Enrollment for the 2025-2026 School Year is now open!

About

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To educate kids and grow their mission-mindedness through service.

About us

We believe in shaping young minds while inspiring them to serve with purpose and compassion. Through Christ-centered learning and meaningful service opportunities, we help raise mission-minded kids equipped to make a difference in their communities and beyond.

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Reasons to Choose Us

About us

  • Administration has years of experience in educating children of all ages and learning styles and we are here to partner with you.
  • We are centrally located at Sycamore Presbyterian Church, which offers a community playground and a public library across the street for parents wishing to stick around with smaller kids in tow.
  • We are a grass roots start up after seeing such a huge need in our community for more co-op options, get in while there is still room as we grow.
  • Our desire is not only to educate the kids but to grow their “mission mindedness” with multiple opportunities during the year to serve our local community and beyond.
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2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR

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Our Staff

Meet the dedicated and passionate team who form the heart of Hope Academy, bringing our unique vision of family focused, student-driven learning to life every day.

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Staff Member

Erin Owensby

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Erin Owensby
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Program Co-Director and Teacher

Joy Moody

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Joy Moody
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Staff Member

Kristin Brown

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Kristin Brown
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Program Co-Director and Teacher

Kristy Wilson

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Kristy Wilson
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Staff Member

Sharon Pond

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Sharon Pond
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Staff Member

Sonya Zapata

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Sonya Zapata
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Mission Statement

Equipping the next generation to anchor themselves to the HOPE of Christ Jesus by teaching them to love the Lord with all their hearts, souls and MINDS.

Statement of Faith & Hope Handbook

This is our foundation of beliefs on which Hope Academy is based. They are also the key elements of Protestant Christianity that will be unapologetically taught in various ways through all grade levels.

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Why Hope Academy?

Hope Academy is looking to serve homeschool families in our area with engaging classes and fun activities to help supplement your educational needs. We would love to have you join us.

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Erin Owensby
Erin Owensby

Erin Owensby

Staff Member

Erin Owensby has lived in Chesterfield VA since 2015, but she will always identify as a Tennessean at heart. She’s been married to her husband for 25 years, and together they have 7 children. As a twin herself, Erin truly expected every pregnancy to be a twin, yet every baby was a single pregnancy no matter how large her belly got!

Her family has been in ministry from the beginning of its establishment with their most recent endeavor being a network of small churches in the RVA area started in 2018. Erin had the joy and privilege of being a stay-at-home mom for most of her parenting years, and only since her oldest graduated high school did she start her own tutoring services in the Chesterfield area. God has truly blessed this opportunity, and she carries a full schedule of students while also homeschooling her 4 remaining children. Her children have been educated through homeschool, public school, and private school depending on the needs of their family at the time, but they have settled into homeschooling with no plans to turn back now.

Erin will be teaching the math supplementary class and using many of the tools, tips, and tricks she teaches in her tutoring program. Expect a very hands on, lightbulb moments kind of class, with songs, chants, and repetition to help solidify these learning skills in each child’s mind. This class will not replace your math curriculum at home, but it will give your child greater capacity to catch on to the math you do with them at home.

Joy Moody
Joy Moody

Joy Moody

Program Co-Director and Teacher

Joy Moody is a native to Chesterfield County. After graduating Manchester High School she attended Virginia Commonwealth University where she earned a degree in Exercise Science.

She taught middle school at Salem Church Middle while also working in the fitness world. When her oldest daughter was born, she stopped teaching school to stay at home. She continued to work part time in the fitness industry teaching all kinds of classes. As time went on and her family grew, Joy and her husband, Greg, began to consider how to educate their 3 daughters.

The Lord placed a tug of homeschooling on their hearts. They said yes and began their homeschool adventure. This was an exciting calling as Joy has always had a passion for teaching. After many years as a homeschool mom, the journey has taken her places she never imagined. Joy has lived in Zurich, Switzerland where her family was able to develop a broader love of history, God’s creation and His love for people. They have traveled to many places and love learning about new cultures but have cemented in their hearts that there really is no place like home. Even after many years of homeschooling, Joy still gets excited thinking about how to make classes fun, interactive and memorable. She loves students of all ages and has had the enormous privilege of teaching at local co-ops. In her spare time, Joy loves to exercise, cooking, shopping with her 3 daughters and cannot have a day go by without playing fetch with her very happy goldendoodles.

Kristin Brown
Kristin Brown

Kristin Brown

Staff Member

Hi, I’m a homeschool tutor with a degree in Education and an emphasis in Exercise Science from Virginia Tech. I grew up in the mountains of Virginia, lived in Arizona and North Carolina, and have called Chesterfield home since 2005. I’m also a wife of 28 years and a proud mom to two grown daughters who are now thriving in their own careers.

Homeschooling has been a part of my life for decades—long before I had children of my own. With nieces and nephews who were homeschooled starting in the mid-90s, I was drawn to the unique flexibility and depth it offers. I began attending homeschool conferences early on, and when my own children were young, we developed a neighborhood preschool co-op with two other moms. That experience led me to join a local homeschool co-op, where I later served as a tutor.

My teaching philosophy is simple: make learning fun and meaningful. I believe students retain more when they’re actively involved—when they come prepared and can engage with hands-on activities that reinforce key concepts. Whether I’m working with a group or one-on-one, my goal is to create an encouraging environment that sparks curiosity and builds confidence.

If you’re looking for a tutor who understands both the structure and the freedom of homeschooling—and who loves helping students truly connect with what they’re learning—I would love to partner in your homeschool journey!

Kristy Wilson
Kristy Wilson

Kristy Wilson

Program Co-Director and Teacher

Kristy was born and raised in Southern California, and moved to Midlothian VA in 2016. She has had a rewarding career as Psychiatric Nurse, working in both state and private hospitals and residential treatment centers. Kristy has a passion to serve those who are generally underserved, both adult and adolescent. She found the work challenging and rewarding. In 2006 she and her husband, Gary, welcomed their first set of twins. She set aside her career to fulfill her dream of being a stay-at-home-mom. Just twenty-six months later, their second set of twins were born. Then, surprise, seven years later, their 5th child was born and she was the best blessing the family never knew they needed.

Throughout the years Kristy has had experience in both private and public schools, and had the opportunity to homeschool on both the West and East Coast. After moving to VA the kids attended public school, and Kristy found herself co-leading an IEP/504 parent support group as she was finding ways to support their own children’s needs. She is a staunch advocate for special education and helping parents find ways to support their own children’s journey.

Knowing this was not the place to provide the support or education they wanted for the family, they rejoined the homeschool world and haven’t looked back. And given the option, all of Kristy’s children have chosen to homeschool.

Kristy has been involved in various Co-Ops in the area, in teaching, leadership and as the Assistant Director. Kristy loves all things art, design, fashion and anything creative. She loves getting her hands dirty from chalk pastels to refinishing furniture. Kristy is so excited to bring ‘all of the creative’ things to Hope Academy. With her passion for leadership, it is also her greatest desire to create a gospel centered community of families who want to be on the forefront of their own education, and strive to be around others that can support and build each other up.

Sharon Pond
Sharon Pond

Sharon Pond

Staff Member

My name is Sharon Pond. I’m a wife and homeschool mom who loves Jesus, gardening, baking, my pets, and Sudoku. God has blessed my husband and I with four children. They have all been exclusively homeschooled. We currently have a son in graduate school, a college junior, a high school junior, and a 4th grader who keeps us young! I’ve taught in public, private, and homeschool settings for over 30 years. I love working with students. My favorite things about teaching are helping a student to believe in themself and getting a class excited about foreign language.

Sonya Zapata
Sonya Zapata

Sonya Zapata

Staff Member

Sonya was born and raised in Texas. She attended a court reporting trade school where she learned shorthand stenography.

She moved to Richmond, Virginia in 2014 when her husband was offered a position as a Freelance Court Reporter. Soon after moving to Richmond, Sonya and her husband found out they were expecting their first child. In 2018, they welcomed their second daughter.

Sonya and her husband have enjoyed life in Virginia and call it home. Sonya has worked from home as a CART Captioner (Communication Access Realtime Translation) where she would provide captioning to students who are deaf or hard of hearing via virtual platforms nationwide. Which has helped her fulfill her dream of being a stay-at-home mom. Sonya also provides bilingual interpretation services.

Additionally, Sonya works at a Preschool where she teaches a 3’s class. She has so much fun and loves it when she gets to dress up for holidays and special school events! She loves interacting with the children and truly believes in the importance of letting a child still be a child as they continue to grow and learn. Sonya loves music, nature, going on walks, and loves watching TV with her family.

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