Ali Marie
Elementary Director
#Engaging #Fun #Patient #Kind #Encouraging
Ali has a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and has worked with children over the last 11 years. She taught for 6 years in public school, 2 years in Kindergarten and 4 years in First Grade. She has worked as a reading tutor and ESL teacher online for the last 4 years; she has also tutored children in-person in reading, writing, and STEM. Ali believes that every child is a natural learner; she believes that an educator’s goal is to engage each child in the way that they learn best! She is passionate about creating a safe and FUN environment that teaches the whole child. Each time she enters a classroom, whether it is in-person or online, you can find her singing, playing games, and making learning fun. Ali lives in Missouri, near St. Louis with her husband, son, and fur-child (an 80 lb. German Shepherd who doesn’t know how big he is). In her free time she loves reading, writing, crafts, hiking, working out, and spending time with my family.
Becky Padgett
World Language
#thoughtful #creative #athletic #silly #adventurous
Becky loves the Psalms because it contains some of her favorite scripture and songs from her childhood. Becky graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Spanish Education and a minor in Anthropology from Purdue University. She holds a teaching certificate in the state of Alaska. She is currently seeking her Masters of Arts in Global Studies at Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity. She has been in the classroom teaching high school Spanish for over twenty five years. She also has orchestrated international travel trips and a travel exchange with a school in Spain. Becky's favorite thing about teaching is her students. She loves seeing the looks of excitement on her student's faces when they start to communicate in another language. Her classes are fun and filled with a variety of activities and brain-friendly content. Her goals for her students are to be able to engage and communicate within the Hispanic world and to become curious, life-long learners. She loves traveling, hiking, and fishing with family. She enjoys making her own yogurt, kombucha, and sourdough bread. She reads a lot about self-sustaining lifestyles and praises God for the beautiful natural world He created.
Blake Dahlmeyer
Creative Arts Director
With a Bachelors of Music in Jazz Studies degree, Mr. Blake has been producing, performing, and teaching music to people of all ages for over 10 years. In addition to teaching, he regularly performs, writes, records, produces, and mixes various music projects of his own and for other artists and clients. He's deeply passionate about music and creating, and loves to share the joy and knowledge of how to express oneself musically with my students. His classroom is lively, lighthearted, and upbeat. You can expect lots of encouragement while he gives feedback and pointers to improve. He aims to cultivate your creativity, stretch your musicality, and hone in on what sparks your musical curiosity. When he's not teaching, he is laughing with his wife. He loves to be with his family, and the friends that may as well be family. He also loves to create, whether in the form of music, or writing, or drawing, or painting. His favorite book of the Bible is Ephesians! "I love to meditate on who I am in Christ and what I have been given access to in Him. Ephesians breaks that down beautifully."#artistic #curious #entrepreneurial #empathetic #relational
Brian Smyth
History Social Studies Teacher
#patient, #encouraging, #relational, #passionate, #always learning
Mr. Smyth's favorite book of the Bible is 1 Corinthians. He had the opportunity to visit the ruins of ancient Corinth, a place that made the book come alive. He especially likes that it includes the earliest known Christian creed (1 Cor. 15:3-5). Mr. Smyth graduated from Patrick Henry College with a Bachelor of Arts in Government. He earned a High School Social Studies teaching certification from Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) in 2015. He also studied hermeneutics (the study of biblical interpretation) at Gateway Seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention. Mr. Smyth has firsthand experience with and knowledge of the American electoral system and legislative system. In college, he supported the U.S. executive branch by providing helpful information and analysis to national security professionals. Since then, he has worked as a writer, researcher, and analyst. He is a lifelong student of history, government, and Scripture. Mr. Smyth's classroom emphasizes connection, confidence, and critical thinking. He aims to help students enjoy the learning experience while they engage the material and exercise their minds. He sees himself as a coach and a cheerleader for each of his students. Mr. Smyth enjoys spending time with his family, going on walks (and generally spending time outside), watching/reading/listening to good stories, hands-on projects (like auto repair), and volunteering at church. He spends lots of time learning about history (American, British, church, and military are his favorites), machines (cars and airplanes, especially), and technology. He is also writing a historical novel in his spare time.
Danielle Mortimore
Science Teacher
#engaging, #passionate, #supportive, #knowledgeable, #dedicated
Danielle's favorite book of the Bible is any of the books by Paul the Apostle, but her absolute favorite of his writings is the book of Galatians. Paul teaches that we are justified through faith, not by works. Our works should make our faith apparent, but are not what get us to Heaven. So no matter how many times we mess up and drift away from God, it is our faith that justifies us, not what we do. Danielle earned her Bachelor's of Science in General Biology in 2010, then she went on to earn her Master's of Science in Curriculum and Instruction in 2020. She is currently certified in grade 6-12 for science and biology. Danielle has worked in a traditional brick and mortar school for 7 years and taught online for 1 year. Most of her experience is in middle school, 6th-8th general science and high school biology. She has also taught conservation biology programs at two different zoos as a coordinator and education assistant. Mrs. Mortimore's classroom is engaging and fun. Students feel welcomed to ask questions no matter how silly they may seem. Students are also asked questions quite often to encourage participation. Every lesson starts with an overarching question that students will answer, and instruction is hands-on and phenomena based. When Danielle is not working, she is often brainstorming on future lessons/courses. She enjoys reading fantasy fiction, playing videos games with her husband, walking their dog, and attending church.
Jenn Riale
English Teacher
#Experienced #Knowledgeable #Empowering #Patient #Rises Above the Ordinary.
As a certified English teacher, Jenn has taught in some capacity over the course of the past twenty-five years. She has taught middle school and high school English classes in both private and public school settings, tutored international ESL students online, developed and taught literature and public speaking classes for a local homeschool co-op, and homeschooled her own two children. Jenn has a bachelor’s degree in English Education. A strong believer in lifelong learning, Jenn has also taken several graduate-level courses related to teaching. Jenn enjoys spending time with her husband, Mark, and their two teenagers. She enjoys taking day trips close to where they live in upstate New York. In her spare time, Jenn enjoys singing and performing in plays. Additionally, she enjoys curling up on the sofa to read a good book. More than likely, one of her four cats will be curled up at her feet.
Karen Lemons
Founder
#High-Energy #Skilled #Experienced #Relational #Fun #Faithful
Karen is the Founder of Lemons-Aid. She has a bachelor's degree in English, a minor in Education, and a master's degree in Education Administration from Liberty University. With a teaching certificate and a principal's license in both Washington and Colorado, she has many years of experience teaching English Language Arts and History / Social Studies at the middle school and high school levels. Additionally, she is TESOL and TEFL certified and enjoys teaching English Language Learners from all over the world. She has worked in private and public schools at every level and is currently an affiliate faculty member at Colorado Christian University, supervising teacher candidates in their undergraduate and graduate teacher education programs. She is a teacher of teachers. A homeschool mom herself, she admits that teaching other people's kids is easier than teaching her own teenage boys! She lives in the Denver, Colorado area where she cheers on the Broncos, Avs, and the Rockies, but her favorite athletes are her own kids who play hockey and baseball!
Kendra Mancuso
STEM Department Head & Math Teacher
#energetic, #caring, #blessed, #organized, #experienced
Mrs. Mancuso's favorite book of the Bible is James. This book is filled with wisdom, instructions and encouragement for believers. James exhorts believers to grow in their faith and maturity. Mrs. Mancuso remembers James 1:2-4 when she encounters trials; "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Mrs. Mancuso earned her bachelor's degree in mathematics from University of Northwestern - St. Paul. She has over 20 years of experience as a private math tutor. Mrs. Mancuso has taught in a private high school setting and as an adjunct at a university. She has taught math levels ranging from upper elementary to college level. She has taught in both a classroom setting and as a private math tutor. Mrs. Mancuso engages her students in her lessons by asking lots of questions. These questions help students discover new concepts, remember old skills and build a strong foundation in math. Her classroom is interactive and exciting for students. When Mrs. Mancuso isn't teaching or working, she enjoys spending quality time with her husband and sons. She loves to spend time outside hiking, being on the water, or just hanging out in the fresh air.
Kim Parinisi
English Teacher
#Energetic #Kind #Encouraging #Authentic #Enthusiastic #Guide
Kim loves life, loves people, and loves learning! She views each student as a team member with his or her own unique talents, skills and life experience to bring to the group. She loves helping students expand their knowledge and sharpen their skills to reach their greatest potential. Kim has a Bachelor's degree from Cairn University in secondary Education with certification in English (NY and PA) and endorsement in music. Her classroom experience has focused on English, PE and Bible education, but she has tutored in a variety of areas including ESL, special ed, math, history, science and music (piano and voice). She lives in northeast PA with her wonderful family. She has homeschooled all of her seven children. The youngest five are still in school and ensure that every day is an adventure. Kim also coaches intramural and competitive sports throughout the year. She loves music, sports, reading and taking long walks up her dirt road admiring wildflowers, listening to birds and reflecting on what she is learning in life!