Teacher Biographies

Laurie Capen

Laurie Capen has a Bachelors of Science from the US Naval Academy where she majored in history and political science. Laurie discovered her personal relationship with Christ as a midshipman at USNA. She is married to her Academy classmate and they have three children, ages 18, 16 and 14. She has recently retired from homeschooling after 14 years. Her daughter was homeschooled K-12 and is entering Sweet Briar College on an academic scholarship in the Fall ’11. Both sons gave up homeschooling to pursue collegiate baseball and theater, respectively, at Paul VI. Laurie has taught math and science in both co-ops, private school, and private tutoring. Her professional career included being the Director and counselor at a drug and alcohol outpatient rehab center, Director of Student Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School, Director of Religious Education at Naval Station Mayport and Director of Publications for Naval Services FamilyLine in Washington DC. She is also a coach and judge for both high school and Junior Olympic level gymnastics.

Betsy Dill

Betsy Dill, a former homeschooling mom, professional illustrator, and freelance writer, studied art at Virginia Commonwealth University. As an art and creative writing teacher in Christian schools, she learned to reach out to the "right brain" in everyone, helping students develop a personal voice and style. She encourages students to silence their "inner critics" and enjoy their God-given talent! Betsy has over thirty years experience as a professional illustrator, including two children's picture books, logo designs, and fashion illustration, among other things. She is director of Capital Christian Writers, a professional writer's club in the DC metro area. Her humor and inspirational writings have been published in magazines, newspapers, and book compilations. She is also a former Guideposts Magazine writer's contest winner, and nominee for Disney Teacher Awards, honoring creativity in teaching.

Karen Dellinger

Karen Dellinger developed a passion for teaching during her teen years while working in children’s Sunday school classes and Vacation Bible School programs. She began learning Spanish at that time as well, and later chose to continue her study of the language in college. She received a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Mary Washington College and taught Spanish at Potomac High School in Woodbridge, Virginia, for three years. When her oldest child was born, she left public school teaching to become a full-time wife and mother. She homeschooled her four children for 18 years and has been teaching at CHESS since 2002. Her desire is to help her students excel by blending the strengths of homeschooling with a supportive classroom experience.

John Jenkins

John Jenkins is an award-winning author for Focus on the Family’s Breakaway magazine for teen boys. John's love for history, his passion for critical thinking and reading, effective verbal and written communication, and his commitment to student excellence have found expression in five books, nine short stories for Focus on the Family, speaking at homeschool conferences, speech and debate judging, and thirteen years of teaching homeschool students across Northern Virginia.

Dee Dee Kintzing

Dee Dee Kintzing has an education degree from Georgia State University, and has taught in public high school before having children and becoming a home school mom. She has 18 years of home school experience, many of which have included teaching large classes through enrichment programs and cooperatives. Dee Dee has been involved in speech and debate with the National Christian Forensics Communication Association (NCFCA) for over 6 years. She has led many students to the national level of competition. Dee Dee is co-founder and serves on the Board of Directors of Vector Speech and Debate Club which serves the Dulles corridor area.

Kathy Kuhl

Kathy Kuhl earned a teaching certificate in secondary mathematics while completing a B.A. in English at William and Mary. She enjoys teaching all ages: math and English to teens, homeschooling help to parents, and Sunday School to young children. She has been a programmer analyst, editor, and tutor. She began teaching at CHESS in 2003. After four years at CHESS, her son graduated from homeschool in 2006, but she enjoys folks at CHESS so much she kept on and also serves as co-administrator. Although CHESS classes are not designed for students with learning disabilities, Kathy also writes about and speaks at conventions and support groups on homeschooling children with learning challenges. She is the author of the book, /Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner, / the /Learn Differently /e-newsletter, and the website, www.LearnDifferently.com.

Jody Lyon

Jody Lyon has homeschooled for over twenty years. She has a B.A. degree in American History, a B.A. in Studio Art from Virginia Tech., as well as a Masters Degree in Education from George Mason University. She has taught preschoolers to adults and says has learned from every one of them. She believes that homeschooling provides unique opportunities for children to explore their own learning styles, follow their interests, and evaluate their success that may not be available in other settings. Jody has taught with the CHESS program since its inception in 2001.

Carol McFarland

Carol McFarland, a homeschool mother of 8, has a BS in Industrial Arts Education, specializing in Graphic Arts. She has had over 30 years’ experience in the graphic arts field: she taught graphic arts and photography for three years in addition to fulfilling all the printing needs for the school system, has worked in all aspects of the work flow for several print shops as everything from typesetter to assistant manager, and uses desktop publishing and photo editing software for her own photography business.

Mary O’Donnell

Mary O’Donnell is a 20+ year veteran homeschooling mom and teacher with a B.A. in Education and has completed the race of homeschooling her four precious children through high school. In addition to teaching her own children, and various homeschool co-op classes when needed, one of her passions for the last ten years has been in teaching and developing additional curricula for Christian-centered high school level French I – IV classes for homeschoolers. Mary is a relatively native speaker of French as she grew up in Belgium, went to French speaking schools, and visits family there as often as possible. She inspires her students to succeed by not only breaking down the material into manageable pieces and giving additional help when needed, but also by her enthusiasm for them and their progress.

Laura Ottaviano

Laura Ottaviano has over 20 years experience teaching children, youth and adults the Word of God having served as the Children’s Minister, Youth Minister and now Staff Minister at Word of Grace Christian Center since 1990. Laura has an MS in Systems Engineering from George Washington University and a BS in Business from the University of Rhode Island. She worked for 6 years in Antisubmarine Warfare analyses for a think tank in Northern Virginia before home schooling her 4 children across the last 15 years. She has found it much more challenging and rewarding to train children and youth in the way they should go and help them to rise in Christ, than it ever was to find and sink enemy submarines. She is passionate about the Word of God, and about making a difference in the lives of students. Laura’s greatest desire is to see young people grow strong in mind and spirit to achieve all God has planned for them.

Theresa Powell

A graduate of James Madison University, Theresa Powell has taught in both public and private school settings in California and Virginia. She and her husband homeschooled their two children, now college graduates. Theresa has taught a range of subjects over the past thirty years, with a focus on English. She has taught pre-school through high school, and has taught learners with disabilities as well as the gifted and talented. She is a veteran CHESS teacher returning after a refreshing sabbatical.

Camilla Rivera

Camilla Rivera has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Colorado State University. She has taught, maintained, and written computer programs for the business world. While in the business world, she found out she loved teaching and just continued at home with her children. She has homeschooled for over sixteen years and says children are much more fun to teach than adults, as they love learning and don't need breaks every half hour. Camilla gladly accepted the challenge to teach high school science at CHESS. Over the years at CHESS, Camilla has taught sciences and math, and has managed to substitute for almost every class at least once.

 

 

Photos courtesy of McFarland Photography
www.mcfarlandphotography.org

One
Homeschool Friendly

Many of our teachers are current or veteran homeschooling parents. Others are long-time advocates and partners with the homeschooling community.

 

Two
In Love with Teaching

At CHESS we love the subjects and the students. Our passion is to open new doors of learning, and we thrive on seeing the students succeed. It gets us so excited, we don't even need coffee on Mondays and Wednesdays.


Three
Specifically Qualified

Our teachers are knowledgeable in their specific fields, usually with university degrees or years of practical experience to show for it. They bring the homeschooling community opportunities to learn complex and advanced topics.

 

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