​​Susan Hammer is a co-founder with Liz Barber of Hands-On Learning Day (HOLD), where she serves as both a program director and teacher.   Susan loves sharing her creative expertise in literature with students of all ages. Her goal is to instill a love for literature in young people, to help them develop the ability to analyze literature, and to inspire them to examine what they read according to biblical principles.  Since 2005 she has been teaching literature to elementary through high school students at Fine Arts Day (FAD), Home Education Enrichment Day (HEED), and Classical Education Day at Riverside (CEDAR).  She served as Director of Children’s Ministry for First Christian Church of Boca Raton from 1996 to 2011, after serving first as a teacher and then as Director of First Christian Preschool beginning in 1987. She has spent over 35 years educating and working with preschool through high school students. She holds an Associate of Arts degree from Northwestern Michigan College and the early childhood development CDA credential.  Susan and her husband David home educated their two daughters from middle school through high school; both daughters received Bright Futures Scholarships, were Presidential Scholars, and graduated from the Honors Program at FAU with majors in English Literature and Interdisciplinary Studies in Arts & Humanities.  Both daughters have gone on to receive advanced degrees from UF . . .  one has become a Speech-Language Pathologist and the other an Attorney.  

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​Joanne Rabolli: Science Instructor in conjunction with the Creation Studies Institute in Fort Lauderdale. Joanne has been teaching Creation Studies Institute’s Elementary Science Program and Middle School Science Program for home-educated students since 2006, and on occasion the After-school Enrichment Science Program. As CSI’s Museum Curator (designer & builder), she has developed the Creation Museum’s workshops that are offered as field trips for schools and for the home education community. Joanne has been a fossil guide for CSI’s Fossil Floats for 12 years and  has conducted workshops during these events. She teaches at CSI’s Super Cool Saturday events, and she also teaches the children’s class during Creation Fellowship Fridays. Joanne has taught the Paleontology summer camp class for CSI for the past several years. She was a 4-H leader for nine years, and also has done public speaking and teaching for 4-H at the county level for the past 13 years. She was an adjunct professor at Palm Beach Community College’s Summer Youth College for four years, where she developed and taught Fossil Exploration and Line & Design. Joanne home educated her three children for a total of 17 years—her son from third grade through high school and her two daughters from Kindergarten through high school, finishing in 2006.

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Edith Irizarry: Hands-On Math Instructor,  Edith's greatest experience comes from home educating her two children for the last 13 years.  Jovani attends FAU where he is pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Her youngest, Natalia, is a former HOLD student and is now getting ready to graduate from high school.  Natalia also plays soccer for the South Florida HEAT.  The Irizarrys have called Calvary Chapel Ft. Lauderdale their home church for the past 21 years. Edith has served in the children’s ministry for 16 years. She received a B.S. in Elementary Ed. from Florida A&M University. Edith taught for the Broward County Public School System and substituted at Calvary Christian Academy.  Edith was born in Puerto Rico, raised in New York, and moved to Florida in 1990. Edith has been happily married to David for 26 years. 

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Lori Murphy: Multi-Media Art Instructor,  Lori was born and raised in South Florida. She received her bachelor’s degree in Art Education from Mercer University.  She taught elementary art at Coral Springs Christian Academy for four years.  Lori lives in Coral Springs with her husband Keith and daughter Melissa. Melissa is a senior at Westminster Academy.  Lori loves art and is excited to be teaching at HOLD.