Mrs. Chelsea Payne

Hello! I’m Chelsea Payne and I am thrilled to be a part of the Santa Sophia Academy family as the new 6th grade teacher! As the homeroom teacher for 6th grade, I will be teaching your children Religion, Art, and Music. I also teach Social Studies and Science to 6th, 7th and 8th grade. It has been a joy to have your children in class and I am looking forward to a wonderful rest of the year! Santa Sophia Academy and Parish have been an important part of my life for over 20 years. As an alumni of the Academy, I recognize how instrumental Catholic education is and the importance of faith-based learning. I attended SSA, The Academy of Our Lady of Peace, and concluded my studies at Johnson & Wales University. SSA holds another special place in my heart as it is where I met my husband when we both were students. We were married 5 years ago in the beautiful parish church and now we are raising our two boys, Oliver (3) and Cooper (1) as part of the Santa Sophia community. We are looking forward to the day our children can attend SSA and continue their Catholic education. In my free time, with the direction of my mother Alison Gustafson, we have been running a drama program at the Academy since I was a student. I love the theatre and bringing that experience to the students. I can’t wait until we can start the program up again! You can also find me snuggling with my two little boys, playing the ukulele, singing, dancing and baking! I am a certified professional pastry chef with a specialty in artisan breads and viennoiserie. I love to relate my lessons in the classroom to my love of food and cooking!