Teaching to Change Lives by Katrina Hadley
About the author: Katrina Hadley has a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics with Distinction from the University of Kansas. She began her career at the National Security Agency analyzing encrypted messages, then moved on to Accenture, helping to develop a $15M enterprise...
Practical Advice and Encouragement from a Former CHESS Student: Michael Brokate
Practical Advice and Encouragement from a Former CHESS Student: Michael Brokate About Me: Hi, I’m Michael! I attended CHESS starting in 2015 until my graduation with the group in 2018. My favorite class would likely be Mock Trial with Mr. Jenkins or...
Cornell Style Note-taking
Cornell Style Note-taking Kimberly Glover, CHESS teacher and homeschool parent, shares about a helpful method of note taking that can be used in CHESS classes as well as at home. One of the most difficult things for me as a student was taking the information taught in...
Teacher Spotlight: Dijana Trkulja
TEACHER SPOTLIGHT: Dijana Trkulja Read our interview with Dijana Trkulja below! Dijana was born in former Yugoslavia and studied Social Studies at the Banja Luka School for Natural Science and Mathematics...
Hear it from Homeschool Moms: “Why I Homeschool”
Hear from three homeschool moms about why they homeschool, and why they chose CHESS. May it encourage you as you walk the sometimes challenging but rewarding road of homeschooling! As Marie shares—“The journey is difficult but worth it!” Marie Pinney’s Story My first...
Teacher Spotlight: John Jenkins
Teacher Spotlight: John Jenkins John is a publisher, author and conference speaker who has been teaching homeschoolers for 21 years and at CHESS since its inception. John’s classes include effective writing for high school and college, critical reading and thinking...
“Why I Love Teaching English” – Heidi Wethered
Heidi’s is one of our passionate English teachers at CHESS! She enjoys learning about historical events and figures and loves passing that on to her students. An avid reader, Heidi strives to encourage the love of books in her students, helping them to...
Hear it from Homeschool Moms: “Why I homeschool.” – Mary Beth Balint
We love hearing stories from our homeschool parents! Here, Mary Beth, former Fairfax Country teacher and now homeschooling mom of six kids shares from her 17 years of homeschooling experience about why she homeschools, how CHESS provided valuable learning...
CHESS Expo
Thursday, February 27, 2025 from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. At the CHESS Expo you can: Hear the teachers share why they are passionate about what they teach Personally talk with our teachers to find out which classes are right for you Get course details, see textbooks, and...
Square Dance & Chili Cook-Off Fundraiser
Square Dance & Chili Cook-Off fundraiser ★Square Dance Middle school & high school students come out with your friends and family for a fun Modern Western Square Dance. This event is open to homeschooling students and their families. Dig out your best...
An Unlikely Science Major – by Emily Gericke (CHESS Symposium Speaker)
Emily is a former CHESS Student who went on to study neuroscience at the College of William and Mary (’18). Emily was awarded the Excellence in Neuroscience award by the faculty for her senior thesis work on learning and memory and now works as a consultant in Washington D.C.
The Best Job in the World by Betsy Dill
Betsy Dill teaches 3-D Art, Drawing In Depth, Fearless Public Speaking and Studio Art at CHESS. Here she shares about her love of teaching, passion for homeschooling, and belief in CHESS students. I have never been asked what I do for a living without receiving...