Vickie Rukavina ~~ Founder

For 2026-2027~Mystery of History: Vol.1-Ancient History, American Presidents, World Geography & Cultures, Science: Flying Creatures, & Early Beginners (Exploring Emotions)

Mrs. Vickie Rukavina is a blessed mother to five children. Two have blessed the family with their marriage partners, whom we love dearly.  God has enriched our lives beyond imagination with three precious grandsons, ages 3 down to 4 months.  Prior to parenting her children, she and her husband were foster parents for about eight years, having the privilege of fostering about eighty children.  Vickie has been married to John for 37 years.

Vickie has home educated all of her children to completion (graduation), with the exception of one child who attended public high school their senior year and graduated.  One son graduated from Moody Bible Institute with a pastoral degree and is now the director of Child Evangelism Fellowship.  Another son runs his own business called Ruklawn Care providing lawn services and snow removal.  Her oldest child Joy, operates Joy's Piano Studio out of Vickie and John's home. Another son works as a finishing carpenter and her youngest daughter will be attending Sioux Falls University.  A passion for learning, educating, and investing in the hearts of students has been the fuel that has motivated Vickie . It is of great importance to her to focus on the student's learning style and find productive ways to help them achieve understanding and training.  Her style of teaching uses the multi-sensory approach and finds ways to make it meaningful and fun through video clips, games, repetition, pictures, stories of heroes, and timelines.

952-607-0565

thereishopevr@comcast.net

For 2026-2027~Introduction to IEW, IEW-A, & IEW-B

Ms. Jennifer Larson graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire with a B.A. in English. She has been involved in the homeschooling community since 2004. She has four daughters – three adults working in their chosen fields and one in college. In addition to tutoring at HRT Academy, she tutors at South Heights and two Classical Conversations communities. Much to her children’s dismay, she is a grammar geek who actually enjoys diagramming sentences. You will usually find her wearing purple.

jenlar1012@gmail.com

For 2026-2027~Primary Art, Beginning Art, Advanced Art, Foundations of Life Skills, Growing Life Skills, Life Skills, & Logic & Debate: The Art of Argument
Mrs. Mercedes Wilson is an experienced homeschool teacher with a passion for art and creativity. With 6 years of homeschool teaching and many more years of Sunday school teaching, she has been sharing her love for learning through art and life skills classes at HRT Academy since 2023. When she’s not teaching, you can find her immersed in various art projects — from watercolor paintings to designing items with her Cricut machine. She also enjoys hiking near the North Shore, exploring nature, and chasing glimpses of the northern lights with her husband and kids. 

Mercedes has also showcased her talent in live art installments for creative evangelism during the May Day Parades and Art-A-Whirl in Minneapolis. Join her classes and unleash your potential in a fun and inspiring environment!
mwilson.hrt@gmail.com

For 2026-2027~Biology+Lab & Chemistry+Lab

Mrs. Katie Hietala has been wife to Joseph for almost 22 years and mother to 5 children (ages 10-17). She graduated from the University of Colorado with a Master’s in Biology in 2004. Katie loves being in the Word, serving the Kingdom in different ways, and spending time with her family on the south shore of Lake Superior! Katie has always enjoyed Science – especially Biology, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, and Chemistry. To think that God thought of all these tiny little details for life to exist as we know it is absolutely mind-blowing! She is excited to get others excited about how creative our God is and how His grace is apparent each day we are here! Katie and her family will be attending a Discipleship Training School from April through August 2026 with the missions organization Youth With a Mission (YWAM), but she will be back to tutor and attend the 2026-27 school year and will be teaching high school Biology+Lab and Chemistry+Lab! 

katie_hietala@hotmail.com

For 2026-2027~Beginning Sewing 101, Intermediate Sewing 201, & Advanced Sewing 301

 Mrs. Jessica Kelm married her best friend, Brent, in April of 2000. They are blessed to have three children: 21-year-old Owen, 19-year-old Mason, and Lauren, a sophmore, who currently homeschools (at HRT). By trade, Jessica, has a degree as an Interior Architect/Designer from DCTC. She has always had a love for sewing.  Her Grandmother (now 91 years old) taught her to sew when she was about 8 years old, and she’s been putting her skills to good use for over 40 years.  Some of the notable projects, besides the many items of clothing she wore in high school or made for her younger sisters for special occasions, have been nothing short of a fun challenge for her.  She recreated a Vintage Wedding Gown from a bag full of pieces of the old dress in order to create something special for a couple's 50th Wedding Anniversary. She worked on Ty’s Secret Room for the show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, when it was in St. Paul, by creating the Duvet Cover for the Master Suite. She also has a long standing relationship making costumes for the Vulcans of the St. Paul Winter Carnival. In January of 2025, she was recognized with the William Sampson Award. When she’s not sewing for others or herself, she enjoys doing a variety of DIY projects with her family or going on road trip adventures. She first taught this type of Sewing Class at Star Academy when her daughter was in 4th grade and has wanted to do it again for some time. She is honored to be able to teach classes at HRT Academy for the 2026-2027 school year. She can’t wait to see what your children will create!!

 thehouseonmayberry@gmail.com

For 2026-2027~Story Adventures

  My name is Mrs. Holly Jordan, and I am excited to be a tutor at HRT! A blessed wife since 2013, my husband and I have been delighted parents to our daughter since 2018. Our family’s homeschooling journey began when our daughter was born. I am happy to share my love and all I have learned with other children in our homeschooling community. In our free time we enjoy travel, rock hunting, hiking, gardening, cooking/baking, and going to concerts. Our favorite band is The Aquabats!

 h.jordan.hrt@gmail.com

For 2026-2027~Kids in Motion: Elementary Phy. Ed. (1 quarter) (Co-tutoring with Anna Franzwa)

Miss A.J. Wilson has been attending HRT Academy since 2023. She is excited to offer a class during her Junior year! A.J. has always enjoyed staying active. She has trained in jiu-jitsu for a little over two years and has also participated in dance and gymnastics for the majority of her childhood. In her free time, she enjoys riding her bike, drawing, and painting. As the older sibling in her family, A.J. has experience helping care for her two younger siblings, younger cousins, and enjoys spending time with younger children. She looks forward to helping create a fun, encouraging environment where students can move, play, and build confidence while being active together.

ajwilson.hrt@gmail.com

For 2026-2027~Little Beginnings

For 2026-2027~Math Mastery Foundations, Upper Elementary General Math, Pre-Algebra, & Reading, Handwriting, & Spelling Foundations

Mrs. Amy Moechnig is a wife, mother, and Christian homeschooling veteran of 3 children from birth to completion (graduation/college). My oldest daughter earned her paralegal degree at Inver Hills Community College, middle daughter earned her BS in Neuroscience at Bethel University, and youngest son will be attending PSEO full time at Inver Hills Community College in 2026. God has especially gifted me with the ability to teach reading, writing, spelling and math. I began private reading tutoring in 2010, and it has been such a joy to see the Lord bless my efforts with dyslexic, ADHD, and autistic children learning to read and write. I have also enjoyed teaching preschool and kindergarten at several homeschool coops around the metro over the past two decades. In addition, I have served the Lord teaching Sunday School, Junior Church and Nursery at my church over the past 30 years. After teaching 3 cycles of Saxon Math from Kindergarten through Geometry and Algebra II, I have learned how to make math fun, like a mystery to solve and challenge to conquer! Whether math or reading, I incorporate physical exercises, manipulatives and

multi-sensory activities and games (not to mention goofy stories and

personification!) to each session to “make it stick.”

amoechnig@outlook.com

 Piano Studio - piano lessons
Since age 5, Mrs. Joy Wells has been taking lessons and has accomplished piano to an advanced level.  She has been teaching piano since 2009.
In each lesson, Joy includes theory, classical works, and looks for pieces of interest for the student.
952-607-0729
joyspianoschool@gmail.com