Amy Raybould Derstine

Algebra 1




Master Teacher: Chelsie Price

Master Teacher

Chelsie Price

BS, Grand Canyon University



Chelsie Price earned her BS in secondary education with an emphasis in mathematics through Grand Canyon University’s online education program. She chose the flexibility of the online platform to allow her to fulfill her primary role as a blessed mother of two girls. She then obtained her teaching license in Colorado, where she was born and raised, before uprooting to adventure in California.

In addition to her six years of experience teaching and tutoring within the Christian education setting, Chelsie’s extensive experience as an online student gives her a unique perspective in her role as an instructor. She seeks to apply her knowledge to create an enjoyable and connected virtual environment as she engages students in the exploration of new mathematical concepts— showcasing how this foundational knowledge gives us a glimpse of the glory and intricacy of creation and the nature of our Father.

Chelsie lives in Northern California, where she is happily homeschooling her two daughters, tutoring, and substitute teaching. She and her family enjoy reading, board games, hiking, gardening, and fellowshipping with church family.

This is her second year teaching for the Academy.


Classroom Teacher: Rachael Butters


Classroom Teacher

Rachael Butters 

MA, Saint Xavier University
BA, Trinity International University



Rachael Butters earned her undergraduate degree at Trinity International University in mathematics/secondary education. After graduation, she started teaching high school math at Mundelein High School and completed her master’s degree at St. Xavier University in teaching and leadership. She taught in the public school classroom for nine years, using several different instruction methods for a variety of math classes and levels.

After her first child was born, Rachael decided to stay home to care for her family. During this time she began teaching online college classes for Moody Bible Institute's Distance Learning Program. Over the five years she worked for Moody, she taught a variety of online math classes as well as editing and writing curriculum.

Rachael is married to her husband Dean and they have two children: Kate (9) and Collin (6). They currently live in Palatine, IL, where they are blessed to be located close to their church, Harvest Bible Chapel. Her husband serves full-time as an executive pastor there.

Rachael is excited to use her gifts and experience in the online venue by teaching math through HSLDA Online Academy. This is her second year teaching for the Academy.

Algebra 2




Master Teacher: Angela Ellis



Master Teacher

Angela Ellis

MA, George Mason University
BA, George Mason University

Angela Ellis earned a bachelor’s in mathematics and a master’s in education from George Mason University. She has twenty years of experience teaching secondary math courses from pre-algebra through pre-calculus. Mrs. Ellis has taught math classes at a local school, on online programs, and as a homeschooling mother. She enjoys meeting the challenges that are unique to each learning environment.

Angela currently lives in Loudoun County, Virginia, with her husband and three very active boys. She has a passion for finding mathematics everywhere and for sharing her enthusiasm with anyone who will listen. As Galileo so wisely noted, "Mathematics is the alphabet with which God wrote the universe." Angela holds that little nugget of wisdom to be a profound influence behind her teaching and her own love of learning and loves nothing more than to help other people see just how true that statement proves to be.

Angela is the Course Developer and Master Teacher of the Academy’s Geometry course, as well as the Master Teacher for Algebra 2. Prior to her work in these courses, she taught Algebra 1 for the Academy to become familiar with our math program as a whole. This is her third year teaching for the Academy.

 


Classroom Teacher: Daniel O'Connor


Classroom Teacher

Daniel O'Connor

MA, Holy Apostles College & Seminary
BS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute



Daniel O'Connor earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and his master's degree in philosophical theology from Holy Apostles College & Seminary. He worked in the corporate engineering industry before moving on to non-profit charitable work, helping to found and run the John Bosco House for homeless young men.

Daniel has been honored to teach high school students in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and SAT preparation. He also teaches philosophy at the college level. He has been teaching online for over four years and comes highly recommended by his students for his ability to engage and explain in the online environment.

He currently lives in Albany, NY, with his wife and two children. In his free time, Daniel enjoys engineering work for his own hobby innovation company, renovating his 100-year-old fixer-upper home, and, above all, spending time in prayer.

This is Daniel’s second year teaching Geometry and Algebra 2 for the Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Stacy Carpenter


Classroom Teacher

Stacy Carpenter

MS, Colorado State University
BS, Louisiana State University



Stacy Carpenter holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics and Latin from Louisiana State University, and a master's degree in mathematics from Colorado State University. She has over 8 years of experience as a mathematics tutor and has also taught algebra, trigonometry, and calculus classes for several universities. This past year she expanded her tutoring business to include online clients, and has found tutoring online very rewarding. Of all the subjects she has taught as an instructor and a tutor, Algebra II and trigonometry are her favorites.

Stacy's other professional experience includes working as a research scientist using mathematical models to predict physical effects in the real world.

Stacy has been married to her sweetheart, Jeff, for 22 years.  She feels privileged to be able to educate their 7 young blessings at home.  Last summer the Carpenters gave up life in the suburbs and moved to a small farm in her home state of Louisiana. While working, educating her children, and learning to grow vegetables takes up most of her time, Stacy also loves to photograph people, experiment with healthy food choices for her family, play percussion instruments, and visit with friends.

This is Stacy’s second year teaching for the Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Laura Priano


Classroom Teacher

Laura Priano

BS, Geneva College

Laura Priano earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics education from Geneva College. Since then, she has taught in a variety of settings, including a Christian school, a cyber charter school, and a homeschool group. In addition, she has tutored numerous individuals. Each experience has stretched her and made her a better guide for students learning mathematics.

Laura loves the way our Creator has fashioned and formed the universe to declare His glory. Mathematics is a tremendous example of the way He has fit it all together perfectly, and algebra is one of her favorite ways to explore His masterpiece. Even when she stepped away from teaching in school to homeschool her own children, she has found herself jumping at opportunities to help friends and family members with math problems. She is thrilled to be teaching at the Academy.

Laura lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her husband and four energetic children. She is a faithful baseball and hockey fan. In their 10+ years of marriage, she and her husband have enjoyed traveling throughout the United States to visit ballparks (sometimes accompanied by the children). When she has a spare moment, she also loves to read, sing, and sew. She and her husband are also very active in their home church.

Biology




Master Teacher: Kristina Mayo

Master Teacher

Kristina Mayo

DVM, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine
BA, College of William and Mary

Dr. Kris Pelham Mayo is a veterinarian and classical homeschool tutor in the natural sciences. She received a BA in modern languages (German and French) from the College of William and Mary and a DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech.

After practicing clinical veterinary medicine and surgery for a number of years, Dr. Mayo joined the faculty at the Community College of Baltimore County as an adjunct professor, where she developed and taught online classes in veterinary technology. She has been homeschooling her 4 children (ranging from elementary school age through high school age) since they were born. Since 2011, she has also been tutoring high school laboratory science classes, including biology, chemistry, and physical science, for a local classical homeschool tutorial.

Dr. Mayo is passionate about helping students learn more about their Creator by studying His creation! Students who enroll in her classes learn more than just science through a Christian worldview. They also learn how to learn. Many high school students can read a textbook, but they often do not really know how to study a textbook. Using classical, trivium-based techniques, her students learn for retention and develop practical study techniques, time management habits, and critical thinking and rhetorical skills that benefit them through high school and beyond.

Dr. Mayo lives on a farm in Bowie, Maryland, with her husband, 4 children, horses, chickens, rabbits, and whatever other animals show up at the farm. She is excited to be teaching knowledge, developing wisdom, and fostering understanding with a Christian worldview at HSLDA Online Academy.


Classroom Teacher: Katrina Gellerman


Classroom Teacher

Katrina Gellerman

MS, University of Notre Dame
BS, North Dakota State University

Katrina Gellerman received her undergraduate degree in molecular biology at North Dakota State University and a master’s degree in biochemistry at The University of Notre Dame. She has conducted academic research involving isolating heme transport proteins in pathogenic bacteria and characterizing aberrant gene expression in ovarian cancer.

While in graduate school, she made the unexpected discovery that she loved teaching science more than laboratory research. She has since turned her efforts toward instruction, and has over five years of experience teaching and tutoring math and science students of a variety of ages and backgrounds.

Katrina was homeschooled K-12 and loves the personalized and flexible approach of home education. She has always enjoyed learning about and teaching the biological sciences and their role in displaying the complexity, beauty and majesty of the Creator. She is very excited to highlight the surprising intricacies of the world around us that we so often take for granted. Katrina also enjoys music (especially playing piano: Mozart sonatas and accompanying her sister’s singing), painting, hiking, needlework, and reading.

Classroom Teacher: Angel Miera


Classroom Teacher

Angel Miera

MS, Georgetown University
BS, University of New Mexico

Angel earned an undergraduate degree in biology at the University of New Mexico. She earned her master’s degree at Georgetown University in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology. Angel has extensive experience conducting independent research and is an experienced seminar speaker and author. She believes that using the scientific method during “hands-on” experimentation is the key to successful discovery. Angel’s passion in the area of science is molecular biology. Angel spent a considerable amount of time using various high-powered microscopes to make discoveries. She absolutely loves to illuminate the intricacies of God’s creation using microscopy!

During her time in the lab, Angel mentored several high school and undergraduate students. She has also taught biology online to undergraduate students. Angel’s favorite aspect of teaching is helping students live up to their God-given potential by presenting subject matter in an interesting way and challenging students to ask questions and dive deep into new material without fear.

In addition to teaching, Angel takes on various projects in the area of outcomes management for various non-profit organizations. Angel lives in Arizona, where she is happily homeschooling her young son. She enjoys traveling, the outdoors, and spending time with her family.

Classroom Teacher: Lilli Ann Miller


Classroom Teacher

Lilli Ann Miller

MS, University of Houston
BS, University of the Philippines at Los Baños

Lilli Ann Miller earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with an emphasis in genetics and plant breeding at the University of the Philippines at Los Baños.  She served there as an instructor in General Biology and Genetics in the Department of Life Sciences.   A Fulbright-Hays travel grant gave her the opportunity to pursue graduate studies in molecular genetics at the University of Houston. While in the master’s program, she worked as a teaching fellow in the Department of Biology and as a research assistant in the Department of Biochemistry.

For the last 20 years, she has been a homeschool mother of five.  She has served in leadership roles at homeschool co-ops, coordinated events, and taught classes.  She currently teaches high school Biology and middle school History in a local co-op.  She considers it a privilege to help inspire young minds to love to learn.  It is her desire that students learn to appreciate God’s incredible design for life and His amazing wisdom as manifested in every aspect of creation.

Lilli Ann and her husband, Jeff, have been married almost 30 years and they reside in Houston, Texas. They are blessed with five children, a son-in-law, and a brand-new granddaughter. 

Classroom Teacher: Noelle Stillman


Classroom Teacher

Noelle Stillman

BS, Florida International University

Noelle Stillman earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from Florida International University in Miami in 1999, and practiced in hospital and outpatient settings for several years, eventually specializing in orthopedics and hand therapy. In addition to her Occupational Therapy degree and licensure, Noelle earned Certification as a Birth Doula in 2006, Certification as a Health Coach in 2015, and holds a Certificate of German Language Studies from the Collegium Palatinum in Heidelberg, Germany.

Besides homeschooling her own children, Noelle has been teaching high school classes at a large homeschool co-op for 12 years, and has taught multiple subjects including natural sciences, critical thinking, philosophy, history, literature, and foreign languages. She has also taught science classes at a homeschool hybrid school, taught biology and marine biology classes from her home, and tutored college biology. She is also a published author, and enjoys writing articles for homeschool publications about such topics as learning style and intelligence.

Noelle loves teaching high school students, and enjoys challenging them to think for themselves, to understand why they believe what they believe, and to defend it intelligently and articulately. She is passionate about the Lord and discovering his “fingerprints” which are so evident in creation, and she loves igniting in her students that same passion for learning and for finding the Creator in all things. She hopes to equip students to leave her class better prepared to defend their beliefs in a hostile world, and to shine as bright lights in the darkness!

Noelle has been married to her best friend since 1995, and is a homeschooling mother to their 8 children. She and her family live on a farm in Florida, and raise many types of animals, including horses, Angus beef cows, dairy goats, pigs, turkeys, chickens, peacocks, cats, dogs, a guinea pig, and a rabbit! In her spare time, Noelle enjoys reading, writing, sewing, running, music, camping, and being outdoors with her family. She and her family are active in their church, and lead worship together as a family.

Business & Entrepreneurship




Master Teacher: Rick Stevens

Master Teacher

Rick Stevens

MA, North Central College
BS, Eastern Illinois University

Rick Stevens earned his bachelor of science in business (business education) from Eastern Illinois University and a master of arts in education (curriculum & instruction) from North Central College. He has twenty years of experience teaching a variety of business and computer science courses in private Christian schools, public schools, and at both the high school and post-secondary levels. As a homeschooling father, Mr. Stevens also understands the unique situations that homeschooling parents face in the choices for their children's educational future.

Rick currently lives with his family in beautiful Colorado Springs, CO, where he and his wife Michelle raise their 6 children in the shadows of Pike's Peak. As a business owner, Rick has a passion for helping students understand that missionaries do not have to be commissioned and travel to third world countries, but that they can be missionaries who have been called to the marketplace.

Rick is the Course Developer and Master Teacher of the Academy’s Business & Entrepreneurship course.


Classroom Teacher: Sandra Miller


Classroom Teacher

Sandra Miller

BA, Pepperdine University

Sandra Miller lives on Long Island, New York, with her husband and a group of shamelessly spoiled pets. A graduate of Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, Sandra considers education a life-long journey. She has completed professional certificates in marketing, personnel management, quality assurance, European politics, strategic account management, negotiating, and empowerment. She is currently working on completing an MBA.

Sandra’s professional experience includes a career with Xerox Corporation in a variety of marketing and management positions. Extensive business travel while working with Xerox’s largest customers allowed Sandra to visit all 50 states and many countries while gaining a global business perspective. Sandra has earned Xerox’s highest performance recognition as well as multiple National Leadership Through Quality awards.

After 13 years, Sandra left the corporate world to raise her children. She has many years of homeschool experience in addition to tutoring and teaching co-op classes. Her three children are all attending top-tier universities.

Sandra’s roots in Southern California’s beach culture have resulted in a lifetime of volunteer work dedicated to keeping our oceans clean. Her hobbies of hiking, horseback riding, and golf fill her free time. Growing up in four different countries and several states, Sandra developed a love of travel and the outdoors, a passion she shares with her husband and three children. A long bucket list of the most beautiful hiking areas awaits Sandra, her husband Tom, and their spoiled dogs.

Classroom Teacher: Robert Smith


Classroom Teacher

Robert Smith

MA, Gonzaga University
BA, California State University Fresno

Robert Smith earned his bachelor of arts degree in communications with emphasis in personal communication from the University of California Fresno. He then earned a designation from the American College in management, followed by his master’s degree from Gonzaga University in organizational leadership, with an emphasis in servant leadership. 

Robert has been honored to serve the Lord in many ways, including teaching leadership and business classes at Geneva College and serving as the dean of the school of leadership & vision at State Farm University. When he is not teaching business classes, Robert serves as the director of a homeschool community, the teaching pastor of a church, and as a proud homeschooling parent who understands the challenges parents face today.

Currently, Robert lives on a small farm in North Carolina, where he and his wife of thirteen years. He has six children ranging from 11 to 1 who bring great joy and excitement to the family. 

Robert is passionate about teaching and leading young men and women, striving to see Christ glorified and hearts strengthened in their relationship with Christ, and the application of biblical worldviews in their future profession. 

 

Calculus AB



Master Teacher: Newton Quan
Master Teacher
Newton Quan
BS, University of California, Irvine
Newton Quan earned his BS in applied physics from UC Irvine. In order to pursue a career in teaching, he received his California Teaching Credential from CSU San Marcos and renewed it at UC San Diego.
Newton has been teaching and tutoring for the past eleven years, beginning at the Army and Navy Academy in Carlsbad and then moving to Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego. His teaching/tutoring career has included Physics, AP Physics, Algebra II, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, and AP Calculus. He is passionate about teaching math in a way that is fun (a play on the friction equation, F = uN) and helping students discover its relevance in the real world.
In addition to teaching AP courses, he has been an ETS Reader for the AP Physics exam for the past three years. When not in the classroom, he enjoys coaching football, soccer, and lacrosse and leading campus Bible studies.
This is his second year teaching for the Academy.

Chemistry




Master Teacher: Anastacio Dalde

Master Teacher

Anastacio Dalde

MS, University of Hawaii Manoa
BA, University of California Berkeley

Anastacio Dalde III obtained his bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of California Berkeley and his master’s degree in physics from the University of Hawaii Manoa. He is dual certified by the Hawaii Department of Education to teach science and mathematics, and works as a physicist for the Non-ionizing Radiation Division within the United States Army.

Before working as a Department of Defense civilian employee for the federal government, Mr. Dalde was a full-time teacher for 12 years at Myron B. Thompson Academy, an online charter school in Hawaii. He has taught students from the sixth grade level to the community college level in courses such as honors physics, chemistry, earth science, civil engineering, Algebra 1 and 2, geometry, calculus, and computer programming. He is passionate about helping students discover their God-given human potential.

Mr. Dalde believes passionately in homeschooling. He and his wife have been homeschooling their children for 8 years now. When not in the classroom, he enjoys playing with his children and playing the ukulele.


Classroom Teacher: Holly Cozzie


Classroom Teacher

Holly Cozzie

MS, Loyola University Chicago
BS, Illinois State University

Holly Cozzie attended Illinois State University and graduated with a BS in biology and a minor in chemistry. She earned her MS in chemistry at Loyola University Chicago, with a focus in biochemistry.

Her career in science began at Loyola University Chicago, where she worked as a laboratory teaching assistant while she was earning her master of science degree. She went on to teach chemistry, biology, and physics at the high school level and the college level. She has taught at San Antonio Christian High School, University of the Incarnate Word, Gloria Deo Academy, and in a homeschool co-op setting.

Holly has a passion for her Savior and His truth, order, and creativity that is revealed through chemistry. She finds chemistry to be a fascinating study of atoms, bonds, and the reactions of different chemicals. Ultimately, all other sciences are built upon chemistry, since everything is made from atoms. Holly looks forward to helping students learn how chemistry impacts life—from the human body held by covalent bonds, to the metallic structure of skyscrapers held by metallic bonds, to the many salts that we consume held by ionic bonds.

Holly has been married to her husband for 16 years and has five children. She homeschools, takes her children to sports activities, and takes care of many pets—a German shepherd, two cats, a bearded dragon, a tortoise, and fish. Some of her favorite activities are running, roller-blading, and swimming. She has run one marathon and three half-marathons. Holly is also a group leader in Bible Study Fellowship, where she and her family attend weekly.

Classroom Teacher: Christian Dove


Classroom Teacher

Christian Dove

MPH, University of West Florida
BS, The Master's University

Christian Dove is a science educator, microbiologist, and global health consultant. A graduate of The Master’s University, he majored in cell biology with a minor in biblical studies. He began his research career with an internship at Baylor College of Medicine, where he investigated the impact of maternal nutrition on children during pregnancy. He then ventured into microbiology, where he began investigating a bacterium known for contaminating high-salt industrial products, such as leather tanning.

After graduating, Christian began working as a quality assurance microbiologist while concurrently studying for his master’s in public health at the University of West Florida. He has conducted consulting work with organizations such as the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). His present work focuses on the control of parasitic worms that cause disease predominantly throughout Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. He will be undertaking work on a PhD in infectious diseases within the near future.

Christian has tutored high school sciences for nearly a decade (over 2500 tutoring hours), in addition to teaching intermittently in a classroom setting. In college, he provided two years of laboratory instruction for freshman chemistry and biology students in his capacity as an upperclassman teaching assistant. As a homeschooled student himself for most of his pre-college education, he relates well to students in homeschool settings.

As a believer in Christ and an academic, Christian has taken an enthusiastic interest in the fields of apologetics and bioethics. Although a scientist, he is also an avid history buff. His hobbies include calligraphy, white water rafting, and voice acting. Due to the nature of his work he lives between Lakes Charles, LA, and Atlanta, GA.

Classroom Teacher: Von Sommerville


Classroom Teacher

Von Sommerville

BS, Howard University

Von Sommerville has a bachelor of science degree in chemistry. She worked as a chemist and safety engineer for a space and technology company prior to transitioning to a full-time homemaker. She home educated her five children from kindergarten through high school and, for the past twelve years, has taught and tutored high school chemistry and high school and college algebra.

With many years of experience, Von understands the different learning styles and needs of Christian homeschooled students. She enjoys watching students who did not have an interest in science come alive as they discover God’s designs for the universe through the scientific concepts introduced in high school chemistry.

Von has been married for 30 years and has five adult children. Along with her husband, she serves as the administrator of a Christian homeschool support group and satellite program. When she is not serving the homeschool families in her PSP, she keeps busy taking biblical counseling classes at a local Bible college and organizing events for the homeless through her church ministry.

Constitutional Law by Michael Farris


Classroom Teacher: Peter Kamakawiwoole


Classroom Teacher

Peter Kamakawiwoole

JD, Saint Louis University
BA, Patrick Henry College



One of Dr. Farris’s finest Constitutional Law students, Peter is a Patrick Henry College alumnus. He and his partner were PHC's first ever Moot Court national champions. Peter earned his law degree from Saint Louis University School of Law and currently serves as a litigation attorney with the Home School Legal Defense Association. 

Since 2011, Peter has been assisting HSLDA member families in Connecticut, Nebraska, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, and his home state of Hawaii. Peter also assists homeschooling families who have encountered difficulties obtaining Social Security, veterans benefits, and other financial benefits on account of their decision to homeschool. He is also the lead instructor of PHC’s summer Constitutional Law Camp.  

Peter and his wife have five children and are recent transplants to the Wild and Wonderful state of West Virginia. This is his second year teaching with the Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Ashlyn Roberts


Classroom Teacher

Ashlyn Roberts

BA, Patrick Henry College

Ashlyn Roberts is a graduate of Patrick Henry College, where she competed on the national level in Mock Trial, British Parliamentary debate, and Moot Court, winning 2nd place at the National Moot Court Championship her senior year. Her passion for constitutional law is contagious.

As Dr. Farris’s student and, later, his personal assistant, Ashlyn has studied and helped to teach Constitutional Law under his tutelage. While working for Dr. Farris, she helped with legal research projects ranging from defending parental rights to exploring the influence of international law on American law. Her legal brief was recognized by the American Moot Court Association. Ashlyn was also the Associate Editor of the George Wythe Review for two years, which won the Frank Chodorov Award for the Best Undergraduate Journal of Letters from the Collegiate Network. Her other professional experience includes working in the office of a US Congressman, for a county supervisor, and as a political research assistant for WMAL's Larry O'Connor.

Ashlyn currently serves as the Assistant to the Academic Dean of Patrick Henry College, in addition to coaching PHC's Moot Court and Mock Trial teams. She plans to attend law school in the future.

Ashlyn and her husband Shane live in Northern Virginia and enjoy the many opportunities and adventures that come with living 45 minutes outside of Washington, D.C.

English 1: Exploring Literature & Writing




Master Teacher: Caleb Nelson



Master Teacher: English 1
Classroom Teacher: AP^® English Literature & Composition

Caleb Nelson

 

MDiv, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
MA, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
BA, Patrick Henry College

Caleb, the eldest of eleven children, was brought up by hand on a sheep ranch in Northern Colorado. By age six he was devouring Reader’s Digest and Smithsonian each month and was already manifesting an active dislike for any book which sported the hateful word “abridged” on its cover. His mother knew literature would feature prominently in his future when, at age twelve, he read and then reread The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

During a rigorous three-and-one-half years at Patrick Henry College, Caleb’s literary horizons expanded by leaps and bounds, particularly when he snagged a book-reviewing job at WORLD magazine. He studied the greatest literature ever penned, God's word, at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in South Carolina. 

Caleb currently pastors Harvest Reformed Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Gillette, Wyoming, where he and his wife Alexa live with their two children. His prayer is that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in his students and congregants, and they in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 1:12).

This is Caleb’s fifth year teaching for the Academy.


Classroom Teacher: Andrea Hardy


Classroom Teacher

Andrea Hardy

BA, Providence College



Andrea Hardy earned her bachelor's degree in English literature and secondary education from Providence College. Following graduation, she pursued her passion for education and began teaching high school English in the Massachusetts public schools.

During her teaching career she has taught courses from 8th grade through 12th grade in a variety of subjects, from British literature to American studies. She designed and taught a new course in literacy to help students with their reading comprehension and firmly believes that reading helps students on the road to becoming great writers. She enjoys assisting students with the writing process and helped to start her school’s first writing center. Additionally, Andrea values civic participation among students and has overseen several service learning projects in her time as a classroom teacher.

In the last couple of years, Andrea has stepped away from teaching to start a family, but she continues to tutor part-time. She enjoys being home with her husband and two beautiful boys and spending her days playing at the park and at the library. Andrea loves reading both contemporary and classic literature. Some of her favorite books include Tess of D’urbervilles, Hamlet, and Gone with the Wind. She looks forward to discussing great literature and helping students to improve their writing this year.

This is her second year teaching for the Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Annika McKinney


Classroom Teacher

Annika McKinney

BA, University of Northern Colorado


Annika McKinney grew up on a farm in Northern Colorado. At an early age, she developed a love for books, music, and the land, and all of these impacted her view of the world. In 2013, she graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a BA in music and a minor in literature. Her studies convinced her that learning was her passion, and since then she’s taken that passion to new places.

In 2014, Annika married her husband Jared and spent a year in the wilds of Washington, D.C., teaching violin lessons to around 30 students. This teaching solidified what she learned at university and helped her become more empathetic with the needs of students and their parents. It was a great year, so after completing a teaching certification from Cambridge University, she decided to go even further afield and spend 2014-2015 in Beijing, China, teaching English to Chinese university students. Since then she's been to England and Singapore, and will likely be in a totally different country next year!

Annika also enjoys helping Americans expand their reading and writing abilities through HSLDA Online Academy. This is her third year teaching for the Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Jennifer Switzer


Classroom Teacher

Jennifer Switzer

BA, Barry University

Jennifer Switzer earned her bachelor's degree in history, English, and secondary education from Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida. After graduation, she began teaching English and history in the Broward County Public School System.

After five years, she and her husband made the fortuitous decision to move to Georgia. For the next twelve years with the Fayette County Board of Education, she taught English in the middle schools and high schools in various positions, and she and her husband were blessed with two children. In 2010, Jennifer began homeschooling her children while also continuing to teach with a local homeschool organization. In her twenty-five years in education, Jennifer has taught at-risk, gifted, regular education, ESOL, homeschool, and special education students. This varied path has been a blessing from God.

Jennifer is currently continuing her own education, pursuing a doctorate degree while also instructing with HSLDA Online Academy. She looks forward to fostering relationships and sharing the joys of learning with her students. She also desires to help her students obtain the skills they need to succeed in the classroom and in the world as a witness for Jesus Christ.

Classroom Teacher: Makishi Inaba


Classroom Teacher

Makishi Inaba

BA, Patrick Henry College



Makishi Inaba received his BA in literature from Patrick Henry College. While studying at PHC, he served as an editor for Vessel, PHC’s student-run literary journal, for two years. His favorite works of literature are Dante’s Divine Comedy, Augustine’s Confessions, and C.S. Lewis’ Till We Have Faces, but he loves any genre or medium that tells a good story.

His favorite literary endeavors are identifying parallels and wrapping his head around symbols and metaphors. He is of the belief that careful and respectful interpretation of literature can be just as glorifying to God as any other form of worship, when done with the right spirit and mind.

Makishi’s hobbies all revolve around the inner workings of well-made things, whether computers, business trends, or film. He currently resides in Loudoun County, Virginia.

This is his second year teaching for the Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Brittellen Luciano


Classroom Teacher

Brittellen Luciano

MA, University of Massachusetts at Lowell
BA, University of Massachusetts at Lowell

Brittellen Luciano earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in criminal justice from the University of Massachusetts. While working at her graduate internship, she began teaching youth within the Department of Juvenile Justice and fell in love with teaching. Soon after, she began teaching high school English in Massachusetts before she and her husband felt called to move to Pensacola, Florida.

Brittellen continued her teaching career in Florida, working with at-risk youth and in ESE and regular education classrooms. She believes that all students have a voice and the ability to be great readers and writers. She sets high expectations for her students and enjoys guiding them in the process of meeting and exceeding both their course goals and their own personal goals. She loves being able to read and teach both the classics and the modern literature that she loved as a student.

Throughout her life, Brittellen has always had a love of reading. As a child, she could always be found with her nose in a book or writing her own stories. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, watching her kids play sports, curling up with a good book and a cup of coffee, baking, and going to the beach. She and her husband have four children, and she feels blessed to be able to stay home to raise and teach them while tutoring students and providing English classes and workshops for the homeschool community.

Classroom Teacher: Leticia Ash


Classroom Teacher

Leticia Ash

BA, Patrick Henry College



A sixth grade research project on World War II birthed a love of historical research in Leticia Ash. Unfortunately, it also signaled a life-long struggle for conciseness when the five-page assignment became a ten-page paper!

Leticia chose to study history in college because it combined her greatest passion with the highest number of possible opportunities. Her research and writing projects during college included an independent study for Dr. Robert Spinney, the Master Teacher for AP^® US History. Many books and essays later, she graduated from Patrick Henry College in 2014 and spent her first year of teaching at a small school in Virginia.

Leticia finds joy in teaching others to research and write well. This is her second year teaching at HSLDA Online Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Sara Battle


Classroom Teacher

Sara Battle

Sara Battle is a homeschooling parent who has taught English for seven years, including two years of teaching in an online classroom.

Complete bio coming soon!

English 2: World Literature & Writing




Master Teacher: Emily-Rose Cockerham

Master Teacher: English 2
Classroom Teacher: AP^® English Literature & Composition

Emily-Rose Cockerham

BA, Patrick Henry College


Emily-Rose Cockerham graduated from Patrick Henry College in 2008 with a BA in literature. During her four years of on-campus education she had the privilege of learning from some truly brilliant teachers, including Dr. Steven Hake and Dr. Gene Edward Veith. These teachers gave her the opportunity to learn to write in a number of different venues and styles including analysis, novellas, poetry, and radio drama. During her junior year, she had the opportunity to mentor young high school writers—a vocation she continued until her graduation.

Since graduation, Emily-Rose has continued both to self-educate and to help train high school students in her hometown. She has taught several courses in worldviews in literature, as well as serving as an editor for writings varying from young adult novels to doctoral theses.

As she prepares lessons for her students, Emily-Rose enjoys the chance to grapple with great authors and share her enthusiasm for literature with others. She looks forward to learning something new from her students.

Emily-Rose lives in Columbia, South Carolina, where she is seeking to serve and grow in God as she walks the daily adventure of life in faith.

This is her fifth year teaching for the Academy.


Classroom Teacher: Katherine Juneau


Classroom Teacher

Katherine Juneau

BA, Louisiana State University

Katherine Brickson Juneau has been teaching in the homeschool community for over twenty years. She taught her own five children at home and saw them go on to graduate from universities and graduate schools such as Rice University, the Coast Guard Academy, Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge (Honors College), and Johns Hopkins University. Once her own children were grown and gone, she continued teaching, tutoring many homeschoolers as well as teaching at a Christian high school for several years. Katherine has a special devotion to homeschoolers and thrives on seeing them launch successfully into the real world.

The child of a Navy JAGC officer, Katherine spent much of her childhood in the Philippines. Her father’s last post was New Orleans, so she graduated from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. She currently resides in southern Louisiana and enjoys many outdoor activities such as duck hunting, crawfishing, and searching for driftwood along the shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain.

As a devoted believer, Katherine has been a disciple of Christ since 1980 and continues to marvel at His constant lovingkindness. Even though she has experienced the vicissitudes of life, His steadfast love has carried her through and continues to refine her and mold her for His good pleasure. One of her heroes, Corrie Ten Boom, says it best: “The school of life offers some difficult courses, but it is in the difficult class that one learns the most.”

Classroom Teacher: Lindsay Hill


Classroom Teacher

Lindsay Hill

MEd, Southwest Missouri State University
BA, Evangel University

Lindsay grew up in northern Wisconsin. Before homeschooling was a popular option, her parents chose to homeschool her through eighth grade. During her childhood, she spent most of her time reading everything she could get her hands on, including the following year's school books as soon as they came in the mail!

After graduating from a small, private high school, Lindsay attended Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri. She received her BA in English education and met the love of her life, Chris. Ingeniously, they decided on a June 2000 wedding so they could always remember how long they had been married. Lindsay taught tenth and eleventh grade English classes for five years in the Springfield Public School district while simultaneously earning her master's of education in English.

Now Lindsay homeschools their four daughters and is very active in the local homeschool community. She shares her passion for grammar and writing by tutoring the Essentials course in the Ozark, Missouri, Classical Conversations group. Unless there is Moms’ Night Out to plan, Lindsay spends her days learning alongside her daughters, reheating her morning coffee, conjuring up dinner, and reading late into the night.

Classroom Teacher: Karin Morin


Classroom Teacher

Karin Morin

JD, Harvard Law School 
BA, Yale College

Growing up outside Boston, Karin Morin was the child who had to be gently reminded to put down her book so she could eat, play, or sleep. During college, she read mostly in French and Russian, with a sprinkle of German thrown in for fun. After college, she worked briefly in a job where she didn't have enough work to do, so she filled her time with English literature. Eventually she stopped reading long enough to marry her high school sweetheart. He has put up with her reading habits for nearly 32 years of marriage.

While briefly living in northern Maine, Karin and her husband began the wonderful adventure of home education with their children. In 2007, back in the Boston area, a homeschooling friend asked Karin to start teaching literature to homeschooled middle and high school students. What a great idea! Karin could read and re-read wonderful books, her kids could have an English class with other homeschoolers, and everyone would have a great time learning more about literature. Much to her surprise, Karin found that she enjoyed teaching (almost) as much as reading. After eight years in a variety of homeschool settings, ranging from dining room tables to a church-based co-op, she enjoys teaching even more than she did at the beginning.

Now she is enjoying an additional challenge—helping more homeschoolers enjoy great literature through HSLDA Online Academy. This is her second year teaching with the Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Melissa O'Brien


Classroom Teacher

Melissa O'Brien

MEd, Georgia Southern University
BA, Georgia State University

Melissa O’Brien graduated from Georgia State University in 2005 with a BA in secondary English. She later earned her master’s degree in education from Georgia Southern University. She has taught high school English in a Christian school environment since 2005, instructing at every level from 8th–12th grade.

Melissa’s motto is “Eat, Sleep, Read!” She loves to see literature impact students for Christ as their reading takes them to exciting places they never dreamed possible. Her favorite part of teaching is those "light bulb" moments when students "get" it by recognizing something new—whether in literary or spiritual terms!

Melissa lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her young son Jackson, whom she plans to homeschool in the future. He already loves to read!

Classroom Teacher: Kyle Snyder


Classroom Teacher

Kyle Snyder

BA, Patrick Henry College

Kyle Snyder is a graduate of Patrick Henry College, where he earned a bachelor’s in political theory. He loves to read and has studied literature both in a formal school setting and in his free time. His favorite book is East of Eden by John Steinbeck.

For several summers, Kyle worked as a Teen Camp counselor for Patrick Henry College. He loves working with teens and is excited about teaching English 2 with the Academy. His goal is to ensure that students come away from his class with a deeper understanding of the books they read, as well as a thirst to read more.

In his spare time, Kyle loves spending time outdoors and playing sports. His favorite sports are soccer, basketball, and swimming.

Classroom Teacher: Graham Jackson


Classroom Teacher

Graham Jackson

BA, Patrick Henry College

Born and raised in a little town north of Boston, Massachusetts, Graham Jackson has loved reading and writing stories from an early age. He enjoys analyzing and discussing the enduring stories of the past, their historic and thematic elements, and how they impact the present. Among his favorite books are Chaim Potok’s The Chosen and Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country.

As an amateur poet himself, Graham loves discussing unifying themes and imagery in literary works. He believes that the power of the imagination is of the utmost importance when studying literary traditions throughout the world. When readers use their imaginations for the glory of God, they begin to see how stories have the power to transform the world around them—and the power to renew the human mind.

Graham earned his BA in literature from Patrick Henry College. Ultimately, he aims to view the discipline of literature through the lens of the enduring story God is writing.

English 3: American Literature & Writing




Master Teacher: Carissa Campbell

Master Teacher

Carissa Campbell, MA

MA, Vanguard University
BA, Vanguard University 

Carissa Campbell earned her bachelor’s degree in English with emphases in Creative Writing and High School Teaching from Vanguard University in Southern California. She then earned her California Clear Teaching Credential in English, followed by her Master’s in Education with an emphasis in research, also at Vanguard University.

Carissa’s passion for teaching began during college when she served as a professor’s assistant in a composition class. She realized how much she enjoyed helping others learn to write and, weirdly, how much she enjoyed editing term papers! Carissa brought that passion to high school English and AVID students in the California public school system for seven years, where she taught several Honors and Advanced Placement courses. Now, her favorite thing about teaching is empowering the individual student to grow in his or her critical thinking and writing skills.

She lives on the central coast in California, where she and her husband are pastoring South Valley Community Church. She has two children, a daughter (age 6) and a son (age 2), who cause her to pray—a lot! She enjoys writing, cooking, date nights, and coffee. Lots of coffee.

Carissa taught English 1 in her first year with the Academy. She went on to develop English 2: World Literature & Writing and English 3: American Literature & Writing. This is her third year teaching Academy English courses.


Classroom Teacher: Sarah Scarnato


Classroom Teacher

Sarah Scarnato

BA, Widener University

Sarah Scarnato, born and raised in New York, was homeschooled for a portion of her education. After receiving a scolding from her mother in 4th grade—that she could not go outside to play until she had completed the daunting task of writing a poem about fall—she begrudgingly sat down to the task. This was her first introduction to composing something of her own, and it was not long before she did not need the pressure of an assignment to find her voice and zeal as a writer. Naturally, this led to her discovery of the literary world, and she became an avid reader and lover of the English language.

While pursuing her undergraduate degree from Widener University, Sarah tutored her younger siblings still in high school. She realized that helping students find their own love for literature and writing was a passion she wanted to pursue, and she began tutoring other homeschoolers part-time.

After attaining a dual bachelor’s degree in English and creative writing, Sarah began her teaching career in a private classical Christian high school. She spent three years in the classroom, teaching a variety of courses including language arts, ancient & medieval literature, church history, and creative writing workshops, while continuing to tutor on the side.

Sarah now stays home with her daughter Aria. She is grateful for that blessing and happy to teach online so she can be attentive to her growing family. She and her husband live on Long Island, where Stephen manages his own company.

Classroom Teacher: Elissa Lucero


Classroom Teacher

Elissa Lucero

BA, John Brown University

Elissa Lucero grew up in rural Greenwood, Arkansas. The eldest of five children, she received a home school education and views it as formative to her independent thought and love for reading. During high school, Elissa took four AP classes from HSLDA Online Academy and is eager to work with homeschool students who share her excitement for excellent Christian education in preparation for college.

At John Brown University, Elissa graduated Summa Cum Laude with a bachelor of arts in history and a minor in English. Within JBU’s Christian private university culture, Elissa studied formative topics in British, American, Russian, and Middle Eastern history and literature. She also delved into theology, society and politics, and women’s experiences in the context of American history.

During her undergraduate career, Elissa studied abroad at Oxford University. She studied women in early modern England, the socio-economic effects of Victorian housing crises, and the creative writing of George MacDonald, G.K. Chesterton, and C.S. Lewis. The British tutorial system provided one-on-one feedback and significantly impacted her writing and research skills.

Elissa is passionate about fostering student interest in literature and helping learners to pursue challenging questions and creative ideas. She gets excited about the details of grammar and punctuation and is determined to help others enjoy well-written sentences. Her pedagogy has been informed by years of teaching piano, tutoring for the ACT, working for Save Our Youth (a non-profit focusing on the education of at-risk youth), and working with professors teaching two undergraduate courses.

Elissa lives in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, with her husband and their cat. She enjoys running, drinking loose-leaf tea, hiking, and baking.

Classroom Teacher: Leilani Mueller


Classroom Teacher

Leilani Mueller

BA, Biola University

Long familiar with homeschooling, Leilani Mueller was homeschooled through high school. She went on to receive a BA in humanities, with a minor in English and Bible, from Biola University. She is also a member and graduate of Torrey Honors Institute, the Great Books program run through Biola. One of her fondest university memories is the year she spent studying English and history at Oxford.

After graduation, Leilani taught high school for seven years through Torrey Academy, a classical Great Books program resourcing homeschooled families in the Southern California area. She understands the expectations of homeschooling families, having experienced firsthand the joys, difficulties, and privileges that come from a homeschool education.

Teaching literature is one of her joys. She loves to engage high school students with challenging, classic texts (such as Dante’s Divine Comedy, a favorite work to teach) and watch them joy in the experience. Leilani is convinced that studying literature enables students to become more emphatic, loving Christians as they read and consider the experiences of others.

Leilani is a native of California and a recent transplant to Texas. She lives with her husband Nathan and daughter Felicity in Waco, where Nathan is pursuing his PhD in philosophy. Since her early days, Leilani has spent much of her free time with a book and a pen (or a keyboard as the case may be). She is excited about leading Academy students through American literature in English 3.

Classroom Teacher: Caroline Tyrrell


Classroom Teacher

Caroline Tyrrell

BA, Patrick Henry College 

Caroline graduated from Patrick Henry College in 2014 with her BA in history, and she is currently pursuing an MA in biblical counseling at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY.

Caroline views the study of history and literature as a study of truths pertaining to the nature of man and the nature of God Himself. As Dr. Robert Spinney often reminds his PHC history students, “History does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” The study of history and literature reveals the patterns of man’s nature, the mercy of God in interacting with man, and the grounding on which we must stand to accurately understand our own time.

As a perpetual student herself, Caroline is excited to continue discovering God’s truths found in history and literature along with her students, while passing on the tools that have been so helpful to her.

Caroline enjoys reading, running, music, and taking walks with her husband David (who teaches Logic & Critical Thinking for the Academy). They currently reside in Louisville, KY, and are expecting their first child in the summer.

This is Caroline’s third year teaching for the Academy. She currently teaches English 3: American Literature & Writing and AP^® US History. Caroline has also taught English 1 for the Academy.

English Language and Composition




Master Teacher: Janie Barbosa

Master Teacher

Janie Barbosa

BA, Northwest Nazarene University

Janie Barbosa comes from a long line of educators and delights in continuing the family (and historical) tradition of teaching. Graduating with her BA in education from Northwest Nazarene University, Janie obtained state certification in both Washington and Idaho and quickly began instructing secondary students in the subjects of English writing and literature in the public school setting. Janie has 15 years of classroom and curriculum-development experience and has worked as an online instructor since embarking on the adventure of motherhood. 

As a homeschooling mother, Janie takes great interest in classical, literacy-based education – its history, its preservation, and its ability to inform biblical study and spiritual growth. When she is not teaching, Janie unabashedly nurtures her addiction to educational texts, though she reserves her summers for getting lost in fictional literature and the woods (preferably at the same time). Her favorite authors include Charles Dickens, J.R.R.Tolkien, Emily Dickinson, and Rudyard Kipling. 

Janie’s non-literary hobbies are music, art, and gardening. She is blessed by a husband who encourages her in these pursuits and a daughter who shares them.

This is her fourth year teaching for the Academy.


Classroom Teacher: Katie Leber


Classroom Teacher



Katie Leber

EdS, Walden University
MEd, Norwich University
MA, National University
BA, New York Institute of Technology


Katie Leber discovered her passion for education as a young child. She has fond memories of lining up teddy bears and stuffed animals and “teaching” them with a chalkboard easel.

Katie earned two master’s degrees, one in education and one in English, and an Education Specialist degree in teacher leadership. She currently teaches as an adjunct at a few different universities and community colleges, both online and in the classroom. She has extensive experience with online education, including five years as an online teacher, ten years as an online student, and time spent as an online tutor.

Teaching is Katie’s passion and she enjoys sharing her love of English and composition with her students. Her favorite writers include Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, JK Rowling, Emily Dickinson, and Shakespeare. When she’s not busy teaching or spending office hours with students, Katie loves going to movies, reading, writing, spending time with her family and friends, and playing with her two dogs, Grace and Wilma.

This is Katie's fourth year teaching for the Academy.

English Literature and Composition




Master Teacher: Steven Hake, PhD

Master Teacher

Steven Hake, PhD

PhD, Binghamton University
MDiv, Westminster Theological Seminary
BA, Colby College; MA, Yale University

Steven Hake is a professor of literature at Patrick Henry College and chairman of the Department of Classical Liberal Arts. He was the director of Rivendell Study Center in northern Pennsylvania for four years prior to coming to PHC. He was a tent-making missionary to Taiwan for almost 20 years prior to that (1977–1996), teaching English literature in a large Chinese university for most of that time.

Dr. and Mrs. Hake have been married a long time, have nine children, and many grandchildren. They are veteran homeschoolers. Dr. Hake is an avid reader and enjoys learning languages as a hobby. He regularly reads (with widely varying degrees of fluency!) the Bible in ten languages. He is also an enthusiastic backpacker and sailor.

He is praying for a Christian Renaissance, and believes that we need to read the great books in order that we may write them. He is also praying that God will bless Patrick Henry College with a culture of discipleship, disciple making, and outreach to our neighbors locally.

Dr. Hake has worked with HSLDA Online Academy since 2009.


Classroom Teacher: Caleb Nelson




Master Teacher: English 1
Classroom Teacher: AP^® English Literature & Composition

Caleb Nelson

 

MDiv, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
MA, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
BA, Patrick Henry College

Caleb, the eldest of eleven children, was brought up by hand on a sheep ranch in Northern Colorado. By age six he was devouring Reader’s Digest and Smithsonian each month and was already manifesting an active dislike for any book which sported the hateful word “abridged” on its cover. His mother knew literature would feature prominently in his future when, at age twelve, he read and then reread The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

During a rigorous three-and-one-half years at Patrick Henry College, Caleb’s literary horizons expanded by leaps and bounds, particularly when he snagged a book-reviewing job at WORLD magazine. He studied the greatest literature ever penned, God's word, at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in South Carolina. 

Caleb currently pastors Harvest Reformed Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Gillette, Wyoming, where he and his wife Alexa live with their two children. His prayer is that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in his students and congregants, and they in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 1:12).

This is Caleb’s fifth year teaching for the Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Emily-Rose Cockerham


Master Teacher: English 2
Classroom Teacher: AP^® English Literature & Composition

Emily-Rose Cockerham

BA, Patrick Henry College


Emily-Rose Cockerham graduated from Patrick Henry College in 2008 with a BA in literature. During her four years of on-campus education she had the privilege of learning from some truly brilliant teachers, including Dr. Steven Hake and Dr. Gene Edward Veith. These teachers gave her the opportunity to learn to write in a number of different venues and styles including analysis, novellas, poetry, and radio drama. During her junior year, she had the opportunity to mentor young high school writers—a vocation she continued until her graduation.

Since graduation, Emily-Rose has continued both to self-educate and to help train high school students in her hometown. She has taught several courses in worldviews in literature, as well as serving as an editor for writings varying from young adult novels to doctoral theses.

As she prepares lessons for her students, Emily-Rose enjoys the chance to grapple with great authors and share her enthusiasm for literature with others. She looks forward to learning something new from her students.

Emily-Rose lives in Columbia, South Carolina, where she is seeking to serve and grow in God as she walks the daily adventure of life in faith.

This is her fifth year teaching for the Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Rebecca Johnston


Classroom Teacher

Rebecca Johnston

MS, University of Texas at Tyler
BA, Southern New Hampshire University

Rebecca Johnston was raised in a conservative military family in upstate New York. She graduated high school as a homeschool student before she attended Calvary Chapel Bible College and married the love of her life. Rebecca and her husband served on the mission field in Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, and Puerto Rico before settling back into the continental United States to raise their growing family. Her four children have been homeschooled from the beginning.

As her children began entering high school, Rebecca made the decision to go back to school. She finished her bachelor’s degree at Southern New Hampshire University and immediately went on for her masters of English at the University of Texas at Tyler. Her older two children are now graduated, with one serving in the Marines and the other attending college. Rebecca’s experience as a homeschool parent has given her a passion for teaching homeschool students and an understanding of different learning styles and challenges.

Rebecca’s favorite authors are Shakespeare and Hemingway. She has traveled to England to see Shakespeare’s plays performed in the Globe Theatre as well as the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. She has also researched Hemingway in Italy and Slovenia, thanks in part to a fellowship from the Hemingway Society.

Currently Rebecca is teaching at a local community college and homeschooling her remaining children. She is excited to pass on a love of literature to the next generation of homeschoolers.

European History




Master Teacher: Douglas Favelo, PhD

Master Teacher

Douglas Favelo, PhD

MA in Classics, PhD in History, UCLA
BA and MA in History, California State University Fresno

Dr. Doug Favelo teaches Patrick Henry College’s core History of Western Civilization courses as well as upper division courses in history. Prior to coming to PHC in 2010, he served as a lecturer for ten years in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literature at California State University Fresno, teaching history, literature, and Latin. In July 2010 he helped lead and teach a UCLA study-abroad program in Rome. During his doctoral studies at UCLA, the largest history graduate program in the nation, he was ranked number one all four years. He specializes in Greek and Roman history and literature; his research interests include Italian resistance to the expansion of Rome and the lives of the Christian desert monks of late Roman Egypt.

Dr. Favelo has been heavily involved in the classical education scene for many years, and also in the homeschool community. He has taught hundreds of homeschooled students Latin, Greek, history, and literature, and has spoken at conferences on homeschooling.

He lives with his wife and four children in Loudoun County, Virginia. His passion is to facilitate students’ intellectual and spiritual development, primarily through the medium of a rigorous, Biblically-centered classical education, to the greater glory of God.

Dr. Favelo has worked with HSLDA Online Academy since 2010 and has developed four Academy courses: AP® World History, AP® European History, Latin 1, and Latin 2.


Classroom Teacher: Brian Trimmer


Classroom Teacher

Brian Trimmer

MA, Pepperdine University
BA, Columbia Christian College


In addition to his BA and MA in history, Brian Trimmer holds a teaching credential through California Lutheran University. He has been a classroom teacher for fifteen years. He currently teaches world and U.S. history at Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, California, as well as AP^® World History through HSLDA Online Academy. In addition to teaching human society, culture, and development, Brian highlights Christian worldview and God’s continuing hand in shaping the course of human history.

Brian has published three history-related articles on Google’s Knol informational website. Two of these articles are chapters straight from his Master’s thesis: Defenders of the West, the History of Naval Airstation Tillamook. He has also achieved expert author status on EzineArticles with eleven feature articles on entrepreneurship and home-based business. He and his wife Heather have begun a successful home-based business. God has given them three children, all of whom are currently homeschooled.

This is Brian’s seventh year teaching for the Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Megan Bowman


Classroom Teacher

Megan Bowman

MA, George Mason University
BA, Appalachian State University



Megan Bowman earned her bachelor's degree in social studies and secondary education from Appalachian State University in 2006 and her master’s of education in Advanced Studies in Teaching and Learning, with a concentration in history, from George Mason University in 2009. She had the unique opportunity to study abroad for a summer term in 2004 at John Cabot University in Rome, Italy. She also worked as a historic interpretative intern with the National Park Service at Eisenhower National Historic Site in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in 2006. Over the past ten years, she has taught 9th–12th Grade Social Studies classes in Fairfax and Loudoun County Public Schools and HSLDA Online Academy, including AP^® World History, AP^® U.S. History, and AP^® European History.

Megan is very excited to be teaching again with HSLDA Online Academy this academic year. Over the past ten years, her passion for history and for piquing young people's interest in history has grown exponentially. Her favorite topics to study include ancient Greek and Roman history, early church history, the Reformation, the American Civil War, World Wars I & II, and the Cold War. She looks forward to getting to know her students and facilitating a fun and exciting European History class!

Megan lives in West Virginia with her husband Kevin and their daughters Lizzy and Victoria. In her free time, she enjoys reading, running, hiking, baking, wood-working, and hanging out with her family and their beagle Bella.

This is her third year teaching for the Academy.

Foundations in Writing




Master Teacher: Melissa Barnes

Master Teacher

Melissa Barnes

EdS, University of Michigan
MA, University of Michigan
BA, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill



Melissa Barnes earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in English education, literacy education, and curriculum development. These culminated from a lifelong love of reading, writing, and teaching that began on the first day of first grade when she came home and announced that she wanted to be a teacher.

Melissa has taught both high school and middle school students and is currently a homeschool mom. In addition to teaching, Melissa enjoys serving as a freelance writer and editor for the Home Educators Association of Virginia (HEAV) and has written for local newspapers in years past.

Melissa and her husband reside in Chesapeake, Virginia. They have eight children. In her occasional spare time, you can find Melissa reading books, playing games or watching movies with her family, or enjoying coffee with a friend.

This is her second year teaching for the Academy.


Classroom Teacher: Clark Wickman


Classroom Teacher

Clark Wickman

BS, College of William and Mary

Clark Wickman earned his bachelor of science from William and Mary and enjoys a balance of art and science in his life.

He was born and raised in Northeast Ohio and homeschooled by his mother. It was then that he developed his love of fantastical stories, when his mother read books like C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia at bedtime.

In addition to teaching English online, Clark has worked as a summer camp counselor, a touring musician, and a coffee shop barista. He currently lives in Williamsburg, VA. He enjoys reading, writing, cooking, music, and board games.

This is his second year teaching with the Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Charmayne Rush


Classroom Teacher

Charmayne Rush

MEd, Liberty University
BA, Old Dominion University

Charmayne Rush earned her BA in English education at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. A firm believer that the skills learned in ninth grade English are essential to later success, Charmayne was blessed to teach ninth grade English for a local Virginia public school. During her time as a classroom teacher, Charmayne found great joy in guiding young writers to discover that they are gifted with unique voices and perspectives to share with the world. In addition to teaching, Charmayne co-founded a school mentoring program, enlisting the support of her church family and local business owners to share practical skills and inspiration with students in preparation for life after high school.

After she and her husband welcomed their first child, Charmayne decided to stay at home while completing her MEd in teaching and learning (English Cognate) through Liberty University’s online program. Charmayne’s coursework with Liberty taught her to revisit and expand her approach to academic writing and literary analysis through the lens of a Christian worldview. Her time as an online student also opened her eyes to the particular challenges and rewards of virtual learning, and she is excited to use her experience to create a rich and fulfilling virtual educational environment for her Academy students.

Classroom Teacher: Elizabeth Russell


Classroom Teacher

Elizabeth Russell

BA, Northeast Catholic College



Elizabeth Russell earned her Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts with a Concentration in Philosophy from Northeast Catholic College in New Hampshire.

Elizabeth’s passion for writing began at age 9 (as soon as she could start telling stories) and has only grown over the years. When she started a school magazine in college, she realized how much she enjoyed helping others perfect their work and make it ready for publication. Her love for editing and grammar pleasantly surprised her, and she found how wonderful it can be to help others understand something well enough to love it. To her, this is the most rewarding thing about teaching.

Elizabeth lives in Illinois, where she loves spending time with her parents and eight younger siblings (all homeschooled until college). She enjoys writing fiction, talking with friends, watching movies, and making all sorts of artwork.

This is her second year teaching for the Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Julia Rich


Classroom Teacher

Julia Rich

MEd, University of Vermont
BA, Quinnipiac University

Julia Rich graduated with a BA in English from Quinnipiac University. With a passion for reading and writing, she soon began her path to teaching by receiving her master’s in education from the University of Vermont.

Julia has taught various English classes for students in grades 8–11, including American Studies, which she co-taught with a history teacher. She really enjoys working with students on their comprehension and writing skills through different types of literature, leading discussions that help students make connections to themselves and the world around them. She believes that reading creates great writers and enjoys helping her students find their confidence and voice through various authors and themes.

Julia took some time away from teaching to start a family. She can often be found cooking, going to the beach, or taking hikes with her husband and three children. She enjoys reading short stories by Ernest Hemingway.

Classroom Teacher: Monica Bowman


Classroom Teacher

Monica Bowman

BS, University of Minnesota


Monica Bowman earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota. She completed a significant portion of her coursework at the Christian-Albrecht University in Germany as a Rotary Scholar. Reading, discussing, and analyzing Jane Eyre in German is an experience she has never forgotten.

Monica worked in communications and marketing, both for smaller agribusinesses and for enormous multinational corporations, and she discovered that being able to write clearly and effectively is a skill with value far beyond the classroom. Whatever students pursue after high school or college, Monica believes that the hard work they put into becoming excellent communicators during their school years will produce fruit throughout their lives.

While homeschooling her three children and teaching other homeschooled students in a virtual co-op, Monica delights in helping them process everything they learn through a biblical worldview. She considers the ability to discern scriptural truth from the cacophony of worldliness to be a prime goal of a Christian education.

In her free time, Monica enjoys hiking and camping with her family, leading inductive Bible studies, visiting art museums, and cultivating her latest self-taught hobby, painting with acrylics.

Classroom Teacher: Linda Davidson


Classroom Teacher

Linda Davidson

MA, Lancaster University (UK)
BA, San Francisco State University

Linda Davidson has been a teacher for the past seventeen years. She has taught in both brick-and-mortar public schools and online. Her passion is to teach the love of great literature to her students and to help them develop into strong writers. Linda hopes to one day read classic novels that were written by her favorite authors—her students. In the meantime, she has a particular fondness for British literature, including the marvelously moody Jane Eyre and the eerie Wuthering Heights. Linda’s favorite book of all time is the Bible, for its precepts and encouragement, as well as for its literary merit.

Linda loves to write for all purposes. She has written a full-length novel, several songs, and many short stories. She currently writes history and science pieces for educational websites. She is proud to homeschool her two children and enjoys watching them learn every day. In her very limited free time, Linda enjoys reading, watching movies from the 1930s and 1940s, listening to worship music, and playing the piano.

Geometry




Master Teacher: Angela Ellis



Master Teacher

Angela Ellis

MA, George Mason University
BA, George Mason University

Angela Ellis earned a bachelor’s in mathematics and a master’s in education from George Mason University. She has twenty years of experience teaching secondary math courses from pre-algebra through pre-calculus. Mrs. Ellis has taught math classes at a local school, on online programs, and as a homeschooling mother. She enjoys meeting the challenges that are unique to each learning environment.

Angela currently lives in Loudoun County, Virginia, with her husband and three very active boys. She has a passion for finding mathematics everywhere and for sharing her enthusiasm with anyone who will listen. As Galileo so wisely noted, "Mathematics is the alphabet with which God wrote the universe." Angela holds that little nugget of wisdom to be a profound influence behind her teaching and her own love of learning and loves nothing more than to help other people see just how true that statement proves to be.

Angela is the Course Developer and Master Teacher of the Academy’s Geometry course, as well as the Master Teacher for Algebra 2. Prior to her work in these courses, she taught Algebra 1 for the Academy to become familiar with our math program as a whole. This is her third year teaching for the Academy.

 


Classroom Teacher: Adrienne Green


Classroom Teacher

Adrienne Green

MA, American College of Education
BS, University of Southern California



Adrienne Green earned a bachelor of science in business administration with an emphasis in finance from the University of Southern California, and a master’s in education from the American College of Education, an online program. Her experience as an online student influences her methods as an instructor.

Adrienne has taught secondary math courses in California and Virginia school systems, teaching a variety of math classes and levels. While she loves all math courses, geometry is her favorite because it teaches general logical reasoning along with the concrete mathematical truths necessary for building and measuring.

Adrienne lives in Loudoun County, Virginia, with her husband and daughter, where she utilizes her math skills in running her family's farm. She is passionate about math as she uses it every day on the farm, from doing the finances to building structures and constructing fences.

This is her second year teaching for the Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Daniel O'Connor


Classroom Teacher

Daniel O'Connor

MA, Holy Apostles College & Seminary
BS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute



Daniel O'Connor earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and his master's degree in philosophical theology from Holy Apostles College & Seminary. He worked in the corporate engineering industry before moving on to non-profit charitable work, helping to found and run the John Bosco House for homeless young men.

Daniel has been honored to teach high school students in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and SAT preparation. He also teaches philosophy at the college level. He has been teaching online for over four years and comes highly recommended by his students for his ability to engage and explain in the online environment.

He currently lives in Albany, NY, with his wife and two children. In his free time, Daniel enjoys engineering work for his own hobby innovation company, renovating his 100-year-old fixer-upper home, and, above all, spending time in prayer.

This is Daniel’s second year teaching Geometry and Algebra 2 for the Academy.

German 1



Master Teacher: Faith Cruz
Master Teacher
Faith Cruz
MA, Duke University
BA, Furman University
Faith Engroos Cruz is a former adjunct professor at Duke University who has a passion for language and learning. After graduating from Furman University, she was awarded a coveted Fulbright Teacher’s Fellowship, which afforded her the opportunity to spend a year living and teaching in Austria. At the end of the year, she returned to the U.S., where she completed a master’s degree in German. Along with a love of German music and culture, she has a nerdy love for grammar.
Faith homeschools her own four children and is actively involved in her local church, where she teaches Awana and works in a nursing home ministry.
When not working with students to develop their love of language, she loves to read, swim, and spend time with friends.
Faith has taught for 25 years, including 8 years of teaching German and 2 years of teaching in an online setting. 

German 2



Master Teacher: Faith Cruz
Master Teacher
Faith Cruz
MA, Duke University
BA, Furman University
Faith Engroos Cruz is a former adjunct professor at Duke University who has a passion for language and learning. After graduating from Furman University, she was awarded a coveted Fulbright Teacher’s Fellowship, which afforded her the opportunity to spend a year living and teaching in Austria. At the end of the year, she returned to the U.S., where she completed a master’s degree in German. Along with a love of German music and culture, she has a nerdy love for grammar.
Faith homeschools her own four children and is actively involved in her local church, where she teaches Awana and works in a nursing home ministry.
When not working with students to develop their love of language, she loves to read, swim, and spend time with friends.
Faith has taught for 25 years, including 8 years of teaching German and 2 years of teaching in an online setting. 

iCitizen Live




Master Teacher: Jeremiah Lorrig



Master Teacher

Jeremiah Lorrig

BA, Patrick Henry College



Jeremiah Lorrig earned his bachelor’s degree in government from Patrick Henry College. As the Deputy Director of Generation Joshua, he travels America teaching youth the principles and practice of conservative politics and working on political campaigns. These pursuits have been his passion and calling for over a decade.

Jeremiah has worked with Senator Wayne Allard of Colorado, the National Association of Evangelicals, the Arlington Group, HSLDA, and almost one hundred political campaigns. For the last eight years, he has coordinated Generation Joshua’s campaign deployments, involving thousands of volunteers in scores of competitive races nationwide. He has also administered three PACs. In 2011 and 2012, he represented the Young Republican National Federation in the International Young Democrat Union, a pro-democracy alliance for greater freedom and small government.

When he is not busy doing all these things, Jeremiah likes to read and travel. He alternates between fiction and non-fiction to maintain a balanced reading schedule. He also occasionally finds time for fencing and blogging.

This is his second year teaching for the Academy.


Classroom Teacher: Lanson Hoopai


Classroom Teacher

Lanson Hoopai

BA, Patrick Henry College

Lanson Hoopai is a graduate of Patrick Henry College, earning his major in government and his minor in philosophy. He is also an alumnus of HSLDA Online Academy.

He worked extensively with Generation Joshua in high school and helped lead a GenJ Student Action Team as a college student. He has worked on numerous political campaigns and has had a paper published in the PHC undergraduate philosophy journal. 

His hobbies include fixing computers, reading classic literature, and playing trading card games. He is incredibly excited to be leading students in their study of American government!

This is his second year teaching for the Academy.

Latin 1




Master Teacher: Douglas Favelo, PhD

Master Teacher

Douglas Favelo, PhD

MA in Classics, PhD in History, UCLA
BA and MA in History, California State University Fresno

Dr. Doug Favelo teaches Patrick Henry College’s core History of Western Civilization courses as well as upper division courses in history. Prior to coming to PHC in 2010, he served as a lecturer for ten years in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literature at California State University Fresno, teaching history, literature, and Latin. In July 2010 he helped lead and teach a UCLA study-abroad program in Rome. During his doctoral studies at UCLA, the largest history graduate program in the nation, he was ranked number one all four years. He specializes in Greek and Roman history and literature; his research interests include Italian resistance to the expansion of Rome and the lives of the Christian desert monks of late Roman Egypt.

Dr. Favelo has been heavily involved in the classical education scene for many years, and also in the homeschool community. He has taught hundreds of homeschooled students Latin, Greek, history, and literature, and has spoken at conferences on homeschooling.

He lives with his wife and four children in Loudoun County, Virginia. His passion is to facilitate students’ intellectual and spiritual development, primarily through the medium of a rigorous, Biblically-centered classical education, to the greater glory of God.

Dr. Favelo has worked with HSLDA Online Academy since 2010 and has developed four Academy courses: AP® World History, AP® European History, Latin 1, and Latin 2.


Classroom Teacher: Andrew Eenigenburg


Classroom Teacher

Andrew Eenigenburg

MDiv, Mid-America Reformed Seminary
BA, Valparaiso University



In 2005, Rev. Andrew Eenigenburg earned his undergraduate degree summa cum laude from Valparaiso University in classical languages and literature. In 2008, he graduated with a Masters of Divinity degree from Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana. Since 2009, he has served as the Minister of the West Sayville Reformed Bible Church in Long Island, where he lives with his wife and four children.

Over the past four years, in addition to his ministerial labors, he has taken up classroom instruction in person and online. He teaches Latin 1 and Latin 2 for HSLDA Online Academy and hopes that all of his students will adopt a love of language through Latin.

This is Andrew’s second year teaching for the Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Allison Scheidegger


Classroom Teacher

Allison Scheidegger

BA, Patrick Henry College

Allison Scheidegger earned a literature major with a classics minor from Patrick Henry College. She has taught Latin in a co-op classroom setting and tutored it at the high school level. Of all her experiences tutoring and teaching Latin classes, Allison’s favorite part has been showing students the wonders of Latin. Whether through the concise beauty of an ablative absolute or the fun of using complementary infinitives, she hopes to infect her students with awe at God’s amazing gift of language. She wants to give students the tools to understand and to creatively employ language.

Allison loves reading, cooking, sewing, and fashion design. She has always loved taking things apart to find out how they work, and then putting them back together to be used anew. Language is the most exciting example of such functional beauty, so it makes sense that one of her favorite pastimes is learning and teaching languages. And Latin is her favorite language, one that she has been learning since her mom introduced her to it in elementary school.

Classroom Teacher: Jackie Horton


Classroom Teacher

Jackie Horton

BA, University of California, Los Angeles



Jackie Horton earned her BA in English at UCLA but has most recently earned a Post Graduate Certificate with Distinction in Latin from the University of Wales, UK. She is currently working towards an MA in classical studies.

Jackie is excited at the prospect of sharing her love of the Latin language with students across the country. Ever since she introduced Latin to her own four children 15 years ago, she has never ceased to be amazed at the incredible tool it is to impart English grammar, exercise critical thinking skills, and cultivate an advanced English vocabulary. For her children, it also served as an excellent springboard to the study of modern Romance languages like Spanish and French. Though her children have grown, Jackie has continued to teach Latin at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels for the last 8 years at Trinity Pacific Christian School in Southern California.

When not translating Caesar or Cicero, she loves to read historical fiction, especially any books that bring to life the ancient places of the Bible. She also enjoys running, biking, skiing (water and snow), and generally just being outdoors basking in the sun with her husband and best friend of 30 years. Jackie currently resides in California.

This is her second year teaching for the Academy.

Latin 2




Master Teacher: Douglas Favelo, PhD

Master Teacher

Douglas Favelo, PhD

MA in Classics, PhD in History, UCLA
BA and MA in History, California State University Fresno

Dr. Doug Favelo teaches Patrick Henry College’s core History of Western Civilization courses as well as upper division courses in history. Prior to coming to PHC in 2010, he served as a lecturer for ten years in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literature at California State University Fresno, teaching history, literature, and Latin. In July 2010 he helped lead and teach a UCLA study-abroad program in Rome. During his doctoral studies at UCLA, the largest history graduate program in the nation, he was ranked number one all four years. He specializes in Greek and Roman history and literature; his research interests include Italian resistance to the expansion of Rome and the lives of the Christian desert monks of late Roman Egypt.

Dr. Favelo has been heavily involved in the classical education scene for many years, and also in the homeschool community. He has taught hundreds of homeschooled students Latin, Greek, history, and literature, and has spoken at conferences on homeschooling.

He lives with his wife and four children in Loudoun County, Virginia. His passion is to facilitate students’ intellectual and spiritual development, primarily through the medium of a rigorous, Biblically-centered classical education, to the greater glory of God.

Dr. Favelo has worked with HSLDA Online Academy since 2010 and has developed four Academy courses: AP® World History, AP® European History, Latin 1, and Latin 2.


Classroom Teacher: Andrew Eenigenburg


Classroom Teacher

Andrew Eenigenburg

MDiv, Mid-America Reformed Seminary
BA, Valparaiso University



In 2005, Rev. Andrew Eenigenburg earned his undergraduate degree summa cum laude from Valparaiso University in classical languages and literature. In 2008, he graduated with a Masters of Divinity degree from Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana. Since 2009, he has served as the Minister of the West Sayville Reformed Bible Church in Long Island, where he lives with his wife and four children.

Over the past four years, in addition to his ministerial labors, he has taken up classroom instruction in person and online. He teaches Latin 1 and Latin 2 for HSLDA Online Academy and hopes that all of his students will adopt a love of language through Latin.

This is Andrew’s second year teaching for the Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Jackie Horton


Classroom Teacher

Jackie Horton

BA, University of California, Los Angeles



Jackie Horton earned her BA in English at UCLA but has most recently earned a Post Graduate Certificate with Distinction in Latin from the University of Wales, UK. She is currently working towards an MA in classical studies.

Jackie is excited at the prospect of sharing her love of the Latin language with students across the country. Ever since she introduced Latin to her own four children 15 years ago, she has never ceased to be amazed at the incredible tool it is to impart English grammar, exercise critical thinking skills, and cultivate an advanced English vocabulary. For her children, it also served as an excellent springboard to the study of modern Romance languages like Spanish and French. Though her children have grown, Jackie has continued to teach Latin at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels for the last 8 years at Trinity Pacific Christian School in Southern California.

When not translating Caesar or Cicero, she loves to read historical fiction, especially any books that bring to life the ancient places of the Bible. She also enjoys running, biking, skiing (water and snow), and generally just being outdoors basking in the sun with her husband and best friend of 30 years. Jackie currently resides in California.

This is her second year teaching for the Academy.

Logic & Critical Thinking




Master Teacher: Benjamin Guido

Master Teacher

Benjamin Guido

PhD Candidate, Baylor University
BA, Patrick Henry College

Benjamin Guido began life in Connecticut. He was homeschooled through adolescence and then studied classical liberal arts at Patrick Henry College (PHC) in Virginia. He went on to study philosophy at Baylor University in Texas, where he is currently finishing a dissertation in ethics and philosophy of language on the topic of lying and verbal deception.

While studying at PHC, Benjamin realized his limitless love for teaching and learning. He has taught logic at the college level for several years, and continues to study theory and methodology to improve his teaching. His wife Stephanie, an Academy Classroom Teacher for the last two years, helped him develop this course specifically for the Academy’s high school students.

Beyond academics, Benjamin enjoys myriad activities, but chief among them are distance running, playing and teaching piano, tabletop gaming, literature and film, and becoming a handyman around the home. Benjamin enjoys engaging his five-year-old daughter and three-year-old son in everything he pursues, including logic and language.


Classroom Teacher: David Tyrrell


Classroom Teacher

David Tyrrell

BA, Patrick Henry College

David Tyrrell received his bachelor’s degree in classical liberal arts from Patrick Henry College with an emphasis in philosophy, and he is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity in Christian ministry from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in preparation for pastoral work.

David considers clear reasoning and careful thought to be an integral part of loving God and loving one’s neighbor. Throughout the Bible, God reasons with his people. The greatest commandment includes loving God with one’s mind, and God calls us to train ourselves to discern good and evil. The study of logic offers an excellent opportunity to hone one’s reasoning abilities.

David enjoys taking walks with his wife, spending time with friends, and reading. Some of his favorite authors include John Piper, John Frame, and J.I. Packer.

David’s wife Caroline teaches AP® United States History and English 3 for the Academy. The two of them live in Louisville, Kentucky, and are expecting their first child in the summer.

Macroeconomics




Master Teacher: Amy Raybould Derstine

Master Teacher: Personal Finance & Accounting
Classroom Teacher: AP^® Micro & Macroeconomics 

Amy Raybould Derstine

MA, Liberty University
BS, Liberty University

Amy Raybould Derstine graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in business economics and earned a Master of Arts degree in business from Liberty University. During her years of study, Amy assisted in teaching all age groups, ranging from elementary students to undergraduate and graduate college students. She has taught the Academy’s AP^® Microeconomics and AP^® Macroeconomics courses since their inception, and is now the Course Developer and Master Teacher of Personal Finance & Accounting.

Amy is no stranger to the online education format. Prior to working at TD Bank and Susquehanna Bank, she served as the Director of Academic Advising for Liberty University Online. She currently resides in New Jersey, where she has served as a Relationship Manager and Vice President in the banking industry.

This is Amy’s eighth year teaching for the Academy.


Classroom Teacher: Kristen Long


Classroom Teacher

Kristen Long

MS, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
BS, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Kristen earned her BS in management with a concentration in human resources from Virginia Tech in 2008. Following her passion for business and inspired by her former high school business teachers, she returned to Virginia Tech to pursue a master's degree in education. She graduated in 2010 with an MS in career and technical education, with endorsements to teach business & information technology and marketing education. She has been teaching business and marketing courses for the last 7 years at the public high school from which she graduated. She has experience delivering content and instruction both in the classroom and online, and strongly believes the online format is critical to preparing students for post-secondary education.

Kristen lives in the Tidewater area of Virginia, is married to her high school sweetheart, and is the mother to two young children. She is an avid runner who has completed numerous races, including two full marathons. As a budding entrepreneur herself, Kristen took her passion for running and, in 2016, founded Run Mama Run, where she sells running apparel and accessories to other running mothers.

Microeconomics




Master Teacher: Amy Raybould Derstine

Master Teacher: Personal Finance & Accounting
Classroom Teacher: AP^® Micro & Macroeconomics 

Amy Raybould Derstine

MA, Liberty University
BS, Liberty University

Amy Raybould Derstine graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in business economics and earned a Master of Arts degree in business from Liberty University. During her years of study, Amy assisted in teaching all age groups, ranging from elementary students to undergraduate and graduate college students. She has taught the Academy’s AP^® Microeconomics and AP^® Macroeconomics courses since their inception, and is now the Course Developer and Master Teacher of Personal Finance & Accounting.

Amy is no stranger to the online education format. Prior to working at TD Bank and Susquehanna Bank, she served as the Director of Academic Advising for Liberty University Online. She currently resides in New Jersey, where she has served as a Relationship Manager and Vice President in the banking industry.

This is Amy’s eighth year teaching for the Academy.


Classroom Teacher: Kristen Long


Classroom Teacher

Kristen Long

MS, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
BS, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Kristen earned her BS in management with a concentration in human resources from Virginia Tech in 2008. Following her passion for business and inspired by her former high school business teachers, she returned to Virginia Tech to pursue a master's degree in education. She graduated in 2010 with an MS in career and technical education, with endorsements to teach business & information technology and marketing education. She has been teaching business and marketing courses for the last 7 years at the public high school from which she graduated. She has experience delivering content and instruction both in the classroom and online, and strongly believes the online format is critical to preparing students for post-secondary education.

Kristen lives in the Tidewater area of Virginia, is married to her high school sweetheart, and is the mother to two young children. She is an avid runner who has completed numerous races, including two full marathons. As a budding entrepreneur herself, Kristen took her passion for running and, in 2016, founded Run Mama Run, where she sells running apparel and accessories to other running mothers.

Personal Finance & Accounting




Master Teacher: Amy Raybould Derstine

Master Teacher: Personal Finance & Accounting
Classroom Teacher: AP^® Micro & Macroeconomics 

Amy Raybould Derstine

MA, Liberty University
BS, Liberty University

Amy Raybould Derstine graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in business economics and earned a Master of Arts degree in business from Liberty University. During her years of study, Amy assisted in teaching all age groups, ranging from elementary students to undergraduate and graduate college students. She has taught the Academy’s AP^® Microeconomics and AP^® Macroeconomics courses since their inception, and is now the Course Developer and Master Teacher of Personal Finance & Accounting.

Amy is no stranger to the online education format. Prior to working at TD Bank and Susquehanna Bank, she served as the Director of Academic Advising for Liberty University Online. She currently resides in New Jersey, where she has served as a Relationship Manager and Vice President in the banking industry.

This is Amy’s eighth year teaching for the Academy.


Classroom Teacher: Stephanie Guido


Classroom Teacher

Stephanie Guido

BA, Patrick Henry College


Stephanie Guido teaches Personal Finance & Accounting and AP^® US Government for HSLDA Online Academy. Her experience in both subjects is extensive.

At the age of 16, Stephanie began work for an accounting firm, where she quickly progressed from copying tax documents, to filing tax reports, balancing monthly client bank accounts in QuickBooks, and compiling financial services portfolios. Within a year of starting work, Stephanie was hired by her church to do their monthly bookkeeping and yearly accounting reports. Since that time, Stephanie has worked as an independent contractor, managing bookkeeping, payroll, and tax forms for multiple companies. She also completed a Financial Peace University course as a highschooler and used the lessons she learned there in managing her own finances, remaining debt-free through college.

She holds a BA in government from Patrick Henry College, graduating summa cum laude with highest honors. During her time at PHC, Stephanie participated in Moot Court, interned in Care Net’s legal department, and fulfilled her childhood dream of working on Capitol Hill by interning in Congressman Trent Franks’s (AZ) office. After college, she worked for the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, providing administrative support for the Commission on Non-Profit Accountability commissioned by Senator Grassley. In this role, she worked with legal, religious, and non-profit experts from across the country to help religious non-profit organizations improve their internal regulation standards.

Prior to coming on campus at PHC, Stephanie completed twenty-seven PHC distance learning credits, so she has experienced online classes from a student’s perspective and is committed to cultivating a rich interactive experience and prompt teacher responses.

Stephanie lives in Texas with her husband Ben, a doctoral candidate in philosophy at Baylor University, and their two children, Rowena and Cedric. Ben is the Course Developer and Master Teacher for the Academy’s Logic & Critical Thinking course. When Stephanie has any free time, she enjoys reading, baking, hiking, jigsaw puzzling, and tabletop gaming.

This is Stephanie's third year teaching for the Academy.

Pre-Calculus and Trigonometry




Master Teacher: Elizabeth Shimada

Master Teacher

Elizabeth Shimada

MS, Santa Clara University
BS, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo



Elizabeth Shimada earned her bachelor of science in electronic engineering from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo and her master’s of science in computer engineering from Santa Clara University. Prior to homeschooling her three children, she spent ten years in manufacturing, marketing, and R&D at Hewlett Packard Company’s instrumentation division. Energized by teaching, she is thrilled to be part of the Academy’s online homeschool community. She enjoys teaching in creative ways, making abstract concepts real and the learning process fun. Besides teaching, she tutors in math and physics. Furthermore, she appreciates math and science as tools to see the “hidden treasures” in God’s creation.

In addition to her family’s year-round basketball activities, Elizabeth enjoys reading, building projects, visiting new places, perusing apologetics, and good literature and theater. She also delights in various Word studies and fellowship, drawing and multimedia activities, and good ol’ company and conversation around a meal.

Elizabeth lives in Northern California with her husband Warren and their children—Eric, Jaclyn, and Kevin—along with their two furry felines, Pachek and Slavna, and a sizeable flock of backyard chickens.

This is her second year teaching for the Academy.


Classroom Teacher: Amber Knapp


Classroom Teacher

Amber Knapp

MEd, Marygrove College
BA, Spring Arbor University

Amber Knapp earned her bachelor's degree in secondary education mathematics from Spring Arbor University and her masters of education degree from Marygrove College. She taught mathematics for ten years at a local high school before moving on to several adjunct professor positions at local colleges. For the past three years Amber has been blessed to teach part-time in these positions while homeschooling her young children.

Along with teaching a variety of math courses at the high school and college levels, Amber has taught online math classes for over a decade, provided regular tutoring to homeschooled students in the area, and has recently begun working with Classical Conversations as a tutor in the Foundations program. Amber enjoys finding creative ways to present material and make it accessible for all students to learn. Coming alongside students and showing them the beauty of God's creation through the application of mathematics is a great joy for Amber—one she is excited to share with students in the Academy's online homeschool community.

In addition to home improvement projects, Amber enjoys running, reading and spending time with friends over a good cup of coffee. She lives in central Michigan with her husband Jesse and three young children, where they love serving in their church and spending time with extended family.

Classroom Teacher: Paige Jackson


Classroom Teacher

Paige Jackson

BS, University of South Florida

Paige Jackson earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics Education from the University of South Florida in Tampa. Paige has taught high school math and science courses for the past eighteen years. 

Four years ago, Paige left the classroom to pursue teaching and tutoring from home while homeschooling her then 8th grade son. She has greatly enjoyed the experience of home-schooling a high school student.

Paige lives in Valrico, Florida, with her husband and seventeen year old son.  Together, they enjoy spending time with their many friends and nearby relatives. She, her husband and son, also enjoy frequent trips to the Orlando area, making use of their theme park passes. As often as possible, they try to travel out of the state of Florida to visit the rest of beautiful North America.  

Spanish 1




Master Teacher: Eric Arthurton

Master Teacher

Eric Arthurton

MA, University of California, Riverside
BA, University of California, Riverside



Eric Arthurton earned his Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and French languages and his Master of Arts in Spanish literature at the University of California, Riverside. He is fluent in Spanish and French, and continues to study biblical Hebrew, biblical Greek, Portuguese, and German. He is the Course Developer and Master Teacher for Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 through HSLDA Online Academy.

Eric currently resides in Apple Valley, California, with his beautiful wife and 5 wonderful children. He enjoys being involved in his children’s education and reading Christian apologetics.

This is his second year teaching for the Academy.


Classroom Teacher: Kristen Davis


Classroom Teacher

Kristen Davis

MA, University of Houston
BA, Sam Houston State University



Kristen Davis earned her bachelor of arts degree with a Spanish minor at Sam Houston State University, graduating magna cum laude. She earned her master's degree in second language education from the University of Houston while teaching foreign language in the public school system.

A lover of languages and fluent in Spanish, Kristen has taught multiple homeschool Spanish courses and enjoys homeschooling her own two children. She currently resides in the greater Houston area with her husband and their two amazing children.

This is her second year teaching for the Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Daouda Traore


Classroom Teacher

Daouda Traore

Daouda Traore (pronounced /dow-dah trah-o-ray) has spent the last 12 years working as a language teacher, interpreter, and translator in Spanish, English, and French. His academic and professional training, along with his exposure to different cultures and various groups on the African and American continents, has equipped him with skills that he enjoys using for the benefits of his students.

Daouda is very passionate about languages and language skill acquisition. He is specifically passionate about his students being able, not only to speak, write, and read a new language with ease, but also to sound and articulate like a native speaker of the target language. He believes firmly that the best way to learn a language is by immersion. Thus, in all his classes, his goal is to provide an experience as close to immersion as possible.

Between 2008 and 2010, while teaching languages in the Ivory Coast, Daouda worked with a group of high school students from South Africa, whose only language was English. Within 2 years, Daouda and his teaching team gave the students the necessary training and language skills to complete college classes in French. He has since served many students at the Victor Valley College in Victorville, CA, as a Spanish and French tutor.

Daouda is also an elder and an ordained pastor serving a multi-ethnic congregation in Southern California, where he lives with his wife Danielle and their two daughters Anna and Abigael.

Classroom Teacher: Kate Blevins




Classroom Teacher

Kate Blevins

BA, Shepherd University



Kate Blevins graduated from Shepherd University with a BA in elementary education and a minor in Spanish. Additionally, she earned graduate credits in special education, foreign language instruction and gifted education.

She has over 16 years of diverse teaching experience in private and public education. By using songs, rhymes, and movement, she has taught Spanish to students from first grade through high school. She serves as a tutor for a local homeschool co-op. Kate believes that all students can learn a foreign language, and it is her passion to encourage students to utilize these gifts for God's kingdom.

Her Spanish fluency is especially valuable on mission trips abroad. She enjoys translating for team members and connecting with the locals. When called upon, she interprets sermons for speakers during church services. Her travels have taken her to places such as Uruguay, Mexico, Spain, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic, and Costa Rica.

Kate resides in Virginia, where she homeschools her four children. She enjoys a creamy cup of coffee and date night adventures with her husband.

This is her second year teaching for the Academy.

Classroom Teacher: William Estrada


Classroom Teacher

Willliam Estrada, Sr.

MA, Teachers College, Columbia University
BA, State University College (SUNY) at New Paltz

William Estrada, Sr., is a semi-retired teacher of special education from New York State. He received his master of arts from Teachers College, Columbia University. During his undergraduate career, he initially studied to be a Spanish teacher but switched in his junior year and received his BA in psychology with a minor in Spanish. It is in semi-retirement that he has been most engaged in teaching Spanish—at Elmira Christian Academy in Elmira, NY; Towanda High School in Pennsylvania; and now as an online instructor with HSLDA Online Academy. 

A native Spanish speaker, William Sr. met and fell in love with his wife, Jeannie Marie Estrada, through their joint leadership in the university's Spanish club. Mrs. Estrada served as the vice president and appointed William Sr. to be the club's public relations officer. The rest of the story is an amazing journey of love, faith, and family. Mr. and Mrs. Estrada have homeschooled 8 children, including HSLDA staff attorney Will Estrada, and held a decade-long membership at Grace Community Church in Corning, NY. 

William Sr. is excited about teaching at the Academy and making first-time learners of Spanish feel comfortable and confident with his relaxed teaching style.

Classroom Teacher: Silvia Petit


Classroom Teacher

Silvia Petit

BA, Central American Theological Seminary

Silvia is a native Spanish speaker, born in Guatemala, Central America.  She lived in Mexico for 5 years and has traveled to El Salvador, Peru, and Spain. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from The Central American Theological Seminary. 

Silvia came to the U.S. in 2000 as a missionary to work at Salem Evangelical Free Church in Staten Island, New York. A few years later, she met her husband, Greg. Her husband’s job led them to Wichita, Kansas, in 2007, where they currently reside with their two children.  Silvia enjoyed homeschooling their children, Erika and Andrew, from 2008-2016. 

Silvia loves the freedom that homeschooling has to teach all subjects from a Christian worldview!  She has enjoyed the opportunity to encourage and support homeschooling families with her knowledge and teaching gifts and takes great pleasure in teaching people of all ages to speak her native tongue. Silvia has been tutoring and teaching Spanish in several homeschool co-ops in the greater Wichita areas since 2010. She is very excited for the opportunity to share her gifts and experience with many more students now through HSLDA Online Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Sara Lagos-Hall


Classroom Teacher

Sara Lagos-Hall

BS, Liberty University

Sara Lagos-Hall was born in Honduras, a small country in Central America. She moved to the United States when she was entering middle school. Spanish is her native language, and it was her primary mode of communication in Miami, where she lived for about 10 years among people from all over Latin America.

Mrs. Hall has a BS degree from Liberty University and is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Professional Writing, as well as learning Latin. She has been a home educator for 18 years. Two of her children have already graduated college, and the younger two are still homeschooling for high school. She has taught Spanish in a variety of settings—church, private school, and homeschool co-op classes—and currently teaches classes for homeschoolers near her home in north Georgia.

Mrs. Hall looks forward to sharing her love for language with her students. Additionally, she desires to inspire her students to become bilingual because this can open the door to fulfilling the Great Commission: “to go to all the nations and make disciples, baptizing and teaching them.”

Spanish 2




Master Teacher: Eric Arthurton

Master Teacher

Eric Arthurton

MA, University of California, Riverside
BA, University of California, Riverside



Eric Arthurton earned his Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and French languages and his Master of Arts in Spanish literature at the University of California, Riverside. He is fluent in Spanish and French, and continues to study biblical Hebrew, biblical Greek, Portuguese, and German. He is the Course Developer and Master Teacher for Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 through HSLDA Online Academy.

Eric currently resides in Apple Valley, California, with his beautiful wife and 5 wonderful children. He enjoys being involved in his children’s education and reading Christian apologetics.

This is his second year teaching for the Academy.


Classroom Teacher: Kristen Davis


Classroom Teacher

Kristen Davis

MA, University of Houston
BA, Sam Houston State University



Kristen Davis earned her bachelor of arts degree with a Spanish minor at Sam Houston State University, graduating magna cum laude. She earned her master's degree in second language education from the University of Houston while teaching foreign language in the public school system.

A lover of languages and fluent in Spanish, Kristen has taught multiple homeschool Spanish courses and enjoys homeschooling her own two children. She currently resides in the greater Houston area with her husband and their two amazing children.

This is her second year teaching for the Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Kate Blevins




Classroom Teacher

Kate Blevins

BA, Shepherd University



Kate Blevins graduated from Shepherd University with a BA in elementary education and a minor in Spanish. Additionally, she earned graduate credits in special education, foreign language instruction and gifted education.

She has over 16 years of diverse teaching experience in private and public education. By using songs, rhymes, and movement, she has taught Spanish to students from first grade through high school. She serves as a tutor for a local homeschool co-op. Kate believes that all students can learn a foreign language, and it is her passion to encourage students to utilize these gifts for God's kingdom.

Her Spanish fluency is especially valuable on mission trips abroad. She enjoys translating for team members and connecting with the locals. When called upon, she interprets sermons for speakers during church services. Her travels have taken her to places such as Uruguay, Mexico, Spain, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic, and Costa Rica.

Kate resides in Virginia, where she homeschools her four children. She enjoys a creamy cup of coffee and date night adventures with her husband.

This is her second year teaching for the Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Tricia Powell


Classroom Teacher

Tricia Powell

BS, Strayer University

Tricia Powell, is a bi-lingual native of Puerto Rico. Mrs. Powell currently serves on the board of directors of The Hosea Initiative teaching worldview and its impact on social issues. 

Tricia discovered her love of teaching when she volunteered and mentored students in the youth group at her local church. Her desire to inspire continued when she worked for a foreign exchange program where she supervised students from around the world. She hosted seven students over a four year period. 

She proceeded to redirect her energy to her first ministry, her family, and began homeschooling her own children. She has taught History, Government, Worldview, and Classical Literature at her local co-op and another online school. Mrs. Powell is excited to use the combination of her gifts and experience to teach Spanish for the students at the HSLDA Online Academy. 

Tricia resides in Virginia with her husband of 20 years, two daughters and their fluffy puppy, Finley. She enjoys reading, glamping (it's like camping sans the dirt) and she's a self-professed coffee addict.

Classroom Teacher: Alyssa Downs


Classroom Teacher

Alyssa Downs

MA, Appalachian State University
BA, Appalachian State University

Alyssa Downs earned her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Master of Arts in Romance Languages at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. She began studying Spanish in high school and quickly became fascinated by the language and the opportunity to communicate with Spanish speakers both locally and globally. During college, she studied abroad in Madrid, Spain.

Alyssa taught and tutored Spanish at a community college in North Carolina for four years before moving to Pennsylvania this past June. She became interested in serving the homeschool community after marrying a homeschool graduate (her husband, Patrick) five years ago and getting to know many inspiring homeschool families at church.

Besides teaching, she loves to go hiking and paddle boarding with her husband.

U.S. Government and Politics




Master Teacher: Frank Guliuzza, PhD

Master Teacher

Frank Guliuzza, PhD

PhD, University of Notre Dame
MDiv, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
BA and MA, University of Wyoming

 Dr. Guliuzza is the Dean of Academic Affairs at Patrick Henry College and a professor of government. He is a well-known scholar in the field of government. An expert in constitutional law, he has published widely on the First Amendment (including his book Over the Wall: Protecting Religious Expression in the Public Square), the separation of church and state, and the role of Christians in political activism.

Dr. Guliuzza received the John S. Hinckley Award as the outstanding faculty member at Weber State University (2003). He was named Utah Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation (2003). He has been recognized four times by the American Political Science Association for “Outstanding Teaching in Political Science” (2000, 2003, 2004, and 2008).

Dr. Guliuzza previously served as president of the Pre-Law Advisors’ National Council and is on the executive boards of the American Mock Trial Association and the American Collegiate Moot Court Association (currently serving as ACMA President). A successful moot court and mock trial coach at Weber State and PHC, he is the co-coach of the four-time defending moot court champions and has led his teams into the top ten at the national mock trial tournaments, coaching scores of students who were either all-American or all-regional competitors. He has also taught at Wheaton College, the University of Minnesota, and Vassar College.

Beyond his academic accomplishments, Dr. Guliuzza has extensive practical political experience. He was vice-chairman of the Utah Republican Party and ran for election to the United States Senate, though he was defeated by Orrin Hatch. At PHC, he advises students who plan to attend law school. In addition to coaching moot court and mock trial, he teaches classes at all levels for the Government major.

Dr. Guliuzza has worked with HSLDA Online Academy since 2009.


Classroom Teacher: Sarah Majeske


Classroom Teacher

Sarah Majeske

MA, Regent University
M.Ed., Touro University International
BA, The Master's College


Sarah Majeske holds a master of arts in curriculum and instruction, and a master of arts in government with concentrations in public administration and political theory. She has experience teaching at the community college level, both onsite and in various online platforms. She earned both master's degrees online and understands firsthand how impactful online education can be.

In her passion for political science and government, Sarah knows that the call for Christians to be public servants is great and necessary. Learning from a Christian perspective plays a vital role in the maturing of Christian servants.

Sarah homeschools her four children and participates in a homeschool co-op. She also volunteers at her church in the children's program and the coffee bar, about which she is equally passionate. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, exercising, reading, baking, and traveling.

Classroom Teacher: Stephanie Guido


Classroom Teacher

Stephanie Guido

BA, Patrick Henry College


Stephanie Guido teaches Personal Finance & Accounting and AP^® US Government for HSLDA Online Academy. Her experience in both subjects is extensive.

At the age of 16, Stephanie began work for an accounting firm, where she quickly progressed from copying tax documents, to filing tax reports, balancing monthly client bank accounts in QuickBooks, and compiling financial services portfolios. Within a year of starting work, Stephanie was hired by her church to do their monthly bookkeeping and yearly accounting reports. Since that time, Stephanie has worked as an independent contractor, managing bookkeeping, payroll, and tax forms for multiple companies. She also completed a Financial Peace University course as a highschooler and used the lessons she learned there in managing her own finances, remaining debt-free through college.

She holds a BA in government from Patrick Henry College, graduating summa cum laude with highest honors. During her time at PHC, Stephanie participated in Moot Court, interned in Care Net’s legal department, and fulfilled her childhood dream of working on Capitol Hill by interning in Congressman Trent Franks’s (AZ) office. After college, she worked for the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, providing administrative support for the Commission on Non-Profit Accountability commissioned by Senator Grassley. In this role, she worked with legal, religious, and non-profit experts from across the country to help religious non-profit organizations improve their internal regulation standards.

Prior to coming on campus at PHC, Stephanie completed twenty-seven PHC distance learning credits, so she has experienced online classes from a student’s perspective and is committed to cultivating a rich interactive experience and prompt teacher responses.

Stephanie lives in Texas with her husband Ben, a doctoral candidate in philosophy at Baylor University, and their two children, Rowena and Cedric. Ben is the Course Developer and Master Teacher for the Academy’s Logic & Critical Thinking course. When Stephanie has any free time, she enjoys reading, baking, hiking, jigsaw puzzling, and tabletop gaming.

This is Stephanie's third year teaching for the Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Miriam McElvain


Classroom Teacher

Miriam McElvain

BA, Patrick Henry College 

Miriam McElvain is currently working on a master’s degree in humanities at the University of Dallas. She graduated from Patrick Henry College in 2010 with a degree in government focusing on political theory. After graduation, she interned for Family Research Council, researching the intersection of politics with familial, religious, and education trends in the United States. She has been active on several campaigns, including co-leading a team of 80 volunteers during a Colorado Senate election. In the past five years, she wrote a series of articles on the US Constitution for the Douglas County Herald and worked as a litigation assistant at Home School Legal Defense Association.

Her academic interests include education, the family, the land, and former Soviet nations. She currently resides in Irving, Texas.

This is Miriam’s third year teaching AP US Government & Politics.

United States History




Master Teacher: Robert Spinney, PhD

Master Teacher

Robert Spinney, PhD

PhD and MA, Vanderbilt University
BA, Harvard University

Dr. Spinney teaches U.S. History classes at Patrick Henry College. He also teaches the upper-division historiography course for History majors that explores what it means to think Christianly about the study of history. Before coming to Purcellville in 2007, he served as a pastor in a Tennessee church while also teaching Patrick Henry College’s online history classes.

Dr. Spinney has also taught at Trinity College (Deerfield, IL), Volunteer State Community College (Gallatin, TN), and The Valwood School and Open Bible Christian School (both in Valdosta, GA, and both junior and senior high schools). He has published two academic history books: World War II in Nashville: Transformation of the Homefront and City of Big Shoulders: A History of Chicago. He has also published ten ministry-related pamphlets with Tulip Books—pamphlets with titles like Did God Create Sports Also? Thinking Christianly About Sports; Monkeying Around With Dangerous Ideas: Four Reasons Outside the Field of Science Why Christians Should Reject Evolutionary Thinking; and Are You Legalistic? Grace, Obedience, and Antinomianism.

God has given Rob and his wife Caroline five children, all of whom have been homeschooled. He has worked with HSLDA Online Academy since 2010.


Classroom Teacher: Rachael Stahr


Classroom Teacher

Rachael Stahr

BA, Patrick Henry College

Rachael Stahr graduated from Patrick Henry College with a BA in classical liberal arts and a minor in pedagogy. She has wanted to be a teacher since she was twelve years old. Her favorite part of teaching is helping students understand confusing concepts.

For the past three summers, Rachael has helped Dr. Robert Spinney publish the lectures he uses in his Patrick Henry College and HSLDA Online Academy classes. She really enjoyed ensuring that the text was clear and that students would be able to understand the most important points, even adding graphs and images to help them study. She has a copy of every edition on her bookshelf.

In addition to teaching history, Rachael loves American Sign Language and is passionate about deaf ministry. She loves to read the Inklings and play with her family’s shepherd dogs.

Classroom Teacher: Caroline Tyrrell


Classroom Teacher

Caroline Tyrrell

BA, Patrick Henry College 

Caroline graduated from Patrick Henry College in 2014 with her BA in history, and she is currently pursuing an MA in biblical counseling at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY.

Caroline views the study of history and literature as a study of truths pertaining to the nature of man and the nature of God Himself. As Dr. Robert Spinney often reminds his PHC history students, “History does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” The study of history and literature reveals the patterns of man’s nature, the mercy of God in interacting with man, and the grounding on which we must stand to accurately understand our own time.

As a perpetual student herself, Caroline is excited to continue discovering God’s truths found in history and literature along with her students, while passing on the tools that have been so helpful to her.

Caroline enjoys reading, running, music, and taking walks with her husband David (who teaches Logic & Critical Thinking for the Academy). They currently reside in Louisville, KY, and are expecting their first child in the summer.

This is Caroline’s third year teaching for the Academy. She currently teaches English 3: American Literature & Writing and AP^® US History. Caroline has also taught English 1 for the Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Juli Gleason


Classroom Teacher

Juli Gleason

BA, Patrick Henry College



Ever since Juli showed a fifth grader how to work a unit-conversion problem when she was seventeen, she has known that God gifted her to teach. She has also known that her gift does not rely on her power alone—that same fifth grader got the problem wrong because of Juli’s dyslexia!

Since then, Juli has developed her love of teaching both academically and professionally. She holds a BA in classical liberal arts from Patrick Henry College. Practicum work for her degree included student teaching at Regents Classical Christian School in Austin, Texas, and writing and teaching a course in art history, philosophy, and creation for homeschooled students.

Since graduation, Juli has continued to teach. She taught art and choir to first through third graders at a start-up Christian school, where she had the opportunity to develop her own curriculum. For three years after that, Juli oversaw a homeschool co-op academy that focused on Bible knowledge, math skills, reading for information, and writing. During these years, Juli also taught European history, American history, and British literature, helping her more advanced students prepare for AP^® exams.

In 2011, Juli joined the team at HSLDA Online Academy as one of the first AP US History teachers. She looks forward to the coming academic year as much as she looked forward to the first.

Juli is a native Texan and happily married to an American computer programmer living in Scotland. She and her husband are blessed with a toddler named James, who gets to discover in May what it means to be a big brother.

This is Juli’s seventh year teaching for the Academy.

World History




Master Teacher: Douglas Favelo, PhD

Master Teacher

Douglas Favelo, PhD

MA in Classics, PhD in History, UCLA
BA and MA in History, California State University Fresno

Dr. Doug Favelo teaches Patrick Henry College’s core History of Western Civilization courses as well as upper division courses in history. Prior to coming to PHC in 2010, he served as a lecturer for ten years in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literature at California State University Fresno, teaching history, literature, and Latin. In July 2010 he helped lead and teach a UCLA study-abroad program in Rome. During his doctoral studies at UCLA, the largest history graduate program in the nation, he was ranked number one all four years. He specializes in Greek and Roman history and literature; his research interests include Italian resistance to the expansion of Rome and the lives of the Christian desert monks of late Roman Egypt.

Dr. Favelo has been heavily involved in the classical education scene for many years, and also in the homeschool community. He has taught hundreds of homeschooled students Latin, Greek, history, and literature, and has spoken at conferences on homeschooling.

He lives with his wife and four children in Loudoun County, Virginia. His passion is to facilitate students’ intellectual and spiritual development, primarily through the medium of a rigorous, Biblically-centered classical education, to the greater glory of God.

Dr. Favelo has worked with HSLDA Online Academy since 2010 and has developed four Academy courses: AP® World History, AP® European History, Latin 1, and Latin 2.


Classroom Teacher: Brian Trimmer


Classroom Teacher

Brian Trimmer

MA, Pepperdine University
BA, Columbia Christian College


In addition to his BA and MA in history, Brian Trimmer holds a teaching credential through California Lutheran University. He has been a classroom teacher for fifteen years. He currently teaches world and U.S. history at Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, California, as well as AP^® World History through HSLDA Online Academy. In addition to teaching human society, culture, and development, Brian highlights Christian worldview and God’s continuing hand in shaping the course of human history.

Brian has published three history-related articles on Google’s Knol informational website. Two of these articles are chapters straight from his Master’s thesis: Defenders of the West, the History of Naval Airstation Tillamook. He has also achieved expert author status on EzineArticles with eleven feature articles on entrepreneurship and home-based business. He and his wife Heather have begun a successful home-based business. God has given them three children, all of whom are currently homeschooled.

This is Brian’s seventh year teaching for the Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Megan Bowman


Classroom Teacher

Megan Bowman

MA, George Mason University
BA, Appalachian State University



Megan Bowman earned her bachelor's degree in social studies and secondary education from Appalachian State University in 2006 and her master’s of education in Advanced Studies in Teaching and Learning, with a concentration in history, from George Mason University in 2009. She had the unique opportunity to study abroad for a summer term in 2004 at John Cabot University in Rome, Italy. She also worked as a historic interpretative intern with the National Park Service at Eisenhower National Historic Site in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in 2006. Over the past ten years, she has taught 9th–12th Grade Social Studies classes in Fairfax and Loudoun County Public Schools and HSLDA Online Academy, including AP^® World History, AP^® U.S. History, and AP^® European History.

Megan is very excited to be teaching again with HSLDA Online Academy this academic year. Over the past ten years, her passion for history and for piquing young people's interest in history has grown exponentially. Her favorite topics to study include ancient Greek and Roman history, early church history, the Reformation, the American Civil War, World Wars I & II, and the Cold War. She looks forward to getting to know her students and facilitating a fun and exciting European History class!

Megan lives in West Virginia with her husband Kevin and their daughters Lizzy and Victoria. In her free time, she enjoys reading, running, hiking, baking, wood-working, and hanging out with her family and their beagle Bella.

This is her third year teaching for the Academy.

Classroom Teacher: Anna Layer


Classroom Teacher

Anna Layer

MA, Villanova University
BA, Cedarville University

Anna Fitzpatrick Layer earned her bachelor’s degree in history with a Bible minor from Cedarville University. In the fall of 2016, she completed her master’s degree in history with a concentration in public history from Villanova University. Anna’s primary research interests include Irish participation in the American Civil War, along with more general Civil War history. She also finds the American Revolution and World Wars I and II fascinating!

Various travel and work opportunities have enhanced Anna’s love of history and teaching. During the summer of 2015, Anna had the opportunity of traveling to Ireland with other Villanova students to participate in a summer studio program with Ireland’s national theatre, the Abbey Theatre. While in Ireland, Anna enjoyed exploring how Ireland’s history is portrayed through its theatre. Various internships at national and local historic sites and museums, such as the National Archives, deepened Anna’s passion for sharing history by giving tours to groups of students and the general public. Anna has also worked as a TA for online Cedarville University politics courses. She greatly enjoyed working with the students in this position, and helping them achieve their academic goals.

Anna is so excited to be a teacher with HSLDA Online Academy and to share her passion for history with her students! She looks forward to meeting her students, and conveying to them how history enriches lives, creates empathy, and reveals more of God’s sovereignty.

Anna currently lives in Kansas with her husband Jacob and their Beagle / Jack Russell mix, Tammy. Along with spending time with her husband and family, Anna enjoys going on walks and hikes, playing the piano and harp, baking, reading, knitting, and touring museums and battlefields.