Meet Our Team

Most Influential Teacher: My most influential teacher was Chef Doug Weih. He was my high school culinary arts teacher. He helped me develop the skills I needed to be the Captain on our high school Competition Cooking team. This led me to go to culinary school to pursue my first passion of Baking and Pastry. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have ever had the chance to get into Culinary school and follow a passion I had that led me to be a certified pastry chef. 

Most Influential Teacher: My 8^th grade science teacher, Ms. Williams helped me see that science can also be a study of people, personalities and why we do what we do. She was also incredibly witty and made learning fun.

Most Influential Teacher: Mr. Williams was the first teacher who let us look through a large telescope, which led to a lifetime of being inspired by space and engineering.

Most Influential Teacher: TK

Most Influential Teacher: My most influential teacher was my high school biology teacher, and later teaching mentor, Dr. David Yates. He brought science to life for me and gave me room to learn and grow through discovery and personal experience. I owe much of who I am today to his influence.

Most Influential Teacher: My most influential teacher was my literature teacher my junior year of college, Mrs. Coke. She created a real community in her classroom that thrived off creativity and authenticity and taught us that the best way to open our minds was to simply open a book.

Most Influential Teacher: Mrs. Myers, my 4^th grade teacher.  She cared for all her students, and it showed in how well behaved and eager to learn all of us in her class were.  I looked forward to going to her class every day because she made learning fun and exciting.  Her pushing me and believing in me allowed me to believe in myself and gave me motivation to be the best I could be!

Most Influential Teacher: Mr. Edward Calloway coached golf and I was the only African American girl on the team. He was very good at explaining difficult topics in an easy and intuitive way. He was very kind and polite to all, and he didn’t show any favoritism. He inspired me to be honest and always treat people the way you want to be treated.

Most Influential Teacher: My most influential teacher as a grade school student is without a doubt Mrs. Burton who used a life size cardboard cutout of Dolly Parton to teach me about improper fractions! All funny stories aside, she helped me believe in myself and taught me that my disabilities were in fact different abilities! She taught me how to harness what made me uniquely me.

Most Influential Teacher: I met my most influential teacher back in third grade and her name was Ms. Johnson. She must have had a crystal ball because she saw my potential before I even knew what ‘potential’ meant. She convinced me that, with hard work, I was capable of great things. I still carry that work ethic and confidence with me to this day.

Most Influential Teacher: Mr. Hoeman, my Art teacher, always encouraged me to think outside the box and strive for the unexpected. He truly was an inspiration.

Most Influential Teacher: Mr. Syron taught me to love science by making it hands-on and engaging!

Most Influential Teacher: Mr Goss, who taught us to care about our education, specifically the English language.  In order to express your thoughts, opinions, experiences, it was imperative to have the structure and vocabulary to do so.  I think it was his goal that we had the skills to express ourselves eloquently, which gave us the path to be able to do it at all.

Most Influential Teacher: My most influential teacher was Mrs. Vance, my English teacher, who made learning fun.

Most Influential Teacher: Mrs. Mary McMahon, my gifted classroom teacher at my West Philadelphia elementary and middle school. Mrs. McMahon taught me how to try harder, think critically, solve problems and “dare to be different.”

Most Influential Teacher: Mike Smith, High School Jazz Band. Mr. Smith had an incredible impact by teaching me about dedication, integrity, and always striving to better listen not only to music, but to what others have to say. He continually pushed his students to aim higher while knocking down our fear of making mistakes. 

Most Influential Teacher: Mr. Stewart McMillan inspired my desire to pursue a degree in teaching history with his passion for uncovering even the smallest details on how people around the world lived their lives. His classroom was a mix of chaos and learning but he always had the most interesting stories to tell. His exuberance lasts even to today as he provides guided tours around the city of Detroit.

Most Influential Teacher: Mrs. Smith was my high school English teacher. (There were only two in my entire high school of 400 students.) She gave us journaling time every day, which – at the time – was a fairly unorthodox assignment. She would dive deep with us about the symbolism in our literature assignments, she held us to a higher standard than we were used to, and she was very particular about words, which I loved! She was tough sometimes, but so caring and I will never forget her.

Most Influential Teacher: My most influential teacher was one of my professors while obtaining my Master in Secondary Science Education.  She completely transformed what I imagined teaching science was – instead of root memorization or cookbook labs, she pushed me into the educator that I am today, valuing inquiry and student-led discovery and learning. 

Most Influential Teacher: Mr. Shelton, 6th Grade Science Teacher – His drive and excitement about science was inspiring.  He made a point to draw-in, in a true open forum the entire class; to show everyone science was fun and influenced everything around us. 

Most Influential Teacher: My fifth grade science teacher, Ms. Burville, introduced me to microscopes and that captured my interest. I found myself exerting 100% of my limited talent to drawing salt crystals, mold spores, and fingerprints.

Most Influential Teacher: My Database Design instructor Dr. Hoxmeier, who taught me to examine a scenario through multiple lenses to gain better perspective.

Most Influential Teacher: My high school French teacher, Madame Eads, helped me learn how I can participate in the world (at home and abroad) to make a more positive impact on our world for those around me and far away.

Most Influential Teacher: Mrs. Suddeth, my first grade teacher, knew how to make everyone feel special.

Most Influential Teacher: Mrs. Goetz was my English teacher, sponsor, and coach at different times through middle and high school. She was super smart, super kind, and tirelessly encouraging. Lots of kids who were tough on other teachers seemed to behave better for her, and we learned. I don’t know if kids noticed how hard Mrs. Goetz worked, but I know she made a lot of us feel like we would achieve anything we worked at.

Most Influential Teacher: My high school Spanish teacher, Mrs. Jefferson. She taught me Spanish and I never saw her upset.

Most Influential Teacher: My physics teacher, Ms. Sellers, gave the craziest assignments that encouraged students to think outside of the box and solve problems through trial and error. I learned so much about success through failure, including the importance of using at least 5 rolls of duck tape to connect milk jugs on your boat so you don’t sink in the middle of the pond. 

Most Influential Teacher: My favorite teacher was my High School homeroom teacher, Bo Seaman. He was also my Anthropology teacher. Mr. Seaman was the first teacher that I had that spoke to us like we were adults. He would ask questions and then let us run with it. Not only did you learn more about yourself, but you also learned about your classmates.

Most Influential Teacher: Mr. Beaber, my band teacher and Student Council Advisor, saw in me a leader with ideas worth sharing.

Most Influential Teacher: Ms. Hubbard, an accounting professor, was my favorite teacher because she connected what we were learning in the classroom to real-world experiences.

Most Influential Teacher:

My 6th grade teacher, Mr. Wilgenkamp. As a young student, I was a bit hyperactive, disinterested in my studies, and struggled to stay engaged. However, Mr. Wilgenkamp recognized our mutual love for martial arts and used it as a way to connect with me. Through his mentorship, he taught me to channel my energy into being disciplined and responsible.

Most Influential Teacher: Mrs. Bittner, my third grade teacher, taught me to value all perspectives and instilled in me the idea that there is always more than one way to solve any problem.

Most Influential Teacher: Mr. Lathrop, my eleventh grade English teacher, became a friend and a mentor to all of us—and, bonus, he could always make us laugh.

Most Influential Teacher: My most influential teacher was my high school calculus teacher Mr. W. Not only did he help math click for me, but he didn’t put up with any of my attempts to cut corners. He even went so far as to flunk me one quarter – a grade I absolutely deserved based on my lack of effort. His “tough love” helped shape my work ethic, something from which I am still benefiting today.

Most Influential Teacher: This goes WAY back. Mrs. Koenig was my 3rd grade home room teacher. I was teased quite a bit as a ‘red headed’ child and yes very ‘chatty’, the name fits. She was the only elementary school teacher that I remember that told used to point out my strengths and tell me how valuable I was in the world. She gave me a confidence that still brings me tears of joy to this day.

Most Influential Teacher: Mr. Serine always made class an exciting place to be by bringing the content to life. His passion for learning was contagious and made a lasting impact.

Most Influential Teacher: My High School Industrial Arts instructor, Mr. Dave Kinney, who recognized me for my talents outside of core academic pursuits. Four years of his class and teaching fueled my lifelong love of designing and building things.

Most Influential Teacher: My most influential teacher was my high school biology teacher, Ms. Shaw who showed me the transformative power of education and the importance of being a lifelong learner. Her influence continues to shape my approach to learning, leading, and personal growth..

Most Influential Teacher: Mrs. Williams was my first grade teacher, and it was her first year teaching. She had such an impact on the entire class that, years later, almost the entire class came back together and gave her a “1st Class” retirement party.

Most Influential Teacher: My favorite teacher, Mrs. McCaughey, brought learning to life with real-world simulations that required me to apply the concepts and skills we were learning.

Most Influential Teacher: Dr. Nance was my business professor and he taught me the importance of continuous improvement while thinking outside of the box. (Plus, he coupled that with great jokes!)

Most Influential Teacher: One of my High School English Teachers, Elmo Hegge. He was a man of great enthusiasm for English and Literature and his influence extended far beyond that. He was man of great tolerance who was true to himself. He demonstrated how even though people and life can be hurtful, compassion and strength were the most important qualities.

Most Influential Teacher: Mr. Luchich, my biology teacher, ignited my natural curiosity and let me design biology projects and test my own hypothesis. I grew to love looking objectively at data. Anyone who has ever worked with me has heard “Data is not good or bad, it can teach us.”

Most Influential Teacher: My most influential teacher was one of my high school math teachers, Mr. Morrison. He is who really inspired me to get into education and how to teach passionately.

Most Influential Teacher: My most influential teacher was Mr. Bill Tucker. Tucker was my psychology teacher in high school and was a dynamic, funny and inspiring man. He was the reason that I pursued a degree in psychology and became a lifelong teacher.

Most Influential Teacher: Mrs. Finnerty, my second-grade teacher, made me fall in love with school. She encouraged out-of-the-box thinking and valued our contributions, even as young learners. She challenged our thinking and exposed us to new ideas, cultures, and methods of learning. I felt empowered to be creative, to ask questions, and to connect with the world around me. Truly an unforgettable woman!

Most Influential Teacher: Mr Zurbrick, my high school music teacher and theatre director for our amazing high school plays. He was an inspiration to all that met him. He instilled in me a love of art, music and theatre, and encouraged me to pursue Art in college. When he asked me to play piano in the orchestra pit for a local production of Stephen Sondheim’s Follies when I was only 16, I was hesitant out of fear, but he gave me the confidence to do it.

Most Influential Teacher: Mrs. Cianciabella, my kindergarten teacher, helped every student see what made us unique.

Most Influential Teacher: My second grade teacher really knew how to make school fun and engaging.

Most Influential Teacher: Coach Graham, my high school History teacher. He didn’t use a book and taught straight from memory. He made every kid in the class write down everything he said during each 45 minute class. I aced his class and realized the most valuable lesson he taught us was to always take notes for everything!

Most Influential Teacher: Mrs. Sawyer, my third grade teacher at La Marina Elementary School in Manhattan Beach, CA. She was awesome and led us on so many adventures. She walked us to Pollywog Park to get crawdads and let us keep them in the classroom while we were “scientists”—measuring, weighing, gathering data, making predictions, observations, and doing “experiments” with them.  I took her love of learning and adventure with me into my classrooms when I became a teacher.