Instructors

Grace has loved history since childhood, thanks to her father's influence. Discussions about history were the norm and continue today with her children (one of whom is a history major in college.) Grace received her Bachelor of Arts in History from Geneva College in Pennsylvania, where she served as a teaching assistant in the Humanities Department. After graduation, she taught in Classical Christian schools in St Simons Island, Orlando, Massachusetts, and North Carolina. She took time from classroom teaching to raise her three children and homeschool them with her husband. Grace earned her Master’s in History from Liberty University and is currently a doctoral candidate writing her dissertation for her Doctor of Philosophy in History. Her particular area of interest is in WWI. Grace favors a more cultural approach to history, identifying themes, culture, society, and politics. Grace is also an Adjunct Professor of History at Luther Rice College and Seminary.

When she isn’t studying or writing, you can find her with her family, sheepadoodle Count Basie, sewing, or enjoying a good cup of coffee with friends. Grace, her husband, and their children are active members at Westminster Presbyterian (PCA) in Atlanta. 

Peter Bocchino is the President of Legacy of Truth Ministries, located in Atlanta Georgia. Legacy of Truth is a ministry dedicated to equipping Christian professionals and students to understand, effectively defend, and communicate basic Christian principles in a secular environment. The overall purpose of this training is to prepare them to serve as effective mentors for young adults so that they will be able to defend their faith and convictions in the post-modern and post-Christian arena of higher education. Peter graduated from the New Jersey Institute of Technology with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and worked for 10 years in the power generation industry with both Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation and Jersey Central Power & Light Company, specializing in thermodynamics and forensic engineering.

Peter served as the Director of Leadership Training for an International Apologetics Ministry for nine years. He was responsible for writing and teaching an international, multi-cultural curriculum on critical thinking and Christian apologetics. Peter co-authored a book with Dr. Norman Geisler titled Unshakable Foundations: Contemporary Answers To Crucial Questions About The Christian Faith. He also served on the curriculum committee for the State of Georgia with the responsibility for raising academic standards, under the direction of the State Superintendent with specific responsibilities in the areas of US Government, Law, Ethics and character training. Peter created and integrated critical and constructive thinking units for Georgia's first Controversial Issues and Forensic Science courses.

Peter and his wife, Therese, have two children and reside in Atlanta, Georgia.

There is no charge for these courses, but donations to Legacy of Truth are most welcome. 

DONATE: https://www.legacyoftruth.org/giving/

Or By Check: Make check payable to Legacy of Truth Ministries

Mail it to: Legacy of Truth, PO Box 920063, Norcross, GA 30010-0063

Mary Cypher is excited to have the opportunity to teach the Spanish & French languages! As a mother of 12 children, Mary has been home-educating since 1988 along with her husband, Russ Cypher. Their  adult children have moved on to careers including Nurse/Paramedic/EMT, Biotechnology, Information Systems, a daughter who graduated with honors in Communication (& is celebrating 10 yrs. w/ Disney), a son with a Ph.D in Criminal Justice and instructor at John Jay University, an ICU RN & one daughter with a degree in Business Administration. Her youngest son is now a Lance Cpl. in the Marine Corps.& is now a GA qualified fireman.

She has a passion for teaching and has always agreed with Antoine de Saint-Exupery: "If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders.

Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea."

A passion for learning is contagious! 

Mary began studying French in 5th grade and continued through her second year of college, becoming qualified as a French tutor. She had a special passion for the French language most of her life, giving 3 of her children French names.  Originally from Quito, Ecuador, Mary is also bilingual with Spanish as her first language. Having learned English at the age of 6, by the immersion method, and French by more traditional methods - she has a unique perspective on learning a language. She also took 3 years of German in high school, keeping up an interest in it and Italian  - language might be considered her passion, along with teaching. From years of receiving instruction in multiple languages through high school and two years of college to then giving instruction as a tutor in college, homeschooling, and substitute teaching, teaching language is an integral part of Mary's life.

  Mary believes : "There is a new dimension that opens in the mind when a student learns a foreign language. There is a new awareness of the people who speak the language, of their culture and contributions to civilization." A passionate enthusiast of history and culture, Mary enjoys bringing that awareness into the classroom.

She has served as a substitute teacher at MAS and has had five students graduate from MAS. Her youngest, a UNG student received the Fulbright Summer award, being chosen out of 700 students. Enthusiasm for education is part of the fabric of Mary's life.

Jessica Hodges earned a BBA in Marketing from Troy University and spent several years working in both New York and Atlanta before stepping away from her career to homeschool her children full-time. She became actively involved in Atlanta Homeschool Cooperative, teaching many classes over the years and serving as AHC coordinator for two years. Jessica’s oldest son now attends MAS, and her youngest is set to start kindergarten at a similar hybrid-model school. What she loves most about homeschooling is the flexibility it offers, allowing parents to be deeply involved in their children's education and lives. Recently, Jessica and her family embraced this flexibility in an exciting way—they converted an old school bus into their home and spent a year and a half traveling the East Coast. Jessica owns and operates a boutique marketing company, specializing in helping clients build their brand and share their unique story.

Jessica currently resides in Buckhead with her husband, Chris—a music director and audio engineer—their two sons, Miles and Lennon, and their dog, River. She finds joy in community, creativity, and really good coffee.

Karen Kenney is a certified math and science teacher for middle and high school students in the state of Georgia. She graduated from the College of Charleston, where she earned a degree in Physical Education and Exercise Science. Karen taught middle and high school in Dekalb County for 9.5 years before having her own children. She has taught both math and science (biology, physical science, physics, and environmental science) as well as reading to gifted and inclusion students. She also coached varsity soccer. Karen sponsored yearbook,  newspaper, and newscast during her tenure in Dekalb County. Karen supervised student-teachers and taught technology classes to teachers.  Karen has been homeschooling her 3 children since 2014. She taught and designed science curricula for the children's co-op all 9 years she homeschooled her children. Karen's two older children attended MAS while her third is beginning this year.  In her free time, Karen enjoys spending time with her children, playing tennis, exercising, and reading.

Amy Meyer has had a passion for public speaking and the theatrical arts since she first attended a performance of You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown (starring the then little-known Gary Burghoff!) at the age of six. She spent the next two years performing the role of Snoopy on the dining room table (no dog houses were available.) She was active in both the musical theater and drama departments in high school and in community theater. She was also a member of her high school competitive speech team where she received awards for dramatic oral interpretation.

Amy graduated from Florida Southern College with a BS in Political Science and minor degrees in Theater and Business. Before attending Law School at Florida State University, Amy was accepted into the FSU Masters of Theater program where she completed a BRITT acting apprenticeship and earned her Actor’s Equity card (the actor’s union.) She worked as an actor and director in both professional, semi-professional and academic settings.

Upon completion of law school, Amy became a trial attorney and litigated in the civil and criminal arenas. She wrote numerous briefs and successfully argued appeals before Florida appellate courts. Her most interesting job as an attorney was working as an Assistant State Attorney in Miami with the Janet Reno administration. After 14 years of trial work, Amy set aside her briefcase to raise and homeschool her two children, Madeleine and Sam.

Homeschooling has given her a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with her love of the theater. She completely enjoys working as the drama coach and director at Metro. She has coached children and adults in preparation for public speaking engagements and auditions for many years. Her goal is to help students find and refine their gifts as Godly participants in the world of drama, and to assist in raising up young artists and art supporters who approach their craft with a dedication to the promotion of a Christian worldview. She is working towards creating a non-profit organization dedicated to truth and integrity in the arts.

She has two children with her beloved late husband, Larry Meyer. Sam is a student at Metro and Madeleine is a Metro graduate who is currently pursuing her masters degree. Amy is active in her church, often teaching Sunday school and looking for other ways to serve Christ in our culture.

Derek Owens  taught physics, honors physics, AP Physics, and AP computer science at The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, GA from 1988-2000 and AP Calculus at Providence Christian Academy. He graduated from Duke University in 1988 with a degree in mechanical engineering and physics, and worked at the TIP program at Duke for two years, teaching physics and heading the Satellite Science Program. He received a National Science Foundation scholarship and studied history and philosophy of science at L'Abri Fellowship in England. He worked as a software developer for five years before returning to teaching.

Derek has taught homeschoolers in the Atlanta area since the year 2000. He and his wife Amor and their two children Claire and David attend Dunwoody Community Church, a non-denominational church near their home in Norcross. Read about all Mr. Owen's qualifications and other classes at his website here.

Karren Richardson taught Algebra I, Algebra II, Algebra III/Trig, Geometry and Precalculus during her eleven years of teaching at Whitefield Academy. She spent five years teaching math to home school students and fifteen years providing math tutoring at the middle and high school level. Karren graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a BA in math. She is married and has two adult sons. Karren and her husband have lived in Atlanta for 29 years and have lived in Smyrna for the past 11 years. They are members of Church of the Apostles. She is looking forward to tutoring math at the middle and high school level at Metro Academic Studies.

Lisa completed her BS degree in Electrical Engineering/Computer Engineering emphasis from Michigan State University and her MBA from Santa Clara University. She worked in the computer industry in Project Management before retiring to take care of and homeschool her three daughters. 

Using her strong Math, English and Teaching skills she began teaching test preparation classes for Chyten Educational Services where she broadened into tutoring all levels of Math, Chemistry, AP courses and Writing skills. After 2 years she established her own test preparation and tutoring business, Champion Management Consulting, in 2014.

She has tutored 100s of students in the last 7 years and has found it very rewarding to see students master the SAT/ACT tests with a little direction and encouragement. Lisa has been an active member of The Church of the Apostles for the last 14 years and enjoys mentoring young women in God’s Word. 

Duran Smith studied theatre at the University of West Georgia, film production at Biola University in Los Angeles, and graduated from Georgia State University with a bachelor's degree in film production and a minor in theatre performance. He is now a graduate student at Southern Evangelical Seminary earning a master's in philosophy.

Duran has been an actor, writer, and director on-stage and on-screen for 15 years. He leads an apologetics group called Ratio Christi at the Church of the Apostles every other Sunday evening at 5:00pm.

Duran is a lifelong lover of film, philosophy, theology, and mountains.

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God Bless! 

Joe Tribble, an Atlanta native, has been a teacher and coach at a private Christian school in the city since 1983.  He earned his BA from the University of Georgia graduating with a dual major in History and French Language.  He studied French history and culture for a semester at the Université de Paris, Sorbonne, before earning his Master of Arts and Liberal Studies at Dartmouth College with a concentration in 20th Century German and American History. Joe is a Boys’ Varsity Head Coach for cross country in the fall and an Assistant Varsity Coach for boys and girls distance runners in the spring. Joe also teaches a course he created in 1996 that combines his love of history and his passion for running and coaching. The course involves studying topics ranging from prehistoric Stonehenge to the pulling down of the Berlin Wall. Joe then leads the students on a summer tour of the previously examined sites found in the U.K. and Europe.  

For 30 years Joe was married to his lovely wife Gail, until she passed away from cancer. Gail was a studio artist and published illustrator who earned a degree in Fine Arts from Mount Allison University. Their daughter, Grace Marion, graduated from Columbia University in NYC, and went on to earn her Master of Philosophy in Assyriology from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. She is currently a writer. Joe sums up his Christian faith with a verse from Paul’s letter to the Philippians (1:21) that “…to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Steven Vaughan is a husband of 38+ years, homeschool father of 6, Ziglar Legacy Certified Trainer and Coach, LOGOS Speech and Debate Coach, Owner of Monument Publishing (A Speech and Debate Resource company), an RN, musician, coffee roaster, caterer, and all-around good guy.

He truly believes we were designed for accomplishment, engineered for success, and endowed with the seeds of greatness; that God wants us to live fully alive to His glory.

Coach Vaughan has given Speech and Debate Camps to students ages 12-18 throughout the US and now also has 40+ private online students, including several clubs, coaching them through the current competition season. Steven’s goal is to help train this generation of students to speak confidently, think critically, and persuade effectively so that they can speak boldly for the cause of Christ and His Kingdom. With his more than 17 years of coaching experience and 19 years of judging, Coach Vaughan can pinpoint and help correct issues of presentation, writing, blocking, and impacting the audience and judges.