T H E   T E A M

Jessica Koerner

- Education Liason
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Jessica Koerner

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Jessica Koerner loves all living things, is a master gardener, master naturalist, and has a heart that jumps out of her chest to love those God has put in her path. Jessica feels her students' struggles intimately and doesn't hesitate to get right in there with them to help. 
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She studied at Anderson University and IPFW, graduating from the later in 2003 with a bachelor’s in Elementary Education and an accreditation in Middle school Science. In 2006 she studied Emergent Literacy through IU, Bloomington, working towards her Master’s. In summer of 2019, she fulfilled a dream, graduating the Indiana Master Naturalist Program through Purdue County Extention, working with Fox Island and Little River Wetlands to preserve natural habitats and wild life in Fort Wayne. She is also the vice president for Home Roots, a homemaker’s club through IEHA, and Purdue County Extention office
Jessica’s teaching resume includes:

• teaching in public elementary school classrooms
• teaching struggling readers through small group intensives
• teaching autism specialized preschool
• private tutoring
• running a homeschool co-op in her home for 5 years
• teaching through Northside Homeschool Co-op
• Teaching ICAN life skills through Purdue County Ext for 4 years
• homeschooling her 3 children ages 13-5

Jessica’s strongest skill in teaching is her ability to adapt to the children’s needs. Having taught a very wide range of abilities and disabilities gives Jessica the experience to differentiate her instruction; reaching children where they are. Jessica has always known that teaching would be her life’s work, and is so grateful that it has lead her to homeschooling and teaching other homeschoolers.
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Jessica’s greatest joys in life are serving her children and husband of 15 years. She has multiple hobbies, among her favorites are gardening and painting.

Jenn MacDonald

- Support Group Organizer
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Jenn MacDonald

Classes

​Almost no matter what a child or mom struggles with, Jenn MacDonald has been there and done that and Jesus is who got her through. Helping families experience the freedom to be who they were created to be is a mission she tries to live out in her own life and help others with.

​Jenn graduated from South Side High School and has been homeschooling since 2002. She is involved in her 18th year of homeschool and has graduated 3 of her 5 children who range in age from 24 to 12 and abilities from highly academic to overcoming struggles with Dyslexia and ADHD.

Her homeschool runs on the classical model with a 4 year cycle for history, literature, religion and science. She and like-minded moms offer those classical classes to NHC in history, literature & science. [2018 America (Yr 4) / 2019 Ancients (Yr 1) / 2020 Middle Ages (Yr 2) / 2021 Modern World (Yr 3) / 2022 America (Yr 4) ] She also tutors in all the subjects she teaches.

Jenn is the owner of Highland Dove Homeschool Helper, where she consults to better help homeschoolers over the humps and bumps of their job.

Jenn’s children are her greatest accomplishment. Her oldest daughter, Kate MacDonald, graduated from 12 years of homeschooling and currently tutors students with Dyslexia. Her second daughter created works of music during highschool and she and her husband had their first child. Jenn’s 3 boys are in various stages of rough and rowdy, preparing for manhood.

Jenn's favorite quote:     "Never tire of loving" ~ Saint Mother Teresa

Lauren Andrews
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- Bluffton Coordinator
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Lauren lives her faith out loud and it is alive and well in each of her 8 precious children. Between the animals on her small farm and homeschooling, Lauren's life overflows with blessings and she is in a unique position to assist homeschoolers in her rural town of Bluffton, IN.

Lauren Andrews founded Credo Homeschool Classes and partnered with Life Adventures to provide her students and parents the most educational, enrichment and social opportunities she could find. Lauren is a homeschool graduate and an experienced homeschool mom of 8 kids and a resident of Bluffton, IN. 

Leo - just North West of Fort Wayne

Sarah Chordas

Sarah Chordas

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​Leo & Bluffton
​Sarah obtained her Bachelors degree in Visual Arts Education from Ball State University in 2007. Since graduation, she has worked in a variety of educational settings such as public school, homeschool co-ops, and in-home private art tutoring.  She believes that art is powerful tool, not only for educational purposes, but therapeutic purposes as well. It has the potential to increase confidence, focus our minds,  and help us work through problems that words cannot express. She loves trying different types of media, but her favorites are quilting, hand sewing, drawing, and watercolor painting.
Her educational vision: "I truly believe that we all have our own unique artistic style.  It is my job to guide students in the right direction, providing instruction and feedback, but also allowing room for personal expression. As a teacher, it is important to know when to lead and when to step back and let the students fly on their own."
 
So what does she do when she's not teaching? She enjoys camping, hiking, reading, exploring nature, drinking coffee, riding motorcycles with her husband, and watching her son tear it up on the BMX track!

Kate MacDonald

Kate MacDonald

Classes

 LEO
Kate is a homeschool graduate of 2014. She offers private one-on-one instruction with local struggling readers specializing in homeschool students out of her home office.  Kate presently uses the Wilson Reading System with a mixture of right-brained and Orton-Gillingham tactics for her one-on-one tutoring. 

Her business is Dyslexia Tutor Fort Wayne and she can be reached at 260-233-0311 and is located in the Georgetown area. In addition to one-on-one tutoring, she offers a varied array of Life Adventures classes.

Please feel free to contact her with any questions: kathryn@highlanddove.org or  260-233-0311.

As a student Kate loved reading, and she is eager to assist you in opening up the world of reading and the world to your student!

Grace Johnston

Grace Johnston

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LEO & BLUFFTON
A veteran homeschooling mom of 16 years, Grace has a lifelong love of learning, particularly in the areas of literature and history, which she looks forward to sharing with students at Life Adventures. She especially finds joy in seeing stories come alive for children. A graduate of the University of St. Francis with a degree in elementary education, Grace taught in a parochial school for five years before leaving to raise her own children, and was a tutor at Sylvan Learning Center for 19 years. Grace and her husband have raised five children, graduating their twin sons this year.

In her spare time, Grace can be found in her sewing room working on the latest quilt while listening to her favorite Tolkien podcast, reading, caring for the plants in her garden, or watching a movie with her kids and stitching on her latest embroidery project. 

Barb Powers 

Barbara Powers

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​Leo & Waynedale
The passions of Barb Powers are many and varied: walking, gardening (especially roses), quilting, scrapbooking, journaling, studying scripture, hiking, drama, reading quality books, playing with grandkids and her newfound love of travel (previously unfeasible with many children). She does not shy from a robust debate. Her classes are well organized, no-nonsense, energetic, and fun, while incorporating the demand for excellence.  Her adult children: Megan, Rachel, Noah, Elizabeth, Lydia and Esther are the greatest testimony to Barb’s true character and priorities.
 
Barb Powers is a homeschool veteran of 27 years and the mother of eight children. She and Brian, her husband of 34 years, have been active in the homeschool community for most of their homeschool experience. They served together on the board of Fort Wayne Area Home Schools as orientation leaders and Brian has emceed the FWAHS graduation since 2007. In 2005, Barb initiated and continues the local homeschool drama camp. Despite earning her own bachelor’s degree in Christian Education, Barb believes true achievement in education comes uniquely to everyone through their personal God-given design. She always aims to inspire students to greater academic success by empowering their individual strengths whether or not those strengths are rooted in books.
Her final two students, Isaiah and Nicholas keep her challenged at the end of a long, rewarding, home school career. 

Mikayla Boericke

Mikayla Boericke

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​Leo
​Mikayla was homeschooled herself, and will graduate with her bachelor’s degree in business from Waldorf University in 2022. Her passions include writing, performing arts, psychology, and entrepreneurship. She fell in love with teaching and mentoring through high school volunteering and internships. She loves teaching people how to love learning, and is eagerly looking forward to helping students do just that through Life Adventures.

Erin
​Hull

Erin Hull

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​Leo & Waynedale
Erin Hull is a mom of three girls, ages 11, 12, and 16, a wife of 17 years, a hobby chicken farmer, and in home pet sitter.  Her philosophy is that learning should be fun, and flexible. No two children learn the same way, so it's important, and totally OK to adjust when needed! Erin worked in a small, private school as a pre-kindergarten teacher's aide and school librarian. During that time she gained multitudes of valuable insight into teaching younger students. She loves to teach by learning through play and experience. In her spare time Erin enjoys photography, raising and learning about chickens, spending time in the great outdoors, reading, and doing arts and crafts.

Mary
​Hilger

Mary Hilger

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LEO
Teaching is Mary‘s passion. She retired from teaching English and French and has been teaching private music lessons since 2008 and training musicians at church. Her music methods are flexible because she Taylor is learning to each individual student. Some students learn music better orally, somebody site; all need motivation in an engaging atmosphere with positive rewards, outside enrichment, or personal accomplishment. Her music students have entered the Indiana State fair, Gene Marcus Piano Competition, composed their own music, performed in nursing homes, school talent shows, ISSMA, accompanied professional ballet, and participated in the AIM piano festival. Mary considers winning as a teacher to be winning the hearts and minds of her students.

Yuleima
Betancourt

Yuleima Betancourt

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​Leo & Waynedale
Having her now 7 year old son changed Yuleima's (JU*LAY*ma) life and priorities. Her belief in God the Creator is equal to her  close relationship with Him. 
She's from Venezuela and emigrated to Chile 4 year ago and now to the United States last year. She's been in business administration with a university degree and was a technician in oil and petroleum in Venezuela.
Yuleima enjoys learning new things and is currently working on English pronunciation. She likes to exercise, ride bikes and spending time with her family.

She feels teaching at home is the better place to do it. She says she isn't a "teacher-mom expert but I try every day to learn."

Sara Annis

Sara Annis

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Leo & Waynedale
Sara is a wife of ten years to Joe and mother to Lyla (8)  and Elizabeth (5). She graduated from Indiana University in 2009 with a bachelors in Health Sciences and Education. She is currently a teacher to her two daughters at home, but has previously taught in the public sector as a health educator. She has taught every age from toddlers to the elderly!

Sara enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, and taking part in recreational physical activity. In her free time she also enjoys writing recipes and sharing healthy living tips through social media platforms. She is so excited to share the value of spending time in nature with your children!

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*In addition to classes, tutors are available in Reading and we can recommend a Math tutor.

Bluffton - St. Joseph

Pam Senac

Ashley Craft

Jessica Schwartz

Davina Schnaars 

Pam Senac

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Ashley Craft

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Jessica Schwartz

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Davina Schnaars

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BLUFFTON
​Pam is a veteran homeschool mother of 29 years. She has five grown children, who all graduated as homeschoolers. As a homeschool mom, she participated in and ran a homeschool co-op for many years. She loves teaching all things history, geography and literature, but you won’t find her teaching our math and science classes! After years of educating children, she knows that creating memorable experiences while learning is one of the keys to homeschool success. 

Pam has worked in nutrition and the natural product industry for years, and has a passion for helping people find healing for various ailments through alternative methods. She and her husband just recently moved to Bluffton to be nearer to seven of her eighteen grandchildren, and they are enjoying the benefits of small town living. 

BLUFFTON
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Bluffton​
Jess loves Jesus and is dedicated to following Him & allowing every area of her life to put Him on display!  She also loves encouraging others to know & love her Savior through ministries like music & youth group in her local church, relationships in the community and, of course, the daily privilege of serving her husband and children!  Jess is a homeschooling mom of 7 children, 2 of whom have graduated high school and are working on their degrees from home.  Jess loves music (she has a soft spot for choirs!), planning adventures and capturing memories for her family, teaching, adoption, and long walks on beautiful days.  From a young age, Jess has found writing to be an effective and enjoyable form of communication, and she looks forward to sharing and developing this skill with our kids this year!
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Bluffton
Davina Schnaars was classically trained at CAC's School of Ballet by Pam Talarico and Beth Lampton for 13 years. She is proud to rejoin the faculty where she began her teaching career in 2004. Davina is a certified instructor with the organization “Cecchetti USA” (CUSA), a national organization dedicated to responsibly training and accrediting teachers and preserving the Cecchetti Method. She holds a "TC-2" and "Grade 9" with CUSA and is studying for her Associate. Her training has prepared her to teach clean, classical ballet for performance and personal enrichment with an emphasis on safety in the studio. Davina annually offers CUSA examination opportunities to her dedicated students and enjoys coaching them to their full potential. Davina trained in ballet pedagogy for many years under Judith Hawkesworth, CUSA, Licentiate, Fellow and Examiner, in South Carolina. While teaching there, she took on the role of non-profit Artistic Director, directing, choreographing and rehearsing The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and Jeweled, constructing ballet costumes and receiving grant awards. As a dancer at CAC, her soloist roles included The Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, Tarantella, Graduation Ball, The Nutcracker, and Cinderella. She also participated in ballet scholarship competitions and was awarded monies and top awards to university. Davina began teaching Creative Movement at CAC and found a passion for teaching ballet. Davina holds a Bachelors of Arts in Writing from Indiana Wesleyan University and has been published in several magazines and literary journals. She resides in Huntington, Indiana, with her husband and two children. 

Teresa Smith​

Kevin Leising​

Athena Bagley

Lillian Cornett

Becky Schwartz

Teresa Smith

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Kevin Leising

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Athena Bagley

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Lillian Cornett

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Becky Schwartz

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BLUFFTON
Teresa Smith is a graduate of Anderson University and Majored in Music Education. She has been teaching music and vocal instruction for the last 30 years. She taught General Elementary Music Class at St. Michael Catholic School in the early 2000s and has been Director of Music for several churches over the last 13 years. She has taught private voice lessons for 20 years. She is now currently the Director of Music at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Bluffton Indiana which includes a Children’s choir. She leads praise and worship and directs an Adult choir as well.
Teresa, along with her husband, is the creator and developer of Gregorian Chant for Kids, as well as Traditional Hymns for Kids. These are educational programs designed to teach kids how to sing Gregorian Latin chant and hymns. She has also traveled the country with her husband as the duo Crossed Hearts, ministering to youth, doing retreats and conferences.
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Teresa is a home schooling mother of 8 children. Six have graduated and 2 are still home schooled and attend Life Adventures. She enjoys gardening, baking, crocheting and sewing whenever she gets a chance.

BLUFFTON
Retired Mathematics Teacher
1983-2019
     Kevin felt privileged to teach for 37 years at the middle school and high school level.  While teaching at Hebron, Bellmont, Covington, Huntington North and Bluffton, he was also the varsity boy’s basketball coach at all of the above except Huntington.  In addition to teaching at the middle school level, he taught Pre-Algebra, Algebra I and II and Geometry at each of the high schools.  His wife Lisa taught at the elementary level for 17 years and finished her teaching career in the cross-categorical room at Crestview Middle School in Huntington.  They have 3 children – Bill (plant manager in McHenry Illinois) – wife Holly and 4 grandchildren 
Ashley (systems analyst for Fransican Health)  – Jordan (Engineer for Elenco) – wife Jennifer.

 ​Bluffton
Athena, is the stay at home mother of 5 (17, 14, 12, 9, and  with seven years of homeschooling under her belt. She knows that children learn in a variety of ways and no two children are the same. She loves to serve and help with children learn and have fun, be that in American Heritage Girls, Trail Life, or Jr Bible Quizzing or while serving in the church on Sundays.
 
In her free time she loves to read and spend time outdoors. If she's feeling ambitious and has some quiet time she enjoys quilting.

BLUFFTON
Lillian is 16 years old and has been taking piano lessons for just over ten years. Piano and music in general is a great passion of hers and she loves teaching and sharing her knowledge of piano with others. She believes that a reason we make music is to worship our God and use gifts such as music, art, etc, to witness to others. Music is also an amazing way to express yourself, and she looks forward to teaching this year.  

Bluffton
​Mother of 3 boys
22 Grandchildren
Married 48 years – Lives in rural Bluffton
Bachelors of Science from Purdue University Fort Wayne
Worked in hospital laboratory setting 35 years
Past Teaching Experiences:
               New Life Christian School – Biology, Chemistry, Life Science, Earth Science, Algebra 1
               Bluffton High School – Chemistry and General Science
Med Tech College – Laboratory Chemistry, Hematology, Parasitology, Blood Banking,
               Immunology
Teaches classes on improving ones wellness with essential oils.
Hobbies – Gardening, Sewing, Logic Puzzles

Register for Bluffton Classes

*In addition to classes, tutors are available in Spanish, Math, and Reading.