Meet Our Team

Bio coming soon

Mrs. Rivera is new to our Branches team. She has been happily married to Gil for 31 years, her two daughters, Melanie and Amber, were recently married (during covid!), and she is a new grandma to little Madelyn. She just moved her youngest, Luke, into college and is so happy to join our staff. Mrs. Rivera has been a preschool, kindergarten, and third grade teacher at Christian and public schools, and has enjoyed being the long-term substitute at her children’s Christian K-8 school so that she could enjoy their experience with them. She learned about Branches from a current family this year and was happy to jump onboard! Christ is at the forefront of all she does and puts Him first above everything. She is happy all her adult children are devout and love Jesus like she does. Mrs. Rivera is active at her church with Bible studies, and she teaches Faith Formation two evenings a week. She is excited to be able to share the love of Jesus with her students.

Mrs. Overby is a wife of 12 years and mother of three kids (8, 6 and almost 1). She is a veteran public school teacher and excited to team with the families at BHA for another year creating a community of excellence among homeschoolers. As a credentialed teacher she taught high school and middle school Mathematics and AVID. Now homeschooling her own young children, she is inspired by how their curiosity naturally integrates subject matter and catalyzes a love of learning. Working with children in various age groups has cemented the truth that you learn where you are loved. She can't wait to lean into the love of Jesus this year and grow together as scholars and image bearers.

Ms. James received her Bachelors of Science in Child and Adolescent Development from California State University, Fullerton. Her desire to serve the Lord led her to fulfill her practicum here at Branches, and she is excited to now officially be joining the team. She attends Christ Community Church, where she serves in the 1st-3rd grade class in Children’s Ministry and in the Young Adults Ministry. She has worked with children in multiple capacities and jobs and loves doing so! Her passion is teaching, serving, and helping others, all for the glory of Christ alone (Colossians 3:23-24). Her hope is to encourage and teach children to do all things, in faith and obedience, with excellence, for the glory of God.

Mrs. Dichosa has been married to her husband, Julius, for 20 years; they have three children ages 13, 10, and 7. April and her family faithfully attend VantagePoint Church in Eastvale where she serves as a vocalist on the worship team, and the coordinator for prison ministries. In addition to teaching, April also serves as the US Executive Director for a non-profit in Kenya.  She has a huge passion for both music and for missions.  April received her BA and MaEd from Azusa Pacific University.  She was a public school educator for 21 years; experience in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grades.  April is grateful for the opportunity to teach at Branches and really looking forward to having a rich year with her students!  She is especially eager to teach and nurture her students from a Biblical perspective. 

Mrs. Ayala is an East Coast transplant who met her love, Fernando, shortly after moving to California. They have been married for 6 years and have 2 sweet girls. The Ayala Family attend Life Bible Fellowship Church where Magda serves as a Client Advocate for the church’s outreach ministry, Assure. The Ayalas love to travel and explore all that Southern California has to offer! Magda received her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts where she majored in International Relations and minored in Portuguese. She was an executive for an international athletic brand before becoming a stay at home Mom and pursuing her passions of faith, family, and fitness. Magda has been homeschooling her oldest for the past year and a half and feels called to support Moms on their homeschool journey. She can’t wait to meet you and your children, and to experience all that the Lord will do in this new school year!

Mrs. Kunstmann and her husband, Paul, have been married 18 years and raising their three kids (and their pup, Sunny) while attending Life Bible Fellowship. She enjoys being outdoors with her family and dog, family pizza & movie nights at home, and most recently her Bible study group with Sandals Church Azusa. Mrs. Kunstmann has trusted God and what he has in store for her and her family, and is excited for this new chapter teaching with Branches. She and her family are entering year three of homeschooling and looks forward to contributing to this wonderful homeschool community!

Mrs. Wolfe has been married to Tim for 18 years, together they have 3 teenage sons. As a family they attend Calvary Chapel Chino Hills. She has homeschooled all of her sons at different times throughout their education. She has found a blessed purpose in teaching at BHA while homeschooling her youngest. After 2 years of working with the admin team, Mrs. Wolfe began teaching the junior high class. Mrs. Wolfe loves teaching from a biblical worldview. Her goal as a teacher is to see her students make connections to God’s workmanship in all things. She makes it a priority that her classroom is a place of growth and grace.

Mrs. Guerin has been married to her husband, Kevin, for 16 years, together hey have three children. Suzanne and her family have faithfully attended Vantage Point Church in Eastvale and she has served as one of the Preschool-Kindergarten classroom leaders for the last 10 years.  Prior to being a stay-at-home mom, Suzanne was a 7th grade Life Science and 8th grade Physical Science Teacher in the Ontario-Montclair school district for six years.  She has a Bachelors of Science Degree in Biology from Cal Poly Pomona and a Masters in Education. Suzanne is thankful for this new opportunity to teach at Branches and she is looking forward to getting to know her students and having the freedom to teach high school students from a biblical perspective.

Mrs. Perez has been a classroom teacher, a college faculty member, a homeschool mom for her four sons, a curriculum writer, and a tutor for international students. She has a multi-subject MAEd., and has taught grades K-12 in four different states. Mrs. Perez strongly believes that students should know history well, and should be able to express themselves well in both speaking and writing. I Peter 3:15 urges Christians to "sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect,"  To help students achieve that goal, Mrs. Perez will be teaching writing.

Mr. Sparks is currently receiving his Bachelors of Arts degree in Communication Studies at California State University San Bernardino. His passion is Christ and Communication. His motivation to teach is that Christ’s perfect love compels him to serve (2nd Corinthians 5:14). He attends Christ Community Church in West Covina where he serves as the Youth intern and director of Youth Ministries. He has taught speech and communication at after school programs before, but he is excited to be working with Branches as he will teach students how to communicate to the world with the proper tools and knowledge of God and people.

Mrs. Sidur is married to her high school sweetheart, Terry.  They have two boys, Damon, 19 and Dean, 14 and attend Calvary Chapel Chino Hills.  She has been homeschooling for 8 years, her oldest now attends Colorado Christian University.  Karen attended Cal Baptist University and received her Bachelor's Degree in Education.  Although she has not formally taught in the classroom, Karen has taught her kids in all subjects and has taught many co-op classes throughout the years.

Mrs. Castaneda is an enthusiastic and dedicated homeschool mom to two teenagers and one tween, and a devoted wife of 20 years to her husband Abel. She has been teaching Performing Arts for over 25 years, but has never been more happy than teaching at Branches. Mrs. C is a Screen Actor’s Guild Actress and graduate from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and believes a well-rounded education includes a hands-on opportunity of singing, dancing, acting and directing. She believes opportunities in the performing arts contribute to an individual’s self-confidence, self-awareness and personal growth. Mrs. C gives her all to her students and loves to see them take the stage and shine like the stars they are.

Mrs. Zammit has been married to her husband Joe for 15 years. She has 1 biological son, 1 adopted son (nephew), and 4 stepsons. They previously fostered 2 girls that have remained a major part of their lives as well. She has homeschooled their son, Tanner, for 8 years. Their family attends Yorba Linda Church of Christ where she and Joe originally met. Mrs. Zammit received her BS in Electrical Engineering in 2000 at Oklahoma Christian University with an emphasis in wireless communications. She also graduated from the University of Phoenix with her MBA. Mrs. Zammit initially worked in RF engineering for a cellular phone company. She continued on to a Dept of Defense contractor, providing the satellite tracking and communications for US Navy missile tests. Mrs. Zammit has enjoyed being a part of the Branches community for 5 years now, and is excited to be able to contribute back by offering a STEM course for the students.

Mrs. Cessna and her husband, David, have been married for close to 20 years.  They’ve been blessed with 3 beautiful children, Christopher, Caleb and Arabella.  Her family has a heart to serve and is involved in various ministries at their home church in Chino Hills.  She is grateful to have partnered with Branches through their homeschool journey and is honored to be a part of the staff.  She's excited to see what the Lord has in store for Branches.

Mr. Gruchacz (pronounced grew-house) serves as Director of Worship Ministries and leads the Young Adults Ministry at Christ Community Church in West Covina. He has been married to his wonderful wife Aryn for 8 years, and they have 3 children plus one on the way! He received a B.A. in Music and Biblical Studies from The Master’s University, and his passion is to equip and encourage others to worship God “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24), both individually and corporately. He is excited to work with Branches in preparing students to be true worshippers and faithful servants in their homes and churches.