Welcome to Empowered Online Academy!
Thank you to all the great people who have passed through our 'halls'!
A fresh approach to "school", recognizing that our Creator wove each of His children together uniquely, & that each of us has different gifts & talents to share with each other. Children learn from each other; teachers encourage & guide; we all work as a team to design an education incomparable to any other.
We believe that children should take control of their own learning, by discovering their learning styles, trying new things, and exploring hobbies.
We empower our kids by giving them the platform to express their voices.
At the end of the day, we want our children to discover who they are in Christ, & live their lives...Empowered!
We believe that children should take control of their own learning, by discovering their learning styles, trying new things, and exploring hobbies.
We empower our kids by giving them the platform to express their voices.
At the end of the day, we want our children to discover who they are in Christ, & live their lives...Empowered!
In 2017, Empowered Online Academy set out to bless homeschool families by offering a wide variety of online courses, free of charge. Children, teens, and adults have taught their passions and talents, & kids from all over the world have been blessed by this ministry. I am so, so grateful to the Lord for the wisdom we have shared, the friendships that have been made, and the education that has been provided. Most of all, I am thankful for the fire that has been lit in so many homeschool families… a love of learning that will live on!!
Lynnette Soh—You were my level head, my brilliant genius, and my go-to person for every detail, from the very beginning.
Too many teachers to count— You stepped up to the plate, wrote lesson plans, prepared classes, and blessed our students week after week.
My own four children--
You trained teachers, planned classes, corresponded with parents, taught classes, met with kids outside of class time, tutored, helped Mom with tech problems. Joshua- You handled every detail of the website & class registration, year after year. Tatum—You taught countless classes, blessed us with your art, & helped me hold everything together when things got tough. Talia—You taught more classes & made more friends than I ever imagined, & even used your skills from EOA to begin Level-Up, summer camp for hundreds of COVID shut-in kids all over the world. Amazing!! Jack-you went along for the ride & were always excited about what God was doing, & even taught Rubik’s Cube & magic classes. Troy, My wonderful husband- As always, you backed my crazy idea, and supported me 100%. I love you, I love you, I love you.
Blossom North Laurel—When I stepped back, you took over everything, kept up your own school, and poured everything into making EOA work. I don’t know anyone else who would have done this!! You taught the most classes of any teacher at EOA, and jumped on board right from the start… and then ran it all when needed. You are a super star!! Thank you!!
Jennifer Dages Family—You and your kids have been so faithful to EOA, offering classes, keeping up good communication with me, and being one of our key families. I loved having you all such a big part!!
Lani Siciliano—I admire your heart for homeschooling, your intelligence, & the commitment you have kept to your classes. We could not have done it without you!!
Sherri Atwell, Barry Family— Every one of you has contributed to EOA’s success. Thank you!!
There are so many more. Forgive me for not tagging everyone, but know that you are so loved and appreciated. God is so good.
I am grateful the Lord used all of us, and this platform, for all these years, to connect with families all over the world. I am so proud that we did it for FREE.
I give Jesus Christ all the glory, and I am eternally grateful.
That said, when I stepped back from pouring into EOA, I was positive our world was ‘bout to get shook.
Our just-turned-16DD fell in love, and I KNEW it was going to be a wild, fast ride for our family. It was the right move.
Talia got married at 17, and will have her first babe at 18. She plans to keep those babies coming…
Tatum, who taught countless art & literature courses for EOA, is graduating from SCAD June 2nd (our first graduate!!), and Joshua will begin his junior year at George Fox in the fall.
We now have a new Chinese daughter, whom I imagine may end up being ours forever.
This last year with Jack home, I need to focus on him getting into his dream college.
Having grown children and being Grandma is going to be my top priority.
Therefore, it is time to fold EOA and call this portion of our lives to a close. This will be EOA’s last year running.
It’s bittersweet, because it has been so, so great. Everything perfect? Nope. But many aspects were the best time of our homeschooling. What my kids gained from teaching classes was instrumental for much of their success they have now. I’ll never forget it!!
Most of you know Blossom Barden, one of EOA’s OG teachers, & founder of Wildwood Learning Center. I highly encourage you to check out what they have to offer, and reach out to her with any questions you may have.
Blossom’s school info:
Email: [email protected] (specifically for the online classes)
Personal email: [email protected]
Website: https://wcslearningcenter.weebly.com
Here is a personal note from Blossom:
"EOA has been a wonderful part of my life these past 6 years- Alicia has always been so supportive and a source of encouragement; the families of my students were a blessing to me; my students- I have had so many of them follow me through the years that I feel like they are my nieces and nephews! EOA was an opportunity that only God could orchestrate- bringing together so many different people for the purpose of sharing the love of learning in a wonderful environment centered around Christ. It has been such a wonderful experience that I have trouble finding the right words to describe.
I have loved every moment.
Thank you, EOA Family."
If you would like to share a memory of EOA, or thank a teacher, please do so below!!
All Good Things,
Alicia Thorson
Empowered Online Academy
Founder/Principal
Lynnette Soh—You were my level head, my brilliant genius, and my go-to person for every detail, from the very beginning.
Too many teachers to count— You stepped up to the plate, wrote lesson plans, prepared classes, and blessed our students week after week.
My own four children--
You trained teachers, planned classes, corresponded with parents, taught classes, met with kids outside of class time, tutored, helped Mom with tech problems. Joshua- You handled every detail of the website & class registration, year after year. Tatum—You taught countless classes, blessed us with your art, & helped me hold everything together when things got tough. Talia—You taught more classes & made more friends than I ever imagined, & even used your skills from EOA to begin Level-Up, summer camp for hundreds of COVID shut-in kids all over the world. Amazing!! Jack-you went along for the ride & were always excited about what God was doing, & even taught Rubik’s Cube & magic classes. Troy, My wonderful husband- As always, you backed my crazy idea, and supported me 100%. I love you, I love you, I love you.
Blossom North Laurel—When I stepped back, you took over everything, kept up your own school, and poured everything into making EOA work. I don’t know anyone else who would have done this!! You taught the most classes of any teacher at EOA, and jumped on board right from the start… and then ran it all when needed. You are a super star!! Thank you!!
Jennifer Dages Family—You and your kids have been so faithful to EOA, offering classes, keeping up good communication with me, and being one of our key families. I loved having you all such a big part!!
Lani Siciliano—I admire your heart for homeschooling, your intelligence, & the commitment you have kept to your classes. We could not have done it without you!!
Sherri Atwell, Barry Family— Every one of you has contributed to EOA’s success. Thank you!!
There are so many more. Forgive me for not tagging everyone, but know that you are so loved and appreciated. God is so good.
I am grateful the Lord used all of us, and this platform, for all these years, to connect with families all over the world. I am so proud that we did it for FREE.
I give Jesus Christ all the glory, and I am eternally grateful.
That said, when I stepped back from pouring into EOA, I was positive our world was ‘bout to get shook.
Our just-turned-16DD fell in love, and I KNEW it was going to be a wild, fast ride for our family. It was the right move.
Talia got married at 17, and will have her first babe at 18. She plans to keep those babies coming…
Tatum, who taught countless art & literature courses for EOA, is graduating from SCAD June 2nd (our first graduate!!), and Joshua will begin his junior year at George Fox in the fall.
We now have a new Chinese daughter, whom I imagine may end up being ours forever.
This last year with Jack home, I need to focus on him getting into his dream college.
Having grown children and being Grandma is going to be my top priority.
Therefore, it is time to fold EOA and call this portion of our lives to a close. This will be EOA’s last year running.
It’s bittersweet, because it has been so, so great. Everything perfect? Nope. But many aspects were the best time of our homeschooling. What my kids gained from teaching classes was instrumental for much of their success they have now. I’ll never forget it!!
Most of you know Blossom Barden, one of EOA’s OG teachers, & founder of Wildwood Learning Center. I highly encourage you to check out what they have to offer, and reach out to her with any questions you may have.
Blossom’s school info:
Email: [email protected] (specifically for the online classes)
Personal email: [email protected]
Website: https://wcslearningcenter.weebly.com
Here is a personal note from Blossom:
"EOA has been a wonderful part of my life these past 6 years- Alicia has always been so supportive and a source of encouragement; the families of my students were a blessing to me; my students- I have had so many of them follow me through the years that I feel like they are my nieces and nephews! EOA was an opportunity that only God could orchestrate- bringing together so many different people for the purpose of sharing the love of learning in a wonderful environment centered around Christ. It has been such a wonderful experience that I have trouble finding the right words to describe.
I have loved every moment.
Thank you, EOA Family."
If you would like to share a memory of EOA, or thank a teacher, please do so below!!
All Good Things,
Alicia Thorson
Empowered Online Academy
Founder/Principal
Please feel free to contact us with any questions!