• Overview
• Degrees & Areas of Study
  • Core Program
  • Majors
    • Biology Major
    • Education Major
    • English Language and Literature Major
    • History Major
    • Interdisciplinary Major
    • Religion Major
  • Certification in Secondary Education
  • Associate in Arts Degree
• Experiential Learning
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Kay R. Alden
Head of Education Division
Instructor in Education
B.S., Bryn Athyn Coll., MA, A.N.C. Theological School.

Kay Alden has taught preschool through college. She edits the biannual publication New Church Teacher and actively supports New Church curriculum development, providing teacher support to schools in North America and Africa. She is particularly interested in the growth of New Church education in non-western cultures.

Courses taught: Ed 128, 321, 401, 424, 401, 402

Hilary J. Bryntesson
Instructor in Physical Education
B.Ed., Univ. of Brighton

Hilary J Bryntesson heads the Physical Education Department and serves as Athletic Director and Social Director. She taught and coached in high schools in England for many years before moving to the USA. She has a passion for running and a whole new interpretation of the phrase, “Run for your Life.” The highlight of her work is seeing the spirits of the students soar through physical exercise, dance, and sports.

Courses taught: Ed 253

Eric Carswell
Assistant Professor of Education
B.A., Pennsylvania State Univ., M.Ed., Lehigh Univ., M.Div., A.N.C. Theological School

Eric Carswell brings to his teaching his background in psychology, decades of teaching experience at all levels of education, combined with his delight in observing the process of human development.

Courses taught: Ed 304

Martha Gyllenhaal
Assistant Professor of Art
B.F.A., Carnegie-MellonUniv., M.A., Temple

Martha Gyllenhaal, head of the Humanities /Fine Arts Division, is a painter and art historian who teaches in both areas and likes integrating them. She enjoys using the art collections in the Glencairn Museum to enhance her classes. Her course Topics in Twentieth-Century Architecture: Bryn Athyn Cathedral meets on site and examines the process of making that magnificent structure. She has lived and traveled extensively in Europe and encourages her students to plan their own Grand Tours. Her passion is seventeenth-century Dutch art. She is currently writing a dissertation on Rembrandt.

Courses taught: Ed 251

Grant Odhner
Instructor in Theology
B.S., State Univ. of New York-Plattsburgh, M.Div., A.N.C. Theological School

Grant Odhner, currently on the faculty of the Theological School, brings to his teaching many years of experience as a pastor. One of his pastorates placed him as headmaster of a church elementary school, and gave him the opportunity of teaching religion and doing curricular work related to it. His "first love" is the beautiful theology of the New Church, which names and describes a God whose love and goal are simple and compelling, and whose wisdom in approaching these goals is unassailably reasonable, to those willing to consider with the eyes of faith. He feels privileged to teach a course on this God, "The Doctrine of the Lord." Another love that creeps into everything he does is that of nature and natural history.

Courses taught: Ed 424

Nina Phillips
Lecturer in Education
B.A., Pennsylvania State Univ., M.S., BridgeportUniv.

“ Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire.” (William Butler Yeats)

Courses taught: Ed 225, 235, 245, 301, 317, 325, 354

Brenda Rydstrom
BA Secondary Education Univ of Arizona, MS Special Education Holy Family University

After teaching high school in Tucson, Brenda Rydstrom joined the staff of the Bryn Athyn Church School where she has taught a variety of subjects and grade levels for 15 years. In additon to teaching, she tutors children with special needs. She currently supports students with learning challenges in the fifth grade at the School Lane Charter School in Bensalem.

Courses taught: Ed 240, 311

Christopher W.  Simons
Music Instructor
B.Mus., BostonUniv., M.Mus., TempleUniv.

Chris Simons has taught music for more than 35 years at all education levels. He works with the Bryn Athyn Cathedral Choir and the numerous ensembles that sing at other worship services.  Chris also plays tuba with the Bryn Athyn Cathedral Brass and is the founder and director of the men’s a cappella group The Sons of Art. He loves to garden, backpack, ride horseback through the Pennypack woods, and spend time at home with his wife, Gail, and their three cats.

Courses taught: Ed 252

Soni Werner
Assistant Professor of Education and Psychology
B.A., West Connecticut State Univ., M.S., Ph.D. Iowa State Univ.

Soni Werner teaches Psychology, Education, and Leadership, directs the Internship Program, and offers career counseling to students. Her special areas of interest are early childhood education, child abuse intervention, moral and spiritual development, social psychology, human resource management, service learning, women's roles in society, and the new synthesis of theology and psychology called Positive Psychology. She has also studied the history of psychology with a focus on Swedenborgian influences, especially William James and his connection to the 12-step program and mental health.

"To live for others is to perform uses. There are spiritual uses...moral and civil uses...natural uses...and uses of the body...All these uses...follow in order one after the other." (Emanuel Swedenborg, Conjugial Love #18)

Courses taught: Ed 340