Ann-Bailey Lipsett
Director of Education, History & Language Arts, Thursday Enrichment, Book Club
Ann-Bailey Lipsett is excited to serve HMLC families and learners as the director of education. She moved back to Lexington in 2020 with her husband and two girls, and spends as much time as possible hiking. She is passionate about giving every learner an optimized educational experience. Outside of her work with HMLC, Ann-Bailey is a special education consultant with 20 years of experience working with children, families, and schools. Ann-Bailey recently completed a Fellowship in the Infant-Parent Mental Health Program at the University of Massachusetts- Boston. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, and her masters in special education from the University of Virginia. She has advanced her understanding of neurodevelopmental practices through her coursework through the International Council for Development and Learning (ICDL) and holds an expert certificate in DIR/Floortime. Ann-Bailey is the co-author of the book Building Blocks for Social-Emotional Learning: Creating Safe, Secure, and Successful Schools and PREVENT Problem Behaviors: Seven Contemplative Discipline Steps.
To learn more about Ann-Bailey’s work you can visit her website at lipsettlearningconnection.com
Evan Massie
Middle School Facilitator, Math & Science, Thursday Enrichment
Evan joined House Mountain Learning Cooperative in spring 2025, bringing with him a deep understanding of self-directed education shaped by his own experience as a homeschooled student. A native of Clifton Forge, Virginia, Evan has devoted many years to youth development and outdoor education —serving as a senior counselor and trip leader at a Quaker summer camp and coaching youth soccer teams.
Stacey Noffsinger
Elementary Program Facilitator
Stacey is a mother to three always-unschooled kids. She began her career as a high school Spanish teacher, an experience that taught her she never wanted to work in a coercive environment again. She wanted to work with kids who were learning what they wanted to learn, and enjoying it. That search led her into the outdoor industry, where she has spent years as a kayak guide, teaching paddling skills and leading nature tours for people eager to learn. After becoming a mother, she discovered self-directed education and found the environment she had been looking for all along. For the last decade, she has been her children’s full-time partner in self-directed learning, and she has stayed steadily involved in community organizations for children and families, from founding a Hike It Baby branch to leading a Free Forest School group, and now serving as board president and elementary program facilitator at Raw Learning. She lives with her husband and three children on a homestead in Alleghany County, VA, and enjoys hiking, foraging, gardening, and raising chickens.
Sarah Straw
Head of School, Math & Science, Thursday Enrichment,
Sarah Straw is the Administrator of House Mountain Learning Coop (HMLC), where she manages all administrative and logistical details. As a board member of Raw Learning (RL), the nonprofit that runs HMLC, she is deeply involved in fostering self-directed learning experiences. Sarah lives with her husband and two children on a homestead in Rockbridge County, VA, where they embrace a lifestyle centered around learning, nature, and creativity. With a background in performing arts and education nonprofits, she is passionate about children’s rights and alternative education. Outside of work, she enjoys gardening, crafting, walking in nature, preserving food, sipping tea, and watching the moon. You can email Sarah here.