Our Team
Cherry Frierson
Cherry has a long history with dyslexia—both she and her son are dyslexic. After receiving her Elementary and Early Childhood Degrees from Arkansas State University, she went on to complete several Orton-Gillingham-based courses.
Project Read Phonology
Report Form and Story Form
Alphabet Phonics from the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children;
The Linari Method
She spent eighteen years in the classroom as a teacher and has over two decades of experience as a private dyslexia therapist and consultant.
She is the author of several reading resources, including:
CONNECTIONS: OG in 3D®
CONNECTIONS: OG IN 3D® SPELLING SERIES: Teach Me How to Spell
(Orton-Gillingham based spelling series for the classroom)
Mary-Margaret Scholtens
M.S.E. in Reading, Certified Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist (C-SLDS), Certified Dyslexia Therapist (CDT)
After obtaining her elementary and reading diagnostic degrees from Hendrix College, Mary-Margaret received extensive training in Orton-Gillingham and the Science of Reading.
She has served as a classroom teacher, private dyslexia therapist and consultant for dyslexia law.
Mary-Margaret founded The APPLE Group, Inc. in 1997 and serves as the Executive Director. She is the co-author of CONNECTIONS: OG in 3D®, the IDA/CERI accredited training.
Her specialty is Science of Reading and brain research.
Kelly Fowler
Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT), Certified Dyslexia Therapist (CDT), Certified Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist (C-SLDS)
After beginning as an elementary classroom teacher in Texas, Kelly became a Certified Dyslexia Therapist through ALTA in 1999. For more than two decades, Kelly has provided therapy in both private and public school settings.
Joining the Apple Group in 2013, Kelly’s specialty is the implementation and application of the CONNECTIONS: OG in 3D® Science of Reading curriculum for classroom teachers, small-group interventionists, and private therapists.
She loves sharing her wealth of experience so that others can confidently teach all students to read.
In fact, you may never meet another specialist with as much hands-on experience helping students enjoy incredible transformation in their reading.
Lara Hurst
Lara graduated from Arkansas State University with a BSE in Elementary Education and a MSE in Early Childhood. She serves as Director of Operations at The APPLE Group.
When her children were young, she volunteered in their schools and became familiar with the education system.
Lara served as the Children’s Director at Bible Study Fellowship for many years before accepting a position as a highly qualified tutor/interventionist at Jonesboro Public Schools. In this role, Lara used her training in both Connections OGin3D® and Comprehension OGin3D to work directly with students in a pull-out program.
Now she helps other teachers learn to effectively teach all children to read.
Lara is best known for the way she serves each person trained by The APPLE Group with her exceptional skills and gift of encouragement.