WHO WE ARE
Dedicated professionals connected to a whole community of opportunities
Bucks Learning Cooperative helps teenagers live and learn without school. Our staff supports teens as they create personalized educations based on their interests, strengths, and goals.
We offer mentoring and guidance and a safe and comfortable place to work and socialize. In addition, we offer a range of opportunities for learning and growth, including classes that run throughout the day, one-on-one tutorials, and excursions into the wider world. We help our teens find internships, jobs, and volunteer opportunities, and we help them with college admissions and other transitional steps as they move on to their adult lives.
A Learning Community
Bucks Learning Cooperative is a safe and welcoming community of teens and adults.
On any given day, you will find teens, staff and volunteers participating in classes or activities, playing games, talking, laughing, going for walks, or sitting quietly and reading or working on projects.
By having more personal autonomy - while working within the community - teens can practice leadership, communication and collaboration skills in ways that mimic what they will need later in life.
Our Staff
Eileen Smyth
Eileen has been teaching for twenty-five years, beginning her education career in East Asia and then continuing in the US. She has taught a range of specialized subjects including college-level photography, color theory and anatomy for artists, but has also spent several years teaching in public schools at all grade levels, including Social Studies, English, Art, Photography, and Graphic Design. Eileen has been a mentor and teacher at the Bucks Learning Cooperative since June of 2015.
You can be in touch with Eileen at eileen@buckslearningcooperative.org
Alexis Sellers
Alexis has been working with children and teens for over 15 years in various roles including Teen Camp Director and Nature Navigator. She is passionate about the importance of play and incorporates that value in her work. Alexis holds a Masters in Social Work from Temple University with a Concentration in Community and Policy and Specialization in Children and Families. She is a lover of the outdoors and enjoys camping, kayaking, nature craft projects and exploring. Some of her other interests include making music and swing dancing.
You can be in touch with Alexis at alexis@buckslearningcooperative.org
Sandy Lee
Sandy has been teaching in public and private schools since 2007. As a certified teacher in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, she has taught a variety of subjects including math, history, English, and ESL. Her educational background includes a Masters in Secondary Education and Bachelor degrees in Business and Italian Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Aside from teaching, Sandy enjoys reading, martial arts, piano, and spending time outdoors.
You can be in touch with Sandy at sandy@buckslearningcooperative.org
Love Ventrello, Apprentice
Love has a passion for education and has been tutoring others regularly since 2017. Love received her associate of science from Bucks Community College. She has a GHS Hazard Communications/Chemical Handling Certification from Penn Valley and a certification in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Love is currently studying energy and sustainability policy at Penn State University where she specializes in Bioorthogonal or ‘click’ chemistry. Love is very familiar with volunteer work. She has done water quality testing for the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). She has also volunteered with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) since 2021. Love is currently a member of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, which is a nonprofit organization. She feels it is important to make STEM education accessible to all. In her free time, she likes to read, garden, or exercise.
You can be in touch with Love at love@buckslearningcooperative.org