Blackburn Study Center
Meet Our Tutors
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Rev. Martin Blocki, associate pastor of Reformed Presbyterian Church of North Hills, is teaching the Rhetoric and Senior Theology classes using the Westminster Confession. The Blockis' two sons have attended Blackburn and the eldest is now at CMU. Prior to becoming a pastor, Rev. Blocki was Assistant Professor of Music at Goshen College in Indiana; he has taught Apologetics twice at Blackburn. Rev. Blocki is a great proponent of Blackburn Study Center!
Mrs. Rosemary Boyce graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a BS in Mathematics and an MBA, and worked for IBM in project planning for ten years. She has been tutoring students in Math for fifteen years from 7th grade through the college level and has also taught at Pittsburgh Technical Institute. Rosemary and her husband Keith have three daughters and she is excited to be a part of Blackburn tutoring Calculus II.
Mrs. Ruth Butler has a B.S. in Elementary Education from Duquesne University and a Special Education Certification from La Roche College. She has substituted for the North Allegheny School District, is an avid tutor, and served as a full time teacher at Eden Christian Academy for three years. Also, she teaches Sunday School at Cornerstone Church in West View. Recently, Mrs. Butler was named an Outstanding American Teacher by the National Honor Roll and will be listed in the 2007-2008 Biltmore’s Who’s Who among Executive and Professional Women in Teaching and Education. She will be teaching writing (grades 3-7), Dialectic Writing, and Shurley Grammar 6. Mrs. Butler loves writing because it is God’s gift of communication to us!
Mrs. Janet Coss earned a BA from Middlebury College where she majored in Spanish and had a concentration in Mathematics. She also received her MBA from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. She worked at Mellon Bank for six years, initially in the Credit Policy Department and later in the Leasing Department. She was a nursery worker with Community Bible Study for seven years. Janet and her husband Rick have three daughters. After substituting in Geometry and Calculus classes, she is very excited to be teaching Algebra I at Blackburn.
Mrs. Julia Davis has a B.S. in Elementary Education from Nyack College in New York. She has fond memories teaching first grade from 1990-1993. Since then, she has been very active teaching Sunday School and leading Wednesday evening clubs at Allegheny Center Alliance Church. Mrs. Davis knows that her love for children combined with a love for reading will make books FUN as the 3rd - 7th grade Literature classes worm their way through this year's selections. She has read many of them, and her husband and three children enjoyed reading a few of them over the summer -- they're great!
Mrs. Stacey Feick has a B.S. in Chemistry with a minor in mathematics from Grove City College. She taught Chemistry I, Chemistry II, General Science, Earth Science, Calculus and 7th Grade Math in the public schools for seven years before becoming a stay at home mom. She and her husband, Joe, have three children, ages 11, 7 and 4. Stacey is looking forward to teaching Chemistry and AP Calculus at Blackburn this year.
Mrs. Claudia Fraser, a native of Mexico, taught in both private and public schools for eleven years prior to having children. She and her husband Jeff, a Pittsburgh native, are raising two bilingual daughters, ages 12 and 9. Throughout the year she is involved in many activities at the Dorseyville Alliance Church, while summertime means traveling back to Mexico to visit friends and family. She obtained her teaching degree from Escuela Normal in Mexico and loves to teach. She looks forward to teaching Spanish 2 and 3 at Blackburn.
Mrs. Shirley Gagnon has a B.S. in Physics from State University at New York, a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Clarkson University and has done graduate work in Computer and Electrical Engineering at Syracuse University. She is currently pursuing her secondary education (Physics / Math) certification at Geneva College. Mrs. Gagnon worked at IBM for 10 years in development and consulting. She has a God-given passion for learning and teaching. In recent years she has substituted at Portersville Christian School, taught at Eden Christian Academy, and tutored homeschooled students in both math and science. Mrs. Gagnon will be teaching Algebra II, and Grade 4-7 History.
Mrs. Diane Landau, who has been homeschooling since the early days of the movement, has grown daughters pursing masters degrees from Duquesne University. For the past seven years, she has been a private tutor to homeschooled children. This year she will also be Blackburn's on-site Administrator. Tutoring at Blackburn during the past four years, she has taught Science, Literature and her favorite - History. She is a firm believer of studying persons and personalities of History, including character flaws of the admirable and even the occasional virtues of the less-than admirable. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Mrs. Jennifer Nolan received her Bachelor of Music Education degree, with emphasis on Choral Music/Voice, from Biola University. She also holds certification in the Kodaly Methodology of Music Education. While in California, Mrs. Nolan directed sections of the San Diego Children's Choir. Today, she home schools her four young daughters. She will teach 3rd-6th Grade Music and help them become comfortable with their singing voices so they might not fear to make a joyful noise to the Lord.
Mrs. Sharon Sampson is a strong proponent of classical education having watched her homeschooled daughter progress through the stages of the Trivium. Mrs. Sampson has taught at Blackburn from the Latina Christiana, Oxford, and Wheelock’s texts and has a passion for Latin. She brings to the classroom her love of music and gifts of organization and creativity. (Ask any past student what the song “Barbara Ann” has to do with the imperfect tense!) Her goal is not only for students to learn Latin but to enjoy it!
Mrs. Patricia Sewald has been teaching and tutoring Math for more than thirty years, working with students from 7th grade through the Community College level. She is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania and holds PA certification in Secondary Mathematics as well as training in Software Development. Both Patti and her husband, Ken, are native to the Pittsburgh area, and they have four daughters. She is excited to be teaching Pre-Calculus.
Mr. Jonathan Shirk has a Marketing Management degree from Grove City College along with a Masters of Divinity Degree from Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary. After a short sales career for Cintas Corporation, and graduation from seminary, Jonathan has worked as the Director of Student Ministry at North Park Church for over two and a half years. He has spoken to hundreds of young people and enjoys communicating the Word of God. Jonathan is happily married to Kristina and has a one year old son Jeremiah. Mr. Shirk is Blackburn's Chaplain.
Mrs. Linda Siger has an Associates Degree in Visual Communications from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Her employment background includes 10 years at the Pittsburgh Press in the Advertising Department, teaching adult calligraphy classes, and instructing various craft classes for children. Mrs. Siger has homeschooled one of her two sons for six years and is in her seventh year tutoring Art at Blackburn Study Center.
Mrs. Meg Spear received her BA in Mathematics Education from Geneva College in 1993. She previously taught remedial math classes at Geneva and has more recently tutored area high school students. Blackburn's Geometry students will now be the beneficiaries of her tutoring expertise. Mrs. Spear has also taught the middle and high school Sunday School class at North Hills Reformed Presbyterian Church for many years. She
homeschools her eight children.
Mrs. Nancy Van Sickel graduated from Grove City College with a BS in Physics and worked for five years doing research at American Glass Research. She completed required coursework for secondary education (physics) at Geneva College and was a substitute teacher at Eden Christian Academy, as well as a science teacher at church camps for several years. Mrs. Van Sickel has been tutoring science at Blackburn since our inception, and, if her own children's college major choices are any indication (biology and engineering), her predisposition toward science makes quite an impression on her students. She will be tutoring Logic 2, General Science to the 6th and 7th graders, Biology to the 8th and 9th graders, as well as AP Physics. She is also teaching Pre-Algebra.
