Mrs. Debbie Babcock
Mrs. Babcock tutors students in Math (Logic II) and Grammar/Writing at Unitas. After earning her Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education, she taught 3rd Grade for several years. Debbie has over 20 years of homeschooling experience, during which she and her husband, Nathan, have homeschooled their five children. Debbie has also tutored in various homeschool groups, including Classical Conversations. She was a Co-Founder of Renaissance Classical Tutorial and has been a Supervisor for Mt. Oak Homeschool Umbrella since 2012. In 2019, her daughter, Lillie, began attending Unitas, where Debbie has served regularly as a substitute tutor. Debbie enjoys spending time with her family, scrapbooking, reading, and traveling. She is a member of Grace Baptist Church in Bowie and is grateful for the opportunities she has had to serve the Lord there alongside her family.
Mrs. Beth Fariss
Originally from Southern California, Beth has lived in the DC area since her husband Mike’s job brought them to the area in 2010. Beth has been educating students for many years, including homeschooling all three of her children beginning in 2000 until her youngest son graduated from High School in 2021. Over the years Beth has also taught in various homeschool co-ops and worked in the preschool program connected to Bible Study Fellowship. Beth taught as a lead Pre-K 3 teacher at Capitol Hill Learning Group 2021-2022. Beth enjoys working with young children because they love to learn and always say the funniest things. She is passionate about good children’s literature and loves reading aloud to her class. Beth attends Capitol Hill Baptist Church and in her free time she likes to read, go the beach, and cuddle with her cat Oreo who thinks he’s a dog (he plays fetch)!
Mrs. Jana Kurth
Jana is our Grammar II tutor. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in music education (BME) in 2003 from Heidelberg University and spent over 10 years teaching music in both public and private schools. Jana enjoys teaching private piano and voice and has almost 20 years of experience instructing young musicians. She has devoted herself to raising her three children and loves how homeschool fits into her busy family schedule. When she’s not chasing her children around she enjoys crafts, cooking, cleaning out closets, and time alone meditating on God’s Word.
Mrs. Shannon Leeman
Shannon is our kindergarten tutor. Her BS in biblical counseling comes from Boyce College. Her four daughters all enjoyed a Unitas education through six years of homeschooling. Shannon then spent five years teaching kindergarten and first and second grade at Rockbridge Academy, and she is certified in the Phono-Graphix reading method. Teaching younger children math and reading is a particular joy. Yet she loves bringing the gospel into all her instruction. Shannon loves to cook, organize, and spend time with family and friends. She is a member of Cheverly Baptist Church where she serves alongside her husband, Jonathan.
Dr. Nicole Maddock
Nicole Maddock is blessed to teach Grammar Three through Five History and Grammar Six World Geography. She has a Bachelor of Arts from Western Michigan University and her Juris Doctor from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She has been a criminal law attorney and college law instructor. She has been married to her husband, Erik, since 2010. Her passion is seeing God's sovereignty in both the macro of world history and governments but also the micro of believer's lives. She has two boys also at Unitas and is always up for a history field trip. When she can squeeze it in, she also volunteers for an 18th century living history organization in Maryland.
Mrs. Jocelyn Mathews
Jocelyn tutors our Grammar III-VI Science classes. She received a Bachelor’s Degree at Duke University and a Master’s of Education Degree from Loyola University. She has previously worked at her church in their Children’s Ministry and at another local Christian school in their Educational Support Department. She has served at her church in various capacities over the years from coordinating a Women’s Quiet Retreat to serving as a preschool teacher. Jocelyn has also had the joy of being a leader in Bible Study Fellowship since 2015. She and her husband, Rich, live in
Annapolis and have three teenage and young adult children.
Mrs. Katie Mazza-Curtis
Katie is our Science Tutor for Logic I and II. She has a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from the University of Maryland, College Park and has six years of experience teaching middle school students in multiple subjects. She previously held advanced teaching certifications in elementary education and middle school science and math as well as holds a Masters of Education in Educational Leadership from Salisbury University. Katie greatly appreciates the opportunity to be a home school educator and to be a part of the Unitas community. She also enjoys spending time with her family gardening, reading, taking walks, crafting, and skiing as well as volunteering at her church with the children's ministry.
Mrs. Denise Rubin
Denise “discovered” Classical Christian Education when she was looking for a program to enrich her son’s education. The curriculum that was being used by a private Christian school, that her son Sean was attending and that she co-founded, was not challenging Sean or the other older students. Armed with articles by and conversations with Classical Christian Educators, she first convinced the Board to allow her to teach Latin. Backed by more articles, she continued to laud the Trivium, the Great Books, teaching History chronologically, and a curriculum that integrates all subjects. By the end of that first school year, the Board agreed to go Classical if she would train the staff and become the Curriculum Director and Advisor. Of course, she said yes! Looking back, Denise can clearly see the Lord’s Hand guiding her all the way. Before her son was born, she studied Education and Art History and earned her Masters in Nursery, Early, and Elementary Education, from Hunter College in New York City. She is certified in Education, Grades 1-6 and Visual Arts, K-12 in New York State. She believes that applying the Trivium is the best way to teach children because the Lord designed us to have specific traits or abilities at particular times in our young lives. The Trivium takes advantage of the child’s cognitive development at each of those stages. She homeschooled her son, Sean in High School, and he flourished with Classical Education. Denise has been teaching Latin on and off since 1999, when she first “convinced” the Board to allow her to teach it. She is extremely blessed to be back at Unitas teaching Latin again!! Denise is very passionate about the Lord and His Word, her husband, David, her son, Sean, his wife Lucy, their two young boys, and their Australian Shepherd puppy, Dax. She is also passionate about Classical Education. Her favorite things to do are to teach, visit Art museums and NYC (from Thanksgiving until Christmas), take wakes in the woods-especially in Autumn, bake scones, biscotti, and all kinds of cookies – particularly chocolate chip cookies for her students when they take their Quarter Tests.
Mr. Chris Spano
Chris Spano graduated from Wheaton College (IL) with a B.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies. He also graduated from the Wheaton College Graduate School with an M.A. in Biblical Exegesis and an M.A. in Theology. Currently Chris serves as the Senior Pastor of Trinity Community Church in Bowie, MD. He is also blessed to help his wife teach their four homeschooled children, to coach youth sports, and to teach at workshops on BIblical exposition for The Charles Simeon Trust.
Mrs. Lauren Spano
Lauren Spano is wife to Chris and mom to four kids (ages 10-15). After graduating from Wheaton College, she taught two years in classical Christian schools in Illinois. Since moving to MD, she has homeschooled classically at home and in homeschool co-ops for ten years and is excited to join the Unitas family. Lauren loves the color purple and enjoys reading, especially anything by Charles Dickens.
Mrs. Katie Wetherbee
Katie is our Math tutor for Grammar III through Logic I. She received a Bachelor's in Exercise Science from Towson University in 2006, and married Daniel a few weeks later. Before having children, she started a small, in-home personal training business called Bee Fit Personal Training. While she does still train a few clients, most of her time now is spent homeschooling her three children. She began the classical homeschooling journey when her oldest was 4 years old, and she has never looked back! She is immensely grateful for her husband's support in this homeschool journey, for the flexibility that homeschooling brings, and especially for the precious time at home with her quickly growing children. When she isn't spending time with her husband and children, she loves to read, work out, sing with the worship team at church, and learn more about homeopathic and nourishing, traditional ways to feed and keep her family healthy.
Mrs. Trina Young
Trina tutors our Logic I & II (7th & 8th grades) classes in our Logic courses both formal and informal. She has over a decade of experience with Unitas. She has a diploma in Bible Theology from the Moody Bible Institute. She is the mother of three children. Trina’s other passion is teaching a Body and Soul aerobics class.