Our Team
Designed for a Purpose, Living with Purpose
H.E.A.R.T. has an outstanding team of dedicated teachers, all of whom are dedicated Christians, passionate about their subject area and determined to help students learn and grow.
Amy Baldwin
Cooking | Baking
Amy Baldwin is a passionate educator, wife, and mother of four. She has been happily married to her husband, Jeff, since 2009, and for the past three years has enjoyed the rewarding journey of homeschooling their children. Amy loves traveling and treasures seeing the world through her children’s eyes.
She earned her degree from Pivot Point International in 2000, where her passion for education began. Amy later spent many fulfilling years as an educator with Aveda, inspiring others through teaching and mentorship. Education, family, and meaningful experiences continue to be at the heart of all she does.
Michael Buettner
Grilling | Mock Trial
Michael Buettner is dad to three amazing kids and husband to a very patient wife. He and his wife have been homeschooling since 2014 and have been a part of HEART since 2015. Michael believes it is our role as parents to disciple our children, develop their strengths, and identify and equip them for God’s calling on their life. He truly enjoys helping kids find the confidence and joy that comes from discovering new talents and abilities through conquering challenges.
Cara Crumrine
High School Science
Cara has been married to her husband Dan since 2008, they has 3 children, Atticus, Soren and Maeve. Cara graduated from Cedarville University in 2007 with a Bachelors of Science in Nursing. She works part time as a nurse leader for a hospital in central Illinois overseeing their national nursing excellence designation. Cara and her husband were both homeschooled growing up and Cara has participated and taught in co-op settings for many years.
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Cara is passionate about learning about the world God created through scientific inquiry and loves connecting with people of all ages. Cara and Dan chose homeschooling because they are passionate about learning and connecting with those around them. Car and her family moved to the area a few years ago and have loved being a part of HEART. Cara is excited to transition to the teaching role this school year.
Jessica Garcia
Book Club | Intro to Psychology | Wonderfully Made
Hi! My name is Jess Garcia but you can call me Ms. Jess. I’m the mom to four beautiful children and a fur mama to three dogs and three cats! I am so excited to be teaching this year. I can’t wait to spread my love and joy for reading and psychology with your children.
Brittany Guiterrez
Kindergarten
My name is Brittany Gutierrez. I have a dedicated husband and three outgoing children. Two years ago, we took a leap of faith and began homeschooling our children. That leap brought us to HEART. We witnessed God growing a community that we wanted to be a part of. We jumped in with both feet. My husband, Fernando, and I began teaching Spanish together. When an opening for a Kindergarten teacher arose, I couldn’t hold myself back. I have such a passion for the foundational joy of learning at this age. I love praising and glorifying God through glitter, glue, and giggles with these amazing littles. I am so humbled to be teaching your Green team students and watching them grow together.
Deb Hayashi
Leadership | Physical Education
Deb Hayashi received her Masters in Arts Degree from Loyola University, Chicago. God has blessed Deb with her husband Brad and four wonderful children. Deb's second career in life has been an adventure of being a CEO, CFO, Executive Chef, Head Maid, Lead Landscaper, and Child Behavior Researcher of Hayashi, Inc. In addition in 2012, Deb felt called to start homeschooling her children. Deb accepted Christ as her Savior in March 1997 and is continually trying to strive to live a Christ-centered life.
Chrystal Holden
HS Architecture | Folk Dancing
Hello! I am Chrystal Holden. I have been married to my husband Matt since 2007 and have two wonderful daughters. We started this amazing homeschooling journey in 2016, joined H.E.A.R.T in 2017, and have been at H.E.A.R.T. ever since! After college at Virginia Tech, I started my engineering career in the pharmaceutical industry, while dabbling on the side with home remodels and interior design. I have always been passionate about science, art, history, and engineering. I love having the opportunity to teach through the lens of the Gospel and to connect with the remarkable H.E.A.R.T. students. When I am not teaching, I enjoy drawing, horseback riding, and traveling with my family to explore God’s incredible world.
Rebecca Hunt
Study Hall Monitor | Pre K/K Art
Rebecca Hunt is married to Brian and has been blessed to be a homeschool mom to her two children since 2020. She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Huntington University and a master’s degree in youth development from Michigan State University. In her 12-year career, she served in full-time ministry to disadvantaged children, specialized in small group and individualized instruction at a public junior high school, and cared for infants through preschool-aged children as an early education instructor. She enjoys bicycling with her family, gardening, and inspiring her students through literature, art, and music.
Nathan Lilliebridge
Lego Design
Nathan is 21 years old, a former homeschool HS student, working at both a golf club, as well as Assistant Manager at Bricks & Minifigs, Algonquin. He belongs to two local Lego groups and routinely exhibits at shows and conventions. Nathan’s goal is to be a professional Lego builder/designer. In September 2023, he was contacted to audition for the Fox show, Lego Masters, and has been featured in several local newspapers and WGN Morning News. Currently, Nathan is campaigning for voter support on Lego Ideas for his unique Lego Bobble-Head Sock Monkey. Visit ideas.lego.com (search "sock monkey") to support it becoming an actual Lego set, and see it in person at the Sock Monkey Museum in Long Grove, IL. Nathan enjoys puzzles and problem solving, which helps in his detailed and challenging Lego creations. Previous topics and techniques taught in Nathan's Lego classes include Mosaics, Gears & Motion, Car Races, Lego Terrariums and Lego as an Art Form. Nathan has been teaching since 2023 and truly enjoys being able to teach Lego classes, as well as assist in Gym classes and Strategic Games at H.E.A.R.T.!
James Netzel
Tae Kwon Do
James is happily married to Amy for 25 years and counting with three sons: Thomas, Aaron and Elijah. He is in his 34th year of studying Tae Kwon Do. He is a regular attender and member of Village Church of Barrington. Graduated from Olivet Nazarene University with a B.S. in Criminal Justice but never pursued it as Tae Kwon Do was his first love. He is the owner/operator of the W. Kim Tae Kwon Do location in Mount Prospect, IL.
Carolyn Sharpe
Primary Music | Choir | World Music | Recorders | PreK/K Music
Carolyn has been teaching music since her graduation from Bethel University (MN) in 1995. She has taught everything from infant and parent classes to graduate classes for other teachers but loves teaching school age children most of all. After her marriage to Desmond in 2013, she became the joyful mother of Eleanor (2014) and is now thankful to be able to educate her both at home and through H.E.A.R.T. Carolyn holds a master's degree from Gordon College in Massachusetts and continues to provide professional development and training for other teachers. Carolyn and her family love traveling and the adventures that come with it!
Madison Sommerfield
Advanced Art | Cor Opus | Interior Design
Hi! I'm Madison Sommerfield. I'm from Indianapolis and moved to this area in college. I received my B.A. in Architecture from Judson University, where I met my husband, Matt. We've been married for 17 years and have 3 kiddos (Stella 11, Indy 8, Cora 5). We live in Crystal Lake and attend Gospel Collective Church. I've always been drawn to the arts and love anything creative! I love the idea that we create because we imitate our awesome Creator. I'm currently using my creativity as an interior designer working on residential projects. I also enjoy gardening, spending time outdoors, hiking, kayaking, and biking.
Debbie Voight
Advanced Sewing
Debbie is the mother of two girls at HEART, Emma and Ava. She and her husband, Brad, began homeschooling their girls in 2020 and feel blessed with the opportunity to continue their homeschooling journey. She loves spending time with her family, playing sports, traveling, and being outdoors. Debbie retired as a commander in the Navy where she enjoyed serving her country and traveling the world. She was a professor of Naval Science at Northwestern University, where she taught Naval Engineering and Navigation. Upon leaving active duty, she joined the reserves and began a career at Westinghouse Electric Company. She became a stay-at-home mom in 2015 and founded a children’s clothing business, Fox & Heron. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a BS in Mathematics and went on to complete the US Navy’s Naval Nuclear Engineering program.
Joe Walters
Strategic Games
I'm a Graphic designer who lives in Gurnee, Illinois. I have been married for 29 years and have a daughter who is a senior. My passion is to take someone’s vision and ideas, and then bring them to life with a visual flair. I do this through graphic design, and some small illustrations. I have more than 34 years of experience working for churches, ministries, and nonprofits. I have been the main Graphic designer for The Chapel for the past 23 years. I started out my career right out of Drake University, working for a design firm that focused on educational game packaging. That began my love for modern board gaming and Dungeons & Dragons. I understand the importance of education being fun and engaging for kids and parents alike and part of my aspiration is to help grow the hobby by making tabletop games more accessible to people everywhere! I believe if someone says they don’t like playing board games it is because they haven’t found the right game for them. I also have an Etsy store that specializes in board game t-shirts that I design called Getting Dicey Designs.
Tracey Wamsley
Leadership | Bible Study
Tracey Wamsley has been married to Jamie since 2002, and they have five children together; Jimmy, Toby, Sammy, Andy, and Charlie. Tracey has a degree in education from Lake Forest College. Prior to having kids, she taught 5th-graders in the Waukegan public school district. From the beginning Jamie and Tracey were surprised by their desire to homeschool (having come from a public school background), but they have loved the adventure of the past 9 years and wouldn’t change a thing. Tracey is passionate about seeing her kids become all God created them to be, and helping each of them to uniquely enter into all God has for them. Tracey and her family worship and minister at The Chapel, a non-denominational Christian church serving the suburbs of Chicago.
Elzbieta Wojdyla
Kindergarten Aide
Ela was born and raised in Poland. She moved to the United States in 2003 and fell in love with what this wonderful land and its people have to offer. She is married to her loving husband, Pawel, and together are very involved with raising and educating their two lovely children, Matthew and Isabella. Ela has had a passion for children her whole life and was a nanny for 10 years. Those years hold some of her best memories. Her favorite interests are gardening, playing family games, and cooking from scratch. Not long ago, Ela and Pawel decided to take their children's education into their own hands with the help of HEART and CCA. Since then, they have been involved with and dedicated to the organization.
Fun Fluency
Spanish
Fun Fluency uses a multi-sensory language method teaching system that creates an immersion experience for students, while at the same time ensuring understanding. Fun Fluency's multi-sensory language method combines different approaches such as movement, games and songs. In such a fun environment, students actually forgot they are learning, and are completely at ease!
