Form 1 Instructor

Cindi McFadden lives in Salida with her husband, daughter, and son. Her love for education started when she was in high school, volunteering at a local elementary school in Iowa. She continued on to study elementary education in college in Illinois and taught 5th grade in Northern Virginia and 5th and 7th grade in Colorado. Her growing Christian faith led her to begin homeschooling her daughter for kindergarten and first grade. She began learning about the Charlotte Mason teaching philosophy as a homeschool parent. Cindi feels blessed to have the opportunity to teach 2nd/3rd grade at CPLE alongside the blessing of her children attending the school! Cindi also helps to teach youth programs at her church in Salida, and is involved in a ladies’ Bible Study.

Director of Education

4th-6th grade - Form 2 Instructor

Julie Salazar has homeschooled her four children for more than fifteen years. Three of her children have graduated and gone on to college, and the fourth is currently in his senior year. Julie has led many homeschool co-ops over the years. Most recently, she led a homeschool co-op for high schoolers based on Charlotte Mason’s methods which included literature, writing, Plutarch, Shakespeare, artist, composer, and nature studies. Julie has a passion for reading and especially enjoys reading literature, history, theology, and educational philosophy books. Her interest in educational philosophy led her to the ideas of Charlotte Mason which she has studied extensively through books and online courses. She has applied the methods of Charlotte Mason in her own homeschool and seen great benefits for her children and herself. Julie has a B.A. in music from Colorado Christian University. When she is not reading or teaching, you can find her spending time with her family, singing at church and in the community choir, taking long walks, or paper crafting and journaling. Her heart's desire is for children to see and know God in all the ways he has revealed Himself, through His Word and His world.

Director of Operations

4th-6th grade - Form 2 Instructor

Genevieve Knowlton is a passionate homeschooling mom with over two decades experience using the Charlotte Mason method.  Her two adult children are currently in college. She is a Colorado native and has been back in her home state for five years.  She lived on an island in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years where she and her husband raised and homeschooled their family.  Travel was a regular part of their lives since her husband can work remotely.

Genevieve has taught at several homeschool co-op programs, and dedicated three years as acting co-coordinator for a homeschool co-op with over 90 children, grades K-7 while overseeing nine teachers. She holds a degree in Holistic Whole Foods Nutrition from Bastyr University.  Locally she has had the blessing of working for Young Life and has been involved in their ministry. 

Beyond the classroom, she loves skiing, hiking, knitting, reading, camping and many other outdoor activities.  She is excited about returning to a classroom setting and is committed to fostering an atmosphere where children love to learn.  

Andrea Tapp comes to Summit Academy as a homeschooling mother for the last 11 years. She has been married to Kenneth Tapp for 18 years, and together they have 6 beautiful children ages 14-2.

She received her Bachelor of Science in Family and Consumer Science with an emphasis in Child and Family Studies from Baylor University.

Andrea was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and moved to Waco, Texas to attend Baylor University. She has been working with children in various settings for 20+ years.

Soon after graduating at Baylor she accepted a position at the Jane Justin School in Ft. Worth, Texas, working with children with developmental and learning disabilities. She served here in various capacities, from teaching children in the classroom to serving as the assistant to the Director of Education.

In 2013, shortly after she, her husband, and (first) daughter moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, she accepted a position as the volunteer coordinator at the Laura Dester Children's Center. This was a dear and special place for her to work. She was able to serve the children who were in the custody of DHS by recruiting and training volunteers in the community to come in and love the children while they were in a very sensitive and vital transition in their life.

In 2017, the door of opportunity opened to serve as a childcare coordinator in a large church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Here she was able to oversee and assist teachers in the classrooms as well as work with parents and classroom teachers in collaboration.

Kenny and Andrea chose to homeschool their children from the very beginning of their journey together. It was a desire of both of their hearts to educate their children in the home and to extend their home to children in the community as well. Andrea was introduced to the Charlotte Mason philosophy in a large yet close-knit homeschool community in Tulsa, Oklahoma. These women and families became her closest friends in the first years of their homeschooling journey. It was through them that she was introduced to Charlotte Mason Institute's Alveary. They have used the Alveary since 2018. The teacher and parent resources available through the Alveary, and the incredibly rich feast of books and subjects they offer them in, has been a supportive, fun, and beautiful way to educate their children at home.

In 2020, Kenny and Andrea relocated to Central Colorado. They have loved the opportunities for homeschooling families here. The nature hikes in the beautiful mountains, the majestic "14ers", the Headwaters of the Arkansas River, and the beauty of God's creation have been a perfect place for their family to become rooted and established and call home.

A source of life for Andrea is spending time with her family, and looking for a new nature hike to enjoy. They love the land, being on the land, and taking care of the land. They also have a passion for sustainability and growing their own food, and returning to the "traditional skills". Gardening, stewarding chickens, sheep, and bees are all in their wheelhouse of passions.