A One-Room Schoolhouse Expands

To write those words, “A One-Room Schoolhouse Expands” is a dream come true for me. Part of that expansion includes hiring two new staff members! When I started this endeavor in my walk-out basement with only 21 students two years ago, I could not imagine we would be quadrupling our staff AND our students in such a short time.

If you have been following us recently, you know that we were inundated with applications for the 2022-2023 school year. I decided to do something about it and hired a couple of new instructors. I am so grateful for your patience as A One-Room Schoolhouse expands to meet your needs.

(And hint, we might even add more new staff and more students! God willing, we are still working on even more locations for next school year! Eeeeekkkk!) But, for now, I am happy to introduce you to some of the new staff members that you’ll see at our Camp Agape campus and another campus to be announced soon!

A One-Room Schoolhouse Expands at Camp Agape

Meet Kelly Pettit

Kelly Pettit will be leading the youngest class at Camp Agape, our main campus in Hickory, PA. With our main campus swelling to three classrooms this next school year, three teachers were a must!

Kelly has more than 20 years of experience working with children of all ages in some truly unique settings. She is a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst and has spent many of these years working with young children with autism, as well as providing services as a developmental therapist for PA Early Intervention. 

Kelly has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and has continued to take courses pertaining to child development and how children learn new skills.  Kelly also spent six years as a Youth Program Manager within the kids camp aboard Norwegian Cruise Line, where she also met her husband, Rusty. 

When she’s not teaching, Kelly and her family can be found exploring with their camper and seeking new and exciting places to discover.  She loves to play with her two dogs and get outside with her family to hike, swim or sled.  Kelly has also volunteered as a coach for her children’s hockey, soccer and t-ball teams throughout the years.  She is looking forward to next year and is excited to meet all the incoming Kindergarteners.    

On a personal note, I would like to add that Kelly has been an amazing parent volunteer and has been with us since the very beginning. I can remember the first night I met her at Homeschool 101. (P.S. Look for this year’s Homeschool 101 schedule coming soon!) She struck me as a forward thinker, hard worker and faith-filled woman who deeply appreciates the mission and vision of A One-Room Schoolhouse. I am so excited to add her to our team.

A One-Room Schoolhouse Expands to a Satellite Location

Meet Marci Koch

My heavens, I almost let it slip! I was writing that title, and I almost included where Marci will be teaching next fall. I am not letting that cat out of the bag yet. You are just going to have to hold on for a few more days. But, let’s all get excited because Marci Koch (her last name is pronounced “cook”… it’s German!) is AMAZING.

Let me tell you a little story. Two years ago, Macri emailed me out of the blue. I had never met her before, but we had a mutual friend. Her friend had told her about the schoolhouse, and she was interested in the model. At that point, we had not even opened our doors. In no way did I anticipate that I would ever hire a second teacher, let alone a third and a fourth.

I imagined having my little classroom in my basement for years. Well, little did I know what was in store. Marci kept in touch and followed our journey. When we did the educational entrepreneur night, there she was, sitting right in the front row! She was more than ready to go!

Here is a little about Marci Koch…

Marci Koch taught elementary school for several years, primarily at a charter school focused on ability-leveled math classes and Covey’s 7 Habits of Happy Kids. She holds degrees in Elementary Education and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). She has experience in teaching and mentoring other teachers in both community and academic settings for adult English language learners. Marci completed several French classes in college and lived in France and Belgium for a total of nearly two years studying and speaking French.

Marci also volunteers as a music coordinator and youth group teacher at her church and maintains a cello studio where she teaches several students. She enjoys spending time with her husband working on house projects, building furniture, making pottery, paddleboarding, hiking, backpacking, camping and traveling. She also enjoys reading, taking art classes, playing in the Pittsburgh Philharmonic and spoiling her nieces and nephews with books. Marci is thrilled to join in and support the mission of A One-Room Schoolhouse and partner with parents in the sacred duty of educating their children. 

Satellite Location

I know this is a horrible tease for the new location announcement! Is it driving you nuts yet? Well, mark your calendars, we will make the announcement in just a few short days on April 11. Where do you think it will be? What elective classes do you think Marci will teach? Let me know your thoughts below!

I am so excited to welcome these new staff members. God has guided this process more than you will ever know. Thank you for your support. Thank you for your prayers. Stay engaged, I literally have ten blog posts scheduled to go out in the next two months, which is a ton for the schoolhouse’s humble blog. Make sure you also subscribe to our email list to stay up to date!

Live Event

Do you want to meet Marci, our new satellite teacher? Marci and I will be getting together on April 19 to do a live event on the schoolhouse’s Facebook page. You will be able to learn all about Marci and ask her questions that she will answer during the live event. Hope to “see” you there!