Deanna VanNotric

Deanna Van Notric grew up in Lynnwood, WA and earned her Associate’s Degree from Shoreline Community College. She then went on to graduate from Western Washington University in 1997 with her BA in Elementary Education and settled in Sedro-Woolley with her husband, Joe. Her very first teaching position was in a 2nd and 3rd split class at Lyman Elementary.  After a few years of teaching, she and her husband were blessed with their first son. When their second son arrived, Deanna decided to become a stay-at-home mom while still tutoring and offering private lessons out of her home. Then, in 2004, she started a homeschool cooperative with several other teachers which began her homeschooling career.

In 2007, she joined Skagit Academy, and she began teaching classes. Over the years she has been with this school where she has taught classes and has thoroughly enjoyed being an advisor, too. Then in 2016 she also began teaching at Hill Creek Christian which is an ANW school.  Finally, in 2018 Deanna joined Academy NW as a teacher and homeschool consultant and started her own learning center called Firm Foundation Academy located in Mount Vernon, WA.  Now she splits her time between this learning center and Skagit Academy.

Although she has taken a few years off to live in Hawaii a couple of times (she and her husband own a business on Oahu), she is now back in the Skagit Valley assisting homeschool families in their quest to provide their students with the best homeschool education possible. Miss Deanna considers herself truly blessed to come alongside the families and students in their educational pursuits and considers it “The best job ever!”

Now her sons have graduated, and her daughter, Chloe, is 8 and attends Mount Vernon Christian School. In their free time, they all love visiting friends in Hawaii, playing on the beach, snorkeling, spearfishing, camping, scenic drives and walks, playing card games (she is highly competitive), campfires, reading, riding horses, and spending time with family and friends.