Instructors
Mrs. Jennifer Beaty
Jennifer Beaty was raised in Texas in a pioneering homeschool family. At age 22, she moved to Bolivia to start an orphange for abandoned and orphaned babies. The ministry grew, but so did her family after marriage to Jake at age 30, so after a few more years in Bolivia, the family of seven moved to Tennessee near Jennifer's family. After three years there, Jake got a great job in NW Washington near HIS family, so the family (now bigger) moved again. Jake began training for the ministry, and in January 2024, the family was invited to pastor Clover Pass Community Church in Ketchikan, AK. They moved in May 2024 and love it here! The Beatys have homeschooled since January 2013, the week after adopting three boys from the homes in Bolivia when their oldest bio daughter was newborn. Those three boys are now in their early 20s. One is married and all have good jobs. The four daughters are the current Beaty students, with a new baby boy in tow!
Mr. Justin Benner
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve had a drive to take things apart, figure out how they tick, and rebuild them—usually with a few improvements along the way. That lifelong fascination with complex mechanics and electronics is what brought me to KPU Telecommunications, where I spend my days keeping our local connectivity running smoothly. Off the clock, that same curiosity goes straight into restoring classic pinball machines, bringing decades-old, electro-mechanical games back to life.
Mrs. Tracy Benner
I’m a lifelong resident of our soggy little island and proud mom of two daughters. For the past year and a half, I’ve been homeschooling, which has been a rewarding adventure filled with learning, creativity, and plenty of memorable moments. I love all things crafty and enjoy finding creative ways to make everyday life a little more special. I attended Eastern Washington University and have always valued learning, community, and staying connected to the place I call home.
Mrs. Amy Hout
I was born and raised in Colorado and moved to Ketchikan in 2008. My husband, who is retired from the Coast Guard, now works in rental maintenance. We have two children—our daughter just graduated from George Fox University with a degree in mechanical engineering, and our son just graduated from high school through IDEA and is working as a deckhand on the airport ferry. I’m excited to be part of The Learning Tree co-op again and look forward to helping out however I can.
Mrs. Loren Mickel
I’ve been in Ketchikan since 1993, age 6, when my dad relocated our family for a civilian job at the coast guard base. I homeschooled off and on from 3rd grade through high school. Even though I should’ve met my husband, Caleb, a million times over while growing up here, it didn’t happen until God’s timing was right. We quickly got married in 2007 and started expanding our family in 2014. We have a lovely daughter and son and 2 dogs. We have been homeschooling for the last 2 years and find it very enjoyable. We are loving the co-op and spending time together, creating a wonderful community for our kids to flourish.
Mrs. Keshia Pinault
Hi I am Leila and Naia’s Mom, my husband and I were both raised in Florida and relocated to Ketchikan in 2016, 2023, and arrived again this past summer. With my husband’s Coast Guard career we have had the opportunity to live in Ketchikan, Maui, Valdez, AK, and Florida. I served in the Coast Guard for over 5 years and later took a position with Ocean Rescue as a lifeguard in Florida. Since my oldest was born we have been part of homeschool groups and co-ops throughout the years. At a young age I began competitive swimming which continued through my early 20’s and later embarked on CrossFit where I obtained my Level 1 coaching certification. Fitness and the outdoors have been a big part of our life. I am excited to lead the PE class and help in The Learning Tree Co-op however I can.
Mrs. Cindy Speights
Born a California girl, I moved to Sacramento (center of state) where I met my husband of 42 years. We traveled across US via military moves for 10 1/2 yrs when my husband got out. We moved to Alaska in June 2000 working for a company called AC or Alaska Commercial company managing village stores across Alaska in remote villages which God used for provision and direction since He sent us to Alaska as our mission field. We came to Ketchikan in early 2008 and bought our first home. We home schooled both our children who have gone on to be successful God loving believers. Our daughter lives here in Ketchikan with 4 teenagers and our son and his family live in Colorado with 4 teenagers. I consider myself blessed beyond measure. We were a part of a large church with a huge homeschooling cell group organization which our then teenagers actively participated in and I co-taught a drama cell group. I am so excited for this amazing opportunity to participate in the Learning Tree Co-op.
Ms. Shawna Strouth-Shaw
I have a Bachelor’s degree in biology and a Master’s degree in nursing. I am a family medicine nurse practitioner. I homeschooled my 3 older boys through high school. My son Caiden, who is part of the co-op, has been homeschooled except in 6th and 7th grade.
Mrs. Courtney White
I was born and raised in Texas. I moved to Ketchikan towards the end of 2021. I came to Ketchikan as a travel nurse with zero intention to stay here. My feral boys fell in love with it here so we stayed. I have my bachelors in nursing from Midwestern State University and currently work at Peacehealth in multiple departments and capacities. I am a certified dementia practitioner and one day would like to get my masters in nursing education. Our homeschool journey started this year. We are enjoying the freedom it provides us. Atlas enjoys all the free time he has! I have two other boys Ever-7 (who still attends Point Higgins) and Phoenix who is almost 2. My husband Terrence and I are classmates so we’ve known each other since we were 5 but we’ve been married for almost 14 years.
Mrs. Darcel Williams
Hi! I am Emmet and Tobias Ridinger’s mom. I have been homeschooling my sons since the fall of 2020. I was raised in Metlakatla, Alaska but spent my junior year of high school in Washington State and then graduated from Ketchikan High School. I then spent 4 years at Middlebury College in Vermont and received a bachelors degree in Sociology and Anthropology. After college, I worked as a certified behavioral health aide, community engagement coordinator, and a high school assistant basketball coach in Unalaska/Dutch Harbor. I moved back to Ketchikan in 2011 to work as the Tribal Liaison and Study Skills Coordinator for a collaborative effort between the Ketchikan Indian Community and KGBSD to raise the graduation rates of native students. At the same time, I also served as the girls high school assistant basketball coach. I then started focusing on a student counselor masters degree and was four credits shy of graduating when God showed me he had a different plan. I’ve been home with my sons for the past 10 years and while I’ve enjoyed all of my previous roles, my favorite of all has been guiding my sons' faith and education.