Instructors
Eddy Barnes
Eddy Barnes is a husband, father of three, and a pastor. He is pursuing a M.A. in Religion from Reformed Theological Seminary. He likes to read, drink coffee, take walks with his wife, and hang out with his family.
Amanda Coburn
Amanda Coburn is a mother of 4 and has been homeschooling her children since 2013. Amanda was raised in Inwood,WV. She graduated from Musselman High in 2000 and then attended Word of Life Bible Institute in NY, where she met her husband Isaac. They now reside in Hedgesville,WV. Amanda and her family attend Independent Bible Church in Martinsburg, WV where her husband and her lead a Teen Bible Study on Sunday nights and Amanda co-leads a moms group. She loves spending her spare time reading , baking & crafting.
Melissa Conklin
Melissa is a mother of four and has been homeschooling since her oldest was born in 2008. She and her husband, Matt, met while serving in the Air Force together. The military took them to California, Japan, Georgia, and Colorado - one location for each child's birth! In 2021 they moved to Virginia to be closer to family. She has had a passion for science since a young age, enjoyed participating in science competitions, pursued a degree in engineering, and started a career in electronics. Melissa has spent years teaching in homeschool co-ops, coaching Science Olympiad, and leading forest school classes. She enjoys board games, knitting, reading, and hiking.
Marie Freudenthal
Native Floridian and transplant to West Virginia. Graduated from multiple colleges with multiple degrees, however my favorite degree is from The
University of South Florida in Athletic Training/Sports Medicine. My second favorite degree is from Blue Ridge and Technical College as a Physical Therapist Assistant. My first anatomy and physiology class sparked an interest that spurred me to pursue my degrees in healthcare and taking care of the human body! I also love to garden for food and fun. I have three girls whom are all homeschooled and married to my awesome husband Ryan. I
love Jesus, sunshine, and most anything outdoors.
Lori Girard
Lori Girard has been homeschooling her three children since 2009. Two of her children have graduated and she has a senior here at SAIL. Prior to living in Virginia for almost 26 years, she was born and raised in Colorado. She and her husband are youth leaders, and teachers at their local church. Her interests include serving in her local church, spending time with her family, snuggling with her dog, hiking, anything musical, and striving to satisfy her wanderlust by attempting to visit every MLB stadium in the league.
Abigail Griffeth
Abby Griffeth has been homeschooling her two daughters since 2013. She holds a B.A. in History from the University of Georgia where she was invited as a senior to join a special research group at Gettysburg College to intensely study and research topics in the American Civil War. She went on to receive her M.A. in American Studies from The George Washington University, where she began her college teaching career. In 2005,she published her master’s thesis on the American Civil War in public memory. Prior to having children, she also worked as a college textbook editor and wrote many study guides to newly published textbooks in the humanities, particularly history. Currently, she is an adjunct professor at Laurel Ridge Community College and works with students making the transition to college learning. Additionally, she is a member of the Warren Heritage Society and Troop Coordinator of her local American Heritage Girls troop. Along with her husband and daughters, she reenacts the Civil War and World War I, a hobby she began as a teenager. She and her family have lived in Front Royal since
2006.
Heather Holmes
Heather Holmes is a homeschool mom of five students; two homeschool graduates are now in college, two are high school students, and an elementary student. While growing up in Southern California with a mom teaching in the theater department at Fullerton Community College, Heather studied theater and historical costume design before feeling called to overseas missions. Heather has a certificate in Biblical Studies from Torchbearers International, Thetis Island, BC, Canada, and a certificate in Overseas Missions from Sojourner School of Ministry, Merritt Island, Florida. Heather served with Torchbearers International in India for a year before moving to Teen Missions International, where she served two years in short-term missions to Europe and Asia Minor before transferring to their sister ministry, AIDS Orphans and Street Children International to serve in Africa for the next 5 years. Heather met her husband Mike while speaking about missions at a Christian music festival in 2002. In 2015 they felt called out of public school and have been homeschooling ever since. Heather currently serves
as the Saturday Kid’s Ministry Coordinator at Fellowship Bible Church.
Christine Marion
Christine has been homeschooling since 2016 and graduated her oldest of four in 2024. She has been a lifelong WV resident and attends Independent Bible Church in Martinsburg, WV where her husband, Chris, is the Children's Pastor. Christine enjoys bringing hands-on activities into the classroom to make learning engaging and relevant to all learning styles. In her spare time she enjoys reading, thrift shopping and spending time with her family.
Melissa McKay
Melissa McKay has been homeschooling her children since 2007. Prior to homeschooling, she spent ten years teaching at various levels. Since moving to Virginia in 2010, she has taught at various local homeschool coops as well as serving as an adjunct professor at Patrick Henry College. She holds a BA in English from Oglethorpe University and an MA from Middlebury College.
Stacy Patton
Stacy received her BS from Liberty University and M.B.A. from Point Park University. She has been homeschooling her 4 kids since her oldest was in kindergarten and she just proudly graduated her this year (2024)! She loves to build confidence in her students by teaching them to process their reading material and use conversational style speaking to discuss what they learned with the class. Her favorite
family tradition on her birthday is to tour a US President’s home. She also loves hiking with her dog and organizing just about anything!
Elizabeth Spence
Elizabeth Spence is a second-generation homeschooler who homeschooled her three sons for 11 years. She grew up in Pennsylvania but moved to Winchester in 2003 when she married her husband Dave, a local real estate agent. Elizabeth holds a B.A. in French with teaching certification from Messiah College and spent a year studying abroad in Strasbourg, France. She has previously taught French at both the middle and high school level as well as several classes at Jr SAIL/Compass. Her other interests include reading as many books as possible, exercising, and serving on the hospitality team at Canvas Community Church.
Nicki White
Nicki White began homeschooling her children in 2014. She took a break from homeschooling in 2017 in order to pursue a new career and sent her children to public school. In 2022, Nicki made a career change and went back to homeschooling her youngest child. She grew up near Front Royal, Virginia, and currently resides in Strasburg with her husband, Stephen, and their three children. Nicki has a B.A. in Communication Studies from Virginia Tech and currently teaches part-time as a substitute teacher in the public schools. Her other interests include teaching children’s classes at New Hope Bible Church, gardening at her home, cooking up new recipes, and studying local history.