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Meet Our Staff

Aspire Academy has been blessed with Tutors who are passionate about partnering with our families and helping to provide the individual needs each family has. While they are professionals with a plethora of knowledge in their fields, at Aspire Academy YOU are still the official Teacher and Record Keeper of your family. Our staff works to encourage, equip, and support each family and their unique needs. We are excited to be a part of your team!

Teachers

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I am so excited to begin my 2nd year with Aspire, and my 15th year teaching. My favortie thing about out Aspire, is the families, and having my own children with me. My children include Gabby 14, Jay 8, and Gwen 6. My favorite hobbies include gardening, taking care of my chickens, and sitting by the pool.

Katie Acuna
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Tanya Adams has been a photographer for 15 years. She also owns and operates a horse farm. She has a BBA from OSU (Go Pokes!) in Marketing, with an emphasis in promotion and communication, and a minor in Biology. She spent 10 years in a pharmaceutical career. She has been homeschooling for 8 years. She is passionate about her family, animals and Jesus! Tanya lives with her husband Craig and daughters, Lucy and Ella on their farm in Mounds. Tanya has older sons that are grown and live out of state. She enjoys teaching the love of photography to students, as well as all things animals in her Veterinary Science class. Tanya has 7 horses, 4 dogs, 2 Guinea pigs, 3 cats and 25 chickens. Her daughters keep her busy cheering for NOAH Jaguars, competing as equestrians and 4H events. She loves spending time with her family, traveling and teaching.  

Tanya Adams
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Hi! My name is Amber Andrews, and I am teaching the Montessori Class at Aspire Academy this coming up school year.

I grew up in Rowlett TX, and graduated from Rowlett High School in 2001. In 2003, I was an assistant teacher at a Montessori school in Frisco, TX and taught ages 3-6. After one year of assisting, I was offered a scholarship to take the training to become AMS certified, and received my American Montessori Society certification in 2004. I love teaching, and creating new lessons.

I married my wonderful husband James in 2007, and we were blessed with our first little girl, Autumn in 2013, and our second little girl, Skylar in 2017. We enjoy spending time together, visiting new places and spending time with family.

Amber Andrews
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I grew up in St. Louis, MO and have a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Tulsa. My love of learning and teaching started in 2008 when I realized the Lord was calling me to homeschool. I spent 11 years homeschooling my two children. I taught various classes from preschool to high school in two different homeschool co-ops. Most recently, I work as a private tutor, teach Chemistry out of my home to homeschoolers, and teach at a small private school in Bixby. I love creating relationships with students as they learn new things, stretch outside their comfort zone, and build confidence.

Eileen Bader
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Brad is Pastor of Good News Church and has been serving in ministry since 1998.  He has a MA in Ministry Leadership and BA in Church music.  He has the heart of a teacher and a great passion for helping students grow in their faith.  Brad is skilled in voice, guitar, bass, drums, and keyboard.  Brad is married to Julie and together they have three children who have been in Aspire since 2016.

Brad Brooks
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Molly began dancing at age 7, and hasn’t stopped since! She began teaching while in high school, and has since taught in studios in PA, MD, TX and now Oklahoma. While here, she also found a passion for coaching Pom. Her favorite style of dance is jazz. Molly’s favorite thing about teaching is when it all “clicks”, and seeing the students joy when they master a new skill. You can find Molly hanging with her family (Jillian, Erin, Crew & husband Caleb) or watching her students perform. Molly teaches for Jenks Dance Academy & Premiere Pom, and is excited to bring her expertise to Aspire! 

Mollie Boatright
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Sheldon Clark has been teaching in the Tulsa/Owasso area for 14 years. He began playing guitar at age 8 and has been playing with local bands, solo at weddings and special occasions, and for the last 12 years with an acoustic duo playing one to three shows a week. Sheldon also gives private lessons at home and in Owasso with Foyil Music Studio. He has been teaching group lessons for Heartland and The Group homeschool co-ops for the last 6 years. At the beginning of 2019 he also began work at The School of Rock were he is the lead show director. Sheldon Clark sheldonclark2001@yahoo.com (918)260-3244

Sheldon Clark
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Bio

Rachel Cornelius
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I’m Julie Cox. My husband (Brent) and I have been married for 30 years, and we have 4 girls – all of whom were homeschooled from kindergarten through 12th grade. Our two youngest graduated from Aspire in 2018 and 2020, bringing our 20 homeschooling journey to an end! We also have two sons-in-law and 3 granddaughters. I received my bachelor’s degree in elementary education with an emphasis in early childhood from John Brown University in 1994. Over the past 29 years, I have had a variety of opportunities to teach a wide range of ages and subjects from 2 year olds through 12th grade as a preschool teacher, a Classical Conversations Foundations and Essentials tutor and Challenge director, and a volunteer in several homeschooling co-ops. I have also served in the children’s ministry at the churches we have attended and was a Children’s Ministry Associate and the Children’s Ministry Director for two and a half years at Fellowship Bible Church Tulsa where I was responsible for ministering to children ages infant through 6th grade. I am a certified IEW instructor through Classical Conversations and am currently working on the requirement to become a certified IEW instructor through the Institute of Excellence in Writing. In 2019-2020 I had the wonderful privilege of teaching Kindergarten and a Fun Latin class for elementary students at Aspire Academy. I have spent the past 3 years teaching classes out of my home ranging from Art and Music to Latin and Literature along with several IEW writing classes. While I have a classical philosophy of education, it is difficult for me to pick a favorite age or even a favorite subject; I have a passion to help create in students a love of learning – no matter what their age or what subject we’re studying.

Julie Cox
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Melissa has an extensive professional and educational background in early childhood development. It is not just a job but a passion of hers to provide a safe, fun & loving environment for young children to learn and grow in a way that meets their own individual needs. She has been a teenager working in the baby room of a daycare, a nanny, a daycare owner & operator for several years, a children's ministry leader. She became a mom in 1999 and a homeschool mom in 2015. She is often enrolling in college courses pertaining to early childhood education as a way to ensure that she is up to date in her area of interest and expertise.

Melissa enjoys spending her down-time with her husband who she is very proud to also name as her best friend! They enjoy wine-tastings, watching movies or documentaries, cooking, playing board games with the kids and being outside as much as possible.

Melissa F. Davis
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Bio

Kayla DeMoss
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Hi there! My name is Tricia Dillon, and I’m thrilled to be apart of the Aspire family! I was born and raised in Bixby, OK, and I got my bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma (Boomer Sooner!) in Political Science with a French minor. While at OU, I spent a semester abroad. I lived and went to school at the Université Bordeaux Montaigne in Bordeaux, France. After receiving my bachelor’s degree, I moved on to receive my master’s degree in International Administration from the University of Denver. After college, I worked in Washington D.C. for the Federal Aviation Administration in their International Affairs Office. After some time, my family and I moved back to Oklahoma where I began my teaching journey. I love doing my part to inspire a love for learning in young people! When I’m not teaching, you can usually find me out camping or hiking with my husband and 4 kids.

Tricia Dillon
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I grew up in Picher, OK and graduated from Picher-Cardin High School. I attended NEO in Miami, before transferring to NSU in Tahlequah, where I earned my B.A. in Education (Speech Language Pathology and Learning Disabilities).  I later returned to NSU earning my M. Ed in Special Education and School Administration. I have completed registry training in Autism, Other Health Impairments and Traumatic Brain Injury. After 36 years of teaching in public education, I recently retired.

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Kevin and I have one son, Skylar.  When we aren't watching Skylar play his guitar, we enjoy going to car shows or cruising in Kevin's classic car.

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My passion has always been working with special needs children.  I try to live by my favorite quote, "If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we teach the way they learn."

Dana Eakle
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Born in San Diego, CA to a then-Navy family, raised in the Oklahoma City area.  Married to my wife Barbara for almost 43 years, 2 adult children (a daughter Christy and a son Jason), with 3 step-granddaughters and for now, a foster child being cared for by our daughter and who calls me Grandpa.  My mother still lives in the same house I grew up in.

Studied at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK.   Earned a degree in Electronics Engineering Technology (EET).

I worked for 38 years in the oil and gas industry, first for Phillips Petroleum as a field service tech in Chromatographs, then in Research & Development as an RF Electronics Technician.  Eventually earned the title RF Electronics Engineer, a job that involved design and redesign of radio systems used in the search for oil.   As the OPSEIS product line evolved and was sold to Sercel (a French/European company), I moved with the product and spent 4 years in Houston and 1 year in France working on a special project.  Travel was often, too many places around the US and the world, including Canada, Mexico, France, and China, often to refineries and manufacturing plants, or field locations where our radio products were being used.  When that system was eventually shelved and family duties called, I found myself back in Oklahoma where I worked at ABB as a Senior Engineering Tech until my retirement in 2015.

I started teaching as a side interest in 1985, teaching Electronics to adults at the local vo-tech through their evening classes program.  I continued that until 1995 when the school ended the program due to changes in their education programs.  In 2014, they restarted their Adult Electronics program and I once again began teaching.   With my retirement from the Engineering world, I really wanted to continue imparting my knowledge to a new generation and hopefully spark some interest in the Technical Sciences, where a great future can be had for those willing to follow that path.  When the opportunity came along to teach through Aspire, I gladly accepted.  I look forward to hopefully inspiring all who come through my classroom.

Mike Eaton
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Hello, my name is Tammy Eggers, and I am excited to be teaching at Aspire this year! This is my first year teaching at Aspire, but not my first year teaching in general. I have a heart for kids with Special Needs and Learning Disabilities and I spent several years at Bixby Schools working with amazing kids that fall into that category and At Risk kids. I left Bixby to homeschool our youngest and am so very thankful for groups like Aspire that give our daughter an opportunity to still be in a “school” setting, and give me an opportunity to learn and share with other homeschool parents through Faith-based learning. God presented his plan for us to be able to homeschool and it's been an amazing ride so far. 

My husband, Eric, and I are a blended family of his three girls and my three girls. (Yes, six girls total, with four grandsons!)  They range from age 32 down to 13, and our oldest and youngest (our bookends) are adopted. We live in Broken Arrow with our youngest daughter, Alexis, our five adopted dogs, two crazy cats, 8 chickens, and three guppies. Two of our girls live in Texas, one in OKC, and two locally. When we aren’t traveling, hiking, or hanging with the kids and grands, we love to go to Tulsa Drillers baseball games. 

Tammy Eggers
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Hola! My name is Monica Ehrman and I was born in Puerto Rico. My family came to live in the continental United States when I was three. When I started kindergarten I only spoke Spanish, but today you would never know English is my second language. My husband and I have six children of which two are still at home. We have been children’s pastors, youth pastors, small group leaders and married group leaders. Being a native Spanish speaker gives me unique insights to teaching conversational Spanish. I look forward to a fabuloso school year!

Monica Ehrman
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Hello! My name is Angela Fallis and I am the Beauty Basic teacher here at Aspire Academy. This will be by 2nd year teaching. I have a passion teaching the world of cosmetology.  I have been married to my husband for 19 years and we have 3 boys that we homeschool. I have been a licensed Cosmetologist for 20 years. I love all things beauty! I look forward to teaching your students this year! 

Angela Fallis
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Hi! My name is Sara James and I am excited to be a tutor this year at Aspire Academy! I met my husband of almost 20 years at OBU where I got my B.S.E. in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. I taught in public schools for several years until the Lord laid homeschooling on our hearts, and that has been my main focus ever since! I have been teaching our kids at home for 14 years now, and just graduated our oldest son. I love homeschooling and the flexibility that comes with it. I also enjoy cooking, going on vacations with my family, and learning new homemaking skills to serve my family and church. I am looking forward to a fun year of learning together at Aspire!

Sara James
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Bio

Elizabeth Floyd
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Samantha Floyd is a homeschooling mom of 12 years. She met Matt, her husband of nearly 19 years, at the Baptist Collegiate Ministries at Northeastern State University. Together they have four beautiful daughters: Natalie-16, Brook-14, Rylan-12, and Lauren-8. Samantha has a passion for all things grammar, spelling, and language arts! In her spare time, she greatly enjoys watching her daughters play sports, coaching basketball or volleyball, reading, and playing games with her family. She has served in many different capacities at Aspire, but genuinely enjoys her role as tutor at Aspire Academy the most!

Samantha Floyd
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Amanda's Bio

Amanda Foyil
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I have played violin professionally in Tulsa for 20 years. Homeshooled our 4 children. I love reading and learning, history and our two acres in Sand Springs where we try to garden and keep chickens, dogs and horses. 

As a violin teacher I pay attention to the hand position and try to build up the technique of playing the violin. 

Elana Gavrilov
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My name is Sarah Gollotte and I live with my architect husband and three kids on a family farm in Rogers County. We moved to Oklahoma from Atlanta, GA 8 years ago to be the 4th generation living on our family land. I have had a passion for education and teaching from a young age and received my elementary education degree from Oral Roberts University. I also have an MBA with a focus in non-profit management. I have 15 years of homeschooling and teaching experience, which includes teaching elementary and middle school co-op classes and teaching 4th grade public school. When I am not teaching or homeschooling, my hobbies include gardening, my mini horses, and traveling with my kids (we are trying to see all 50 states!). I am excited to be tutoring at Aspire Academy.

Sarah Gollotte
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Ruthetta Henderson has taught elementary grades in private schools across the Tulsa Metro Area for over 20 years. She has also spent 7 years as a Reading Specialist for Tulsa Public Schools.  She retired in 2014, but then returned to teaching and joined Aspire Academy in 2018.  She is a favorite teacher of our elementary students and parents!

Ruthetta was married for 40 years when she lost her precious husband, Dwight, 6 years ago.  She spends her free time traveling with friends and visiting her son, daughter-in-law, and 2 sweet grandkids!

Ruthetta Henderson
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Hello, my name is Leeca (pronounced Lee-sha) Jenkins, and I am thrilled to partner with Aspire families again this school year.

My incredible husband and I have been married for over 22 years. Together we are raising three extraordinary teenagers. Before motherhood, I graduated from Cameron University with a bachelor's degree in Sociology. Finding my niche in the field of counseling, I later graduated from ORU with a master's degree in Christian Counseling. I was blessed to spend a handful of years providing therapeutic counseling services in community mental health. In past seasons of marriage and family life, our family has enjoyed serving the local church in various pastoral roles. Shepherding our own children in the home, however, is my favorite ministry of all time. One of our greatest surprises in parenting was the decision to homeschool 9 years ago. Gratefully, I continue to marvel at God’s supply of grace, love, and power for the journey.

I believe God has AMAZING things in store for Aspire students and look forward to another fun year together!

Leeca Jenkins
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I got my BS degree in Elementary Ed from NSU back in May of 2001 with some special certifications in Middle Level Mathematics and Early Childhood. I taught for 2 years in the public school system before having our first child. We decided for me to stay at home with her and eventually pursue homeschooling. We now have 6 children ranging from 19 down to 9. Our oldest graduated this last school year and will be working and pursuing a degree as a Vet Tech. Our 5 other children keep us busy with participating in NOAH Football, Track and XC. When we aren’t traveling to the many sporting events, we enjoy being outside, raising chickens, growing a garden, fishing, hunting and playing with our 2 English Shepherds. As a family, we are looking forward to our first year at Aspire.

Heather Kesner
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Hello! My name is Casey Kemp, and I live in Broken Arrow. I am married and have two precious little boys, Jack (4), Thomas (2) and Lilly (brand new!). I grew up in Alabama and moved here about 10 years ago- I’m still a southern girl though! My favorite meal is sweet tea, chicken and dumplings, and fried apples. My favorite pastimes are reading, baking, and cake decorating. I love spending time with my family, and I go back to Alabama every chance I get.

 

From the time I started Kindergarten, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. I graduated from the University of North Alabama with a BA in Elementary Education, and then I obtained my master’s degree from NSU in instructional leadership. In the past 10 years, I have worked with all ages (4-22) in all subjects, and I have such a passion for making fun lessons and working with kids. I am so excited to join the Aspire family!

Casey Kemp
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We arrived in Tulsa in 1980 and have been here ever since. I graduated from Kansas University and fell in love with being a teacher.

I love teaching and helping children explore the world  and find learning can be fun. I want them to see how important they are and that God’s good thoughts towards them are like the sand grains on a beach, to many to be numbered.

We homeschooled our 4 children through high school.  During those homeschool years I started and ran Tulsa Academic Co-op, a cooperative of over 200 students for k-12 grades. I am a founding board member  of the NOAH Jaguars homeschool sports.

I have substituted as public-school teacher and had a long-term para position in special education and worked as a senior caregiver.

I currently partner with Go Global travel as a travel guide for homeschool students and their family. I  also organize domestic travel for senior adults. Exploring  life and the world through learning, teaching, and traveling are always fun.  God has place me in a perfect place here at Aspire for me to serve you and your children as a third-grade core teacher.

Candy Matheny
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Allison Leach has a BS degree in Graphic Design from John Brown University and a MS degree in Mass Communications from Oklahoma State. She spent six years in the product packaging and design industry with Dayspring Greeting Cards and Walmart. While working at Walmart she traveled to China and saw firsthand the effects of communism and believes strongly in teaching our future generation the importance of freedom and liberty. Her career then shifted to teaching at OSU for four years as a Graphic Design assistant professor. Allison chose to leave her career path at OSU five years ago to homeschool her own children because she believes strongly in passing on Christian values to future generations and enjoys helping kids discover their own creative talents. Allison loves the state she grew up in (Oklahoma), and the free country she was born into. She has a passion to educate the next generation to see the value in preserving our land that was founded in “God we Trust.”Her passion and experience in teaching along with her creative skill sets creates an enjoyable and hands-on learning experience for your student.

Allison Leach
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Jeanette Lord is a graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma, with a BA in Oral Communications. She homeschooled her step-daughter through the high school years and her youngest for all school years. Her family moved from Oklahoma City to Broken Arrow in 2014. She has previously led homeschool elementary and junior high co-op classes in art, geography, novel writing, and government, along with high school classes in ancient history, American history, American literature and Christian literature. Jeanette also taught AWANA counsel time for 5 years. GA’s for 3 years, and has led numerous ladies Bible studies. Along with teaching, her hobbies include sewing, scrapbooking, hiking and spending time with family and friends. Her newest addition to her family, a smooth collie/greyhound/lab male dog, gets her outside for walks and playing ball.

Jeanette Lord
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I have lived a majority of my life in Texas and Oklahoma, and have lived in Tulsa longer than I've lived anywhere else. I have a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from OSU which is where I met my wonderful husband. We have 3 kids that I have homeschooled from the beginning. They have three very different learning styles which has taught me a lot about creative teaching styles. I am a big believer that learning should be fun!
When I'm not teaching, I am volunteering. I do a lot with my church's preschool and children's programs, as well as volunteering with activities my kids are involved in.

Beth Martin
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Hello, my name is Samantha Martinez! I am certified in Elementary Education from Northeastern State University and I have a masters in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma. I have always had a passion for teaching and working with kids. I was a public school teacher for four years before coming to Aspire. My husband Ty and I have been married five years and have a baby girl named Berkley. We have two fur babies, Minnie and Prada. We love going to the lake, golfing, camping, and spending time as a family.

Samantha Martinez
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My name is Sarah Mullins. Broken Arrow has been my hometown my entire life. I graduated from Oral Roberts University with elementary and early childhood certifications. The past 14 years, I have taught 1st, 2nd, and 4th grades at Broken Arrow Public Schools. My husband Kyle and I have a son, Preston, and a German Shepherd/Lab mix named Kistler. My husband is an avid fisherman so most of our free time is spent bass fishing! Kistler loves to go with us! We also love all things outdoors and spending time with family and friends.

Sarah Mullins
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Bio

Melissa McBlair
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Roger Nimmo taught High School Science for 21 years. He taught AP Biology, Chemistry, Physical Science, Earth Science, General Science, and Anatomy/Physiology.

He has a passion for this topic and has spent about 4,000 hours studying the evidence for and against the Theory of Evolution. Mr. Nimmo believes everyone who takes this class will increase their faith in God and His Word. The knowledge they gain will keep them from the unbelief they might pick up from the secular education they receive from the world.

Roger Nimmo
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Jennifer's Bio

Jennifer Poteet
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Hi! I am thrilled to be part of Aspire Academy this year! My two boys and I have been part of Aspire elective cooperative for the past five years where I have taught a variety of classes and served on the leadership team. We have homeschooled for going on 10 years now.  I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Education from Oklahoma State University which has served me well in the rural farm life we enjoy as well as an interesting career in food processing quality control. I am particularly passionate about teaching kids (and adults) where their food comes from, all the way from the farm to the table.

Summer Rains
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Guten Tag! My name is Frau Ulrike, and I'm thrilled to join Aspire as the German Teacher this coming school year. In the last twenty years, I founded/directed a homeschooling support organization in Pennsylvania, recently retired as a paraprofessional at Jenks Public Schools, provide private tutoring, and am the Kinderdeutsch teacher at the German-American Society in Tulsa. With German being the largest American ethnic group and the language being the most widely-spoken in Europe, I look forward to teaching German culture, grammar, and conversation.

Ulrike Ralston
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Heyyy!!! My name is Krystle Reed, this is my second year at Aspire, but this is my first year teaching.  I’ve been married for 17 years and have two kids, ages 13 and 10. We own an electrical company and live in Sand Springs.  Tbh I do not have a degree in education and you definitely don’t want me teaching your kids in math, LOL…(don’t worry, they didn’t offer me that class, ) 

I attended bible school for 3 years and have been youth pastoring or other pastoral roles for  the last 10 years until God began shifting my heart to homeschool our kids and to focus on them for this current season. 

 

So my heart is to have a FUN, safe and loving classroom for your kids!! 

 

Fun facts: I love gardening and my chickens. We LOVE LOVE traveling (Africa is one of my fav places we go! We’ve Been many times) 

I HATE paper straws and Ostriches scare me!

Krystle Reed
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Calista is so excited to be teaching at Academy again! She and her husband Aaron live in Broken Arrow with their 3 daughters, Addyline, Kennedy, and Eliana, and their two dogs. They love watching movies, going to new places, cooking and gardening together. Calista has an Associates in Biblical Literature and years upon years of experience working with children, teens, and their families! Calista has volunteered on worship teams, as a troop leader for Girl Scouts, and as a PTA secretary. She has worked on staff for a couple different churches in shared roles as youth pastor and associate pastor. Her favorite parts of ministry so far are leading a teen girls Bible study and women's Bible study, and teaching the PreK and Kindergarten classes on Sunday mornings. Her favorite part of homeschooling and teaching is seeing children's eyes light up and posture change when they figure out something new. She also just loves their curiosity and learning what they think about things!

Calista Reeder
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My name is Carrie Russell. I am originally from Southern California where I worked as a paramedic in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. I also volunteered on the helicopter team for search and rescue. After having my first child in 2006, I relocated to Oklahoma to pursue a career as a registered nurse. 

Carrie Russell
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Hi Aspire Families! My name is Tiffany. I currently live in Claremore with my husband. Together we have homeschooled our two children for a total of twelve years. Our youngest graduated high school in 2022. I have a BS in paralegal studies; as well as a passion for books and learning. I have assisted and taught in co-op settings over the years and tutored in reading part time. This upcoming school year will be my second year with Aspire Academy.

Tiffany Schumacher
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My name is Pam Searcy. I am originally from Wisconsin, but 24 years ago, I met a handsome Okie in uniform that convinced me to follow him wherever the Army sent him. We’ve been married for 22 years now and have four pretty amazing children. I have been homeschooling for 13 years and, this year, we will be graduating our first child. We moved to Broken Arrow seven years ago and Aspire was one of the first homeschooling groups we reached out to. I am incredibly thankful to have found this amazing community that has helped my children transition to their final move ‘home’. I am an avid reader and a huge math nerd. Though my degree is in Early Childhood Education and Development, I have found as I have gotten older that I really love teaching the older kids. This year at Aspire I will be teaching some of the Jr. High Math classes, Algebra 1, and several Literature classes. I am looking forward to getting to know you and your children.

Pam Searcy
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Hello Aspire families!  My name is Amy Shipman. I am excited to be teaching at Academy for the 3rd year.  

 

A bit about me...
I am wife to Jared for the past 25 years.  Mama to our 5 kids (Lauren-24, Landen-18, Liam-14, Dailee-4 and Neriah- born in Jan 2023), mother-in-law to Jerrod and Yaya to our sweet, beautiful granddaughter Haddie Jo. 
I am a Paramedic and RN who spent 13 years in prehospital and emergency room medicine and EMS education before being called to stay home and homeschool our two youngest children (at the time, the boys).  Our education journey has incorporated every "type" of school (public, private, university-model, homeschool).  While my first attempt at homeschooling was a disaster (ask me if you want a laugh), I tried again and have since found so much joy in this experience.
Things I like...
life-sciences, english grammar, anything medical, coffee dates, dessert, hot tea, journaling, baking, alone time, dancing and all things organizing.  

My hope for teaching is to help students love learning.  This is the first step to creating a life-long learner.  We all have strengths and weaknesses, things we bring to the table that can help others and things we need to work on or work with.  I strive to create a space where students can push themselves beyond what they think they can accomplish while having freedom to learn in the way that best suites them.  I love Aspire because I believe it is the best set-up for parents, students and tutors to work together to achieve the best possible year for each student!

Amy Shipman
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Juhls lives with her husband, Michael, and their son, Hunter near Keystone Lake. After substitute teaching for several years at her son's grade school, Juhls and Michael decided to home-educate in 2016. As well as being a homeschool mom, she was a Boy Scout leader during her son’s journey to Eagle Scout and also ran a homeschool group for seven years until Hunter’s graduation in 2023. Juhls is an art and performance teacher and has also taught physical education, Oklahoma history, business for teens, critical thinking, life skills, and a variety of other courses to her students. She is also an Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) Accredited Instructor where she has been working since 2020.
Juhls has a Bachelor’s Degree in Art and an Associate’s Degree in Fashion. She has a love for learning and teaching. She also enjoys living by the lake, kayaking, hiking, and Taekwondo.

Juhls Spencer
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My name is Sue Stenberg, and this will be my 2nd year teaching at Aspire.  I am a “retired” homeschool mom –  we taught 4 of our 5 children for 15 years, graduating all of them from our school, Anderslokken Christian Academy, between 2000-2010.

I have also homeschooled two of my grandchildren for three years. Some folks might know me from BiblioMania – I took it over from the founder in 1998.

I attended the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa and majored in instrumental music education. I completed my Bachelor of Music Education in 1979, and taught music in Iowa for several years before we moved to Ohio. I have taught in Sunday School in our churches from 1980 on until just a few years ago – mostly in newborn to 5 years old. From 1984 on, I was a fulltime mom, raising our 5 children. We moved to Tulsa in 1987. In 1995, our eldest daughter requested that we homeschool her, our second daughter added to that request, and that was the beginning of our homeschool journey. Over the years, I have found that I LOVE teaching history, government, worldviews, and Bible. I have taught citizenship classes in Boy Scouts, and have served as a merit badge counselor, merit badge coordinator, and secretary in multiple Boy Scout troops in the area. My husband and I have also played our instruments (trumpet & French horn for Andy, flute and piccolo for me) in every church we have attended – including Eastwood Baptist – since 1979.

When there is a bit of spare time, I love to do genealogy, read, sew, knit, crochet, and do embroidery. My favorite is Norwegian Hardanger, but I love all forms of needlework.

Sue Stenberg
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I am married with two children, and we all live on a farm in Claremore. I am a lifelong student and have taught various subjects from a young age. I Taught my own martial arts class when I was 15 years of age. I have been a student of multiple styles in the martial arts over the years. I hold advanced rank in several styles. I have studied with many excellent instructors and teachers. I try to pass on this honorable tradition with my own students. I am an Oklahoma native, from the Claremore area. I received a Bachelor of Arts degree for graphic design in 99 from NSU. I worked as a artist in multiple disciplines. Ceramics, metals, plastics, blown glass, wood, and mixed mediums. I have had many occupations and apprenticeships over the years. I have worked as a teacher, museum preparator, welder, carpenter, graphic designer, glass blower, and many other things I just wanted to learn to do. I try to bring all these experiences to the students I work with and let them know that all skills are valuable, and many are parallel. We never know what adventure will be waiting for us when we set our feet on the path to education! My goal is to bless the young people with patience and guidance I was so graciously and lovingly provided.

Andrew Storie
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My name is Michael Sutton. I have lived in Oklahoma all of my life. I graduated from Glenpool High School and received my Bachelor’s in Art for Journalism from Oklahoma State University. In my distant past I worked at Ackerman McQueen in their commercial production department where we produced commercials for Six Flags, LeapFrog  educational toys, and Oklahoma Tourism.  Later I transitioned to Energy News Live, a branded internet new broadcast focused on energy news, and stock market information. Later I was employed at Winner Communications, where I worked closely with non-traditional sports (soccer, bowling, horse racing, rodeo/ bull riding, outdoor programming) on the ESPN family of networks. Currently I am the replay operator for Lucas Oil Racing Television, covering ARCA, Late Model Dirt, ASCS, and POWERi open wheel sprint race cars. I run camera and scorebug for home Oklahoma State University television sports broadcasts.

 

In my free time, I enjoy reading, collecting comic books, photography/ videography, and road trips with my wife and 3 children. I am also and avid podcast listener, and have attempted production of a Twilight Zone, and Golden Girls recap show with my nine-year-old daughter, which after only 1 episode, met rave reviews.

 

We are currently on hiatus due to my cohost’s contract negotiations.

Michael Sutton
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My name is Jenesa Wheeler. I’ve lived most of my life in Broken Arrow. My husband, Chris and I have 3 grown children, one son and two daughters who are all married. Our son & daughter in law have 2 little girls so we are proud grand parents. Things I enjoy are spending time with my family, having game nights, going on trips, shopping, baking, watching the kids play sports, and volunteering at church. My daughter is a 4th grade teacher for Broken Arrow public schools and I love volunteering in her classroom. My niece and nephews have attended Aspire for several years now. I thought teaching at Aspire would be something I would really enjoy because I love kids. I’m looking forward to this coming school year.

Janesa Wheeler
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My name is Chantel Wolfe. I received my Master’s of Physical Therapy degree from Oklahoma University in 2007. I played collegiate softball for 4 years. I married my husband in 2007 and we have 2 daughters, Ayla and Carys. I own a small business, homeschool my girls, and coach my daughters' soccer team. I love playing soccer, weight lifting, gardening, cooking, beekeeping, true crime podcasts and reading fiction.

Chantel Wolfe

Administration

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Karen Cuellar

Academy Director
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Jamie Mallard

East Campus Lead
& Electives Lead
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Amanda Worley

East II Campus Lead & Elementary Lead
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Julie Sica

East VIP Lead
& Little Roots Lead
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Stacy Warden

East II VIP Lead
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Amy Dean

Academy Admin
(East Campus)
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Katie Johnson

Language Arts & History Lead
(East Campus)
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Julia Criner

Math & Science Lead
(East Campus)
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Amy Neffendorf

Academy Admin
(East II Campus)

BARC (Behavorial)
& Curriculum Lead
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Brittany Baker

Academy Admin
(East II Campus)

System & Ops Lead
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Jessica Flam

Logistics / Admin
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