Team Thrive
Lisa Edison
Lisa Edison is your dedicated THRIVE Homeschool liaison! In charge of group management & organization, structure, communications, classes, and more; Lisa is our THRIVE President & Owner, program facilitator, leader, and overall homeschool encourager! Lisa wears many hats including program founder, Fun Workshop Coordinator, Grade 5-8 Teach
Lisa Edison is your dedicated THRIVE Homeschool liaison! In charge of group management & organization, structure, communications, classes, and more; Lisa is our THRIVE President & Owner, program facilitator, leader, and overall homeschool encourager! Lisa wears many hats including program founder, Fun Workshop Coordinator, Grade 5-8 Teacher, Social Book Club Lead for Grades 3-8, Field Trip Coordinator, and our Social Events Coordinator. She is so happy that you have found our little community!
While homeschooling four kiddos, she found that many parents shared her same values of teaching integrity, critical thinking, life skills, career readiness, kindness & compassion, courage, authenticity, and social communication. What began as a small gathering of homeschool families quickly grew into a beautiful community of learning and friendship. Lisa has a background in Business Management, Customer Relations, Entrepreneurship, Sales, and Marketing. She is here to help your family truly THRIVE!
THRIVE Consultant
Lisa is our head Consultant and owner of Thrive. As a Homeschool mom of four, Lisa understands the dynamics of a multi-student learning environment as well as the benefits and beauty of Home Education. Creatively named, Edison Academy, Lisa uses an eclectic, or blended, approach to Homeschool while simultaneously capitalizing on the resources available through the public school system. With students currently in Grades 6-11, her children are mastering material effectively and efficiently, with all students minimally one grade level ahead as well as placing in the top percentage of standardized testing.
The Edison kids are also dedicated and gifted athletes who spend a significant amount of time perfecting their individual skills. The flexibility that Homeschooling offers has allowed them the opportunity to develop athleticism that has put them on the radar of recruiters and scouts for both club, high school, and college teams.
Home Education is education your way. Allowing children to grow the gifts that they have been blessed with is an amazing opportunity afforded by the flexibility and freedom of Homeschooling. Lisa can help you utilize the resources around you that will give your students the chance to excel and grow any talents that they wish to cultivate.
In addition to a thriving Homeschool environment, in their down time, the Edison Family enjoys relaxing and bonding on their family farm in Southeast Missouri where they focus on conservation, growing their free range organic chickens, supporting the local honeybee population, and managing their fruit orchard. Providing a healthy balance of academics, electives, and family togetherness creates the most enriching opportunities for any developing child.
Lisa is excited to welcome your family to THRIVE!
April H.
April is thrilled to be your Thrive Classroom Guide for both the Grade 1-2 classroom and the Grade 3-4 classroom as well as our Jr. Book Club Lead for Grades 1-2. April began her homeschool journey in 2020 with her two boys ages 8 & 10. She believes in providing a stimulating educational environment where students can grow mentally, emo
April is thrilled to be your Thrive Classroom Guide for both the Grade 1-2 classroom and the Grade 3-4 classroom as well as our Jr. Book Club Lead for Grades 1-2. April began her homeschool journey in 2020 with her two boys ages 8 & 10. She believes in providing a stimulating educational environment where students can grow mentally, emotionally, and socially while also having fun! April started as a Classroom Assistant and is excited to bring educational lessons and enrichment activities to the Thrive students this year!
Kristy H.
Kristy is thrilled to be your Preschool/Kindergarten Thrive Classroom Guide as well as the Little Movers & Shakers Movement Elective Class Lead.
Kristy has two Bachelors of Science degrees from Illinois State University; one in Chemistry and the other in Studio Arts: Painting; as well as a minor in Art History. As a mom of three, ages 1
Kristy is thrilled to be your Preschool/Kindergarten Thrive Classroom Guide as well as the Little Movers & Shakers Movement Elective Class Lead.
Kristy has two Bachelors of Science degrees from Illinois State University; one in Chemistry and the other in Studio Arts: Painting; as well as a minor in Art History. As a mom of three, ages 10, 7, and 5; Kristy began homeschooling during the 2023-24 school year and absolutely loves how homeschooling has benefited her family. Her house is bursting with art projects, craft supplies, Legos, experiment leftovers, workbooks, and fun books. She absolutely loves learning a new hands-on skill while making learning fun!
Kristy loves to cook, decorate cakes and cookies, draw, paint, crochet, build, do voices, and sing. She is truly looking forward to spending the year getting to know all of the Preschool and Kindergarten students with a goal of creating a truly magical classroom experience for them all.
Annie A.
Annie is our Thrive Art Instructor. Annie is a dedicated educator, artist, devoted mother of three, and respected scoutmaster. With over 10 years of teaching experience, she has worked with countless students, inspiring them to pursue their passions in science and art while nurturing their intellectual curiosity and creativity. Annie dis
Annie is our Thrive Art Instructor. Annie is a dedicated educator, artist, devoted mother of three, and respected scoutmaster. With over 10 years of teaching experience, she has worked with countless students, inspiring them to pursue their passions in science and art while nurturing their intellectual curiosity and creativity. Annie discovered her love of connecting with students and making complex concepts in science and art accessible and engaging over a decade ago. Her love for teaching stems from a deep-rooted belief in the transformative power of education to shape young minds and empower individuals to reach their full potential.
Noah E.
Noah is our Thrive Survivalist Explorer Instructor. Noah is an active conservationist and true lover of the outdoors. He grew up helping manage his family farm in Southeast Missouri, going on hunting, fishing, and survival adventures in Illinois, Missouri, Louisiana, Wisconsin, and Texas, as well as spending extensive time hiking, scou
Noah is our Thrive Survivalist Explorer Instructor. Noah is an active conservationist and true lover of the outdoors. He grew up helping manage his family farm in Southeast Missouri, going on hunting, fishing, and survival adventures in Illinois, Missouri, Louisiana, Wisconsin, and Texas, as well as spending extensive time hiking, scouting, and having fun in nature. Noah has a passion for nature and the outdoors and he is excited to bring Plan for Adventure’s Survival curriculum to life in the Thrive classroom with hands-on activities and fun.
Erina J.
Erina is our lively and passionate Thrive Theatre Instructor. Erina has had a passion for children’s theater education since she was a child herself. It may sound funny, but from an early age, Erina knew helping children develop and fine-tune their craft and understanding of theater as a whole was the path she wanted to pursue in life. H
Erina is our lively and passionate Thrive Theatre Instructor. Erina has had a passion for children’s theater education since she was a child herself. It may sound funny, but from an early age, Erina knew helping children develop and fine-tune their craft and understanding of theater as a whole was the path she wanted to pursue in life. Her years of professional private coaching only helped propel that.
Erina’s professional career includes her own children's theater company, Abbott & Louis, which offers the opportunity for children to gain the fundamentals, confidence, and appreciation needed to master the craft no matter what their end goal may be. Erina is excited to bring theatre to the students of Thrive where students will learn the fundamentals of Classical Acting, develop Critical Thinking Skills, practice Teamwork, and apply techniques learned in class.
Mike
Mike with Bricks4Kidz is our Thrive Robotics Instructor. At Bricks4Kidz, they believe in the power of learning through play. Their journey began with a simple idea: to create a fun and engaging environment where children can explore the world of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) through the timeless joy of bu
Mike with Bricks4Kidz is our Thrive Robotics Instructor. At Bricks4Kidz, they believe in the power of learning through play. Their journey began with a simple idea: to create a fun and engaging environment where children can explore the world of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) through the timeless joy of building with LEGO bricks. Established in 2008, Bricks4Kidz has since become the largest provider of STEAM-based educational enrichment programs in the world.
Sarah S.
Sarah is our Thrive American Sign Language Instructor. Sarah left her career as a certified teacher for the deaf and hearing impaired in 2021 in order to bravely follow her calling. Sarah has been deaf since birth and has known sign language since she was 2 years old. She wears hearing aids in both ears and is a fantastic lipreader. She o
Sarah is our Thrive American Sign Language Instructor. Sarah left her career as a certified teacher for the deaf and hearing impaired in 2021 in order to bravely follow her calling. Sarah has been deaf since birth and has known sign language since she was 2 years old. She wears hearing aids in both ears and is a fantastic lipreader. She owns a business as a sign language teacher and continually designs custom curriculum materials to enrich the study of a beautiful and fun language to learn.
Sandy P.
Sandy is our dedicated Thrive Sewing Instructor. Miss Sandy has a passion for sewing and a love for teaching others her craft. She has been the sewing division champion for DuPage County Fair multiple years running. Sandy encompasses reading comprehension and math skills into each class and gives students creative freedom by letting them
Sandy is our dedicated Thrive Sewing Instructor. Miss Sandy has a passion for sewing and a love for teaching others her craft. She has been the sewing division champion for DuPage County Fair multiple years running. Sandy encompasses reading comprehension and math skills into each class and gives students creative freedom by letting them pick colors to personalize their projects. Sandy and her husband have 3 teenage boys and a German Shepherd dog named Skyler. She is so excited to work with your students in the Thrive One Thread at a Time Sewing Class!