Vendor Presentations 2026
How Music Critically Impacts Your Child's Intelligence
I will share how Music Maps the Brain and how it affects all 8 Intelligences. I will share specific research and testimonies on how each Brain center is changed permanently by learning music and will also give specifics on how the method of music instruction is also critical to the magnitude of the changes a child can experience. There will be interactive examples of musical aspects taught in our method and how that is connected to a child's development.
Karra Buller, Director & Education Consultant, Children's Music Academy
I have a Bachelor's Degree in Neurological Psychology and Music. I have taught music in many forms over my 37 years of teaching. I have also homeschooled my own children and helped teach children with developmental, neuro-divergent or learning challenges. I have taught at education conferences and symposiums for the past 7 years on how music education is fundamental to the development of a child mentally, physically and emotionally. We provide holistic and complete music education for children in the Metro area.
I will share how Music Maps the Brain and how it affects all 8 Intelligences. I will share specific research and testimonies on how each Brain center is changed permanently by learning music and will also give specifics on how the method of music instruction is also critical to the magnitude of the changes a child can experience. There will be interactive examples of musical aspects taught in our method and how that is connected to a child's development.
Karra Buller, Director & Education Consultant, Children's Music Academy
I have a Bachelor's Degree in Neurological Psychology and Music. I have taught music in many forms over my 37 years of teaching. I have also homeschooled my own children and helped teach children with developmental, neuro-divergent or learning challenges. I have taught at education conferences and symposiums for the past 7 years on how music education is fundamental to the development of a child mentally, physically and emotionally. We provide holistic and complete music education for children in the Metro area.
Building a Solid Math Foundation-Because Confidence Matters!
Just like a house needs a strong foundation to stand tall, children need a solid base in math
to tackle more complex ideas with confidence. Without a solid foundation, things can start to
crumble. In this session, you’ll learn simple, effective ways to teach math from the ground
up, helping children understand the basics in a way that builds their confidence. When kids
have a solid math foundation, they don’t just get the right answers—they feel empowered to
keep growing, trying, and even enjoying math as they advance to more challenging
concepts.
Kathleen Cotter Clayton, Vice Pesident and Curriculum Developer, RightStart Math
Kathleen Cotter Clayton is the daughter of Dr. Joan A. Cotter, author and creator of the RightStart™ Mathematics program. She is one of the first children to grow up under the RightStart principles. Kathleen has a degree in Home Economics and a minor in Business from the University of Minnesota and has two Masters Degrees from the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. Kathleen and her husband Steve have six adult children and six delightful grandchildren.
Kathleen is currently responsible for curriculum development, marketing, and sales. She travels all across the US and Canada, sharing the RightStart mission of helping children understand, apply, and enjoy mathematics. In her spare time, Kathleen designs and creates quilts and loves to travel all around the world.
Just like a house needs a strong foundation to stand tall, children need a solid base in math
to tackle more complex ideas with confidence. Without a solid foundation, things can start to
crumble. In this session, you’ll learn simple, effective ways to teach math from the ground
up, helping children understand the basics in a way that builds their confidence. When kids
have a solid math foundation, they don’t just get the right answers—they feel empowered to
keep growing, trying, and even enjoying math as they advance to more challenging
concepts.
Kathleen Cotter Clayton, Vice Pesident and Curriculum Developer, RightStart Math
Kathleen Cotter Clayton is the daughter of Dr. Joan A. Cotter, author and creator of the RightStart™ Mathematics program. She is one of the first children to grow up under the RightStart principles. Kathleen has a degree in Home Economics and a minor in Business from the University of Minnesota and has two Masters Degrees from the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. Kathleen and her husband Steve have six adult children and six delightful grandchildren.
Kathleen is currently responsible for curriculum development, marketing, and sales. She travels all across the US and Canada, sharing the RightStart mission of helping children understand, apply, and enjoy mathematics. In her spare time, Kathleen designs and creates quilts and loves to travel all around the world.
It's Not Just for Kids: Catholic Copywork as a Screen-Free Devotional Tool for Families
In this interactive presentation, attendees will revisit the multipurpose benefits of this low-prep and screen-free activity that traditionally has been geared towards children and explore how applying it to Catholic devotions can expand its use to assist teens and adults in their faith as well. Attendees will review the myriad multipurpose benefits of copywork in regular homeschooling practice and discover new ways to integrate it as a beautiful tool into family prayer life for children, teens, and adults.
Emily Dieter, Owner and Product Creator at Tracing Tradition
Although not a homeschooling mom (yet!), Emily is the face behind Tracing Tradition and a stay-at-home mother of four young children who loves creating faith-inspired everyday products that aim to help families build up their domestic church. You can find her unique customizable Catholic prayer dry-erase boards on Etsy and Sacred Anchor Artisans, a new Catholic marketplace, as well as select popular designs on the Catholic Company website.
In this interactive presentation, attendees will revisit the multipurpose benefits of this low-prep and screen-free activity that traditionally has been geared towards children and explore how applying it to Catholic devotions can expand its use to assist teens and adults in their faith as well. Attendees will review the myriad multipurpose benefits of copywork in regular homeschooling practice and discover new ways to integrate it as a beautiful tool into family prayer life for children, teens, and adults.
Emily Dieter, Owner and Product Creator at Tracing Tradition
Although not a homeschooling mom (yet!), Emily is the face behind Tracing Tradition and a stay-at-home mother of four young children who loves creating faith-inspired everyday products that aim to help families build up their domestic church. You can find her unique customizable Catholic prayer dry-erase boards on Etsy and Sacred Anchor Artisans, a new Catholic marketplace, as well as select popular designs on the Catholic Company website.
Saving Our Sons & Daughters
Hear practical strategies to reduce the chances that your child will struggle with pornography. This presentation will explain the science behind pornography's addictive qualities and identify three keys for parents to focus on BEFORE their children encounter pornography for the first time.
Jeremy Rohr, Founder, Freedom to Love
Jeremy has worked and volunteered in youth ministry for over 25 years. He and his wife Cindy have been leading a retreat at their parish since 2007 to share practical applications of Saint John Paul II’s Theology of the Body with couples preparing for marriage. They are also Certified Catholic Life Coaches.
Jeremy provides one on one coaching with men to help them learn to live free of pornography. He developed the FREE OUR SONS course to equip fathers and other men to help young men to live free of pornography.
Hear practical strategies to reduce the chances that your child will struggle with pornography. This presentation will explain the science behind pornography's addictive qualities and identify three keys for parents to focus on BEFORE their children encounter pornography for the first time.
Jeremy Rohr, Founder, Freedom to Love
Jeremy has worked and volunteered in youth ministry for over 25 years. He and his wife Cindy have been leading a retreat at their parish since 2007 to share practical applications of Saint John Paul II’s Theology of the Body with couples preparing for marriage. They are also Certified Catholic Life Coaches.
Jeremy provides one on one coaching with men to help them learn to live free of pornography. He developed the FREE OUR SONS course to equip fathers and other men to help young men to live free of pornography.
Mission as Essential to Mature Discipleship
Missionary vocation is an essential indication of mature discipleship. The grace of this vocation begins with Baptism. So, can a child be a missionary? The answer is yes. Find out how to engage this calling with the Pontifical Mission Society of the Missionary Childhood Association.
E. Jona Winkelman, S.T.L., Mission Education Coordinator, Missionary Childhood Assocation, Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Jona is the representative for the Missionary Childhood Association, one of The Pontifical Mission Societies. She has been an educator teaching in college, high school, elementary school, and homeschool specializing in charisms and the extraordinary graces of the Holy Spirit. She now works to encourage mission education in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
Missionary vocation is an essential indication of mature discipleship. The grace of this vocation begins with Baptism. So, can a child be a missionary? The answer is yes. Find out how to engage this calling with the Pontifical Mission Society of the Missionary Childhood Association.
E. Jona Winkelman, S.T.L., Mission Education Coordinator, Missionary Childhood Assocation, Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Jona is the representative for the Missionary Childhood Association, one of The Pontifical Mission Societies. She has been an educator teaching in college, high school, elementary school, and homeschool specializing in charisms and the extraordinary graces of the Holy Spirit. She now works to encourage mission education in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
Plotting the Young Writer's Path
Ellen Finnigan will present five, very basic frameworks through which parents can view the craft of writing and better understand a young writer’s development. Parents of middle school and high school students will be able to use these frameworks to ensure consistent progress and steady growth when designing a course of study for their students.
Ellen Finnigan, Independent Educator
Ms. Finnigan has been teaching writing online to homeschooled students, in one form or another, since 2008. She taught in the English and Literature department at Kolbe Academy for nine years (2013-2022) and now teaches independently through her own company, Teach to the Text. She has a B.A. in English from Boston College and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Montana.
Ellen Finnigan will present five, very basic frameworks through which parents can view the craft of writing and better understand a young writer’s development. Parents of middle school and high school students will be able to use these frameworks to ensure consistent progress and steady growth when designing a course of study for their students.
Ellen Finnigan, Independent Educator
Ms. Finnigan has been teaching writing online to homeschooled students, in one form or another, since 2008. She taught in the English and Literature department at Kolbe Academy for nine years (2013-2022) and now teaches independently through her own company, Teach to the Text. She has a B.A. in English from Boston College and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Montana.
Classical Education on Screens?
The use of technology in education is one of the main concerns of our current moment. With the Internet and social media sapping us of authenticity and depth, screen time on the rise, and growing sense of anxiety over the overuse of technology, we may ask if there's any good that can come out of online schooling. How can we use technology to help our kids responsibly and fruitfully grow in knowledge, virtue, connection, and discipline? This session will cover the lessons learned over the last seven years of teaching for an online academy.
Zachary Krueger, Humanities Teacher and Dean of Discipline for Oxrose Academy
Zach is a father and homeschooler of six children. He served as a missionary in FOCUS for five years (mainly in the southeastern United States) and worked in various church roles in the Diocese of Sioux Falls, SD for the last eight years. He has taught online for Oxrose Academy for the last seven years, and taught for a brick and mortar Catholic school in Sioux Falls for four.
The use of technology in education is one of the main concerns of our current moment. With the Internet and social media sapping us of authenticity and depth, screen time on the rise, and growing sense of anxiety over the overuse of technology, we may ask if there's any good that can come out of online schooling. How can we use technology to help our kids responsibly and fruitfully grow in knowledge, virtue, connection, and discipline? This session will cover the lessons learned over the last seven years of teaching for an online academy.
Zachary Krueger, Humanities Teacher and Dean of Discipline for Oxrose Academy
Zach is a father and homeschooler of six children. He served as a missionary in FOCUS for five years (mainly in the southeastern United States) and worked in various church roles in the Diocese of Sioux Falls, SD for the last eight years. He has taught online for Oxrose Academy for the last seven years, and taught for a brick and mortar Catholic school in Sioux Falls for four.
Who Are the Knights of Columbus?
A history of the Knights of the Columbus, what we do today, and why you should be a member.
Andrew Poole & David Goedtke
Bother Andrew and Poole homeschooled their children, David was a Catholic school band teacher
A history of the Knights of the Columbus, what we do today, and why you should be a member.
Andrew Poole & David Goedtke
Bother Andrew and Poole homeschooled their children, David was a Catholic school band teacher
Post-High School Options
Are you exploring post-high school options for your homeschool student? Discover practical, affordable pathways to a successful career through PSEO, technical education, and strategic college planning. Join us to learn how your student can graduate with little to no debt and step into a meaningful career. You will learn how students can earn tuition-free college credits in high school. Explore hands-on learning in fields like welding, nursing, IT, and manufacturing and identify the benefits of community college, transfer opportunities, and careers that require only an associate degree or technical certification.
Jenifer Rancour, Admissions Specialist at Pine Technical & Community College
Jen is a dedicated educator with over 20 years of experience across various community sectors. Currently serving as the PSEO & Undergrad Admissions Specialist at Pine Technical & Community College, she has spent the last decade making significant contributions to higher education. Jen is passionate about helping students navigate their educational journeys and achieve their academic goals. Her extensive background in education allows her to connect with students from diverse backgrounds and provide personalized support.
Are you exploring post-high school options for your homeschool student? Discover practical, affordable pathways to a successful career through PSEO, technical education, and strategic college planning. Join us to learn how your student can graduate with little to no debt and step into a meaningful career. You will learn how students can earn tuition-free college credits in high school. Explore hands-on learning in fields like welding, nursing, IT, and manufacturing and identify the benefits of community college, transfer opportunities, and careers that require only an associate degree or technical certification.
Jenifer Rancour, Admissions Specialist at Pine Technical & Community College
Jen is a dedicated educator with over 20 years of experience across various community sectors. Currently serving as the PSEO & Undergrad Admissions Specialist at Pine Technical & Community College, she has spent the last decade making significant contributions to higher education. Jen is passionate about helping students navigate their educational journeys and achieve their academic goals. Her extensive background in education allows her to connect with students from diverse backgrounds and provide personalized support.
How To Teach Music When You're Not Musical
In this workshop, we will explore why music education is important, what elementary music instruction looks like, and how everyone can teach music with the curriculum "How To Teach Music When You're Not Musical: Lesson Plans, Ideas, and Resources for the Elementary Homeschool."
Stacy Saxton, Music is Forever
Stacy Saxton is a homeschooling veteran with a BA in Music Education and 40 years experience teaching music. She home educated her two children through high school as a widowed single mom while teaching music privately and in a local Christian school. After her children graduated, she saw a need for a relevant, inexpensive, truly elementary music curriculum that everyone could use, so she used her experience and gifts in teaching to create the curriculum to fill that need. If she had any spare time between students, Stacy would enjoy researching brain and body health, spinning, crocheting, sewing, hiking, and spending time with her four grandchildren and two children.
In this workshop, we will explore why music education is important, what elementary music instruction looks like, and how everyone can teach music with the curriculum "How To Teach Music When You're Not Musical: Lesson Plans, Ideas, and Resources for the Elementary Homeschool."
Stacy Saxton, Music is Forever
Stacy Saxton is a homeschooling veteran with a BA in Music Education and 40 years experience teaching music. She home educated her two children through high school as a widowed single mom while teaching music privately and in a local Christian school. After her children graduated, she saw a need for a relevant, inexpensive, truly elementary music curriculum that everyone could use, so she used her experience and gifts in teaching to create the curriculum to fill that need. If she had any spare time between students, Stacy would enjoy researching brain and body health, spinning, crocheting, sewing, hiking, and spending time with her four grandchildren and two children.
