Teachers
Marcee Ludlow
Educational Director and Teacher
Marcee is a nerd that loves educational philosophy and the science of learning, but also the science of just about everything. She wanted to be an astronaut when she was a kid, but also an architect, an author, an artist, and an actor on Broadway. She started teaching as a teenager and has never really stopped. She has a MA in English with a focus on teaching writing. Growing up in farm country, Marcee has a deep love for the earth and its amazing systems and has a particular love of geology and herbs. This will be Marcee’s 8th year teaching project-based education within the homeschool community and 4th as Educational Director.
Favorite educational philosophy book: Free to Learn by Peter Gray
Hailey Parnell
Teacher
Hailey is a natural teacher and mentor. She is kind, insatiably curious, artful, insightful, and has a particular talent for helping all students feel safe and important. Hailey helped develop the original curriculum at Knox Academy beginning in 2015 and is doing the same for our Link programs. She is an artist by training, but has a deep love for the theatre and is the producer of our Summer Shakespeare program.
Favorite educational philosophy book: Free to Learn by Peter Gray
Favorite educational philosophy video: Do schools kill creativity? by Sir Ken Robinson
Kellie Cook
Teacher
Kellie is in her second year teaching at Link and she has been such an amazing addition for our kids! Kellie was born and raised in Utah, although she loves to get out and see more of the world when she can! She has a BS in Exercise and Sport Science, has raised three wonderful children, and has taught elementary-aged children for over 14 years. She is a jill-of-all trades and loves learning all kinds of things. She has owned her own dance, costume, craft, and landscaping businesses. She is a Master Gardener and her front room is mostly filled with plants. She loves to be outside, loves sports, nature, and gardening.
Dallas Gleed
Teacher
Dallas has been teaching since she was about 2 feet high. It started out with her stuffed animals and old teacher’s editions picked out at the DI. She taught herself algebra and the piano by the time she finished 3rd grade. She spent 15+ years teaching preschool, 1st grade, and running a childcare center. A little more than 8 years ago, she became a mom. She has spent every minute since having adventures with her 2 kids. Dallas is an artist, adventurer, musician, spreadsheet enthusiast, and most of all, a creator. She lives to share the beauty and mysteries of life with anyone who wants to learn.
She has an Associate of Applied Science degree in Early Childhood Education and a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education.
Kim Jensen
Math Specialist
Kim just recently started homeschooling her 5 children. This will be her first year teaching at Link Education League and she is so excited to create math-based projects for the students at Link. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics and Mathematics Education. Kim loves finding math in nature and discovering new ways to make mathematical connections. Kim enjoys creating chaos in her garden beds, making messes in her kitchen and reading as much as possible with her children.
Her favorite book of all time is Math with Bad Drawings by Ben Orlin.
Amanda Kettering
Teacher
Amanda recently moved back to Utah from Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she worked for the past 5 years as a guide at Acton Academy. While there, she built the lower elementary studio from the ground up, creating a learner-driven classroom based around play, game-based quests, and social/emotional growth. She and her team of learners made it a goal to get to 1,000 hours outside each year–and reached it! Amanda believes in the power of experiential learning, time in nature, and learner autonomy. In her spare time, she likes to do aerial arts, write poems, read good books, and be outside with her husband and three children.
Star Primm
Teacher
Star is like a fairy from the magical, far-off Huntsville, but not one of those wimpy fairies. She is one of those tough, capable, can-do-anything fairies from Lord of the Rings. She basically oozes creativity. She loves mentoring kids and helps them believe in themselves. She is a pro at coming up with memorable and challenging projects. This is Star’s 4th year teaching.
Board Members
Corrie Stromberg
Board President
Corrie has been homeschooling her children since 2018. The Link community as taught her how to be a better parent and leader in her home. She enjoys being a part of the Link board and working with others on a shared goal, especially when it involves kids. Corrie has spent much time in the past working at a hospital clinic helping children. She currently runs a small home-based business.
Favorite educational philosophy: Well Educated Heart
Mikelle Kostial
Executive Director
Mikelle has been homeschooling her children and her children attended Knox Academy for five years. They now attend Link Education League. She loves everything about the learning and growth that takes place at Link. She loves working with all of our wonderful students and parents. Before becoming a stay-at-home mom, she worked for 10 years in finance for a Fortune 500 company. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and an MBA from University of Phoenix. She says that being involved in this community has been nothing short of magical for her kids and their development.
Natalie Vickers
Board Secretary and Teacher
As a mom of five, Natalie has “homeschooled” for nearly nine years and now participates in the Link Education League community. She loves being more involved as both the Link board secretary and a parent volunteer. Let the magic continue! Natalie received her BA in Dance & Nutrition Education from Weber State. She has a great love of God and his creations (nature/people/children), freedom, the performing arts, food!, health, learning/education, and adventure!
Favorite educational philosophy book: A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille
Kate Van Voris
Events Co-Chair
Link Education League has been such a great addition to Kate’s family homeschooling. She truly enjoys the natural flow of learning and development that Link encourages– she sees it molding children into thinkers, dreamers, and creators in their everyday lives.
While Kate has three children that she homeschools, she also has a husband and four grown step-children that make up her family. Kate spent two years as a phenomenal teacher at Knox Academy and is an excellent Events Co-Chair for Link.
Favorite educational philosophy book: The Unschooling Handbook: How to Use the Whole World as Your Child’s Classroom by Mary Griffith
Eric Ludlow
Board Member
Eric’s four kids attended Knox Academy for five years, and now attend Link Education League. Before he had kids, he taught remedial math in Title 1 schools. He then went on to get a law degree with aspirations to work in education reform. Life took him another direction, he’s now a programmer, and he gets to work on reforming education through Link Education League.
Tiffiny Appelbaum
Board Member
Tiffiny has been homeschooling for over ten years. Her youngest child attended Knox Academy and is now attending Link Education. She loves the hands-on, in-depth experience at Link and how her daughter LOVES going to school each week. Seeing her grow and learn is so rewarding! Tiffiny is a graphic designer by trade and maintains the Link website, while also running her own business. She is passionate about learning, water-wise gardening, and living a healthy life, and loves to read and bake in her free time.
Favorite educational philosophy book: Learning All the Time by John Holt
Amy Johnson
Board Member
Amy has been homeschooling her 3 amazing boys since 2018 with her children attending Link Education since 2021. She worked as an aide in the Alpha class for two years. She loves helping to empower kids to understand themselves and others, work together to solve problems, and gain self-confidence through perseverance. Watching kids from ages 5 to 14 playing and working together is one of her most favorite, magical things about recess.
Amy is passionate about learning, teaching, and protecting the principles on which our country was founded. She values Link’s efforts to incorporate and teach those principles in the atmosphere of the school.
Favorite educational philosophy video: Self-Teaching by Sugata Mitra