OUR TEAM
Cherry Frierson
Founder of The Apple Group Author of CONNECTIONS: OG in 3D
Cherry Frierson is an experienced educational professional with over 50 years of experience in teaching and dyslexia therapy. Since 1997, she has served as the Director of The APPLE Group for Dyslexia, Inc. in Jonesboro, AR, where she also instructs the Dyslexia Therapy Training Program. Frierson is an accomplished author, having created several educational resources including CONNECTIONS Science-Based Spelling and "Teach Me HOW to Spell" manuals. Her career began in 1967 when she founded the first desegregated kindergarten in Jonesboro, and she later established the Jonesboro Presbyterian Kindergarten Program in 1988. She has extensive certification in various Orton-Gillingham methodologies and holds a B.S. in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Arkansas State University. Throughout her career, Frierson has been actively involved in educational consulting, private practice therapy, and professional development for Arkansas teachers. She is affiliated with multiple professional organizations and has received recognition for her work, including the Arkansas Federation of the Council for Exceptional Children 2013 Business Award. Beyond her professional achievements, she is deeply involved in community service, particularly through educational and religious organizations in Jonesboro.
Mary-Margaret Scholtens
Founder and Executive Director of The Apple Group Author of CONNECTIONS: OG in 3D
Mary-Margaret Scholtens is the co-founder and Executive Director of The APPLE Group, Inc., which has provided OG-based training since 1997. She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education/reading diagnosis and remediation and a master’s degree in reading. She is the co-author of Connections: OG in 3D, a multisensory, structured, sequential, science-based reading curriculum for dyslexia intervention and structured literacy classroom curriculum. Her training was commended by IDA, earning an IDA University Accreditation and an Independent Training Center Accreditation Plus. She is a member of the Evidence Based Reading Instruction Advisory Team, "made up of national experts who are focused on improving the reading outcomes of students nationwide by embedding the systematic and scientific-based reading instruction throughout our education system." She has worked in Arkansas to help pass several science of reading laws in 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019. She serves on the Advisory Board of the International Foundation for Effective Reading Instruction, the Executive Committee of the Coalition for Reading Excellence, and is the 2016 National Right to Read Foundation Patrick Groff Teacher of the Year recipient for her work in evidence-based, structured literacy.
Calley Westby
DIRECTOR OF ONLINE TRAINING & VIRTUAL THERAPY CONNECTIONS QUALIFIED INSTRUCTOR
Calley is the Director of Online Training and Virtual Therapy. She is a Qualified Instructor in Connections: OG in 3D and in The Apple Group Certified Dyslexia Therapist Training Program who joined The APPLE Group with 22 years in public education and over 3000 hours providing dyslexia therapy with Connections. She evaluates and provides feedback on coursework, practicums, and curriculum for all APPLE Group classes. Calley teaches and evaluates new
Connections-trained educators via virtual clinics and training sessions as they learn to put science-based reading instruction into practice in their classrooms. Calley is an expert in remote implementation and collaboration, guiding hundreds of teachers who are teaching virtually and in person. As the Director of Online Training, she instructs, evaluates, and provides important feedback 7 days a week to each teacher cohort as they work through online modules. Leading the Connections Virtual Therapy program, Calley works with parents and therapists around the world to ensure the fidelity, integrity, and efficacy of Connections remains the same while providing dyslexia therapy remotely. She continues to work with students, executing Connections curriculum for bi-weekly individual tutoring sessions via Zoom and in-person meetings.
Jill Gill
Jill is a Reading Specialist PK-12 with a dyslexia endorsement and serves as the Director of Therapist Certification and as a Qualified Instructor for the Apple Group. She spent 26 years in the classroom and 7 years as her school district’s Dyslexia Therapist before joining The Apple Group. As a Certified Dyslexia Therapist and a Certified Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist through the International Dyslexia Association and The Center for Effective Reading Instruction, she has years of experience working with students using Connections science-based reading. This experience led her to become
DIRECTOR OF THERAPY CERTIFICATIONS CONNECTIONS QUALIFIED INSTRUCTOR
a skilled instructor in Connections: OG in 3D and in The APPLE Group Certified Dyslexia Therapist Training Program where she trains and certifies new dyslexia therapists. On a daily basis, Jill provides expert training and valuable feedback to educators on the implementation of Connections. She helps plan and expand Connections curriculum, working with states who have passed laws to teach evidence-based Structured Literacy. Jill is also an expert at evaluating, scoring, and interpreting assessments and screening measures. The APPLE Group continuously receives comments from educators about the excellent ongoing support she provides. Jill has spent thousands of hours teaching Connections and continues to teach students virtually and in person.