Maureen Altman earned a B.Ed from Heriot Watt University, in Edinburgh and a PGCE, from Dundee University. She has taught in  schools in Dunfermline, Scotland for nearly 30 years, working with children, aged 3-12, and their families.   In 2001, she married a good ol' Southern boy from Georgia, and they lived in Scotland for the first seventeen years of their married life.  Since moving to Athens in October 2018,  they are learning a lot about themselves, the American culture, and homeschooling their two teenagers. Maureen is glad to be part of the Compass homeschooling community where she can continue her passion to inspire youngsters to learn and grow in all that God has for them. 

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Maureen is part of the Compass admin team and serves in the role of parent and teacher resource.  

Contact Maureen at maureenaltman@ compasscommunityathens.com

Heather Arnold is an Athens native whose passion for all things performing began at a very young age. She began taking dance classes at age 2 and a half and fell in love with the art, receiving training in tap, ballet, jazz, contemporary and musical theatre styles, with her favorite quickly becoming tap. Heather took the stage often as a child in church musicals before trying her hand at community theatre at age seven and becoming absolutely smitten with it. She has performed with several theatre companies in the area over the course of her life and is currently on staff at Brightstone Productions where she teaches dance classes, performs, choreographs and directs for shows.  Heather earned two associate degrees, one in Early Childhood Education and the other in Psychology, and is currently working on her bachelors degree in Sociology. She has worked in the childcare field for many years, nannying and teaching preschool, and is always eager to see kids learn and grow through artistic outlets. Aside from being a dance and musical theatre nerd, Heather is also an avid reader, a creative writer, a lover of  people (and game nights), a random fact generator, and a huge Disney and Marvel nerd. 

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Contact Heather at harnold@ compasscommunityathens.com

Danielle will begin her ninth year with Compass Community in August 2023. She has been teaching theatre in various arenas for over fifteen years including Rose of Athens Theatre Academy, Masters Academy of Fine Arts, Athens Creative Theatre, and more. Danielle is the former Artistic Director of Rose of Athens Theatre and the former Director of Rose of Athens Theatre Academy. She received her B.A. in Theater from Piedmont College in Demorest, GA in 2007. Danielle has participated in many theatrical ventures and has worked every job from backstage to onstage. She has performed at the South Eastern Theatre Conference in the Fringe Festival and in the 10-Minute Play Festival, as well as in the Georgia Presenters Showcase hosted by the Fox Theatre Institute. Danielle is a three-time Irene Ryan Award nominee, an honor presented by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. 

Locally, she has been an invited guest speaker for the Classic City Rotary Club, Athens Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club of Athens, and the Oconee Civitan Club, as well as appearing in several radio spots on WUGA and a few televised WUGA broadcasts. Recently she was seen in the Athens Downtown Development Authority's holiday commercial in December 2018 and ACT’s October 2020 production of Live Drawing: A Portrait of the Mona Lisa. Danielle enjoys working with the local theatre scene- Athens Creative Theatre and Town & Gown Players. 

Contact Danielle at dbaileymiller@ compasscommunityathens.com

Fernando Bodie is the 2nd youngest of 39 siblings. He graduated from North Oconee High School where he played varsity soccer his freshman, junior, and senior year. Fernando also played club soccer at Oconee futbol club and Athens United. After high school, Fernando attended Truett McConnell University to play a year of college soccer. After his career was ended due to injuries, he started coaching at Athens United and eventually North Oconee.  Fernando attends church at Grace Fellowship,  is very passionate about soccer, and very excited to share his knowledge with the younger generations through the Compass Community classes!

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Coming Soon

Donna Brown is a homeschooling veteran with 2 grown kids.  With a degree in education, she homeschooled her children for 20 years.  One is now in school at UGA majoring in Fisheries and Wildlife and the other is married with kids).  Science is Donna's favorite academic subject, and she started teaching science in co-ops when her oldest was in second grade.    Through the years she has taught classes in just about all the areas of science, including biology, chemistry, physics, ecology, and more.  She has coached Lego League, Science Olympiad, Ocean Bowl, and Envirothon teams.  She believes in teaching using hands-on and project based methods, engaging the student and hopefully creating a love for science at the same time! 

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Contact Donna at dbrown@ compasscommunityathens.com

Gentry and her family moved to Winterville in 2023, where her husband pastors First Baptist Winterville. She has been homeschooling for 9 years and enjoys spending time with her five children. Gentry earned a Bachelors in Interpersonal Communication from University of Central Florida, and a Masters in Biblical Counseling from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. She worked as a sign language interpreter and especially enjoys signing at church and performances. She has interpreted at Disney World, Sea World, Orlando Shakespeare Festival, and for The Newsboys, Shane and Shane, Brian Littrell, and Kirk Cameron. When she’s not homeschooling, Gentry enjoys going for walks, reading historical fiction with a nice cup of hot tea, and serving at her church. 

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Contact Gentry at gcolson@ compasscommunityathens.com

Amanda has a BN in Nursing from Brenau University and lives in Jackson County with her husband, three children, and extended family on a small farm. She has been homeschooling for ten years and currently has a graduate, high schooler, and middle schooler. She loves the culture of homeschooling, both the opportunity it has given her to be so close with her kids and the flexibility it offers to work around her husband’s road racing schedule. Amanda can often be found reading, cooking, or chauffeuring her kids to dance and Trail Life.

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Contact Mandy at acowart@ compasscommunityathens.com

Sarah is a classically trained actress who has studied and worked with both Georgia Shakespeare and The North Carolina Shakespeare Festival. She holds a BA in Theater Performance and English Literature and has taught Shakespeare to all ages over the past 15 years. She and her husband are covenant partners at Alps Road Presbyterian Church and her children, Britton and Lillian, who attend Wednesday classes at Compass. They enjoy hiking at the Botanical Garden and Living History exhibits. 

Contact Sarah at scraig@ compasscommunityathens.com

Clay is the Pastor of Forest Heights Baptist Church in Athens, Georgia. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics Education from Shorter University with a minor in Spanish. He also has a Masters of Divinity in Advanced Biblical Studies from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has taught at Sylvan Learning Center as well as at Burke County High School in Waynesboro, Georgia.

Clay spent several years doing Hispanic ministry in North Carolina, teaching ESL, and helping with church planting both in Raleigh and in rural areas.
From 2010-2020, Clay and his family served in church planting in Central Asia with the IMB. In 2020, they moved back to the US to pursue ministry here.

Clay and his wife Aly have four children, all of whom are involved with Compass.

Contact Clay at ccrews@ compasscommunityathens.com

Kristy Dennis earned a B.A. in English and Secondary Education from Stetson University in DeLand, FL. and taught middle and high school English in the public school system.  Kristy also served as the Children's Ministry Director for six years at Calvary Chapel Tampa.

After living in Florida for over 30 years, Kristy and her husband decided that the joys of the sunshine state were lost on them, and they moved to Athens, GA in 2012.  The family attends Oconee Heights Baptist Church and is actively involved in several areas of ministry.

Kristy and Chris have three children, ages 15, 18, and 20 and have been homeschooling since 2007.  The two oldest have graduated and are currently attending college.  Kristy is very passionate about homeschooling and teaching and is so thankful to have the opportunity to teach both her kids and others.  She and her family have been involved in co-ops in Florida and Georgia, and Kristy assumed the role of Director of Compass Community in the fall of 2015.  

Contact Kristy at mrskristy@ compasscommunityathens.com

Amanda has been a homeschooling parent for four years. She lives in Arnoldsville with her husband and two children. Amanda's educational background includes the completion of over 55 credit hours at Athens Technical College, where she focused on Early Childhood Care and Education. She brings valuable experience from teaching in diverse settings, including a GA Pre-K classroom and as a substitute Kindergarten teacher.

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Contact Amanda at aderepentigny @ compasscommunityathens.com

Brandy Ferris is originally from the foothills of the mountains of NW Georgia. Eventually, she moved to Athens to attend UGA where she graduated with a BS and Master's degree in Early Childhood Education.  She simultaneously taught kindergarten in Gwinnett County, early childhood classes at Athens Technical College and Gwinnett Technical College and pursued her Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She finished her last degree three months after her first child, Abigail, was born. She went on to teach two more years while her husband completed Pharmacy school at UGA. She then decided to stay home while expecting her second child, Anderson and began her journey as a stay-at-home mom for 4 years and homeschooled her daughter for kindergarten. She moved back into the classroom to teach 2nd Grade at Westminster Christian Academy for six years before returning to homeschool both children, and she’s been homeschooling ever since!  She has a total of 17 years of classroom teaching experience between public and private settings and from preschool through 2nd grade students and loves teaching and especially loves teaching math.

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Contact Brandy at bferris@ compasscommunityathens.com

Billie Jo Fouts is a Kentucky girl born but raised in Georgia . A pastor's daughter, she loved teaching children’s church and children’s drama and working with missions work.  

She attended Athens Technical College for Early Childhood Education and then interned and assisted at local Montessori schools before deciding to earn her Masters from Kennesaw State in Montessori education.    Her teaching experience includes 5 years at Old Peachtree Montessori School as Primary Assistant and Elementary Assistant for lower and upper; 4 years teaching at Lifespan Montessori, and 4 years teaching at Athens Montessori School.

She believes  children are naturally eager for knowledge and capable of learning and looks forward to creating an environment where students learn from discovery.

She has three children and has been homeschooling for the past 5 years.  She stays busy with children's ministry and drama work and being part of Christ's hands and feet to do His work.

Contact Billie Jo at bfouts@ compasscommunityathens.com

Michelle Graham has been homeschooling her two children, Clint and Chloé, since 2015. She was also homeschooled herself in the mid 80's and early 90's but completed high school in the public school system. She did dual enrollment during her senior year with Dekalb Technical College in electronics and met her husband in the lab. After finishing the first year of her electronics major she changed course and finished her degree as a Business Administration major with a legal specialty. The degree was not put to use however as she and her husband, Tom, decided  to focus on building their house and starting their family. They now reside in Arnoldsville in Oglethorpe County and Michelle has filled her days with kid's and women's ministry for Crawford Baptist and now Southside Church and teaching her kids, who are now in 7th and 9th, to love God first and use their talents for His glory. In her spare time she enjoys reading, growing flowers and vegetables, and day dreaming about being on the beach.  They have been a part of Compass since 2015 and love the friendship, support, and fun it provides for them all.

Abby "A.C." Ham is a Compass alumna (class of '21).  She is an avid reader and writer and has published three young adult novels in her Justin Strikes series.  In addition to reading novels and writing them, she also has a strong love of poetry and has written three poetry books.
Abby has worked in various child care settings for several years and for the past year and a half, she has been teaching at a rehab center. When she isn't writing, A.C. is typically doing collages, volunteering at her church, or reading. Her favorite authors are Rick Riordan, Gail Carson Levine, and the apostle Paul.
In the future, she hopes to write a fantasy adventure book, a collection of poems telling other people's testimonies, and a children's book series about ducks.

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Contact Abby at aham@ compasscommunityathens.com

Jessica Ham was born and raised in the Athens/Oconee area, but when she married her husband, Dave, she moved to North Carolina where both their children were born at Fort Bragg/Pope AFB. Then they moved on to San Antonio, Texas for ten years with the United States Air Force. They moved back to Georgia in 2013. 

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Jessica homeschooled Abby (‘21 Compass Graduate) and Jacob (‘22 Compass Graduate) since the first grade and has never regretted a second of it. Her philosophy of teaching is to teach children to love to learn and how to find out anything they want to know.

Jessica has a passion for teaching, whether it be children in children's church when she was the Nursery and Childcare Director at their church in Texas, homeschooling her two kids and starting a small co-op in Texas, or leading women in studying their Bible as their source for all knowledge through her Bible study classes at her home church, Grace Fellowship.

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Jessica has served as the Assistant Director of Compass since 2019.

Contact Jessica at jham @ compasscommunityathens.com

Carol Hill is a lifelong Georgia native who has been blessed with ten children with her husband, Don, of 32 years. She earned her BS in Christian Education (concentration in youth ministries) and a minor in Christian Counseling from Toccoa Falls College in May 1992. Just weeks after graduating, she gave birth to her first child and changed from the role of full-time college student to full-time mother. Although her primary role for the past 30 years has been mother/home educator, she has enjoyed teaching upper elementary and middle school students in numerous home school co-op classes. She also has led and participated in several church based children’s ministries over the years and especially enjoys teaching apologetics and biblical creation based classes to children.

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In her limited spare time, you will find Carol enjoying being Nana to her first grandchild, going out on a weekly date with her husband or hiding somewhere eating dark chocolate. Most likely you will see her out and about driving children to their activities.  She never misses an opportunity to turn a vacation or even a trip to the grocery store into a field trip or learning opportunity. She is excited about the opportunity to share her knowledge and passion of health and fitness as well as world geography/culture with students at Compass!

Contact Carol at chill@ compasscommunityathens.com

Liberty is a rising senior who attends Compass and takes dual enrollment classes through Toccoa Falls Collage. Liberty has taken dance for 14 years, including ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, ribbons, pointe, and Shadow CO. In addition to taking classes, Liberty has been teaching dance classes at Graceful Gospel Dance Academy and is currently teaching a ribbons class and special-needs class. Liberty is also involved with the special needs program at her church. She has many younger siblings and loves teaching kids of all ages! She is excited to start teaching!

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Contact Liberty at lhill@ compasscommunityathens.com

Sara Hunt grew up in Macon, Georgia. She has a degree in Middle Grades Education from the University of North Georgia Dahlonega. She has taught Language Arts for the past seven years both at home and abroad to all ages and skill levels. Sara and her husband moved to Athens in 2021 where she began teaching as an online instructor for a classical, homeschool curriculum. They welcomed a son in 2023 and currently reside in Madison County. She is excited to return to in-person instruction and be a part of the local, homeschool community.

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Contact Sara at shunt @ compasscommunityathens.com

Allison Keeling grew up in Canton, Georgia and moved with her husband and 3 kids to Monroe in 2017. She has a BS in Psychology (concentration in Child Development) with a minor in Public Relations from Berry College.  Her homeschooling journey began in 2015 when her oldest child was in First Grade. Before that, Allison worked with children on the Autism Spectrum for 8 years as a Behavioral Therapist and volunteered with High School Youth at her church for 5 years.  These roles founded her value of individualized and relationship based education, the approaches is she excited to bring into her classes at Compass. When she isn’t busy homeschooling or advising her husband in the running of their small business, Allison can be found watching documentaries and spending time with family and friends.

Contact Allison at akeeling @ compasscommunityathens.com

Josh was born and raised in Georgia. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture. He married his high school sweetheart, Allison, and they have 3 beautiful children: Landon, Jillian, and Emily. Josh was very active in youth ministry with his wife for 7 years, where they had the amazing opportunity to teach, and help teenagers to grow closer to Christ. He worked in construction for ten years, designing and building landscape projects for residential clients. He owned his own construction company and was a licensed general contractor for 4 years. God then called him to a different profession, and his family moved to Monroe in 2017; where he is now the owner and operator of Two Men and a Truck moving company in Athens. Josh has always had a passion for hands on learning to develop new skills and a gain greater understanding of how things work. When he’s not working for Two Men and a Truck, or taking on some project at home, he loves to be outdoors enjoying nature.

Contact Josh at jkeeling@ compasscommunityathens.com

Jenny Liedberg is a wife and mother of 3 and lives on a farm in Oglethorpe County.  She has a true passion for working with children and helping them become the best version of themselves both in her class and outside of it. Jenny earned a Bachelor of Science from Auburn University in animal science with a minor in equine studies.  She worked as a vet tech for 7 years and has been a horseback riding instructor for 18 years and archery instructor for 4 years.

Contact Jenny at jliedberg@ compasscommunityathens.com

Elizabeth Long is a pediatrician - turned - homeschool mom and volunteer soccer coach.  Just as Eric Liddell felt the pleasure of God when he ran, Elizabeth feels the pleasure of God when she works with kids, whether in the clinic, at home, at church, or on the soccer field.  She lives in Athens with her husband and 3 kids and has been coaching the ACC rec soccer teams of each of her 2 oldest kids every fall and spring since fall 2021.   Elizabeth is excited to begin working with Compass students in soccer class in the fall of 2023.

Contact Elizabeth at elong@ compasscommunityathens.com

​ Holly grew up on the rocky shores of the Puget sound and Gig Harbor, WA, before moving to Watkinsville in 1996 and graduating from OCHS in 2000. Holly earned a BS in Psychology from UNG (then North Georgia College and State University) in 2004, and has worked with kids ever since. She spent years working in childcare, as a nanny, and has been homeschooling her own kids since 2011. This will be Holly‘s third year teaching at compass. Holly also serves the leadership team and the children’s ministry at the Athens Vineyard Church, where her husband, Derek, serves as the Music Director. Holly and Derek have five kids between 2 and 15 and live in Athens. They have also served as foster parents. Between her study of psychology, her training as a foster parent, and her years of experience with kids, Holly has a deep understanding of how little minds work, and why they often behave the way they do! Above all that, Holly just loves kids.

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Contact Holly at hmctavish@ compasscommunityathens.com

Rebekah Nunez grew up in Lawrenceville, GA, where she was homeschooled through high school. She attended Georgia College & State University, where she earned her B.A. in Spanish and Master of Arts in Teaching. Rebekah has spent time in Spain & Mexico, where she developed her love of Spanish language and culture. She enjoys bringing Hispanic culture into the classroom, from making the best guacamole to celebrating birthdays with cascarones (confetti eggs) and making piñatas. Rebekah taught Spanish at a public high school for six years before coming to teach at Compass in 2016. She lives in Athens with her husband, two children who they homeschool, and three cats. She attends Redeemer Presbyterian Church with her family and enjoys baking and cooking, hiking, and watching sci-fi.

Contact Rebekah at rnunez@ compasscommunityathens.com

Wendy is the mother of six children and the Executive Director of Brightstone Productions in Watkinsville.  She trained in music from a young age and has music directed nearly 30 community theatre productions.  She is the former music minister for her church and has led several children's choirs.  In her free time, she enjoys traveling, studying history, all things music, but mostly spending time with her family and friends.

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Contact Wendy at woesterle@ compasscommunityathens.com

Paula is an 18-year homeschooling mom of six kids. She grew up in central Florida, has been in Georgia since 2000 and moved with her family to Watkinsville in 2016. She is a graduate of Georgia School of Ministry and a licensed pastor with the Assemblies of God. She is currently serves as head of the welcome team and leads a small group with Nations Church. She is internationally certified in training and development through City and Guilds in London and has spent 30+ years teaching and training in non-profit organizations. She loves to write and teach and is the author of six published books and the editor or seven more. She loves all things crafty and finds her greatest therapy to be in the Bible or in the kitchen. Paula serves as Director of the Lifelong Ministry Program
at College of Athens. She and her family serve as volunteers for Thumbs Up Mission, a ministry designed to give retreats to families walking through cancer.

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Contact Paula at priobo@ compasscommunityathens.com

Kara and her family live in Bishop, Georgia. She and her husband Rocky have four children: Kaden, Kaylin, and identical twin boys – Kody and Kason. Their homeschool journey began in 2016 as a way to provide a better learning experience for the kids’ dyslexia. As a family, they enjoy spending time outside: cooking + grilling, gardening, fishing, and going on trips (especially to the lake and beach). In addition, Kara loves plants, quilting + sewing, reading, and having people over for dinner. The Smith family attends Watkinsville First Baptist Church.

Although Kara has resided in Oconee County for the past 20 years, she was born in New York, and has also lived in Ohio, Florida, and West Virginia. She studied mathematics at UGA and received a BFA in Graphic Design from Marshall University.

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Contact Kara at ksmith1@ compasscommunityathens.com

After growing up in central Kentucky, Rhonda earned a BS in Wildlife Biology from Murray State University and an MS in Raptor Biology (birds, not dinosaurs!) from Boise State University.  She has taught science in a variety of settings including 3 years as an outdoor education instructor, 3 years teaching college-level biology labs and 4+ years of teaching at Compass Community.  She volunteers for church ministry in several positions with missions, youth, and children.  She and her family moved from Rhode Island to Athens in 2015 with their 3 children. She has been homeschooling for 9 years and her children are currently ages 15, 12, and 8 years.  She loves homeschooling and learning something new every day.  She spends her precious free time reading C.S. Lewis, knitting blankets, watching Star Wars, and birding.  She loves hiking, owls, mountains, Jesus, baking, and her family.  

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Contact Rhonda at rsmith@ compasscommunityathens.com

Joanna Smolko is a musicologist, editor, and visual artist. She and her husband Tim have two teens, Ian and Elanor, who have been at Compass for a number of years (their favorite days of the week!). As a musicologist, she studies and writes about the connections between music and art, literature, and culture, teaching classes at UNG, UGA, and eCore.. She teaches music history courses at UNG-Oconee, eCore, and UGA. Her special area of research is American music, folk, sacred, classical, and popular music.  She also teaches private lessons in music to children out of her home (piano, ukulele, composition, and beginning guitar). She loves working with children and is excited to have this opportunity to share her love of music with Compass students.   

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Contact Joanna at 

Elizabeth Snyder has an undergraduate degree in Accounting from Berry College and a Master of Accountancy from Kennesaw State University.  She worked for a bond management firm before becoming mom to Isabel, 11 and Grayson, 8.

Elizabeth has lived in Walton County for 8 years and found her passion for homeschooling in 2020 and is very excited to teach at Compass for the first time.  Elizabeth and her kids have been a part of Compass since 2021.

Diane is a native of northeast Ohio and spent the long winters with a drawing pad in hand. She married her husband in 1997. After the birth of their first son, they moved to the New England area. This is where Diane began to perfect her love of art by attending the New Hampshire Institute of Art. After their second son was born, warmer weather was on the horizon and they ventured to Georgia. One more son to add to the mix, and homeschooling seemed like the perfect plan. This is when Diane took her love of art and began to teach painting and drawing. Along with fine art instruction, she has been teaching arts and crafts in Loganville for the last seven years. When Diane isn’t creating visual art, you will find her writing, as she has three published novels. Besides loving all things creative, she has a passion for the Lord, hiking and football!  

Contact Diane at dstokowski@ compasscommunityathens.com

Tiena Thacker is a homeschooling mom to four amazing kids, a wife, and the Children,
Youth, and Family Ministries Director at her church. All four of her children have attended Compass at one time, with her two oldest now graduated from college and the younger two attending Wednesdays. Her passions in life include loving and serving the Lord, her awesome family, and teaching and working with children and teens. She has been working with children for more than 33 years as a teacher, daycare worker and owner, and in children, youth, and family ministries. Originally a coffee-drinking girl from Seattle, she earned her B.A. in Elementary Education from Central Washington University and worked as a teacher in Colorado before moving to Georgia 27 years ago. In her “spare” time she enjoys being creative, baking, reading, singing in her church praise band, and being outdoors. She considers it an extraordinary blessing to be able to be with her children every day and be the one that has the privilege to lead and guide not only their education but their character as well. This will be her seventh year teaching at Compass. Wednesdays are her favorite day of the week! She loves teaching and working with the amazing children at Compass as they create, explore, discuss, problem- solve, laugh, learn, and have fun!

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Contact Tiena at tthacker@ compasscommunityathens.com

Paige Wheeler has her masters degree in Early Childhood Education.  She spent three years in private education and twelve years in public education.  Paige and her husband live in Jackson County with their three children eleven, nine and six. They spend additional time supporting their children In Trail Life and American Heritage Girls activities.   In her spare time she enjoys camping, reading and farm chores.  

You can contact Paige at pwheeler@ compasscommunityathens.com