Our Staff

Instructors

Biosphere Instructor: Robin Jensen - rjensen@vabregs.org

Globalsphere Instructor: Hollie Hetz - hhetz@vabregs.org 

Sociosphere Instructor: Angela Mohr - amohr@vabregs.org 

Geosphere Instructor: Lesley Babe-Patterson - lbabe@vabregs.org 

Mediasphere Instructor: Brady Boyer - bboyer@vabregs.org

Assistant Instructors

Biosphere Assistant - Maddie Sperling - msperling@vabregs.org 

Geosphere Assistant - Lisa Packard - lpackard@vabregs.org 

Globalsphere Assistant - Felicia DiMarco - fdimarco@vabregs.org 

Mediasphere Assistant - Vanessa Lonsiak - vlonsiak@vabregs.org 

Sociosphere Assistant - Carissa Altizer - carissaaltizer@gmail.com 

Staff Profiles

Elizabeth Koren

Elizabeth Koren has been a teacher for 31 years and will be this year's BREGS Site Director.  Currently, she is a middle school Gifted Resource Teacher in Frederick County, but she brings 25 years of experience as a Biology/Life Science teacher to the position.  Swimming and hiking are her favorite pastimes, and she loves taking her daughters and dog, Daisy, on new adventures.  She is passionate about science, the environment, and challenging gifted learners and looks forward to sharing that enthusiasm with this year's students. 

Robin Jensen

Robin Jensen has been the Biosphere teacher at BREGS for five years. She currently teaches Biology at Skyline High school. She has been teaching Middle and High School Science for 14 years. Prior to teaching in a classroom, Mrs. Jensen worked for the Virginia Museum of Natural History, Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, and Gateway National Recreation Area. Mrs. Jensen enjoys spending her free time exploring the trails in our nearby parks with her family. 

Brady Boyer

Brady Boyer is this year’s Mediasphere Instructor. He has been teaching high school Biology and Environmental Science for two years at Skyline High School. Prior to teaching, Mr. Boyer was an Ecology / Conservation Instructor & Director with a Boy Scout summer camp for nine years, was an intern at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, and traveled from Pennsylvania to Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, and Peru to study plant-animal interactions on a community level while working on his thesis in college. He cares deeply for the environment and finds meaning in helping others to discover nature and develop their own connections to the outdoors. He enjoys hiking and backpacking through the trails all around us and loves the opportunity the trail gives him to observe and appreciate the rich biodiversity of our region. It is his goal at BREGS to foster this connection to nature in each and every one of his students.

Angela Mohr

Angela Mohr, a 20-year teacher of gifted students, is a person of wide curiosity and life experiences. Teaching a middle school research class, Angela chooses a topic for study along with her students each semester. Many of the explorations have led to unanticipated skills and interests which she uses to enhance the Sociosphere adventure. Two driving forces keep Angela moving into new areas of study: 1- What great thing is going to happen today? and 2- What's another way of looking at this problem?  Developing useful solutions will be the driving force behind the Sociosphere academics who will create something from what appears to be nothing!

Hollie Hetz

My name is Hollie Hetz, and I am the art teacher at Warren County Middle School. This is my third year working with the BREGS summer program.  I have been involved with environmental education and learning about the creatures in our ecosystem since high school.  Teaching here for BREGS is incredible.  It’s exciting to work with students who are engaged and excited about learning. The field trips we take are engaging and fun, I learn alongside the kids every trip. 

I have three amazing children of my own.  The youngest is off to college this year to study archeology.  My husband runs a handyman business and coaches soccer and volleyball. Animals are a huge part of my life, I love all the species. Helping out the humane society fostering tiny or sick kittens,  is one way I engage that passion.   I collect books and old things.  

My advice to aspiring artists and scientists alike: “Draw every day, look at the details of things; see how our world fits together.”

Lesley Babe

My name is Lesley Babe. I have been a teacher for FCPS for the past 28 years. I currently am a seventh grade English teacher at FCMS. This is my third year working with BREGS in the Geosphere.

Vanessa Lonsiak

Vanessa Lonsiak is a 19-year-old college student at the University of Virginia, majoring in behavioral neuroscience. She became passionate about science as a child, and loves to see kids’ passions ignited in them the same way it was for her. She cares about the environment a lot, doing neighborhood cleanups when she can, and is excited to teach that same love and care for the earth to her students. She is a nature lover and likes to spend the majority of her free time outdoors or with a good book! Fun fact: Ms. Vanessa was a student and intern at BREGS before becoming an assistant instructor!

Felicia DiMarco

After a career in law and a wonderful life raising my son, I decided to jump into teaching. One morning I woke up and felt I needed to do something positive in the world - - I felt I needed to use my English Major and teach! I have always loved helping people, especially when I could help them express themselves. I am now teaching English at James Wood High School, and I am loving every minute of it! 

Expression comes in many forms. Last year, I assisted Ms. Hetz, an amazing art teacher, in Globalsphere. I am so happy to be back on her creative team again! We are going to have so much fun! 

Carissa Altizer

Carissa Altizer has been working in education as an English teacher and librarian for the past twelve years. Some of her favorite childhood memories involve academic summer camps, and she is excited to be a part of creating the BREGS summer experience for students. In her spare time, she enjoys working in the pottery studio, scrapbook journaling, and zumba classes.