Teaching Staff

Mrs. Hoffman was hired as the Executive Director of Big Pine Academy in the spring of 2007. She is a graduate of Bowling Green State University with a major in Early Childhood Education and Education of the Handicapped. She is also a graduate of the University of Dayton with a Master’s Degree in Administration and Supervision. She was born and raised in New York City, moving to Van Wert, Ohio while she was in high school.

Her husband Rodger is a retired farm implement parts salesman who loves to fish, scuba dive and volunteer in a number of activities at St. Peter Church on Big Pine Key. They have two adult children. Cara lives in Van Wert, Ohio and is a paraprofessional with the Van Wert City Schools. Their son and daughter-in-law Joe and Jaime, live in Columbus, Ohio. In June of 2009 Joe and Jaime welcomed a new baby to their family - Jacob Paul Hoffman. Joe is a UPS driver in the Columbus area and Jaime works as an accountant for The Ohio State University - Go Bucks!

The Hoffman’s moved to the Keys in May of 2007 having vacationed here on numerous occasions. Mrs. Hoffman retired in April of 2007 as the Superintendent of Van Wert City Schools, having spent 19 years as a Special Education Teacher, 5 years as an Elementary Principal and 8 years as a city school superintendent – all in the Van Wert City Schools.

She loves to read, be with children and loves to spend time on the ocean. She also loves being a grandma to Jacob! She is looking forward to another great year at Big Pine Academy.

Mrs. Demarest and her husband Mark have lived in the Keys for the last 6 years. She was born and raised in Texas where she also attended college. She assisted with the VPK program two years ago, and this will be her third year as the teacher of the three-year-old program. She and her husband have five grown children plus their youngest daughter Tori who is a junior and attends Ascension Academy in Texas. Spending time with the children brings her great joy along with living in the Keys with her husband.

Mrs. Strama was raised in the Keys since she was a toddler. After graduating from Marathon High School, she moved to Fort Myers to attend Florida Gulf Coast University where she earned a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. Shortly after graduating, she moved back to the Keys where she was then married. She is excited to be teaching the VPK program for the second year. She really enjoys working with children that are eager to learn.

Mrs. Strama also tutor and keep the books for her husband's business. In her spare time, which is very little, she enjoys spending time with her family, and spending time on the water.

Mrs. Berger grew up around the world as an Air Force brat, settling in Northern California where she attended San Jose State University. After working in the corporate world for a number of years she decided to return to school and obtained her teaching credential from Chapman University. Mrs. Berger has taught a variety of grade levels during the last eleven years and is thrilled to be returning to the kindergarten classroom.

Home is now the Key Deer Refuge where Mrs. Berger lives with her husband, Steve, a ranger for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and two children. Truman and Zoe both attend Big Pine Academy and usually appreciate having their mom so near. The Berger family loves living the Key’s lifestyle and look forward to many more years on Big Pine.

Mrs. Sury moved to the Florida Keys thirteen years ago by way of Pensacola Florida. She graduated from the University of West Florida in 1991 and holds a degree in Elementary Education grades 1-8 and graduate coursework in Special Education grades K-12.

She also holds a certificate in ELL-English Language Learners for all grades. She and her husband live in Sugarloaf Key with their cat Daisy. She enjoys traveling, cooking, snorkeling in our beautiful waters, and most of all working with the great kids here at Big Pine Academy.

Miss Penquite is a graduate of Oklahoma State University, majoring in Elementary Education. She taught 3^rd grade for two years and is now moving to our second grade classroom.

Miss Penquite moved to the Keys a year ago from Oklahoma, to meet up with her long time boyfriend, Mitch who has been living in the Keys and works at Sea Center. She enjoys spending time out on the boat with Mitch and their two dogs, Heidi and Lulu.

Tracy was born and raised in the Keys. After graduating from Marathon High School, she attended the University of Central Florida. Tracy holds a teaching certificate for Elementary Education and ESOL K-12. She is currently working on her Reading endorsement. Tracy has over 7 years experience in regular and multi-age classrooms. She has a son and a daughter. Her son is currently in Pre-K at the Big Pine Academy. Tracy enjoys spending time with her kids and anything that has to do with the ocean.

Mrs. Sizing is a graduate of Penn State University, majoring in Elementary Education including a Kindergarten certification. She has taught school for seventeen years, all but one in Key West. She is happy to be in her second year at Big Pine Academy. Her husband Michael is a supply boat captain in Louisiana for the Oil Industry

They have two sons. Benjamin is in US Army, currently deployed in Iraq. He is married to Nicole with 2 children. Annalisa is now four and Ethan is two and a half. Benjamin's wife and children remain near Ft. Stewart, Georgia Their other son, Nathan, works for a contractor in Pennsylvania and he is married to Joy. Nathan and Joy have two foster children. Justin is three and Dominic is 20 months.

The Sizing's also have three Jack Russell Terriers. Her interests include music, travel, and cooking. She is happy to be a part of her community school here on Big Pine Key.

Kim Thompson was born and raised in the Dutch Caribbean (St. Maarten) and attended college in Antwerp, Belgium. She has been living on Big Pine for 12 years with her husband Pete and their twelve year old son Lee. Reading is by far her favorite pastime and island living is what she loves. She says she has the best job in the world; she gets to spend her whole day among children!

Ms. Megan Oropeza - 6th Grade Teacher

Megan Oropeza was born and raised in Key West and loves living in the Florida Keys. She received her Bachelors Degree from Florida State University and Masters Degree from The University of Florida. She holds a teaching certificate in Elementary Education K-6 and Health Education K-12. She enjoys boating, biking, cooking and spending time with family and friends. She is thrilled to be joining the Big Pine Academy family and is looking forward to getting to know the 6th graders and having an exciting year of learning.

Merlou is a graduate of Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas, with a Bachelor’s degree in English Education and a Master’s Degree in Special Education and Gifted Education. She has eleven years of experience as a teacher of special needs and gifted students.

Merlou moved to the Keys in June of 2007. She resides with her husband Robert Glazer, who is an Associate Research Scientist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, in Marathon. She has two sons, Jake (and wife Katherine), who works as an Intelligence Analyst for the US Army at Ft. Wainwright, AK and Jace, who is currently a student at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS. She also has a four-year-old golden retriever named Zoe.

Mrs. Gerard is a graduate of Florida International University, with a Bachelor’s degree in Special Education. She worked for twenty-two years as a Child Life Specialist at Jackson Memorial Hospital/Children’s Hospital Center in Miami. She was also a Bereavement Facilitator for the last four years of her career. Mrs. Gerard moved to Cudjoe Key in 2001 due to her husband’s job transfer. She lives with her husband and son, Kevin and Marc, respectively. Marc attends FKCC and her daughter, Amanda, is on her way to attend University of South Florida. Mrs. Gerard’s passion is caring for children and their families. She enjoys traveling and shopping!!

Mrs. Hartman and her husband Eugene have lived on Big Pine for over 25 years. She retired as the Business administrator and secretary of the Board of Education after 35 years at Apollo-Ridge School District in Spring Church Pennsylvania. She was a member of the founding board of the Big Pine Neighborhood Charter School from its inception to date. She was appointed Executive Director for the 2006 - 2007 school year, and this year will be her second year to serve as Budget Director.

The Hartman's are very active in Rotary and volunteer throughout the community. Husband Eugene does commercial fishing in his spare time and they reside on Big Pine with their loveable pets and birds. Ms. Hazel is looking forward to another successful and dynamic year at the Big Pine Academy.

Mr. Steve was born and raised in Northern New Jersey until age 15. His family was then transferred to a suburb of Chicago, where Mr. Steve graduated from High School, and attended McHenry County College/Columbia College of Chicago. Mr. Steve moved to the Keys in July 2007 and was employed at Big Pine Academy. This year completes his second year with The Academy, and his favorite part of his day is interacting with the children. Mr. Steve’s family all live in Las Vegas, NV.