Amanda Huguley graduated from Judson University with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, with endorsements in Middle Grades and Special Education.

Being involved in children’s growth, both through teaching experiences and in ministry, Amanda has developed an immense passion for “meeting children where they are at” and helping them succeed. Each student has a special place in her heart!

Amanda is the Director of Children’s Ministry at First Baptist Church in Elgin
and lives in West Dundee with her husband, Sam. Amanda enjoys “doing anything creative,” reading and cooking!

With a passion for the Gospel, young people, fitness and health, Sam Wagner is enthusiastic about teaching Physical Education at Life Christian Co-School.

For many years, Sam has been devoted to youth and children’s ministry and feels called by God to work alongside young people. His greatest hope is to help kids grow in both character and in their relationships with God. Sam is an alumni of Home School University and is quite accustomed to the homeschool and co-op models. Sam is also working toward his goal of becoming a child counselor/therapist.

Sam enjoys music, sports, cooking, thinking, and spending time with people and his dog.

Before coming to Life Christian Co-School, Elaine James taught at Hinsdale Covenant Preschool. Additionally, she was a teacher in Elmhurst District 205 ( teaching mainstream classes, special needs classes and abstinence classes).

Her greatest joy has been being an “area leader” for Younglife for the past 25 years. Her experience with middle school and high school students includes Bible study, leadership training, speaking and certified lay counseling (specializing in anxiety and overload), all with the purpose of inviting victorious living with conviction.

Elaine has been trained extensively as a pastoral evangelist, leading many to Christ through care, discipleship, preaching, teaching, storytelling and officiating funerals. She has created tools and resources that catalyze hope and healing in Christ. As a special events speaker, Elaine incorporates acting, creating characters that help her to convey what she calls “Theater With A Message” with humor and drama.

Elaine guided her four adult children through homeschool, private school and the public school, where she felt that their early training allowed them to handle the secular world with their Christ-centered view that is close to their hearts.

Elaine and her husband, Rob, reside in St. Charles. Her hobbies include drawing, painting with real coffee, taking hikes in nature, blogging and playing with her tricolor Corgi dog, Joy!

Susan Lewis earned a degree from Eastern Illinois University in Elementary Education, with concentrations in math and science, and taught for twelve years in public schools. This school year, Susan is teaching 3rd – 4th graders at Life Christian Co-School, but her life experience spans 2nd – 9th grade, as well as tutoring in reading and math.

Over a dozen times, Susan has traveled to the Dominican Republic to train teachers in Jarabacoa, writing curriculum and finding new ways for teachers/students to be engaged and learn.

Susan is married to a computer “techy” guy, and they have four adult children, with whom she still loves to play board games and eat together as a family.

Susan’s educational approach is to employ a wide variety of tools and learning approaches (visual, auditory, kinesthetic/tactile and games) to help students master their skills. As Dr. Seuss suggests, Susan aims to “think and wonder” together!

Sarah, who has been a teaching assistant at Life Christian Co-School for the past four years, is an alumni of Home School University (HSU) and is a proponent of homeschooling and co-schools, as she is grateful for those experiences in her own life!

Sarah’s passion is to lead young people closer to Christ, and she has been involved in numerous ministries, including serving for four years as a camp counselor at Phantom Ranch Bible Camp in Wisconsin, leading small group Bible studies for teens, and teaching preschool and elementary classes in her church. Sarah seeks to serve wherever Christ leads her!

Currently, Sarah is enrolled in cosmetology school and enjoys creating, cooking, baking, listening to music and spending time with her friends and family.

Life Christian Co-School’s math and science teacher, Cindy McGreal, has been teaching in one form or another her entire life. Most recently, she taught for the Diocese of Rockford as an instructor of math, science and literature. Cindy’s teaching career began in her teen years on their family’s farm, just west of Elgin, where she taught students how to properly care for and saddle up their horses!

Even though science is her favorite subject to teach, Cindy also has a passion for helping students who are struggling in math. Because math was her weakness in high school, she took remedial math in college, where a compassionate professor discovered that Cindy was not taught essential math concepts in fourth grade. Once those gaps were filled, Cindy was able to thrive. Cindy is determined never to allow a student God places within her reach to go through the same struggles!

Cindy graduated cum laude from Judson University with a Bachelor of Arts in Education and lives in Elgin with her husband of 27 years. Cindy enjoys helping people, fixing broken things and running the sound/video at Trinity Vineyard Church.

Anthony Catella will be teaching the Constitution classes to Life Christian Co-School’s middle and high school students!

After growing up in St. Charles, Anthony earned a degree in American Studies at Quincy University and a Divinity degree at Holy Apostles Seminary. From 1994 to 1999, Anthony served as an active-duty soldier with the U.S. Army Military Police Corps. From 2002 to the present, he has served as a Guard Officer in the Army Reserve. Additionally, Anthony served as a clergyman from 2010 to 2015. As you can see, Anthony is an expert in theology, history and politics — the ideal teacher for our Constitution classes!

Anthony enjoys running, classical music, great speeches, old movies, acting in persona as historical figures, marching in parades and visiting historical places.

Serving as a soldier, statesman, clergyman and teacher, Anthony Catella’s passion is to inspire others to learn from history, while making a difference in the present!