Click on any instructor to read the full profile.
High School Spanish
Lisa Alonso is the high school Spanish instructor for Compass. Lisa first learned Spanish as a high school student, but went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from George Mason University and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Painting
Luc’s love of art and teaching has made painting instruction his primary professional focus. He has taught more than 500 beginner acrylic painting workshops throughout northern Virginia.
Science
Dr. Karleen Boyle Sudol is the executive director of the Science Place, Inc., in Springfield, VA. Karleen has more than twenty years experience teaching students ranging in age from preschool through adult in addition to a rich background in research as a scientist.
Stage Combat
Bette Cassatt is a professional actor and has been fight director for many shows in the Washington DC area, performed stunts for TV and film, and has taught stage combat to all age levels – from children’s classes to the MFA program at Catholic University of America. She began her stage combat training at age 13 at a summer theatre workshop.
String Orchestra
Monika Chamasyan-Dorosheff is an educator, recording artist, and an active violin soloist. She is a frequent performer at Dumbarton House, Strathmore Hall, Schlesinger Hall, Hylton Performing Arts Center and The CenterStage in Reston.
Pottery
Andrew Cummins is a professional ceramicist, production potter, and instructor. He owns and operates Café Pottery in Old Town Manassas where he shares his love of ceramics by giving pottery wheel lessons, hand-building workshops, and hosting mobile pottery painting events.
Elementary Spanish
Jeanniffer Denmark is the Compass instructor for elementary Spanish. Jeannifer is a native speaker of Spanish with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Languages from the Universidad Motolinia del Pedregal in Mexico.
Personal Finance/Civics
Jennifer DesRoches is the instructor for the financial literacy class, Money Matters. She earned a Bachelors of Science in Interdisciplinary Social Science with a minor in Secondary Education from James Madison University. Jennifer taught 8th-grade Civics and Economics for ten years with Fairfax County Public Schools.
ASL/Math
Natalie Di Vietri is the Compass instructor for math and American Sign Language (ASL) classes. She is a veteran teacher and tutor.
Elementary Art
My Compass art students inspire me weekly, I learn so much from their brilliant little minds. It is truly amazing what K-2nd grade children are capable of when you give them tools and let them create. I cherish class-time with my students.
Fencing
Fencing Sports Academy is the premier epee and foil fencing club in the Washington, DC area. Located in old town Fairfax, the academy offers competitive and recreational training for all ages and levels; children to seniors and novices to world champions.
SAT/ACT Prep
Sarah Fraser founded Academic Coaching DC in 2007 where she develops individual strategies and provides expert support for students needing to improve test-taking skills, study habits, organizational techniques, and soft skills. Her services through Academic Coaching include tutoring and college consulting in addition to comprehensive preparation for PSAT, SAT, ACT, and other standardized college entrance exams.
CrossFit
Jamie Gallagher is the owner and head coach of CrossFit Burke. He holds multiple CrossFit certifications include Level One and Level Two Trainer, Kids Instructor, Powerlifting Instructor, Mobility Instructor, and Kettlebell Instructor.
History
Of all the students I've ever taught, I can honestly say that the kids at Compass are certainly some of them!
Art
Lori Goll is the art instructor for drawing and pastel classes at Compass. Lori earned a degree in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech and worked in telecommunications before deciding to pursue her passion for drawing and painting. Lori remembers loving art from a very young age when she was taught to draw by her great-grandmother.
Photography
Compass students blow me away with their creativity and vision. I love seeing how they use the photography tools they learn in class to express themselves and their view of the world, and I am always inspired by their work.
Nature Quest
The curiosity and excitement of the Compass students makes every class a fresh new adventure!
Debate/Public Speaking
The best part of working at Compass is that I feel such joy watching my students learning development from day one to the last day when they give their speeches. I get to witness their progress each week when they go from nervous to empowered!
Writing
Karen Hickman is the cp-director of the Northern Virginia Writing Project at George Mason University where she coordinates youth and family writing programs such as the Young Writers Workshops and Student Summer Institute. Karen is a published author with two children’s books to her credit, The Missing Caboose (February 2015) and The Lighthouse Mouse (December 2016), and twenty more manuscripts ready to be finalized. She was honored in 2012 with the Mark Farrington Award for Personal Writing.
Physics/High School Math
Katherine Hoeck earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with a concentration in Physics from Shepherd University. During her time at Shepherd, she participated in several research projects on physics computing, mathematical modeling, and engineering.
Science
Sudhita Kasturi has degrees in Chemistry and Cell and Molecular Biology from ...
Geography/Philosophy/World Affairs
From geography and world affairs to philosophy, science fiction, and financial markets, my special interest is enhancing students’ understanding of the (messy, beautiful) world they will one day inherit. I am delighted that Compass allows me to share these classes with students in Northern Virginia.
Dioramas/History
Taliesin Knol has nearly ten years of experience fabricating intricate historical dioramas. Taliesin has been involved with the Smithsonian “Soldiers and Dioramas” series of summer camps, first as a student, then as a youth teaching assistant, and then for three years as a full instructor.
Advanced Literature
Literature is the long conversation of humanity throughout history. We learn from those who have gone before us, make our own contributions, and pass that conversation to those who come after.
Mandarin
Boxian “Lisa” Li is the Compass Mandarin Chinese teacher. Lisa is a native speaker who earned a Bachelors degree in Chinese Language and Literature at the University of International Relations in Beijing, China.
Public Speaking
Arthuretta Martin is the owner and President of Words and Melodies, LLC and the President of the National Capitol Area Black Storytellers Association. As a teaching artist, she shares the gift of story through writing, storytelling, acting, and singing.
Science
I consider each science lesson to be a work of art, designed to entertain and intrigue. The children in my classes have been rewarding audiences; even if they don't remember everything we discussed, I believe that they come away with the sense that science is really fun to learn about.
Biology, Anthropology
Compass is a great place to meet motivated peers for both electives and college prep courses. My Compass students are interested and interesting. They love stretching themselves, and I love introducing them to challenging academics.
History
What I love about working with Compass students is their intense curiosity. They come to class every week excited to learn and eager to participate in classroom activities.
Guitar
Lee Nathanson is the instructor for beginning guitar. Lee has seven years teaching experience. In addition to Compass, he is an instructor at Music and Arts in both Rockville, MD and Oakton, VA where he teaches individual and small group classes.
Cooking, Mosaics
Mylene “Mimi” Nyman is the Compass instructor for culinary classes. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, and ten year veteran of the finance profession, Mylene made a career switch and broke into the culinary arts profession in 1997 when she opened “Chocolate by Mimi.”
Veterinary Science
Dr. Kathleen Olsen is a practicing veterinarian. She earned both her undergraduate and veterinary degrees from Cornell University. During her time at Cornell, she taught courses in Comparative Anatomy, Inorganic Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry, and completed several research papers on canine growth disorders.
French
Edwige Pinover is the instructor for French classes. Edwige is a native of Saint Jean de Monts, France, and has lived in the US since 1998.
LEGO Engineering
Play-Well TEKnologies is the instructor for hands-on, LEGO-based engineering classes. The company has been ‘Teaching Engineering to Kids’ since 1998 in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Krav Maga Self Defense
Tim Rook is the owner and lead instructor at Premier Martial Arts in Manassas since 2011. He is a 1st degree Black Belt in Krav Maga and hold several certifications in the discipline.
Puppet Theater
Penny Russell is a puppeteer based in the Metropolitan DC area. She is a Master Teaching Artist with the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning through the Arts; and teaches music, drama and puppetry to children and adults on the autism spectrum for ArtStream.
Shakespeare
Heather Sanderson studied classical theatre at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and prior to moving to Alexandria, acted extensively in the San Francisco Bay Area. As “Miss Heather”, she is known locally for instilling a love of theatre – in particular Shakespeare – into the hearts of children.
Writing/Literature
Anne Sharp is a writer, editor, and educator who graduated from The College of William and Mary and taught in the Virginia Beach and Fairfax City Public School Systems. As a middle and high school teacher, she developed curriculum, taught creative writing, English, journalism and sponsored the yearbook, literary magazine, and student newspaper.
Chess
Peter Snow is the instructor for Beginning Chess and Intermediate Chess. Peter has more than 37 years experience playing in tournaments of the U.S. Chess Federation and is rated in the top 8% of all U.S. Chess Federation players in the nation.
Preschool Soccer
Our mission at Soccer Shots is to positively impact children’s lives. We are so excited to partner with Compass Homeschool, an organization that matches our mission and core values, with caring and involved parents that always pursue excellence for their children!
Hip Hop
Velocity Dance is a celebrated dance studio in Vienna with successful all-star competition teams and a wide range of weekly studio classes for all ages in ballet, jazz, lyrical, pom, hip hop and tumbling.
Acting
Rebecca earned a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Theater from George Mason University. She has worked with Acting For Young People (AFYP) since Fall 2012 teaching for after-school, summer camp, and showcase programs.
Acting
I teach throughout the Metropolitan area, Compass students are some of the most courteous and hard working kids I have the pleasure to work with. The Compass Family is such a tight knit supportive group, I love seeing all of the activities that are offered and am amazed at the talent that is on display at the talent show.
