RED APPLE ACADEMY

WE ARE

RED APPLE ACADEMY

COMMUNITY ~ CLASSES ~ RESOURCES

OUR MISSION

Our mission is to champion and empower individual and family freedom in education. We are dedicated to promoting and supporting the rights of parents to choose their preferred pedagogical approaches and to serve as the primary educators of their children. We believe that every family should have the ability to tailor their child's educational journey based on their unique needs, values, and aspirations. Through our services and resources, we strive to foster a vibrant community that celebrates and nurtures independent learning.

OUR TEAM

We're the team
behind the vision.
We exist to help you strive.

Our team is curated from the best possible talent in the area. Past and present homeschool parents, world educated teachers, and thriving businesses all come together to redraw the face of education. We work with all families whether they attend a public or private school or universities, charter school, file their own affidavit, or partner with a Private School Satellite Program.

Belami Dufrene, or Ms. Belle as her students like to call her, lives in Orange. She shares her life with her two active sons and precious dog, Penny. Both boys enjoy playing multiple sports and attend St. Johns Lutheran private school.
Belami attended Cal State Fullerton University and has a BA in Liberal Studies. She is a credentialed teacher though the state of California. She has a background in child development with her focus being reading intervention and instruction.
Belami has taught for ten years and is also an experienced reading and writing tutor. She started her career teaching Kindergarten at the elementary school she attended when she was young! This led to a third grade position for many years, as well as multiple other grades. Even when Belami took a hiatus from teaching to stay home with her boys, she continued to work in their classrooms and substitute teach at St. Johns. The past two years she has taught at Independent Learning Academy. This wonderful experience has led to more open doors and new classes to teach at ILA. Belami has a passion for teaching children and is enthusiastic and loving. When she is not teaching or tutoring she enjoys exercising, spending time with her boys, and engaging in outdoor activities.

Mrs. Doan has lived in San Clemente for most of her life. She met her high school sweetheart, Steve, and they married in 1998. They have four children from 9th grade to college whom she has homeschooled for the last 17 years. Her hobbies include anything that has to do with art, going to the beach, hiking, running, coaching softball, and reading up on any of the new and latest curriculum developments in the homeschool world.
She earned an athletic scholarship for softball and studied Art Education at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. She has taught in the public classroom under the observation of master teachers for a 1st grade Spanish immersion, 5th grade, high school AP English, and high school art. Her love for teaching children began when she was a young girl helping as a teacher aid in Sunday school classes. When she was 15 she began teaching young girls how to pitch by giving them private lessons and doing softball clinics for the local recreation leagues. Later, she taught religious education classes for her church, directed Vacation Bible School for four years, and lead a Little Flowers Catholic Girls Club for three years that teaches virtues through the study of scripture and the biographies of saints.
In addition to teaching, she is a youth program coordinator that provides homestay programs and educational opportunities for youth throughout the country. She coordinates a group from Japan!
All of her experience in the community has lead her to her home at The Red Apple Academy where she is thrilled to have the opportunity to serve on RAA Leadership Team and share her classes with our homeschool community. She teaches all subjects math, English and literature, social studies, art, and physical education.

Carrie Lucas has spent the last fifteen years as a homeschooling mom and high school teacher here in Orange County. Now that her children are grown, she continues to be passionate about the opportunities that homeschooling brings to meet each student’s individual needs and capabilities. Her goal is to inspire a love of learning, and to help young believers become effective communicators. Whether the subject is Shakespeare or Roman architecture, she loves helping students build confidence in their own ability to find connections between their studies, their faith, and their world.

Gabrina Owen is enthusiastic about Math! She has many years of experience as a homeschool mom and a private math tutor. She has also been blessed to work for several years with a math-only learning center where she tutors a variety of students of all ages from both public and private schools. In 2019, she was recognized with the Regional Tutor of the year award. After earning a BS in Electronic Engineering Technology, she worked in the corporate environment for several years before deciding to stay home and teach her children. During her 15 years of homeschooling, her passion and ability for helping students understand math in simple terms grew . After years of tutoring she has learned to adapt quickly and to tailor to individual learning styles. She looks forward to working with students, sharing her excitement about the subject and preparing them for the next level.

Jane began her teaching career in college by working as a tutor and mentoring younger girls from her church. She very soon discovered both a love for instructing and investing the lives of her students. After graduating from UCLA with a degree in English, she continued on there to receive her teaching credential and Masters degree in Education. She was blessed to be hired at the first school she interviewed with, a middle school in the Los Angeles Unified School District. She taught everything from art, math, science, history and language arts for ten exciting and satisfying years. After getting married and raising her children at home, she entered into the teaching field again through mentoring other teachers through various professional development classes. She also began teaching composition and reading comprehension to international students online. Now, she is very excited to be back in the classroom investing in the RAA community! In her spare time, she enjoys serving alongside her husband in the various ministry responsibilities he has. She also enjoys homeschooling her four children and occasionally playing with her dog!

Hello! My name is Kristin Strickler and I am excited about teaching Math! I have many years of experience as a homeschool mom, a public school teacher, and a private tutor. All of these experiences help me to teach hybrid math classes for your homeschool student! My goal is for them to learn and succeed well AND to have a great time doing it! You would be surprised how much fun we can have while learning all kinds of math. I utilize games, hands-on activities, real world examples, videos, crafts, and even a Pi Day Scavenger Hunt party to motivate students to learn and study hard! I also know that math can be very challenging in a homeschool setting, for parents as well as students. I offer free tutoring every week and take complete responsibility for teaching all the concepts and problems of each course. Also, I will manage student's grades and am available to help parents in any I can. If you have questions, please contact me. I am happy to answer all questions and discuss how to make my class work for your family.

Nataly Jewel is a science and history teacher with a background in theater. She brings her experience in theater to bring her subjects to life and keep her students engaged! Her degree is in history but her love belongs to her students... She brings her love to all her classes, even the Sunday School ones. She has a joy for serving. Excitement, laughter and shock are just some of the techniques that she uses in the classroom!

Being a teacher came as an extremely fulfilling surprise to me, because I began my career in the corporate world. I was drawn into the field of teaching while volunteering as a youth group leader. From there, I went on to obtain my multiple subject teaching credential at CSUDH and did graduate studies at CSUF.
I have been an educator for over 20 years now, providing instruction in a variety of subjects including math, science, social studies and language arts, with reading literacy as a major area of emphasis. I have had the opportunity to teach students of all ages – the youngest being four years old and the oldest was 86!
As an educator, I practice what I call “investment teaching.” Along with helping my students achieve their maximum potential academically, I work hard to accomplish much more. Like bankers in the financial realm, I strive to make investments in the lives of my students that will, hopefully, yield positive long-term dividends.
I believe every one of my students was:
· Wonderfully designed and created by God
· Endowed by him with awesome and unique gifts and talents
· Meant to play a significant and indispensable role in history
This is why I consider it a privilege to be here at RAA. It is an honor to partner with you in equipping your children to enjoy living out their purposes and giving God maximum return on his investments in their lives.

Robin Young is a certified teacher with a Master of Arts in Education from Concordia University in Irvine, CA. Her goal is to uplift and encourage students through the creative outlets of pottery and drawing and painting. She believes that God has provided her with the gift of teaching children, and she strives to make a positive difference in the lives of each one of her students.
Ms. Young has 12 years of experience teaching in public, private, and charter schools as well as in her home studio in Laguna Niguel, CA. Throughout her teaching career, she has pursued knowledge and has developed skills from her academic studies and travel abroad. She has studied inspirational master artists and has observed their artwork up close in museums throughout Europe. Her pottery and paintings have been featured at the Sawdust Arts Festival in Laguna Beach where she has exhibited at their winter show.
Research has shown that Art Education helps students build critical thinking skills, increase independence, and foster innovation. Many parents have shared the positive impact Ms. Young’s classes have had on the academic development and emotional maturity of their children. Creativity builds self-esteem, leading to a more peaceful and productive life which helps to make this world a better place!

Sarah was born and raised in a small town, in the black forest, in Southern Germany. After finishing High School in 2011, she did a voluntary social year (mission trip) which allowed her to engage in various supporting activities within church ministry in different European countries (Kosovo, Spain, Italy…).
The intense cultural experiences and the increasing interest in foreign languages led her to a German university where she graduated as a certified Spanish and German as a Foreign Language teacher in 2019. During her studies she spent three semesters abroad in England/Canada and also gained valuable teaching experiences in Paraguay.
As part of German teacher training, she completed her traineeship at a High School in 2021. Sarah accumulated her first working experiences as a full-time teacher at a private Christian school from 2021 – 2022.

On August 12 she arrived in California to teach German and Spanish at the German School Campus/ILA.
She is looking forward to helping your child grow, play, make friends and develop
independence as they learn all about the (Spanish speaking) world around us!

Taryn Sains is a native Southern Californian, she earned her undergraduate degree in education at Cal State Fullerton. She has taught at a private Christian school for four years teaching TK, 2nd Grade, and kindergarten.

Taryn and her amazing husband RJ have a daughter and boy/girl twins. Taryn has always loved working with children; even before she became a teacher, she worked for three years in children's ministry, which inspired her to pursue a career in education. When she is not teaching, you will find her at home with her husband raising their kiddos, spending time with family and friends or crafting and decorating.

As a teacher, one of her favorite things is cultivating her student's academic and social-emotional growth throughout the year. Taryn feels extremely blessed to be apart of the RAA community and cannot wait to share her enthusiasm for learning and her faith in Jesus with her students.

Todd Nash founded California Athletics to provide PE classes and sports opportunities for home schooled students in all areas of Southern California. Classes are open to students grades K-12. Todd Nash teaches all classes. California Athletics is a vendor with all charter schools. They will issue POs to pay for classes, sports, and water sports! Look in the vendor list under Todd Nash or California Athletics. You can also pay directly for classes by cash or check.
Todd also teaches a Woodworking class for all skill levels of students. His 30 years of construction and furniture building experience will help your students choose and build a custom project of their choosing.
Todd was an officer in the Marine Corps for 9 years and flew F-18s, ran airfields, and ran air shows. Todd also has an air show production company and has run over 30 air shows all over the world. He will bring his extensive aviation experience to the Aviation Science class in the 1st semester, and the Aviation Careers class 2nd semester.

Tommy, an Orange County native, graduated Vanguard University in 2012 with B.A. in Music Composition. He earned a Masters in Music Composition and Theory in 2016 from Azusa Pacific University. He is a composer/songwriter who has two decades of teaching experience and is passionate about sharing his musical gift with others.
His love of teaching music inspired him and cofounder Michael Ketterer to create the United Pursuit School of Worship in 2016. Tommy also co-founded and leads OC Worship Nights, a monthly worship night at various locations across Orange County, established to bring people together in the unity of worship and praise.
His original song releases can be found on Spotify, SoundCloud, iTunes, Apple Music. In his free time, Tommy loves surfing, hiking, camping, cooking and playing beach volleyball.

Tonja Yancey lives in Mission Viejo with her husband of 33 years and has three children, one son-in-law, and one daughter-in-law and three beautiful granddaughters who are 7, 15 months and 2 months old. They are all such a Blessing to her.
She attends Compass Bible church and loves leading a Women’s Bible study group there on Tuesday nights.
She has her Bachelor’s degree from California State University Bakersfield and her teaching credential from National University. Previous work experience includes teaching First Grade 5 years, Kindergarten 12 years, and TK and pre school before that.
Teacher philosophy: I want to instill in every child a Love for our Lord and an excitement for learning! I see the potential in all children to become life long learners and followers of Christ. Teaching is such a Joy to me!

Ursula S.Schoeneich DaF certified German Teacher Founder of German School online https://www.germanschoolonline.com/
Founder of: German School Campus Inc. https://www.germanschoolcampus.com/ located in Newport Beach.
The school is accredited by the Federal Republic of Germany's Central Office for Schools Abroad. (ZfA) and WASC ( Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accreditation)
German School campus role Ursula is the Principal and Teacher at the German School campus in Newport Beach since 2015 and provides the Orange County community with quality German language classes and leads classroom-based German classes to children aged K-12 with High school German language tutoring and professional test preparation: AP Advanced Placement German (College Board)AATG ( American Association of Teachers of German) - National German Exam 1.4 for High School Credit B1 / Deutsches Sprachdiplom DSD I and B2 / C1 Deutsche Sprachdiplom DSD II for free University studies in Germany. The curriculum is A-G approved by the University of California. Ursula also founded through AATG (American Association of Teachers of German) the German Honor Society of DELTA EPSILON PHI for German School campus as CALIFORNIA DELTA ETA for High School students. She leads the Immersion Summer Camp STEM every year.

Experience : Ursula has been working as a German teacher for over a decade. As Assisted Scoutmaster since 2010 for Troop 90, she took several training classes to lead youth in the outdoors and through camps. She is the Merit Badge counselor for the Eagle-required Merit Badges of Cooking, Environmental Science. Her Youth Protection Training is always updated. (Her son Alex 19 is an Eagle Scout and her husband Alwin is also an Assisted Scoutmaster). Ursula was the German Delegation Liaison for the German Team and Athletes during the Special Olympics in Los Angeles in 2015. As a former Executive and Pioneer in the Environmental Industry Ursula has experience for 25 years as Foreign Language Advisor in international corporations. (Germany, Czech Republic, USA, Asia). She was on the advisory Board (SBA) for environmental issues in California for many years.
Professional Education Ursula graduated from the University of Jena in Germany as a certified DaF Teacher-Deutsch als Fremdsprache (German as Foreign Language).She has the Examiner A2 through C1 certificate from the German Government for Deutsches Sprachdiplom der Zentralstelle für das Auslandsschulwesen (ZfA-Köln) DSDI and DSDII.She has the certificate for Country and Cultural Training ZfA, from the German Government. She has the certificate PASCH-net from the German Government.
Ursula holds several professional development certificates through Goethe Institute in Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and through AATG and edWeb online webinars for professional educators.
Ursula took the Child Development course from the University of Redlands (Cognitive, cultural, emotional, physical, social, and language development of children from birth through adolescence; various learning theories and the implications for the timing of instructions and developmental implications for teaching the whole child)
Member
WDA- World Association of German Schools Abroad (Berlin-Germany)
AATG - American Association of Teachers of German
ACTFL- American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages
GLSC - German Language School Conference (New York)
PAMLA-Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association CLTA-California Language Teachers Association

OUR CLASSES

Give your students classes that invigorate their imaginations!!
Science classes that bring explosively fun labs to your child's curriculum!
Math taught with excitement and hands-on fun puzzles and activities. Allow our teachers to give the lessons, grade the homework, and administer tests.

TEACHING METHODS

Project-based learning methods engage students in projects or investigations to gain knowledge and develop skills through active, hands-on learning experiences.

The Classical Education approach cultivates moral and intellectual virtue through a strong study in literature and humanities. We bring the past alive in ways that give your student ownership of their history!!

Montessori based strategies that are student-led and guided within the community of a multi-age classroom foster natural opportunities for independence, citizenship, and accountability.

Whole child education recognizes the connections between children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and academic development, as well as their physical, spiritual, and mental health.

In the Constructivist classroom, the teacher's role is that of a facilitator, guiding students in constructing their own knowledge and understanding of concepts.

HOW OUR CAMPUS WORKS

Red Apple Academy is a collective of businesses, classes, and vendors that have come together in one location to offer their unique services. This dynamic community education center enables YOU, the parent, to choose and schedule the classes that you select for your child.

A Parent-choice model

In this parent choice model, you can build their child’s daily schedule and customize it to ensure a well-rounded education that aligns with their interests and career aspirations.

choose your classes

They can choose to come for one or two classes or sign up for classes all day. They can choose core or elective classes which empowers students and parents to an active role in the educational process.

a vibrant community

This model of education has shown itself to be highly impactful and productive for scholastic achievement while building phenomenal and vibrant community.

APPLY NOW!

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A Parent-choice model

choose your classes

a vibrant community

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