We sit down with NorthStar moms Brandi Pihl and Katie Kocinski to talk honestly about what families need when school feels exhausting and disconnected from faith. We share why a structured, teacher-led online Christian school can bring rigor, real relationships, and a biblical worldview into everyday learning.
• Leaving an intense in-person schedule and rebuilding healthier family learning rhythms
• Finding a rigorous online Christian school with clear course maps and strong instruction
• Why live interaction with teachers changes student ownership and parent support
• Real books, meaningful feedback, and discussion that moves beyond box checking
• Global community benefits through online classmates, friendships, and meetups
• Why parent engagement matters and how it looks in different seasons
• Shaping school around each child’s learning style and God-given design
• Seeing every subject through a biblical worldview, not only Bible class
Brandi Pihl
Brandi Pihl is a homeschool mom, former high school English teacher and nonprofit marketer, and current church communications manager for a large multi-site church in the Chicago suburbs. She has experience in church communications, nonprofit ministry marketing, Fortune 500 marketing, and education, and she spends her days helping her church share stories of life change to connect people to the gospel. She holds a BA in English with a minor in Bible from Cedarville University. Her husband, Rob, is a high school math teacher, and they live outside Chicago, with their 18- and 16-year-old sons.
Katie Kocinski
Mother, educator, arts advocate, and community builder—Katie Sem Kocinski is passionate about cultivating beauty, faith, and connections. She holds an undergraduate degree in Family Social Science from the University of Minnesota and a Master’s degree in Education from the University of St. Thomas.
With five kids ranging from ages 13 to 23, her home has been a lively hub of learning and growth for years. Having homeschooled since 2005 while also supporting her children through in-person and online Christian school education, she deeply values flexible, faith-centered learning. Her love for education also led her to serve as the principal of a local Christian high school for three years.
As the founder of North Ballet, a classical ballet school and performing company in Minnesota, Katie has dedicated years to nurturing artistic excellence. She continues to champion the organization as a board member, focusing her energy on Advancement and Development. Deeply committed to serving others, she loves volunteering at her local food shelf and passionately supporting The Reel Hope Project to help connect children in foster care with forever families. This year, she’s also bringing her passion for mentorship to Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) as a middle school teacher.
Above all, Katie loves seeing how God speaks to her throughout each day, deepens her faith, and faithfully sustains her through life’s challenging seasons. Outside of her work and ministry, you’ll usually find her gardening, lost in a historical fiction novel, out on a bike ride, traveling, cooking up something delicious, decorating, or simply enjoying the outdoors surrounded by her family and friends!
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