St. Thomas Whitemarsh Church
Bethlehem Pike & Camp Hill Rd
Whitemarsh, PA 19034
(484) 416-0615
STAFF
Andy Gershman
Andy received a BS in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Temple University and her Med in Computers and Technology from Arcadia University. She was employed as a kindergarten teacher with the School District of Philadelphia for ten years before the birth of her first child.
She is continuing her plans with her husband to live life unconventionally while unschooling their three children, supporting organic and local products, crafting, gardening, listening to great diverse music, and coexisting in this life-long learning process. Andy presently facilitates our Day Program and Group Explorations.
Angie Hoppel
Angie Hoppel received a BSE in Civil Engineering Systems from the University of Pennsylvania. She earned her JD from the University of Washington.
A mother of three, she has been homeschooling for over a decade. She is passionate about alternative education and is committed to facilitating learning through real experiences and interactions. Angie is our Co-director and she facilitates both Day Program and Group Explorations.
Paige Menton
Paige Menton received a BA in comparative literature from Brown University. She earned her Master's in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. Before homeschooling, she was an educational researcher and a third grade teacher. Paige has been homeschooling for the past six years. She facilitates our Day Program and runs the very popular Writing Workshop.
Katie O'Connor
Katie O'Connor has a degree in anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania. She is ardent about the importance of self-directed learning experiences and works to make such experiences as accessible as possible.
She has worked in alternative learning environments such as the Albany Free Shool and Open Connections. She founded Talking Stick Learning Center in 2006. Founder, Co-Director, and Lead Facilitator, Katie leads Day Program and Group Explorations, and helps facilitate Writing Workshop, Explore World Cultures and Open Theater.
Rodi Steinig
Rodi leads Math Circles with the playfulness of a preschool teacher, the inquiry-based approach of a homeschooler, and the intellectual rigor of a serious student of mathematics. She was teacher/director at a play-oriented preschool for four years, has homeschooled her children for over a decade, and has taken numerous higher-level mathematics courses at the University of Pennsylvania. She has taught math (and other subjects) for the Princeton Review for 20 years, and trained to be a Math Circle Leader with Bob and Ellen Kaplan of Harvard, founders of The Math Circle.
Rodi has a Masters degree in education and is a Pennsylvania state certified teacher, but a Math Circle is unlike anything you’ve ever seen in school.
Alia Thompson
Alia Thompson received a BA in psychology from Rosemont College. She became a Registered Nurse after graduating from Roxborough School of Nursing.
Before homeschooling her three children for the last nine years, Alia managed multiple alternative education programs in the greater Philadelphia area. A champion of natural living and compassionate conflict resolution, she focuses on empowering children to grow into their own great potential. Currently, Alia is one of our Day Program facilitators.