OUR TEAM
HomeLink has a great team of advisors and support staff waiting to serve you!
April Thome
Founder and Consulting Director
April Thome earned a B.A. in history education from the University of Washington and completed her fifth year at Central Washington University. Additionally, she completed training as an educational therapist through the National Institute for Leaning Disabilities located in Norfolk, Virginia, and special training in study skills through the National Institute for Secondary Principals in Boston, Massachusetts. April taught 5th grade for 5 years in the Selah public schools and worked for 11 years at West Side Christian School; serving 6 years in the classroom and 5 years as elementary principal. In 1997 she founded the private program called "HomeLink Yakima" that offers once-a-week classes for home-schooled students of all ages.
Dr. Jon Fassett
Education Director/Business Manager
Dr. Jon Fassett received his Ph.D. in Mathematics in 2001 from Oregon State University and taught at the university level for 19 years. His research interests are in topology and dynamical systems, with a special focus on fractal geometry. Jon has given several talks on fractals to audiences ranging from 3rd graders to research mathematicians and is known for always finding a way to insert a discussion of fractals into every math course he teaches. Over the years Jon has worked as high school teacher, community college instructor, actuary, university professor, and chief compliance officer - in that order. He recently has decided to return to his “first love” of teaching mathematics. Jon and his wife Emmelia have nine children and began homeschooling over 25 years ago.
Steve Bernard
Computer Apps & Speech Advisor
Steve Bernard has competed in local, area and district level speech cornpetitions, reaching the level of Advanced Communicator Gold in the Toastmasters Organization. His teaching experience includes 10 years at YVC in the computer science department. He has also taught Leadership and Public Speaking at West Valley Junior High School.
Rachel Bertsch
Art Advisor
Rachel Lucas-Bertsch studied art at the California College of Arts and Crafts and at YVC, and majored in Graphic Design. Mrs. Lucas-Bertsch enjoys working with many media in different formats, including pencil, graphite, chalk, oil pastels, color pencil, pen and ink, painting, watercolors.
Janene Cardon
Great Literature Advisor
Janene is a mother of 8 children who has been homeschooling for the last 17 years. She loves to hike, garden, snow and water ski with her family and read good books. She hopes to inspire thinking, sharing, and a love of great literature from the students who join her in this class.
Shannan Golladay
Science Advisor
Shannan Golladay graduated from Azusa Pacific Univ. with a degree in Life Science. She served as a Young Life volunteer for eight years and worked as the Young Life middle school coordinator in the Yakima Valley for six years. Shannan has been with HomeLink since the beginning and has taught middle school and high school science classes for over 20 years.
Diane Hanks
Basic/Advance Steps Advisor
Diane Hanks received her teaching degree from Central Washington University and taught in public schools for four years. She has 20 years of homeschooling experience.
Kari Hannan
Historical Theater Advisor
Kari Hannon grew up in an Air Force family and graduated from the U of Washington with a B.A. in Anthropology and Norwegian Language and Lit. She earned a Graduate Certificate of Bible from Multnomah Bible College, and completed graduate level courses in Linguistics with the Summer Institute of Linguistics. She and her husband began homeschooling their four children in 2004.
Stephanie Hart
Theater Arts Advisor
Stephanie spent the majority of her childhood engaging in community theatre on and off stage and graduated from the Seattle Film Institute. Her studies included scriptwriting, directing, casting, and working with actors. She has worked the last 5 years in HR and Administration and is excited to revisit her love of the arts.
Rachel Hawkins
Historical Theater Advisor
Rachel Hawkins graduated from WSU/ICNE with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2000, then worked as a school nurse for a few years. It was at Shiloh Bible Camp where she had the opportunity for a couple summers to direct teens doing drama to teach Bible lessons, the story of Pilgrim’s Progress, and stories of Christian missionaries and martyrs under the “world changers” theme. She has continued to be involved working with kids at Shiloh and her church since then as a cabin leader, speaker, and director of Music/Drama Camp. Rachel Hawkins has been directing the middle school theater since January developing the play written by the middle school class Around the World in 80 Days. Next year, she will direct the middle school students for the Christmas play “Prince of Peace” and then the year-end play featuring the class-written adventures of Marco Polo and Genghis Khan.
Alyssa Hodson
Spanish Advisor
Alyssa studied Spanish Education and has taught both public and private classes for the past seven years. She and her husband, Bryce, are both born and raised in the Yakima valley where they now raise their three young children. Alyssa enjoys reading, spending time outdoors, and gardening.
Shirley Lynch
Math and Science Advisor
Shirley attended high school in Zimbabwe, Africa and attended the University of Louisville in Kentucky, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology. Before moving to the Northwest, Mrs. Lynch finished what she needed for a chemistry degree. She began homeschooling her four children in 1994.
Katie Meinzinger
Elementary and Math Advisor
Katie attended George Fox University earning a BA in Music-Pre-teaching and MA in Teaching. She taught music at all levels in Oregon Public Schools for three years and has been teaching music, theater, math, and now, science, with HomeLink and Montessori School of Yakima for more than 8 years.
Pia Morris
High School Art History & Calligraphy
Pia Morris is the name behind the friendly face you have seen working at the HomeLink office for a couple of years. Pia grew up in the South and graduated from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. Next year, Pia will offer a high school art history course that proved to be an interesting study for her family during her homeschooling years. The course will be enriched with the study and practiceof Italic calligraphy.
Sarah Morris
Middle School Art & Elementary Science
Sarah Morris, daughter-in-law of Tom and Pia Morris, grew up in Lake Chelan, Washington. She attended college at Dordt University in Sioux Center, IA, graduating with a degree in Agricultural Business. Sarah previously taught at Immanuel Classical School in Yakima, before she and her husband David were blessed this spring with a baby boy, Maverick. For the 23-24 HomeLink year, Sarah will be teaching middle school art and elementary science in the KATS theater program.
Tom Morris
World Cultures, Geography & Comparitive Governments Advisor
Miranda Reimer
Photography Advisor
Miranda is the mother of 6 children and has been homeschooling for the past 8 years. She has additional experience with special needs and learning disabilities. Miranda has always had an eye for photography and has been working as a photographer and digital editor for the past year at HK Photography.
Debbie Sandlin
Stuctured & Creative Writing
Debbie Sandlin graduated with a master’s degree in English Literature and Language from Heritage University, and a bachelor’s degree in K-8 education with a minor in Teaching English as a Second Language from Central Washington University. She has experience teaching middle and high school ELA in Toppenish, in Philadelphia, in Washington, and in South America. Debbie currently takes guitar lessons once a week and is looking forward to continuing education with additional certification during the upcoming school year.