Our Values
Community
EXCEL Learning Community is a secular and community-based learning center dedicated to promoting community engagement. Our approach emphasizes compassionate and enthusiastic learning, aimed at nurturing the all around development of our children, both academically and physically.
Play
We embrace play-based learning as a fundamental approach. We believe in creating an environment where play is encouraged, and children are given the freedom to lead their learning experiences. Our teachers act as facilitators, guiding and supporting the students’ growth and development, ensuring a rich and meaningful educational journey.
Respect
We prioritize cultivating an atmosphere of mutual respect among all members of our community. We emphasize the importance of active listening to one another, including teachers, students, and family members, as everyone’s perspectives and experiences are valuable. Our safe and inclusive environment embraces individual differences, giving students a voice to express their thoughts and ideas.
Art & Nature
We deeply value and celebrate art as a powerful tool for inspiration and connection across cultures. Integrating the arts into our curriculum, we foster a deeper understanding of self and the world. Additionally, we encourage a profound connection with nature, aiming to create a harmonious and nurturing educational space that celebrates uniqueness and instills lifelong appreciation for nature, humanity, and the arts.
Meet the EXCELlent Team
Elizabeth Summers-Fisher
Founder and CEO
Meet Liz Summers-Fisher, an exceptional educator with over 20 years of experience in both classroom teaching and as a certified reading specialist. With a strong belief in the potential of every child, Liz is dedicated to nurturing their unique gifts and helping them discover the best ways to learn. Her passion for teaching is evident through her role as Program Director for an award-winning reading program, recognized as the Best in Michigan. Watching her students learn and grow brings her immense joy and excitement.
Beyond the classroom, Liz’s journey in education took an unexpected turn when her oldest child was diagnosed with Apraxia of Speech. This experience led her to explore the world of homeschooling, which she has since fallen in love with. Embracing the homeschooling adventure, Liz finds fulfillment in sharing this rewarding journey with her three kids: Andrew, Domenica, and Anthony. Her heartfelt and passionate goal behind establishing EXCEL Learning Center is to cultivate a tight-knit and enduring community, where her children can flourish, develop, and learn together, forming meaningful connections that will positively impact their lives for years to come.
When she’s not teaching, you can find Liz on the tennis courts, at the beach, diving into a captivating book or coaching and cheering on her favorite athletes — Andrew, DiDi and Anthony!
Caleen Bolak
Executive Operations Adviser
Caleen is a homeschooling mom of two with a passion for early childhood development and a wealth of experience in both childcare and accounting. With a background in early childhood education, she has spent many years working in childcare, creating nurturing environments for young children to thrive. Alongside her work in education, Caleen also brings nearly 15 years of expertise in bookkeeping and light accounting, giving her a strong foundation in organization and financial management.
Excited to contribute her diverse skill set to the EXCEL community, Caleen is dedicated to helping others in any way she can. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys tending to her flower and vegetable garden, as well as exploring new adventures with her kids. A fan of yoga and spending time with little ones, Caleen believes in maintaining balance and nurturing growth in both her personal and professional endeavors.
Angela Sylvester
Teacher
Angela Sylvester is excited to be teaching at EXCEL Learning Community!
She graduated from Michigan State University with a B.S. in Biochemistry and from University of Illinois at Chicago with her M.D. She retired from clinical medicine in order to homeschool her three children and has been homeschooling through the Charlotte Mason method for the past 6 years. She has always found tranquility through her creative hobbies, which include gardening, piano, handicrafts, and quilting.
Victoria Courtney,
Chief Operating Officer
Victoria Courtney is a nationally certified American Sign Language Interpreter (CI & CT) with over 20 years of experience. She holds an undergraduate degree in ASL interpreting and attended Gallaudet University for her graduate degree, focusing on ASL and English Linguistics. Her diverse interpreting experience spans medical, mental health, educational (K-12 and university), community and government settings, with work primarily in Michigan and the extended D.C. metro area.
Victoria also has extensive experience teaching ASL. She has taught in a private high school in Ann Arbor, provided private tutoring for both high school and college students, taught numerous homeschool classes, and continues to offer online tutoring and interpreter test preparation. Her students have gone on to become nationally certified interpreters, conduct research in linguistics groups around the world, and are involved members of Deaf communities.
Meet The Team member
Amy M. Wisner, Ph.D.
Teacher
Amy is an author, speaker, communication expert, dancer, artist and rebellious parent to two unschoolers. Her approach to teaching is experiential and engages students in self-discovery. Whether she’s teaching dance, art, or communication skills, students experience personal empowerment and collective growth.
Jennifer Walsh
Teacher
Jennifer Walsh is thrilled to be teaching at EXCEL Learning Community this year. She graduated from the University of Michigan School of Education (many moons ago) and is a retired teacher after 34 years in the classroom. While she enjoyed public school teaching, she was hampered by the lack of freedom and creativity over the last ten years and is happy to be able to create her own class! She is delighted to work with homeschoolers and learn and explore with them. Jennifer loves reading, yoga, walking, meditating and gardening and believes mindfulness and love can help heal the Earth and her patrons.
Mel brings her experiences as a scientist, professor, farmer, fiber artist, and mama of three inquisitive and world-curious kids to supporting the EXCEL program.