Homeschool Connections

Aquinas Writing Advantage

Biography

By

Gracie Maimone

AQUINAS WRITING ADVANTAGE

AWA LIVE Course Instructor

Gracie Maimone

Gracie Maimone earned her Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in the Liberal Arts from Thomas More College in Merrimack, New Hampshire. In addition to her excellence in writing and communications focus, she is trained in the liberal arts, humanities, and philosophical and theological disciplines, with her academic career culminating in a thesis focusing on Christ’s parables and examining the importance of storytelling in the work of education.

After receiving her degree, Mrs. Maimone taught philosophy and theology for four years at the Chesterton Academy Schools in Milwaukee and Green Bay, Wisconsin, where she was guided by a two-fold mission: 1) to help students comprehend and rejoice in what is true, and 2) to equip students with skills for communicating the truth through clear and eloquent writing.

Mrs. Maimone is thrilled to serve as an instructor for the Aquinas Writing Advantage (AWA) 9 Series LIVE courses and to continue in the formation of students’ minds and hearts within their mastery of writing. And as a homeschooled student herself before completing her education and enjoying her career in teaching, Mrs. Maimone is uniquely qualified to connect with AWA students.

Mrs. Maimone is based in Northeastern Wisconsin, where she lives with her husband and two children. When not teaching or enjoying time with her family, she can be found with a cup of coffee and a book in hand, with her latest batch of sourdough bread in the oven.

Meet Mrs. Maimone

Learn with Mrs. Maimone

Check the current LIVE catalog to see Mrs. Maimone’s LIVE course offerings and sign up for her courses.

By

Doug Hughes, MA

AQUINAS WRITING ADVANTAGE

AWA LIVE and Recorded Course Instructor

Doug Hughes, MA

Doug Hughes, MA, has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication (with courses in Radio, TV, and Film) and a Master of Education degree from Bowling Green State University. He has worked professionally in video production in both Ohio and Los Angeles and has taught three different filmmaking courses with several different homeschool co-ops in the Columbus, Ohio, area. In 2014, Mr. Hughes’ homeschool class won Best Student Film at the International 168 Film Festival in Los Angeles. Two years later, the students won a Student Production award for Best Short Film at the Ohio Valley Regional Emmy Awards. Currently, Mr. Hughes works as a multimedia instructor at Marysville Early College High School as well as teaching the Screenwriting I and II courses with Aquinas Writing Advantage here at Homeschool Connections. Mr. Hughes lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife, Amy, and twin daughters, Hannah and Emily, who are both attending college in Florida.

Meet Mr. Hughes

Learn with Mr. Hughes

Check the current LIVE catalog to see Mr. Hughes’ LIVE course offerings and sign up for his courses. 

By

Russell Davis, MFA

AQUINAS WRITING ADVANTAGE

AWA Recorded Course Instructor

Russell Davis, MFA

Russell Davis, MFA, has written and sold numerous novels and short stories in virtually every genre of fiction, under at least a half-dozen pseudonyms. His writing has encompassed media tie-in work in the  Transformers universe to action-adventure in The Executioner series to original novels. He’s published short fiction in anthology titles like Under Cover of Darkness, Law of the Gun, and In the Shadow of Evil. In addition to his work as a writer, he has worked as an editor and book packager, and created original anthology titles ranging from westerns like Lost Trails to fantasy-like Courts of the Fey. 

He was the president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) from 2008–2010, and has been a member of numerous other writing organizations including the Western Writers of America  (WWA), Mystery Writers of America (MWA), and the Romance Writers of America (RWA). 

His most recent releases are a re-issue of the four-book Jenna Solitaire series (WordFire Press), and he’s currently working on a new collection, Written in the Scars on Our Hearts, and a middle-grade novel with well-known author Fran Wilde. Mr. Davis co-developed the science fiction and fantasy short story course here at Aquinas Writing Advantage.

Learn with Mr. Davis

Check the current Recorded Course catalog to see Mr. Davis’ course and sign up.

By

Geralyn Rea, ME

AQUINAS WRITING ADVANTAGE

Managing Director
LIVE/Recorded Instructor

Geralyn Rea, ME

Geralyn Rea, ME, studied English at Hillsdale College and enjoyed her BA in English so much that she decided to complete a Master of English degree with the University of Dallas, as well. She has been tutoring, teaching online and in-person, and working with the homeschool community across the United States ever since. Mrs. Rea loves literature and fostering local book clubs and readily says that she can be found chatting about literature with anyone who will join the conversation.

Mrs. Rea currently lives with her husband and five children in Indiana. Here at Aquinas Writing Advantage, she teaches the LIVE Introduction to Literature and Writing: How to Read, Interpret, and Write about Literature (Parts One and Two) for middle school students – and is an Instructor Access grading services instructor for Introduction to Journalism and the middle school literature analysis courses.

Meet Mrs. Rea

Learn with Mrs. Rea

Check the current LIVE catalog to see Mrs. Rea’s LIVE course offerings and sign up for her courses.

By

Sharon Hamric-Weis, JD

AQUINAS WRITING ADVANTAGE

High School Writing Instructor

Sharon Hamric-Weis, JD

Sharon Hamric-Weis, JD, earned her Bachelor of Science (BS) in Secondary English Education from the  California University of Pennsylvania and taught both middle and high school courses at the Palm Beach  County School system. During her last year of teaching, Mrs. Hamric-Weis converted to the Catholic  Church and was confirmed. Upon her acceptance to the Dickinson School of Law, she and her husband then relocated to her home state of Pennsylvania.

Mrs. Hamric-Weis has her JD degree and practiced law as Assistant Counsel for the Pennsylvania Board of  Probation and Parole. She has been published in the Dickinson Journal of International Law, as well as working as a decision writer for the Pennsylvania Board of Workers’ Compensation. After working in law,  Mrs. Hamric-Weis left her employment to raise her children and homeschool for several years before returning to work as a paraprofessional, teaching and caring for a student with multiple disabilities. She has taught English as a Second Language in a prison setting and is also presently working in the field of mental health. She is happy to be homeschooling her youngest child and teaching writing courses for Homeschool  Connections.

Mrs. Hamric-Weis is teaches Foundational writing courses (9-Series courses, including Punctuation and Grammar, Simplified Writing,  and Paragraphs and Essays courses); Vocabulary and Writing (10-Series courses); and Advanced/College  Preparatory Writing courses (12-Series courses). She also teaches Book to Film courses, analyzing film adaptations of classic stories.

Meet Mrs. Hamric-Weis

Learn with Mrs. Hamric-Weis

Check the current LIVE catalog to see Mrs. Hamric-Weis’s LIVE course offerings and sign up for her courses.