mrs. Ashley Dittman — School Administrator, Orchestra, Middle School Homeroom

After ten years of teaching orchestra in public schools, Ashley Dittman joined the faculty at St. Timothy. She serves as the school administrator and teaches orchestra, and middle school homeroom.  Mrs. Dittman graduated summa cum laude from the University of North Texas with a B.M. in violin performance and a B.M. in music education, and performs regularly with the Richardson Symphony Orchestra.  She and her husband (who also works at St. Timothy) have four children who keep them constantly entertained.  Mrs. Dittman enjoys cooking, sewing, reading, and crafting.

Mrs. Kathy Smith — Academic Kindergartens: Teacher and Director

Mrs. Smith has over thirty-five years of teaching experience in a wide variety of grade levels and locations. She graduated with a Bachelors of Science in 1974 from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Fr. and Mrs. Smith have three grown children and three grandchildren.

Kathy home schooled her own children for a period of time. She worked in the public school system in grades K through 3rd, spending some of that time working with special needs children. Kathy came to The Saint Timothy School in 2011. Her hobbies include reading, needlework, weaving, and gardening. She also enjoys playing the organ in her spare time.

Mrs. Christine Boonzaaijer — Lower Elementary Homeroom Teacher

Christine graduated Magna Cum Lauda from Northeastern State University, where she majored in English and minored in French. She worked for the Tulsa City/County Library system for several years before moving to Texas. She has taught pre-school through 6th grade subjects at the Saint Timothy School since 2009 and enjoys working with students to help them achieve mastery of their studies.

Mrs. Lilian Archbold — Upper Elementary Homeroom Teacher

Mrs. Archbold graduated with Honors from the University of Texas El Paso with a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science. She worked as a transfusion medicine specialist, chemist and microbiologist at Providence Memorial Hospital in El Paso for four years. In 2007, Mrs. Archbold moved to Dallas to teach in the Dallas Independent School District as a certified bilingual elementary teacher. She also worked in the Lewisville Independent School District. In both of these school districts, Mrs. Archbold taught kindergarten through fourth grade.

In 2009, Mrs. Archbold married at Chapel of the Cross. She is a mother of six of which five are students with The St. Timothy School. She and her family are active members of the Chapel of the Cross in several different ministries.

Mrs. Archbold was born in Mexico City and lived throughout Mexico before coming to the United States.  She enjoys camping, hiking, dancing and sewing (not all at the same time).

The Rev. Garrin Dickinson - Upper School Homeroom

Fr. Garrin was born in Michigan and grew up in the middle of Atlanta, Georgia, and in rural Connecticut.  That combination was confusing enough that somehow he found himself in an Army recruiter’s office, after which he served two and a half years as a tank driver, culminating in a combat tour during the first Gulf War. 

Having gotten that out of his system and having done his patriotic duty, he went to the University of Pittsburgh for a B.A. in English Literature.  Since his parents and siblings moved to the Pittsburgh area also, it became home.  After college, Garrin did a year of training for missions work with Youth With a Mission (YWaM).  That included a month in Jordan and a month leading an outreach team at the 1996 Summer Olympics.  In the course of that training, it became clear that God was calling him to the priesthood, so he earned a Master of Divinity degree at Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA. 

Fr. Garrin was ordained a priest in 2002 for the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh.  He spent three years as Curate at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Rosemont, PA.  For two of those years, while still serving in Pennsylvania, he was canonically resident in the Diocese of Mt. Kenya South.  He then transferred back to the Episcopal Church and served as Rector of Holy Nativity Church in Plano, TX, for fifteen years. 

Along the way, Fr. Garrin met and married the luminously beautiful Jenny Higgins, and they had three brilliant daughters: Lucy, Eleanor, and Mary.  The adventure of educating these brilliant children led the Dickinsons on a quest that ended in the wholesale adoption of Classical Christian Education.  Fr. Garrin has fulfilled several different roles in Christian schools, including parent, board member, board chairman, homeschool principal, teacher (both at home and school), substitute, and husband of an administrator.  Having been involved in independent schools, he is now very excited to join the faculty of a parish school.

Fr. Garrin is a devotee (putting it mildly) of the writings of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien.  He makes his own beer, wine, yogurt, sauerkraut, and soap.  He keeps bees and has a farm fantasy.  Most importantly, he thinks that Jesus and his Church should be at the center of everyone’s life.

Mrs. Ashley Cole — Latin

Ashley Cole received a bachelor’s degree in Classics from Baylor University and a master’s degree in Classics from Fordham University.  She taught in a Classical Christian school for eight years before coming to St. Timothy’s, and has attended the Chapel of the Cross her whole teaching career.  She is married and has three children, two of whom attend St. Timothy’s.

Latin and Greek are not dead languages for Mrs. Cole, who enjoys speaking, reading, and writing in them whenever she can. When not teaching, Mrs. Cole enjoys reading, attending plays with her husband, and having adventures with her children. 

Mr. Frank Bridwell — Upper School History

Mr. Bridwell earned his B.A. and M.A. in history from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. He taught history for over 25 years in the Garland Independent School District, specializing in American and Russian history. In 1987 GISD awarded him High School Teacher of the Year. He was also named the Secondary Level Commended Teacher by the University of Chicago in 1987 and Duke University in 1988. He moved to the Ursuline Academy of Dallas where he taught American history and Advanced Political Thought before retiring in 1998. He was awarded Teacher of the Year at the Ursuline Academy in 1991. Mr. Bridwell has served at the Saint Timothy School for the last six years as a part-time teacher.

Mr. Andrew Dittman — Choir & Orchestra Teacher

Mr. Andrew Dittman began teaching at Saint Timothy back in 2013.  He directs the choirs and orchestras, and teaches Computer Science.  He also has taught math, physics, and motor skills.  He serves as choirmaster for The Chapel of the Cross and artistic director for the Denton Bach Society. 

Praised by the Dallas Morning News as “a handsome new baritone voice,” Andrew has sung professionally as a soloist and chorister with Orpheus Chamber Singers, Denton Bach Society, Dallas Bach Society, and Orchestra of New Spain.  Andrew frequently composes and arranges music, which has been performed by choral and instrumental groups of all levels.  He holds a master’s degree in choral conducting and bachelor’s degrees in music and computer science, all from the University of North Texas. 

In his free time, Andrew also enjoys hiking, camping, indoor soccer, mountain biking, snow skiing, card/board games (which must require intellect), eating good food, and spending time with his lovely, ever patient wife, Ashley; their three children, John, James, and Catherine; and family and friends.

The Rev. Thomas Smith — Manual and Fine Arts

Thom has spent nearly fifty years in Christian ministry.  After pastoring three churches over a forty year period, he came to the Chapel of the Cross and the St. Timothy School in 2011.  A working and teaching artist, Thom has work in public and private collections in the US, Canada and the UK.  He teaches Rhetoric and the manual and fine arts and infuses the parish with his irrepressible humor.  He is a Presbyter in the Reformed Episcopal Church. He is also currently Chaplain of the Edgemere Community, Dallas.

Mr. Coleman Rafferty - 5th/6th Grade Homeroom

Mr. Coleman Rafferty is from Northern Virginia, where he was made a Postulant discerning Holy Orders in August 2022 at Church of Our Saviour at Oatlands (Leesburg, VA). He earned his BA at Messiah University (2019) and is currently finishing an MLitt with the Davenant Institute. While in Dallas, he will continue his studies at Cranmer House Theological Seminary. When he is not reading for school, he is probably reading for fun, going for a walk, or playing a sport.

The Rev. Edward G. Fruin - Middle School History, Grammar School Motor Skills

Fr. Ed has been involved in Christian ministry from his youth up. He attended Word of Life Bible Institute and then graduated from Moody Bible Institute with a Bachelor of Arts in International Ministries. He was involved in lay ministry in the Evangelical Free Church for over 15 years. During this time he worked in the construction industry. In 2016, Ed was confirmed in the Anglican Church. Shortly after, he moved his family from Wisconsin to Dallas to attend Cranmer Theological House, a seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church. He completed his Master of Divinity in May of 2022 and was ordained to the priesthood in December of 2022. Fr. Fruin is currently serving in various roles at The Chapel of the Cross. He teaches Middle School History as well as Kindergarten and Lower Elementary Motor Skills. His wife, Melissa, is the church/school secretary. Their daughter, Esther, attends St. Timothy School.