STAC TEACHERS 2025-2026
Melanie Coombs
mel.coombs@gmail.com
Melanie Coombs has three children - Callum (18), Finn (14), and Owen (11). She never planned on homeschooling until a move in 2021 caused her family to give it a temporary trial run, from which they (almost) never looked back. She "cosplays" as a farmer on her family's 14 acre property in Resaca, and she enjoys reading, sewing, crafting, and generally making a mess. Utilizing her skills from her previous life in marketing and communications, she currently serves on the board and helps get the word out about the awesomeness that is the STAC community.
Libby Mathis
libbyanne76@gmail.com
Libby Mathis has been homeschooling her three children, ages 19, 17, and 13, since her oldest was unhappy with the worksheets in preschool. Her oldest has now graduated and is returning to STAC as a teaching assistant this year. She believes that learning should spark joy in young children and that later is better in regards to academics.
In her life before children, she attended Ohio University where she earned a BS in Chemistry and did graduate studies in Biochemistry. She has also worked at the The Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases (CTEGD) of the University of Georgia. Then her life turned into a frenzy of having her first child then moving from Georgia to Pennsylvania to North Carolina all before baby’s first birthday. Since then, it has been a busy joyful blur of hosting messy art days at her house, exploring nature with her kids, learning so many exciting things she never learned in public school, and rediscovering her artistic side.
Libby was a member of the founding STAC Board of Directors and she has been the co-coordinator of Play Create Learn (formerly CHAOS) since September 2017.
Mel Williams
melwilliams0608@gmail.com
Mel Williams is the mother of 6 children, spanning ages 10 to 22. All have been homeschooled since the beginning and the oldest three are currently in college. She was a member of the founding board of STAC, and has now returned to the board. She has been on the board of several non profits over the years.
When not participating in STAC she and her family spend a lot of time doing Society for Creative Anachronism activities like archery, fencing, heavy combat, cooking, and various other pre-16th century skills.
Kat Jensen
slidingontheice@gmail.com
Kat Jensen is a homeschooling parent of two
children, ages 17 and 12. Their family moved to
Georgia in early 2023 and they love the
community at STAC. Kat attended the
University of Utah, majoring in chemistry with
a business minor and working at the
university affiliated Poison Control Center.
Kat runs a tax preparation business and has
been involved in various volunteer
organizations. In their spare time Kat enjoys
live music, camping with their family,
collecting baseball cards, and playing
community recreational sports such as
softball and volleyball (where enthusiasm
generally outweighs talent).
Audrey Piekut-Thaiss
audrey@gamecravers.com
Audrey holds both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Early Childhood Education. In addition to working as a fifth grade classroom teacher for Cobb County Public School District, she has also worked as a substitute teacher, done extensive PTA work and volunteered for over a decade as a Religious Education teacher at Emerson Unitarian Universalist Congregation. Audrey has illustrated and authored comic books, completed courses on and performed improv, designed and hosted original interactive games, and is currently taking the third level of a sketch comedy writing course. Much of her experience with children comes from being a stay at home mom to three kids who are now teens and young adults.
Diane Overton
firstratemath@gmail.com
Diane has more than ten years of experience teaching math. She holds a degree in Math from Notre Dame and a master's in Math Education from Kennesaw. She has a passion for teaching students of all ages and abilities and connecting with her students about topics that they love. She loves working with students to meet them where they are with their math skills, providing lots of encouragement and positive feedback along the way. She especially enjoys creating hands-on math experiences for students to explore and learn. She loves spending time with her husband and daughters, hiking, yoga, pickleball, traveling, gardening, and math-related puns.
Julianne Robbins
juliannerobbins88@gmail.com
Julianne received her BS in Chemistry and BA in Mathematics from Converse University, and her Master’s in Physical Chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She also worked briefly at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). While she loved the world of science and mathematics, she soon discovered a life in formal academia did not provide the freedom and lifestyle she and her family were desiring. Julianne is now a homeschooling mom for her 10 year old son. When she is not being “Mom” and teaching at STAC, she is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance, NLP Practitioner, working on her first novel, and business co-owner with her husband.
Rachel Berning
mrsberning@gmail.com
Rachel Berning has been homeschooling her two children — both now in high school — since the very beginning. She attended The California School of Culinary Arts, Le Cordon Bleu, graduating with a Diplôme de Pâtisserie. When she's not homeschooling, she assists her husband with his LLC and works as a Social Media Director at a local gym.
A lifelong learner at heart, Rachel specializes in History but loves teaching a variety of ages and subjects. Her approach centers on building critical thinking skills and executive function in a fun, laid-back environment where students feel comfortable exploring ideas and taking ownership of their learning.
Outside the classroom, Rachel enjoys birdwatching, cross stitching, training with kettlebells, and spending time outdoors. She is also a former STAC board member.
Misty Holm
mebholm@yahoo.com
Misty holds both BA and MTS degrees from Emory University, with majors in Interdisciplinary Studies, Religion, and Social Sciences. After eight years working in International Education, serving most recently as Assistant Director of Study Abroad Programs at Georgia State University, she left work to focus on her children. Before resigning, she was very fortunate to be able to study and/or work in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. Since leaving the working world, she’s had the privilege of earning several teaching certifications, including Atlanta Audubon Master Birder, Georgia Master Naturalist, Our Whole Lives sexuality education facilitator, and Listening Circle small group facilitator.In addition to homeschooling her two children from Kindergarten through Middle School, she has taught/facilitated various groups from elementary school through college, including teaching at local homeschool co-ops since 2014. The leap from helping lead a university Study Abroad Programs office to being a full-time mom, homeschooler, and teacher was a natural one: it’s all about getting up out of the classroom and venturing out into the real world!
Lisette Ariola
lisetteariola@proton.me
Bio coming soon
Calllum Cooms
callum.d.coombs@gmail.com
Bio coming soon
Josephine Moore
garuda.lyonne@gmail.com
