Mrs. Sima has a Master of Arts in Reading and Literacy, with endorsements in Special Education, Reading Recovery and English as a Second Language. She received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Saint Xavier University in 2005, and she has been a reading specialist and elementary education teacher for more than 17 years in public and private settings.

Mrs. Kim Pendleton graduated from the University of Idaho in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in elementary education. She also has her Master’s of Educational Technology. She has taught for nearly two decades as an elementary teacher, including a handful of those years with FreedomProject Academy.

Mrs. Pendleton loves combining technology with educational content, and she continues to design learning experiences to engage the digital learner. She is excited to teach students online and share her love of learning. Mrs. Pendleton lives in Maine with her husband, Mark, and she has two grown sons who live in California. She enjoys games, reading, writing, kayaking, and spending time with her family.

She looks forward to building a community of learners who love God and strive to do their best.

Mrs. Jennifer Newkirk (M.Ed.) is experienced in teaching in public, private, and online settings and has been deeply involved with serving homeschool families since 2001. She has homeschooled each of her own children to varying degrees, and she holds lifetime membership with the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA).

Childhood spent as a military brat provided her the life experiences of growing up in different locations. Low brass became her hobby, and she spent her high school years performing as a competitive trombonist. She earned her B.A. and B.M. Education degrees at the University of South Carolina, where she also served as drum major for the Gamecocks Marching Band. She served as drum major for the Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps (Drum Corps International), traveled nationally as an instructor for Marching Auxiliaries of America, and served five years as an adjudicator for marching band competitions across the Carolinas.

Mrs. Newkirk completed her Master of Education degree at Columbia International University in 2004, eventually serving as Vice Principal for grades K-8 at a private Christian school. She is lifetime certified as both a teacher and administrator/principal with the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI).

In 2017, she began teaching at FreedomProject Academy. Mrs. Newkirk is excited to have a great year with your student, encouraging the love of learning through classical education.