TMU Alumni at Legacy Christian Academy: A Day-in-the-Life

Stacie Zorichak

On August 21, 2024, the first day of the school year begins at Legacy Christian Academy in Santa Clarita, California. Stacie Zorichak and Matt Millett are standing on the sidewalk, greeting parents, and directing nervous, excited, and timid kids to their classrooms. New students and families may be surprised to see Matt and Stacie opening doors since Matt leads the junior high and high school and Stacie oversees elementary education—kindergarten through fifth grade. However, returning students and parents are familiar with Matt and Stacie’s consistent presence first thing in the morning.

“All administration does valet service,” Stacie says. “We want to be servant leaders. The morning car line also allows us to connect with families, answer any questions, and make sure teachers and parents are on the same page.”

From the curb, children in the fourth grade head to Tracie Meister’s class. Tracie is beginning her 16th year at Legacy. Some elementary teachers move around. Tracie, however, has chosen to stay in the same grade level because of her passion for working with this age group.

 “It is a joy to teach fourth-graders because they are beginning to develop their own opinions and think critically,” Tracie says. “My students are creative, enthusiastic, and eager to learn and grow. It makes this pivotal year a good step toward independence as they move into the upper grades.”

Tracie Meister

Alongside Tracie, these young students will learn from Bethany Bolen, the fourth-grade assistant teacher who directs small groups, works one-on-one, and monitors children on the playground. Later that week, Tracie’s students will meet George Lopez, the elementary school’s Dean of Spiritual Life and Activities, as he introduces the yearly theme, “Go Light Your World,” taken from Matthew 5:14-16. They will then have Bible class with Tage Herrington, where they will walk through the Old Testament and learn of God’s continued faithfulness. When they head to the library, Kelli Gleeson will begin their time with a read-aloud and then allow them to independently read leveled books of personal interest.  For art lessons throughout the year, Heidi Keller will provide a creative space for students to explore their artistic skills through various mediums and techniques.

All these teachers and servants are not only united by their work at Legacy but they are also connected by their education. Each one of these individuals, from Stacie and Matt to Kelli and Heidi, graduated from The Master’s University. A total of 29 graduates of The Master’s University are part of the faculty and staff at Legacy Christian Academy. Perhaps no institution, outside TMU itself, has more former Mustangs on its payroll.

For Matt, Stacie, and Tracie, it’s no accident that a Blue-Ribbon school—one of the highest quality not only in Santa Clarita or California, but the entire country—is well-staffed with TMU graduates. The same philosophy of education characterizes both Legacy and TMU’s Pearl C. Schaffer School of Education.

“When I attended Master’s, the professors maintained high standards,” Tracie recalled. “Glorifying God was the top priority, and I was continually reminded that we can honor Him in every task—great or small. Legacy has built on that same foundation. Since exalting God is our highest goal, we strive to please Him by consistently looking for gospel opportunities with our students, pursuing academic excellence, and diving deeply into His creation.”

Though nearly 20 years have passed since Matt Millett was a student at The Master’s University, formerly The Master’s College, he still draws from his college education every day. “My experience at TMU was foundational for the thing we’ve sought to do at the high school and middle school level,” Matt said. “Discipleship was a huge priority at TMU. The same is true at Legacy. I want our staff and faculty to connect with students in a way that builds relationships for a distinct purpose, which is to reflect what a relationship with Christ looks like.

“We want to make their middle school and high school experience fun, but we also want to have intentionality with everything so that it’s all done for the purpose of preparing young people to love and serve Christ.”

For Stacie Zorichak, TMU’s impact on her future career began when she was a senior in high school, trying to decide which college to attend. At the time, Stacie already knew she wanted to be a teacher. Thanks to high scores on the ACT and SAT tests, Stacie had her pick of elite universities. She visited Stanford and Pepperdine but she wasn’t interested in their student life or amenities. The education department was her main focus. What was their educational philosophy? How did they monitor student achievement and time in the classroom?

“At that time, the other schools I visited seemed to have a more philosophical approach to education,” Stacie recalled. “Most of the education classes focused primarily on different theories and philosophies of education—rather than on student success. Everything was different when I visited Master’s. The school already knew what the point of education was. Their Christian worldview shaped and gave purpose to their educational philosophies and their emphasis was on practical application in the classroom and educating the child as a whole. After visiting a lot of schools, it became clear that the best place to train for the classroom was going to be Master’s. My students wouldn’t care where I went to school. All they were going to care about was how effective I was in the classroom.”

Matt Millett

After many years in her own classroom, Stacie now has the privilege of coming alongside every elementary-level teacher at Legacy, sharing her experience, and listening as they relay challenges or encouragements from the previous week. She also meets regularly with Matt, her fellow TMU alum and the leader of the high school, to make sure they are on the same page. At the end of the day, you will typically find both of them in the valet line, opening car doors, saying hello to parents, and encouraging parents and kids as they head home for the day.

“We are partners with parents. At Legacy, we say that so much it has almost become a cliché,” Matt said. “The parents are making a significant investment in their children by sending them to Legacy. And we want to make sure they get a good return on that investment, not just in the sense that we give their children a lot of head knowledge, but that we come alongside parents to educate their children to be people of character and spiritual life. We want to help give them all the tools they’ll need to be successful and honor God in all areas of life.”

This personal discipleship, whole-person model of education is going to become more valuable and worth the investment in the coming years. The need for it becomes more evident everyday as the culture slides further and further from God and dehumanizing technologies become more prominent. It makes the presence of Legacy, and the education that future teachers are receiving at TMU, all the more valuable because of its foundation in transcendent truth.

“Young people today desperately need to be taught that there is hope in this world, that there’s a difference between right and wrong, good and evil, and that they are created in the image of God,” Stacie said. “They are going to need all the support they can get and that’s what we’re providing here at Legacy and that’s the kind of support I received at TMU.”