Robby Klein
For families across the country, this school year looks a lot different than most.
With many schools turning to online learning, some of those families are opting for full-time homeschooling. Over two decades ago Katrina Hagerty opened a homeschool tutorial and co-op called Heritage Christian Academy, which currently has over 500 students.
Since then she has been helping families and teachers oversee homeschool assignments while giving them some of the same opportunities as traditional school-aged children, including field trips, pool parties, and father-daughter dances. With the homeschooling community bigger than ever in Middle Tennessee, Hagerty most recently launched a new platform called the Homeschoolers Association for new and veteran homeschool families. The program creates a space for homeschool parents to connect and find support as well as access to resources and information. The entire endeavor is a proud one for Hagerty, who homeschooled her own three daughters. Outside of her family, which also includes Ed, her husband of 38 years, Hagerty says,
“I’m most proud of Heritage Christian Academy, which has graduated hundreds of students. The feedback, emails, and letters sharing the positive, life-changing impact HCA has had on so many families is humbling,” she says.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to invest in so many families here in Tennessee. I have also enjoyed seeing so many (dozens) of our students who find their soulmate at Heritage Christian Academy. I’ve even been around long enough to see HCA graduates enroll their children at Heritage Christian! I feel privileged to be part of this beautiful, loving community.”