Registration for 2025-2026 is open for all families!
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Vickie Rukavina
Science: Sea Creatures, American Heroes, & Mystery of History Vol. 4
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
Sarah Wicklander
U.S. Constitution, Foundations in Personal Finance: Dave Ramsey, The Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Choir, Government/Economics, Life Science, Apologetics in Action, & Intro to Forensic Science
My name is Mrs. Sarah Wicklander and I am one of the tutors at HRT. I’ve been married to my husband, Kerry, for 31 years and we live in Eagan. Our son, Peter has one semester remaining at Bethel University and is then headed to law school. Our daughter, Elizabeth, is a cosmetologist and works at Reborn Salon in Eden Prairie. I homeschooled both of the kids from K - 12th grade. It was the best thing I’ve ever done. I enjoy teaching, going to concerts with my daughter, sewing and deer hunting in northern Wisconsin, where I grew up.
The middle school class I teach is: Signers of The Declaration
The high school classes I teach are: Life Science, The U.S. Constitution, Foundations in Personal Finance, Intro to Forensic Science from a Christian World View, Apologetics, and Government/Economics
My favorite role at HRT: Director of the HRT Choir (I hold a Bachelor’s of Music Education)
I believe my calling is to be a homeschool teacher. I love every part of it, especially interacting with the students. I try my best to make my classes fun and incorporate as much discussion as possible. I desire to give God the opportunity to ignite a passion in my students by offering them varied topics and information. I believe that a good teacher can make any subject interesting.
Jennifer Larson
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 a homeschooled senior. 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.
jolene Ceravalo
Story Explorers, Story Adventures, Math Games Boost, The Quest Crew, Middle School Literature, A Literary Mix-Up: Non-Fiction and Classic, Speech I: Public Speaking and Practical Life Skills, Creative Writing, Cinema Studies: Movies As Literature, & Admin
Mrs. Jolene Ceravalo graduated in December, 2022, from Liberty University with a B.S. in English & Writing: Creative Writing. She is blessed to be married to Tony since March, 2005, and has six beautiful children (two of them in heaven). She enjoys homeschooling her two daughters and two sons. She is the founder/director of Shannon Tobias Memorial Christian Lending Library. She also has a blog and a podcast. She enjoys writing and speaking, as opportunities arise. Some of her favorite things are writing, reading (Christian fiction, Jane Austen, mom books, and so much more), classic films (Cary Grant, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, and many more), travel, bed and breakfasts, photography, spending time with her family, growing her friendships, finding a great new recipe, and sending a handwritten note of encouragement – just to name a few! She is thankful for this opportunity to share her love of reading, good books, writing, movies, and more with her students!
Mercedes wilson
Primary Art, Beginning Art, Advanced Art, Foundations of Life Skills, Growing Life Skills, Life Skills, and Dance Fitness
Mrs. Mercedes Wilson is an experienced homeschool teacher with a passion for art and creativity. With 5 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 family.
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
Jenny Franzwa
Exploring Creation with Earth Science & Rainbow Science
Mrs. Jenny Franzwa earned her B.A. in Elementary Education, with a science specialty from MSU Mankato in 2004. She has homeschooled her six children (ages 7-18) from the beginning. Jenny has a passion for learning about and spending time in God's creation. In her free time, she enjoys camping, reading, baking, backyard bonfires, and family game nights. She uses a multi-sensory approach when teaching, including many hands-on activities and experiments. She seeks to meet kids wherever they are in skills and abilities. Above all, her goal in teaching science is to help students see the evidence of God's incredible love for us in His amazing creation.
jennyfranzwa@gmail.com
Katie Hietala
Biology + Lab & Algebra 1
Mrs. Katie Hietala is wife to Joseph for almost 20 years and mother to 5 children (ages 9-15). She graduated from the University of Colorado with a Mater’s in Biology in 2004. Katie taught undergraduate student lab courses for General Biology and Microbiology during her 3 years as a Master’s student. She has published a book chapter in a Microbiology textbook, as well as a handful of peer-reviewed journal articles. Prior to becoming a stay at home mother in 2016, Katie worked for the USDA as a Biology Technician and also for an ethanol plant as a Lab Manager. Homeschooling was always in the back of her mind, but she just didn’t think she was capable; God had other plans! When Covid hit the world, she quickly jumped into homeschooling and has not looked back. It’s definitely been a challenge, but so rewarding! Katie was a Bible Study Fellowship Children’s Leader for 5 years, teaching preschoolers weekly throughout the school year. Additionally, she has taught Sunday school and led Vacation Bible School for preschoolers. Katie and her husband serve through a ministry called Hockey Ministries International (HMI) where they meet with youth hockey players to provide the love of Christ through chapels. She enjoys being with her family and spending time together in their tiny house up 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!
Joseph Rukavina
Biblical Worldview
Being able to disciple and pour into young Christians is a passion that God has laid upon my heart. Whether it is mentoring one on one or sharing with a group, I love seeing God shape and mold His young followers into His image. I have have been privileged to get my 4 year degree at Moody Bible Institute in Biblical Studies and been able to serve with the ministry Child Evangelism Fellowship. Both of these have shown me the importance of coming alongside and instructing young people as they discover the beauty and riches of what a deep relationship with Christ can look like. Building this foundation when they are young will help set the course for the rest of their life and give them something to stand on as they go out into this crazy world.
952-607-0759
Jessica Kelm
Sewing for Beginners - Younger Kids & Sewing for Beginners - Older Kids
Mrs. Jessica Kelm married her best friend, Brent, in April of 2000. They are blessed to have three children: 20-year-old Owen, 18-year-old Mason, and Lauren, a Freshman, 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 90 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, 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 the class at HRT Academy for the 2025-2026 school year. She can’t wait to see what your children will create!!
tim green
Head of Student Support
Mr. Tim Green is a Christian father and husband who loves to watch sports, play golf, and ride his e-bike. He enjoys helping youth; he finds it very rewarding.
JOY WELLS
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