Meet The PHC Leadership Team And Areas Of Responsibilities
Steering Committee Members: See Policies and Procedures for qualifications
Vicki Montgomery, Suzy Brice, Denise Stanton, Stephanie Forthofer, Valerie Barr, & Wendy McFarland
Advisory Team Members:
Joy Padgett
Vicki Montgomery
PHC Responsibilities: Membership Applications, Leadership Preparation, Church Liaison, Email Coordinator, Monthly Meeting Organizer, Homeschool Inquiries, Graduation/Promotion, Budget Oversight, Facebook Admin
Vicki and Stuart have been married for 36 years and have been in South Florida since 1994. As“retired” homeschoolers, they are proud parents of Cullen and his beautiful wife, Sydney, and enamored grandparents of Raylan, Grant, Kalea and Patton with number 5 due soon, and their youngest son, Carson and his beautiful wife, Emily who are expecting their first baby in January. Both families work and live in the area which is a glorious blessing. Vicki has been in leadership of Parkridge Homeschoolers since its inception in August 2001. Learning and serving with homeschool families has been a ministry highlight and a catalyst for her personal and spiritual growth throughout the years. They have been serving at Parkridge since February of 1995. Life is busy with church activities, grandparenting, transitions for their parents, health education and work. Their family is active in leadership and worship ministry at Parkridge.
If I could give one piece of advice to another homeschooler it would be…Through 19 years of homeschooling I learned many things about myself as well as my children. I learned that much of what I thought about education, homeschooling and parenting, for that matter, in general was a bit narrow minded or presumptuous. I have learned, sometimes painfully, that this whole journey was not about what I had planned and prepared but about what God had in store for our family. Flexibility, flexibility, flexibility, and more flexibility are critical. Be open to new plans as God leads and daily turn your efforts over to Him. After all, except the Lord builds the house (or homeschool) they labor in vain that build it. (Psalms 127:1)
To keep myself from giving up and throwing in the towel I … joined with other moms to do in-home co-op classes with my boys. We met once a week and each mom took turns teaching. I learned so much from those moms and our families are “lifer” friends that I treasure. Being a part of that small group of brilliant, Jesus loving families carried me through some pretty dark times. Many times, I cried just knowing that I was ruining my children. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure I did…but God had a grand plan and He was merciful and faithful to mold Cullen and Carson and grow them in Him. He continues to grow them and it is such a blessing to be moving into this season of life as grandparents, watching our sons honor God with their lives as adults. God was also faithful to carry me through those feelings of inadequacy and remind me that it was all about Him and not me and my fears and worries. I was also blessed with a husband who is intentional about keeping Christ our priority. That unity of purpose was such an important factor in our family even when I had that towel ready to launch! In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight. Proverbs 3:6
Contact at: gofish77@bellsouth.net
Suzy Brice 
PHC Responsibilities: Homeschool Calendar, FPEA Membership, PHC Events
Suzy has served on the steering committee since 2007. She’s a fourth-generation native Floridian, born and raised in Miami. She and her husband Bob have been married for 31 years. He is retired from the construction industry and owns a small lock & security company. They have 3 adult children, George, Savannah, and Bobby. They homeschooled for 20 years and have been members of Parkridge Church for 25 years. Suzy enjoys gardening, tea with girlfriends, and family cookouts by the pool.
A Word of encouragement:
Time spent with our kids is precious and it goes by so fast! Ours are grown now and I wish I could do it all over again…I genuinely mean that. My memories of homeschooling our three children are so dearly treasured. My advice: no matter how old they are, keep the finish line continuously in the forefront of your mind. Whether you finish with homeschooling or brick & mortar, ask yourself “What kind of person do I want my child to be when school is done? How am I preparing him/her right now, regardless what age, to leave home and fulfil the purpose God has for their life?” We can easily get caught up with subject overload and time-consuming extra curricular activities. But Proverbs 8:32-36 tells us those who learn His ways, follow His commands and choose to listen to His instruction will be BLESSED, WISE, given LIFE and FAVOR by The Lord. This is exactly our end goal and how we want to send our children out into the world. Be intentional. Make Bible time and character building the paramount of your day. Everything else will fall into place. Keep doing a great job mom & dad!!
Contact at: SuzyBrice@aol.com
Denise Stanton
PHC Responsibilities: Hospitality Coordinator, HEF Coordinator, New Member Welcome
Native south Floridians and Seminole fans Denise and Brian have been married for 25 years. Their active family includes three girls, one boy, and 2 dogs. Remington is a happy chocolate Labradoodle who loves fetching tennis balls, and the newest addition is Buddy, a lively Bluetick Coonhound puppy who loves to annoy Remington. Hiking and exploring in the North Georgia mountains, or playing in the FL Keys are their favorite ways to spend vacation time. This is their 14th year homeschooling. Morgan (18) loves track & field, running, reading, and playing/watching football. She is a freshman at Carson-Newman University in Tennessee. Miranda (16) is blessed with a beautiful singing voice, has a love of reading, and enjoys playing volleyball and throwing (track & field) for the HEAT teams. Jackson (13) enjoys fishing and shooting, playing legos with his sisters, and all kinds of sports, including track & field, tennis, and golf, and football. Rainaglory (11) can often be found either reading, painting, or playing outside, and is especially happy when she’s hunting/catching frogs, salamanders, and crawfish.
If I could give one piece of advice to a new homeschooler it would be……. Don't expect your child/children to learn in exactly the same way or at the same rate as their siblings or your friend's children. Do NOT compare them to others. They're each unique and learn in their own way and time. That is the beauty of homeschooling--you can tailor your teaching to each child individually.
To keep myself from giving up and throwing in the towel,....I consider that if I put them in school, they would spend the majority of their waking hours with people who don't love them, don't care about their uniqueness, and most likely have a very different worldview than I do.
Contact at: deniseostanton@yahoo.com
Stephanie Forthofer
PHC Responsibilities: Website Administrator (Registration), Schedule Monthly Meeting Volunteers (Set Up, Sign In Hostess, and Cleanup), Volunteer Responsibilites for Members
Stephanie is married to her high school sweetheart Stephen . They have 3 daughters Madison (20), Abigail (18), and Lily Grace (13). Parkridge has been her home church for over 20 years and she has been homeschooling for 14 years so far. Stephanie and Stephen both serve at Parkridge Church with the Student/Youth ministry.
If I could give one piece of advice to another homeschooler it would be....Do not try to do everything. Do try and have a schedule. We started our homeschool journey full of events and groups but when we finally heeded others advice and cut some things out, our days went smoother. Not perfect but better. "Commit your plans to the Lord, and they will succeed." Proverbs 16:3
Homeschool prayer-- "Lord help me to prepare my girls for life, not only with academics, but also with a clear understanding of Your truths and will will for their lives. Amen"
To keep myself from giving up and throwing in the towel I...Talk to other homeschool moms. Veteran homeschool moms give great advice.
Contact at: stephanie40pch@yahoo.com
Valerie Barr
PHC Responsibilities: Website Administrator (Calendar, Links, Pages), Field Trip Coordinator
Valerie is a native Floridian, born and raised in Sarasota. She and her husband, Steve, have been married for 21 years. They have 2 children, Abbey (18 years old) and Aiden (16 years old). They have been homeschooling for 10 years and recently graduated their first homeschool student in 2024. Both kids are avid readers and black belts in karate. As a family, they love to play games, travel together and spend time outdoors. They are also very involved in church activities at Parkridge, where Valerie serves as a vocalist on the worship team and works part time as a Financial Assistant for the church.
If I could give one piece of advice to a new homeschooler it would be….Don’t give up! Some days will be hard and you will want to wave down that school bus as it drives by, but just know that days like this are normal and part of the growth process for all of you. Learn from those days and pray that God will show you how to navigate them with grace and diligence as they come. My other piece of advice would be to resist the temptation to OVERSCHEDULE! This trap is so easy to fall into with all of the amazing opportunities afforded to homeschoolers here in South Florida, but this can lead to more of those “school bus” days as the entire family becomes frantic just trying to keep up. Select a few things to try and as you choose another, be sure to give one up. Do yourself a favor and ward off the “Beast of Busyness.”
To keep myself from giving up and throwing in the towel, I... try to remember that God called me to this (VERY clearly) and that He will equip those He calls. Oftentimes, in the busyness, we forget to keep our connection with God through prayer and His Word. When I take the time for those two things, I have far fewer “throw in the towel” moments because He reminds me and encourages me through the time I spend with Him. I am guilty of letting that time go far too often, but when I make it a priority, things definitely fall into place. (I am going to come back and read this every week so that I can heed my own advice!)
Contact at: vbarr020103@gmail.com
Joy J Padgett
PHC Responsibilities: Yearbook Chief Editor, School Pictures, Facebook Admin
Joy was born on the beautiful island of Anguilla. She moved to the Bronx, New York at six years old with her parents and two siblings. Joy moved to Florida in 2004. She has been married to her husband, Larry, for 15 years. They have two boys, Lucas 14, and Evan 10. Joy has an older daughter as well. She has been homeschooling for 11 years. She loves cooking and photography.
If I could give one piece of advice to a new homeschooler it would be… To not compare yourself to another homeschool family. Each child is different, each Mom is different. Be happy in your homeschool journey as it is.
To keep myself from giving up and throwing in the towel… I remember that God has put me in this position to teach my children. To teach them to love others and to love Him and Jesus. To teach my kids a biblical worldview. “A Christian worldview means all things begin with and end with His glory” – Leigh Bortins
Contact at: jorichard1976@gmail.com
Wendy McFarland
PHC Responsibilities: Treasurer, Administrative Secretary
If I could give one piece of advice to another homeschooler it would be... It's going to be okay. You can do this! Keep CHRIST at the center of your homeschool day and the rest will fall into place. When you're having a rough day, STOP, spend some time in prayer. He will bring you back to where you need to be.
To keep myself from giving up and throwing in the towel...I have three relationships I count on. Christ, my husband, and one of my closest friends that is also a homeschool mom. When I'm having a rough day, I turn to Christ in prayer, my husband for support, and my friend that is also a homeschool mom to listen, relate and give me advice. My two best friends that I've known since I was a kid do not homeschool; therefore, they cannot relate to a lot of my struggles. Homeschool moms need each other!
Contact at: mcfarland4homeschoolers@gmail.com