New Testament Survey

Melissa Blazs received her Bachelor of Science degree from Liberty University majoring in Elementary Education, where she was awarded Student Teacher of the Year. She homeschooled her three children, with her last child graduating from PEP in 2021. For over 30 years, Melissa has enjoyed teaching students, whether it be in a classroom or youth group, children’s ministries or homeschool co-op. In addition, she worked as a Children’s Minister and as the Artistic Administrator of the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus. Her greatest joy in teaching is pointing her students to Jesus. Seeing those “light bulb” moments in their lives…priceless! Missions also play a big part in Melissa’s life. Shortly after moving to Jacksonville, she and her husband received a call from the Lord to serve in Asia for one year. The time spent there opened doors for multiple trips back to share the Good News. They have also served on mission teams to Tortola, Chad, and Central Asia. Melissa has been married to her wonderful husband of 39 years, blessed with three adult children, a great son-in-law, and two incredible grandsons.

Chemistry, Biology

Connie Boone has a Bachelor of Science in medical technology from the University of Missouri and worked as a nationally certified medical technologist in hospital laboratories in Missouri, Arizona, and North Carolina.  She married and moved to Florida where she put aside her career to be at home with their three children.  Connie was certified as a Florida teacher and earned a Master of Education from the University of North Florida.  She also was awarded National Certification while teaching science in public and Christian schools.  She is looking forward to sharing the wonder of God’s creation with PEP students and helping them discover God’s character through His creation.  She is active at Eastside Community Church and volunteers at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville.  Connie and her husband of over 50 years enjoy travel and tent-camping in national parks. 

Biblical Worldview IV, Introduction to Theology

Allen Cagle has served as the Senior Pastor at Sunrise Community Church in Atlantic Beach, FL since 2013. He has a BA in Biblical Studies from the University of Mobile and an M.Div. from The Masters Seminary (Los Angeles, CA). He received his Doctorate of Ministry in Applied Theology from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Allen served in associate pastor positions in Los Angeles, CA and Mobile, AL before moving to Jacksonville in January 2013 to serve at Sunrise Community Church. He began teaching at PEP in 2013 and loves sharing his passion for God’s Word and a biblical worldview with teens. Allen and his wife Mindy have three children — Kate, Jacob, and Karis.

Spanish I & II

Adriana Croft has a B.A. in Business Management from Warner Southern University. She is a mother of five and a wife to her husband of 23 years. Two of her children have graduated through PEP, and the younger three children will attend PEP this year. Adriana has 16 years of teaching experience in homeschooling, homeschooling co-ops, and classical public school settings. She grew up in a Spanish-speaking home and learned English as her second language. Adriana has taught Spanish, Latin, Photography, Math, Writing, Science, Reasoning, and Debate. She enjoys photography, traveling, and cooking/baking.

Ancient History, Medieval to Early Modern History, Modern History, Yearbook

Mrs. Dragiff has taught in private Christian schools for over 20 years in Jacksonville after homeschooling her own six children throughout most of their school years. She has an undergraduate BA degree in Theatre/Dance from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and earned her MA in Humanities with a focus on History and Philosophy from California State University. She is a lifelong student of the Holocaust and has participated in conferences in Israel and the U.S. in order to deepen her understanding of this important event in history. Mrs. Dragiff came to know Christ through a private school outreach ministry as a 13-year-old, and found that being a Christian brought her the love, belonging, and certainty that she was seeking in life.  Helping young people understand Truth and teaching through a Biblical worldview is her greatest privilege. Happily married for 46 years, she and her husband Matthew are blessed to now be the grandparents of six young children. Travel and Art History are her special passions outside of family and teaching.

Drawing, Film Analysis

Alan Fraser was born and raised in Panama City, FL and moved to Jacksonville in 1994 after studying in the Studio Arts program at FSU, while also running a successful graphic design freelancing business. Jacksonville brought new challenges as he learned a new way to use his love for art and design in the field of video production. After 8 years at north Florida’s premier digital postproduction house, and just a couple of years newly married, he started his own video production, design, and animation company, named CreationStudios. God has blessed Alan and his wife, Pam, with 2 beautiful, talented daughters, both of whom are current PEP students. He has over 20 years’ worth of business experience ranging from 3D animation, full video production, 2D digital and cell animation, to corporate and family photography. Mr. Fraser is excited to share his lifelong love of drawing with the students at PEP.

Anatomy & Physiology

Pam Fraser has been married to her husband, Alan for 26 fantastic years. They are have 2 beautiful daughters; Reagan, who graduated from PEP this past May and works at a business law firm downtown and Anya, who is a junior at PEP and taking electives. The Frasers feel blessed to be starting their 11th year homeschooling. In 2021, Pam began working as a PEP study hall monitor. Prior to PEP, she earned a bachelors and license that allowed her to work in the medical field for close to 15 years. Pam loves to travel with her family and experience new adventures, including spending time at the beach. Pam and her family attend COE22, where they particularly love the expository preaching. She has a personal relationship with Jesus and loves spending time talking, walking, praying and learning more about Him everyday.

Adulting 101

Becky has been happily married to her husband Robert for over 30 years now. Together they have homeschooled all four of their children. The older two boys graduated years ago and are now off and married. The younger two children, a son and daughter, are both in college here in Jax. Becky is a member of Christian Family Chapel and she serves the Lord as a certified ACBC biblical counselor through the HOPE Center.

Biblical Worldview I

Brett is a Jacksonville native and married to his wife Shirley since July 2020; their first spouses went home to be with the Lord and God graciously brought them together in 2019.  They have four adult children who live across the country.  Brett received his Bachelor in Science in Information Technology degree in 2005 and worked for Prudential Insurance moving up from an insurance clerk and retiring as Vice President of Operations Support after 39 years of service.  He serves as an ordained elder at Christian Family Chapel since 2015, active in the counseling ministry as both an ACBC certified biblical counselor and course instructor in the counselor training program; Shirley is also a certified counselor and they both have a passion to bring God and His Word into lives of those who are hurting.  Brett and his wife love to travel and seek to experience different countries and cultures in the years that God gives them; they have had the joy to experience Germany, Austria and Ireland in recent years as well as ministering in India on a short-term mission’s trip with their church.  They enjoy music, biking, sitting at the beach as well as home projects and helping others with theirs.  Brett is passionate about how “Christ Makes a Difference” in his own life and desires to help students seek to put that into daily practice in their lives through a biblical worldview and a saving relationship with Christ; he will often say, “it is not about experiencing Christ, it is about being in relationship with Christ”.

Geometry, Algebra II, Pre-Calculus, Statistics

Laurie has a BA in Mathematics Education from the University of South Florida. She has been teaching high school as well as tutoring and evaluating home school students for most of her adult life. She has been with PEP almost from its inception and enjoys being in partnership with parents to help her students chase their dreams. She has the experience and passion to make difficult subjects easier to digest, and she loves seeing her students progress and push themselves harder than they believed they were able. While not everyone will love math, the study of it points us to an ordered universe and a divine creator. Too many students choose their path based on avoiding the subject, but she wants her students fully equipped to pursue any course of study they desire. She has also enjoyed playing the piano for worship services at her church for many years.

American History, Government & Economics

Erin Jones graduated from the University of North Florida with a degree in history and a minor in education. Her primary focus was on early American History. She currently serves as a campus missionary through Every Nation Campus at Jacksonville University and Southpoint Community Church. Erin and her husband Jordan have a joyful little girl. They also have a heart to share the gospel here in Jacksonville and around the world, especially in Europe. In Erin's free time, she can usually be found on the beach either reading a book or on her paddle board. 

Biblical Worldview III

Greg Jones received his Masters of Divinity from the Expositors Seminary (Jacksonville), his Masters of Science degree from the University of Bristol (UK) in International Relations, and his Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of Warwick (UK) majoring in History. Greg was born and raised in Wales and moved his family to the United States in 2008. Shortly thereafter, he started what was to become an international healthcare technology consulting company, which he sold in 2017 in order to attend seminary. Since graduating in 2021, he has used his time to lead the MLJ Trust (the ministry dedicated to the preservation and promulgation of the sermons of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones www.mljtrust.org) and to preach and teach at his church, Neptune Baptist Church. Greg and his wife Tammy homeschool their nine children, with two in college (having attended PEP) and three currently enrolled at PEP.

Rhetoric & Composition/Literary Analysis I & II

Katrina Larson has a BA in Literature and an MA in Communication Development. She has taught many levels of students from elementary to college level in homeschool, public and classical Christian schools. As a military spouse, she has lived and traveled all over the world with her husband and her two, now adult children. She loves German pastries, Korean cooking, and any tropical location. Mrs. Larson is passionate about classical Christian education and engaging in life-long learning from a Biblical perspective with her students. Her favorite subjects are literature, history and writing. She loves living in our nation’s oldest city and giving historic tours with Old Town Trolley in St. Augustine. In her free time, she enjoys water sports, reading, hiking, creative writing, acting and spending time with family.

Introduction to Physics

Debra McLemore has a B.A. in Behavioral Science with a minor in Elementary Education from King College (now University) and a Masters of Education from Winona State University. She taught for 10 years before taking time off to focus on her family. She and her husband of 26 years have 3 children--Eli, Adra, and Zelia. Adra and Zelia are students at PEP. Her family moved to Florida from Minnesota in September of 2021 and they have enjoyed the adventure--trading extreme cold for extreme heat. Hiking in the mountains, listening to the waves crashing on the beach, seeing a fresh snowfall, and smelling the rain as it collides with the earth are a few of the things she enjoys in God's creation.

Introduction to Composition (Core A), Introduction to Literary Analysis (Core B)

Courtney Murray received her B.A. in English with a Concentration in Education from Davidson College, then continued her studies at Arizona State University, where she earned her M.A. in English Literature. Drawn to teaching from an early age, she loves helping students understand complex ideas and discover how literature can open our minds and hearts to the experiences of others. She has taught and tutored in a variety of settings over the years, though her favorite has been homeschooling her own children. Courtney and her husband Mark were married in 2007 and have been blessed with a trio of delightful boys; she and her family are active in ministry. A lifelong learner, she loves reading – especially history, memoir, and historical fiction – as well as playing piano, hiking, and going on road trips with her family.

Grammar, Geography, World History

Jill Patterson is a licensed principal and teacher in the state of Florida with over twenty years of experience in education. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in Elementary Education and her Master of Education degree from the University of North Florida in Educational Leadership. Jill has served as a classroom teacher, literacy specialist, assistant principal and principal. She homeschooled her own daughter for several years and is excited to partner with other homeschooling families to provide a quality education where we equip students to think critically, discern information and articulate ideas clearly. Jill is an active member of First Baptist Church of Jacksonville – Nocatee campus where she teaches Sunday School weekly to elementary students and serves in other ministries throughout the year. Providence Extension Program’s rigorous curriculum and teaching methodology aligns beautifully with Jill’s philosophy of learning (with the Socratic method being a favorite) and she is excited to join a team of high performing tutors who love Jesus.

Life Science, Earth Science

Kathleen is a twice-retired teacher, who is back for her third tour of duty! She spent over 45 years teaching and learning science. Kathleen is passionate about science and has spent her summers attending universities (Princeton, Arizona State University, UF, FSU, Maryland, Northern Iowa and more). She also trained with NASA (Kennedy Space, Houston Space Center, and NASA Space Center in Alabama), FDA, USDA, NOAA, FSU Meteorology Department, National Weather Service in Jacksonville, and Florida Forestry Service. For 3 years she was the Museum of Science and History (MOSH) planetarium director. Kathleen is a Christian who believes in taking an active role in her church’s mission field that includes the Preschool Board. She has been married 47 years to her husband John who is retired marine engineer and later a physics teacher. They have one son, John III, also a teacher. 

Saxon 8/7, Pre-Algebra, Algebra I

Lynda has been homeschooling since her oldest started kindergarten 22 years ago. She has been a PEP mom for 11 years. She graduated five of her children through the PEP program, and she has three currently enrolled. Lynda appreciates the PEP model and is excited to be a part of the team. Math is her passion as it demonstrates how God has given us the ability to solve complex problems and think critically, thereby learning more about His creation.

Composition & American Literature (Core C), Composition & Ancient Literature (Core D)

Alicia Zilinskis received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Hofstra University, New York with a major in Psychology and minor in Elementary Education. She continued her education at Dowling College, New York receiving her Master’s Degree in Literacy and Special Education. Alicia’s passion for teaching started as a dance instructor in New York. She then taught Literature and History at a public school in New York. Her family moved to Florida nine years ago. In Florida, she taught 5th grade at a local Christian Co-Op. Alicia volunteers as a dance coach for a Nocatee school. Alicia’s daughters are students at PEP, which allow them to also focus on a preprofessional ballet program. Alicia enjoys being part of the PEP family and sharing her love for literature, history, learning and the Christian faith.