This year, The Potter’s School proudly presents nine new teachers. Please welcome Mr. James Abernathy, Mrs. Rachel Arney, Dr. Myron Kauk, Ms. Melinda Lavorante, Dr. Daniel Lewicki, Ms. Lori McKeeman, Mrs. Sherry O’Hearn, Mrs. Adele Weeks, and Mrs. Helen Williams! I would like to introduce a couple of these wonderful new teachers who will be teaching this school year.

Ms. Lori McKeeman first heard of The Potter’s School from Marilyn Durnell, a long-time friend of hers and also the co-author of Apologia Educational Ministries’ Exploring Creation with Biology textbook. One morning over breakfast, as the two of them began discussing Ms. McKeeman’s plans for the future, Mrs. Durnell introduced The Potter’s School as a potential avenue for her interest in teaching. While pursuing her Bachelor’s degree from Indiana University, she gained experience teaching at Ben Davis Public High School. Later, she went on to teach at the Ivy Tech State College, The Gathering Place, and the Excelsior Academy. Coming from this background, she is excited to teach three sections of physical science and six sections of biology this school year. She currently lives in Pensacola, Florida with three of her younger children.

As a child, she dreamed of one day becoming an astronaut. Though she went on to become a teacher, she now takes flying lessons with her youngest son, Eric, from a naval commander and flight instructor who serves at the Naval Air Station at Pensacola. Her oldest son currently serves in the United States Marine Corps. On weekends, she and Eric volunteer at the United Service Organization (U.S.O.) at the Pensacola airport. She fills what little free time remains with taking long walks on the sunny Florida beach, playing basketball, roller blading, and listening to music. She says that she enjoys the opportunity at The Potter’s School “to be a godly influence to students in forty different countries." She says that "teaching creation science is an awesome ministry. The world uses science to destroy the faith of so many. I am grateful for the opportunity to use science to build faith in young people."

Mrs. Rachel Arney graduated from Austin College in Sherman, Texas with a Bachelor’s in Chemistry. Pursuing her Master of Arts in Teaching, she went on to teach various AP and Honors Chemistry science courses and Pre- and AP Calculus courses at local public schools. Coming from a strong mathematic and scientific background, she currently teaches one section of transition mathematics and three sections of chemistry at The Potter’s School. After the birth of her first son, Mrs. Arney sought a way to stay home with her newborn while still pursuing her passion in teaching. Her mother told her of the possibility that she might teach at an online school, and while researching various online schools on the Internet, she ran across The Potter’s School.

Mrs. Arney enjoys scrap-booking, traveling, reading, helping out at her local church, and spending time with her young family. As a middle-school student, Mrs. Arney had plans of becoming a doctor. During the course of her high-school years, however, she began thinking about teaching as a profession. After teaching as a student in a Teacher Cadets course, she grew confidant in her desire to become a teacher one day. She currently resides in Duncan, Oklahoma with her husband and young son.

Ms. Melinda Lavorante completed her education from birth to high school graduation through homeschooling. From elementary school onward, her mother assigned her and her brothers weekly creative writing assignments. Because of this early exposure, she grew to love writing creatively. As a young girl, she set her sights on becoming an elementary school teacher. However, later on in high school, she changed her focus and wanted at first to become a missionary and then a graphic designer. After graduating from high school, she entered West Los Angeles Community College with intentions of becoming an art major. While taking an English class there, her professor asked her, “Why are you an art major? You should be in English!” At the community college, she completed several years of her general education before deciding that she really would like to become an English major. She then transferred to Biola University where she earned her Bachelor's of Art in English. Though new to teaching, Ms. Lavorante looks forward to “seeing students improve in their writing” as she teaches two sections of grade nine English, four sections of Grammar and Composition, and one section of Early American Literature this school year. Since 1997, Ms. Lavorante has edited and published a quarterly literary magazine, Inkblots, which she began as a high-school student. Her first issue appeared in 1997 and contained some of her original poetry, the poetry of friends, and several articles. Over the years, this quarterly publication has expanded and covered such topics as The Chronicles of Narnia (Spring 2000), the world of Jane Austen (Summer 2001), The Lord of the Rings (Spring 2003), and many others. You can learn more about the magazine at her official website.

Ms. Lavorante learned of The Potter’s School not long after it began from one of her subscribers who was also enrolled at The Potter’s School. When she learned in October of last year from Dr. Bridwell, a long-standing literature teacher, that The Potter’s School needed an additional English teacher, she took her up on the offer. Currently, Ms. Lavorante resides in the Boise, Idaho area and enjoys knitting, playing volleyball, hiking in the mountains, exploring the countryside, capturing photography, and reading

With Mrs. Becky Rathbun’s retirement from The Potter’s School last year, Mrs. Adele Weeks joins the teaching staff along with our new Mrs. Rachel Arney and veteran Mr. Rusty Hughes to take up the task of continuing the high-school chemistry course. Dr. Daniel Lewicki has also stepped up to the plate for our science department by teaching advanced chemistry on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Our worldview and religion department has also grown this year with the addition of Mr. James Abernathy’s Truth, Worldview, and Apologetics course as well as Dr. Myron Kauk’s Old Testament Survey. This year, Mrs. Helen Williams teaches high-school level geography on Mondays, and Mrs. Sherry O’Hearn takes command of a new, high-school level accounting course.