Victoria (Toria) Lynn Bash (Science, Math) has a Washington State Certification for K-8 Ed., 4-12 Earth Science, and K-12 ESL. She graduated cum laude from WWU in 1992 majoring in Earth Science and Elementary Ed. She attended Northwest Bible College 1973-1976 majoring in Biblical literature and missions. Mrs. Bash teaches hands-on, inquiry based science curriculum. She taught at Whatcom Day Academy for five years. Her students have won awards at the Washington State Science Teachers' Association Science and Engineering Competition for seven years. Toria joined ZLO in 1998.

Mrs. Bash will be on sabbatical for 2010-2011 school year.

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Becky Bishop (MS Geography) can't think of a time in the last 25 years when she hasn't been teaching children! She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Education from WWU in 1977 with an emphasis in early childhood education. Her formal teaching experiences have included directing and running her own preschool program, curriculum supervisor for a local daycare, and substitute teaching K-8 for the Bellingham and Ferndale School Districts. Since 1985, informal experiences include teaching multi-grade level Sunday school classes for her church, and homeschooling her five wonderful children (ages 9-21). She joined ZLO in the Fall of 2003.

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Laurie Charleston’s (art) appreciation and experience of art began doing crafts, collages and oil painting with her grandmother in her studio above the garage. Art and Art History classes in school and college broadened this interest culminating in a Bachelor of Science degree in Visual Communications with an emphasis in Graphic Design from WWU in 1975. Her teaching experiences have been informal, tutoring and small groups, both with her own 3 children (now grown) and other homeschooling families. She began teaching classes with ZLO in 2007.

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Molly Crocker (Math, Music): As ZLO Director, Molly holds a BA in Education (Music) with a minor in Mathematics (1979), and an MA in Educational Technology (1992), both from WWU. She has taught in a variety of public and private schools, with age levels from preschool to university pre-service teachers; in her own classroom, as a tutor, as a substitute teacher; in subject areas ranging from band, choir, math, elementary music, and general classroom. In addition to her work as administrator and instructor for ZLO, she also teaches 10 credits in math at Whatcom Community College each quarter, where she is also a faculty advisor for Campus Christian Ministries. In 1994, at the request of three sets of parents, she began teaching math classes to homeschoolers. This later grew into ZLO.

Why should YOU take a music class at ZLO? Click here to find out.

For a blog of Mrs. Crocker's personal thoughts about education, click here.

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Linda Kink (Middle School and 9th Gr. English) and her husband have served as members of the Whatcom Homeschool Association steering committee and have homeschooled their children for thirteen years. It is through the homeschool network that Linda has presented parent-writing workshops throughout the West Coast. Also within this time, she has been Children's Ministry Director for her church, tutored all ages privately, and has conducted informal evaluations for homeschooled students. Linda holds a Washington certification, K-12; Master of Arts degree and service credential in educational administration. Both BA and MA degrees were received from California State University, Sacramento. She was a California public school teacher, master teacher, resource teacher, teacher-of-the-year nominee, and administrator, 1970-1983. She has worked with ZLO since 1995.

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Cheryl Koonsman (K-6 Language Arts) has been teaching and tutoring various grade levels (K-9) for over thirty years in public, private, and Christian schools. She lived and taught in four countries besides the United States (England, Scotland, Norway, and Canada). She also has been counseling young women and their families with Care Net facilities for over 3 1/2 years in Houston Texas and now with the Whatcom County Pregnancy Center in Bellingham. Cheryl and her husband,Tom, have a son living in Albany, New York and a daughter and son-in-law living in Portland, Oregon. Her undergraduate degree in English/Social Sciences/Education was completed at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington and postgraduate work in counseling has been at various universities. She holds a teaching certificate for the state of California as well as having had them in Colorado and Washington state. Cheryl began teaching with ZLO in November, 2007.

Christie Miller (English, from Jumpstart (5-7), Focus (7-9) to advanced high school classes (9-12), and history)  is known as a motivational teacher!  She received her credential from Biola College and has taught English at ZLO for over ten years as well as in private Christian schools and in public schools for a total of 16 years.  She enjoys challenging students to rise to their greatest potential!  By providing "do-able" learning experiences,  she then moves her students into stretching experiences focusing on higher skill levels. Creativity, variety, encouragement, discussion,  writing-writing-and more writing, as well as reading and evaluating literature with many different focuses are all parts of her multi-faceted curriculum to stretch her student's skills.  She enjoys her higher level high school English classes and has develop curriculum that challenges them and prepares them in two years for the Running Start Program. In her Focus and Jumpstart classes,  she utilizes a curriculum she developed while teaching in California.  Her students responded so positively to these teaching ideas (rising an average of 2 years in skill levels), she was asked to travel around the State (in California)  to present these methods  to other teachers. Christie has been a home-schooling mom and enjoys working with ZLO students and parents.  She joined ZLO in the fall of 1999. 

Please contact Mrs. Miller for information about Washington state testing requirements for homeschoolers.

Click here for information about Mrs. Miller's summer drama workshop.

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Diane O’Brien (mathematics) graduated with a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati in 1980. She has worked at a refinery for Ashland Oil in Kentucky and also for Proctor and Gamble in Food Process Development Research Department. Since 1984 when her first child was born, she has divided her time between raising her three children and teaching the Bible to women and children through Child Evangelism Fellowship, church Sunday school, and Precept ministries. As of 2007, Diane has over ten years experience in homeschooling, and has extensive experience in tutoring math to children of all ages. She and her family moved to Bellingham in August of 2006 when her husband took a transfer to Shell’s Anacortes location. She loves hiking and photography. She joined ZLO Fall 2007.

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Lyn Scott (English, French)

Olga Wolters (Spanish) was born in Mexico.  Spanish is her native tongue.  Mrs. Wolters has a passion for teaching.  She homeschools her three children and incorporates Spanish into their curriculum.  Mrs. Wolters has taught Spanish in a public school program.  She has also taught for five years in a homeshcool co-op.  She is a private Spanish tutor as well.  Mrs. Wolters graduated from the University of Illinois in Chicago.

Wayne Youngquist (Biology, Math) studied Oceanography at the UW (B.Sc. 1973), and Agronomy at Oregon State Univ. and the University of Nebraska (UNL) where he finished with a Ph.D. in plant breeding in 1987. He taught both Plant Breeding and Statistics at UNL for a couple of years, and conducted research that ranged from slicing up DNA in the laboratory to applying fertilizer in the field. Most of his career was in international agriculture, both in Latin America with the US Peace Corps (1977-79) and nine years in Africa where he worked for various organizations (1982-84, 1990-1997). This has given him an interesting insight into the myriad of interactions that constitute the environment in which we live. Four years ago, he moved back to Washington, and though he is still working on developing sweet corn varieties, he also works in Real Estate.

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