About Our School
Meet Our Team
Enthusiastic Educators
At GEO Focus Academy of Indiana, our teachers, administrators, and staff share a passion for education and enthusiasm for delivering education one-to-one in a focused environment. Our staff members are adept at managing this unique process, guiding and supporting your student, and focusing on their individual needs; they're here to work with you to help your child master their education objectives.
Sandi Brueck | Academic Administrator for Special Programs
Mrs. Brueck comes to GEO Focus Academy with more than 30 years of experience in special education. In her various roles as a special educator, she has been an advocate for students with special needs and those who serve those students. During her career, she has taught all grade levels in special education and worked as a teacher consultant, an assistant principal in a center-based program for students with behavior disorders, a special education supervisor of students with autism, a special education consultant with the Michigan Department of Education, and most recently as the academic administrator of special programs at a virtual academy in Michigan.
Mrs. Brueck graduated from Western Michigan University with both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees in special education and reading. She also received administrator certification from Grand Valley State University. Early in her career, she attended Indiana University at South Bend when working as a special education teacher in Indiana. Mrs. Brueck received the honor of being voted “Autism Staff of the Year” while working as the supervisor of autism and was humbled to serve as a “Reading First” trainer during the “No Child Left Behind” legislative years. Mrs. Brueck is a member of the Council for Exceptional Children and ASCD.
In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, 27-year-old daughter, her daughter's boyfriend, and three dogs. The family enjoys camping with friends several times during the summer. Mrs. Brueck is also an avid reader and often reads to gain more knowledge in serving the teachers who serve our exceptional students.
Mrs. Brueck's favorite quote is from Maya Angelou: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
Andy Burklow | Middle School English Teacher,
Mr. Burklow is very excited to start this new journey with GEO Focus Academy! He has taught English to students from all around the world. For the past 2.5 years, he has been teaching online to students from all over Asia. Previously, he taught English in brick-and-mortar schools, both at the high school and middle school levels, in his hometown of Evansville, IN.
Mr. Burklow is passionate and driven to inspire his students to be proud of the quality of work they produce. He is dedicated to personalizing his teaching style to meet the needs of every student and thoroughly enjoys building genuine connections with both his students and their families.
Mr. Burklow graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a BS in English and has held a professional educator's license to teach English in grades 5–12 for more than ten years. He is a very proud father of a daughter, two sons, a stepdaughter, and one grandson.
Katelyn Frantz | K–5 Teacher
Mrs. Frantz develops creative and immersive lessons for her students and connects academic standards to student's everyday life. She understands the importance of fostering positive relationships with her students' families and believes that for a student to flourish, it truly does take a village. Mrs. Frantz makes sure to support every level of a student's life, whether that's education, social, or emotional needs.
Mrs. Frantz is a huge mental health advocate, especially children's mental health. In her classroom, students participate in daily mental health check-ins. She does this by sharing her passion for practicing gratitude and positive affirmations. Mrs. Frantz is a dedicated teacher in all aspects of her student's education. She has an open-door policy with her families to build those nurturing relationships for her students. She wants the students and families to have an excellent experience at GEO Focus Academy.
Mrs. Frantz graduated from Ball State University where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in elementary education and her reading specialist license. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their three children. They enjoy traveling and spending time outdoors when the Indiana weather cooperates.
Matt Heagy | K–8 Special Education Teacher
Prior to coming to GEO Focus Academy, Mr. Heagy was a special education paraprofessional and coached basketball at all age levels (K–12) for six years. He is beginning his fourth year as the freshmen boys' basketball coach at Indian Creek High School in Trafalgar, Indiana.
Mr. Heagy believes all students can learn with the proper guidance. He strives to be a positive role model and is dedicated to making learning fun and worthwhile. One of his favorite quotes is from Tim Tebow: “The ultimate goal isn't to succeed or fail, the ultimate goal is to give it everything you have for something that's on your heart.”
Mr. Heagy graduated from Western Governor's University with a BA in special education. He currently holds a dual teaching license in special education (P–12) and elementary generalist (K–6). In his spare time, he enjoys exercising, hiking, reading historical nonfiction books, and spending time with his wife, Molly.
Angela Holmes | School Counselor
As school counselor, Mrs. Holmes addresses students' mental, emotional, social, and academic development. She is driven to give valuable assistance to students, helping them with their academic goals, as well as their social, personal, and career development. She believes that with help, students can navigate problems a bit easier and with confidence.
Mrs. Holmes has an EdM from IUPUI in school counseling and is a member of the Indiana School Counselors Association. Prior to coming to GEO Focus Academy, she worked at schools throughout Indiana and one in Alaska.
Mrs. Holmes and her husband live on 20 acres with their goldendoodle, Argos, and a batch of chickens. She loves horror movies and all things Godzilla. Her favorite quote is from the History Guy: "If only we all had a spark of madness; so we could see life as it should be and not just as it is."
River Karner | High School English Teacher
Ms. Karner believes strongly in creating community in the classroom, making it a safe, challenging, and enjoyable place to unfold and realize one's own and other's thoughts and beliefs, and to become increasingly more trusting of one's own and other's abilities. She has been teaching writing and literature in K–12 and higher education environments for more than 35 years. These adventures have taken her to Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota.
Ms. Karner received her BA in English and education from Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont, and her MA in creative writing from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.
When there is such a thing as spare time, Ms. Karner enjoys walking in the woods, reading, and gaming (shout out to all the Geralt of Rivia fans!). Every day, she tries to live by this quote from Jane Goodall: “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
Patricia Parker-Davis | 9–12 SPED Teacher
Mrs. Parker-Davis is looking forward to coming back into the online classroom at Geo Focus Academy. She has an extensive teaching background with South Bend Community School Corporation (SBCSC), Elkhart Community School Corporation (ECSC), Cobb County Schools-Georgia, Rite of Passage-DePaul Academy, as well as Ivy Tech College and National College.
As an educator, Mrs. Parker-Davis continues to build communities of learners to realize their ability to learn. She believes that all children can learn if given the opportunity and the necessary tools and resources. More importantly, they must have educators who are willing to give them the best possible experience to build their academic success.
Mrs. Parker-Davis' passion is working with high school students and assisting in all areas of their development; academically, emotionally, socially, and language. She believes that transition is part of the SPED process because it prepares the student for life after high school. The transition for high school students can be difficult but if they have the proper model and guidance, they can realize and utilize their potential.
Mrs. Parker-Davis considers herself a facilitator of their learning. She is there to cultivate their growth and development and is dedicated to helping her students' development. She is inspired by seeing students realize their full imaginable ability academically.
Mrs. Parker-Davis graduated from Indiana University South Bend and holds a MS in education. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing, and completing the course work for her EdD. She also a member and volunteer with The League of Women Voters.
Matt Quinn | 9–12 Social Studies Teacher
The 2021–2022 school year will be Mr. Quinn's fifth year of teaching and first at GEO Focus Academy. He has a true passion for not only instilling a love of history in young learners, but also helping them develop and use the accompanying analytical skills in every-day life. He is looking forward to working together with parents as partners in their child's growth and development this year!!
Mr. Quinn's teaching philosophy is best captured by the immortal words of Sen. Robert Kennedy: “Each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.”
Originally from the South Side of Chicago, Mr. Quinn decided to remain in the West Lafayette area after completing his undergraduate degree at Purdue University. In 2017, he received his master's in secondary education from Grand Canyon University. Mr. Quinn is certified to teach middle school and high school social studies, history, U.S. government, and economics.
Mr. Quinn and his wife Jessica have been blessed with four fantastic children: Jaxon (14), Jamie (7), and twins Owen and Lincoln (4). Being a father is his favorite activity in the world! He also enjoys doing historical research in his spare time, and tinkering with his 1983 Trans Am.
Alesha Schleicher | Elementary School Teacher
Mrs. Schleicher very excited to start this new journey with GEO Focus Academy! Previously, she taught her own children from home, and was their online Learning Coach for more than eight years—from kindergarten all way through twelfth grade. Mrs. Schleicher's been a substitute teacher for the School City of Hammond for the past four years and taught kindergarten for one of those years at a local Hammond elementary school.
Mrs. Schleicher teaches all subjects and is passionate and driven to inspire her students to love learning. She is dedicated to personalizing her teaching style to meet the needs of every student, and thoroughly enjoys building genuine connections with both her students and their families, so that they can feel confident and inspired to reach their full potential!
Mrs. Schleicher graduated from Western Governors University with a BA in elementary education K–8, and currently holds a professional educator's license for grades K–6. She is a very proud mother of nine beautiful children and one shepherd-husky mix, and an active church volunteer and ministry leader who enjoys serving her community in every way that she can!
Kelsi Testa-Avila | Middle School Social Studies Teacher
This is Ms. Testa-Avila's seventh year in the classroom. She has taught social studies classes for grades 5–12, as well as reading, language arts, science, and a little bit of math.
Ms. Testa-Avila is dedicated to helping students learn about the world so that they can better understand it and where they fit into it so that they can be leaders in their own ways, because as former U.S. Representative John Lewis said, “We must be headlights and not taillights.”
Ms. Testa-Avila's love of social studies started when she was a child growing up around multiple cultures and languages in California. She moved to Indiana about twelve years ago to attend Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis where she earned a BS in secondary social studies education, with a concentration in geography. She holds a professional educator's license for social studies grades 5–2, with endorsements in geography and middle school social studies.
Ms. Testa-Avila now lives in northern Indiana with her boyfriend and dog, Delia. In her free time, she loves to read, hike, and learn new languages (she is currently working on Spanish and Chinese). She is a fan of coffee, bad history jokes and memes, and hockey, go Pens! Ms. Testa-Avila also loves to travel and is looking forward to going somewhere new soon!
