NEW FACES ON THE STAFF

KIT NEW FACES ON THE STAFF

Micah Brown

Sarah DeVries New staff members were asked to respond to these questions and/or statements:

1. Describe your life in six words. 2. If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would it be? 3. If you could invite 3 guests, dead or alive, to dinner, who would they be? 4. What are some things you’d like to share about your family and birthplace? 5. What are your hobbies and interests outside of school? 6. What is a topic or skill that you love to teach and why? 7. Why do you think you will like teaching at Roeper?

MICAH BROWN Micah Brown is our full-time Lower School Educational Counselor. He has had over 17 years of experience as a School Social Worker and will be providing both counseling and academic support and consultation for both students and teachers.

1. Balancing: professional, parent, organized chaos, fun 2. Maui, Hawaii 3. Jesus, Will Ferrell, Bob Marley 4. Immediate family = We have two boys (Ezra, age 10, and Arie, age 6). I was born in Wisconsin. My parents moved to Birmingham down the street from Roeper’s Upper School in 1982, where they lived until 2005. I am the oldest of five boys. My father was a pastor at a church in Bloomfield Hills (now retired and living near Lansing). My wife’s entire family is from the Netherlands (I’m the first non- Dutch person in their family), however they don’t have any real connection to the culture. Naming our second son Arie was our attempt at connecting with the Dutch culture. Ezra’s name is an old Hebrew biblical name like mine. 5. Michigan State sports, Golf, travel, outdoors, photography. 6. Social-Emotional Learning skills — they are the foundation of successful students and employees. I’m excited to join others in moving the mission of Roeper forward to help develop and strengthen these skills in students.   7. I’ve been reading a lot about the history of Roeper. I’m excited to be at Roeper because not only did the Roepers recognize the value and importance of social emotional learning decades before it became under- stood and accepted by mainstream educa- tion, but it was founded on these concepts.

SARAH DeVRIES Sarah Baker DeVries is returning to us after several years away in Grand Rapids. Previously Sarah taught Stage II and Stage IV at Roeper. We are pleased to have Sarah return as the Team Teacher with Michele Buttermore in Stage II.

1. Two kids under five; laundry, laundry, laundry. 2. Along the coastline of Croatia. 3. My maternal grandparents for the memories and Ina Garten for the good food.  4. I grew up in northern Michigan with an amazing set of parents who instilled a love of community, learning, and adventure. Now as a parent to two small children ages 2½ and 4½, my husband Charlie and I want the same for our kids, and we know being a part of the Roeper community will do just that. 5. Baking, reading, SEC Football and yoga — not necessarily in that order. 6. Helping learners discover the joy of reading. This applies to any grade level, whether it’s helping someone learn to read or someone who has been reading for years and just hasn’t found the right book to keep their interest. 7. I have had the opportunity to teach in many different schools over the course of my teaching career (including five years at Roeper), and I am certain there is no place on Earth quite like this place. My husband’s job transferred us to Grand Rapids in 2013, and when the opportunity presented itself for us to move back, we jumped at the chance. The past two years we have been a part of the community as parents, and I was elated at the opportunity to rejoin this year as a staff member.

MAHMOODA HAFEEZ Mahmooda Hafeez is the new 6th grade Science teacher. She comes to us with a tremendous amount of experience in middle school science programs. 7.   I love that Roeper is a Community, and our focus is on the Whole Child.  This aligns with my personal and professional beliefs and will be a natural fit.

1. Blessed with family, friends, humbling experiences. 2. Hunza Valley, Pakistan. 3. Mom, dad, brother-in law (all dead). 4. We are three siblings. I am in the middle. I am a mother of two teenage boys. I was born in Karachi, Pakistan. 5. Sewing, repurposing, organizing, decorating, and renovating. 6. Science, because it explains nature. 7. Roeper uses wholistic approach to help children identify and refine their natural talents, acquire new skills, see the world through the lens of social justice, and become productive and well-informed citizens of the world.

MARIE HALPIN Marie Halpin is the new Coordinator of Learning Support for the Middle/Upper School. She has more than 25 years of experience in learning support plans and accommodations. Marie will help us coordinate support for students who learn differently, along with educating the community in best practices as it relates to all students’ success.

41.  Active, busy, engaging, talkative, loving and fun. 2.   I would live in Italia for one year. 3.   I would love to invite Giada DeLaurentis, Shalane Flanagan, and my Mom (gone eight years) to dinner. 4.   I was born in France to Italian parents and

immigrated to the USA when I was six years old.  I am the fourth of five children.  I have been married to my college sweetheart for 24 years and we have two college-aged boys. 5.   Outside of teaching I love to cook, travel and am an avid runner.  I ran the 2019 NYC Marathon on November 3.  It was my eighth marathon. 6.   I love to teach early literacy.  I love it because it is truly a time when you can see a child’s mind making connections, and I love how it helps them to access the world around them.

JENNY IRVINE Jenny Irvine is the Lower School Administrative Assistant. Previously, she served in this position at Cedar Crest Academy. Jenny brings a wealth of experience as both an Administrative Assistant, former P.E. teacher, and parent of two children at Cedar Crest and Cranbrook.

1. I am blessed beyond all measure. 2. I would love to spend a year in “forced time-out” in the Locomotive Mountain Range, British Columbia. 3. Mr. Rogers (my hero), Erma Bombeck (I have always admired her gift to make others laugh), and my dad (I miss our hot fudge sundae dates). 4. Jon is my wonderful husband of 27 years. We have two beautiful children (unbiased opinion, of course) named Shannon and Cullin. My husband is from Ireland, making our children the first native-born American citizens in his family. On the opposite spectrum, I was born in Huntington, WV, but have lived in Michigan most of my life. I have traced my family back to the original American settlers. 5. My hobbies include exercising, baking, singing and crocheting. 6. Although I am not a teacher, I am a certi- fied personal trainer, and I enjoy motivating others to be their best physically. My approach to training has always been very instructional with the intent of helping others discover their unique motivation so they will continue finding a passion for healthy living their whole lives. 7. I appreciate being a part of a community that values individuality and human worth at all ages. I am looking forward to interacting with the students and hopefully putting a smile on the faces of those I come in contact with daily.

Mahmooda Hafeez

Marie Halpin

Jenny Irvine

Kevin Kidea

Barb Lasecki-Webb

KEVIN KILDEA Kevin Kildea is our new Upper School mathematics teacher, coming to us with a long history teaching this subject matter.

1. Through all my endeavors, relationships abound. 2. Even though I have never been there, I would love to live in Ireland. There is some thing about the homeland of my great-greatgrandparents that feels very comfortable. And I could golf at some amazing courses. 3. Isaac Asimov, Orson Scott Card, and Phillip K. Dick — I love science fiction! 4. I grew up in Philadelphia and married a girl from Detroit (she’s a math teacher too). My father had quite a series of job changes during my teens which allowed me to live in Alexandria (VA), Royal Oak (MI), Chicago (IL), and South Plainfield (NJ) over the course of six years. I went to the University of Detroit and decided to stay here. I met my wife, Denise, at East Detroit High School where we both taught. We have been married for 22 years and have two wonderful children. Kathryn is 19 and attends Alma College, Sean is 16 and is a junior in high school. 5. My two favorite things to do are to bowl in the winter and golf in the summer. Actually, if I could golf all year, that would be great. I enjoy my time with my family. They are the rocks that keep me grounded. I enjoy all sports, especially football. In order to relax, I read, travel, and watch movies. I’m a science fiction nerd who enjoys talking Star Trek with anyone. Videography is something I dabble in as well. 6. There are so many topics that I enjoy, it would not be possible to narrow it down. However, the one common thread in all of that is discovery. I enjoy facilitating discussion and activities that open up the minds of people and allow them to think, experiment, fail, and succeed. That is where the true learning takes place. 7. What impressed me the most about the people that I met in the short time that I have been here is the trust. I am trusted to do what I think is best for the students. Everyone has been so supportive and kind. It seems that people are very happy to work here and that feeling is contagious.

BARB LASECKI-WEBB Barb Lasecki-Webb joins the Roeper Upper School faculty as our chemistry teacher. Barb comes to us with well over a decade of experience as a science educator at both Marian High School and Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy.

1. Evolving, busy, interesting, family, fun, familiar. 2. This is easy. I would want to return to Bora Bora. I was fortunate to spend my honey- moon in Bora Bora. The level of beauty from the raw nature and ocean was amazing. I could spend a year snorkeling and research- ing ways to help protect these beautiful aspects of the ocean! 3. In light of my decision to send my daughters to Roeper, and in light of having the opportunity to teach at Roeper, I would love to have had dinner with George and Annemarie Roeper. Although I am confi- dent that the community can rely on their mission, I would have loved the opportunity to speak with them firsthand! A third per- son I would love to have dinner with is President Barack Obama. I have been inspired by him as a public speaker and respected his tenure as our President. He is someone I look up to and would be proud and honored to have meet my daughters. 4. I come from a family of immigrants. My paternal grandmother, Ilene Matilda Magillan, was fully Irish. My maternal great grandmother traveled to the United States at the age of two from Poland. I grew up hearing my maternal grandparents and extended family speak Polish. I regret that I can only say a few words myself. I am also of German decent. My immediate family consists of my wife Kristen, and my two daughters, Piper (4) and Victoria (Tori) (2). We have a dog, Dobby, and two cats, Nemo and Rory. We love family vacations, game nights, cheering on the kids at their activities. 5. I was a 3-sport athlete in high school (swimming, volleyball and softball). I also played softball in college. I have spent several years coaching as well. You could say, I enjoy sports. I continue to play recre- ational volleyball and softball. I also encourage my kids to participate in

activities. I enjoy watching them take on new challenges and love to see their growth. We love to travel as a family. Right now, our favorite place is the Great Wolf Lodge. My daughters can’t get enough of the kiddy slides. I have been fortunate to spend part of most of my summers in Oscoda, Michigan, where my grandparents have a lake house. Because of these experi- ences as a kid, I developed a real love and thirst for nature and the outdoors. I hope to continue that with my children. 6. Honestly, what I love to teach the most is teaching students how to overcome hurdles. I think developing a strong foundation of study skills, organizational techniques, confidence builders, and time management skills are essential to students being successful in my classroom, but more importantly beyond. Helping students develop these transferable skills is really what it is all about. It is particularly rewarding when students recognize their growth and transfer it to other areas of their lives. I also love teaching balancing equations and Hess’s Law. These chemistry topics are often fun. Students often see them more like a game or challenge and that helps to create and keep interest in the course. Finally, one of the best things about teaching chemistry is the demos! A carefully placed and executed demonstra- tion can create the wow factor that helps interest students and drives their learning to a deeper level of understanding. 7. I think what I will like most about teaching at Roeper is the community. I believe teaching/learning is really a team effort. I think Roeper has the right combination of stakeholders. When students take owner- ship and control of their learning, I believe their pride and success will show. I am excited to help that process for my students.

BRIANA LOTAN Briana Lotan is the Lower School Music Teacher. Brianna has an extensive musical theater background, as well as expertise in providing vocal and piano instruction. 1. Adventurous, musical, silly, strong, exciting, and limitless. 2. Germany or New Zealand.  3. Sutton Foster, FDR, and Freddy Mercury. 4. I was born and raised in Michigan, and my family members are like little gypsies; we like to travel and move around, but our roots will always be Michigan.  5.   Anything with music or theatre! I love going to rock concerts! I also enjoy painting, reading, and traveling as much as I can.  6.   I love to teach acting because kids explore all the reaches of their imaginations, all the while creating something special.  7. I think I will love teaching at Roeper because of the people I’ve met so far! Everyone is so friendly and warmhearted! I think what also makes Roeper so special is they believe knowledge is limitless and that kids can explore and try new things whatever their abilities might be. This is a value that I hold true to myself as well!

Briana Lotan

DUY MO Duy Mo is the new Middle School Math teacher. This year, he will teach foundations, applications, and pre-algebra. He has a strong background in math and an even stronger passion for middle school.

1. If I could live anywhere for a year, it would have to be Kyoto, Japan. I had a chance to visit a couple of years ago, and the city has an amazing blend of traditional and modern architecture and places. I see myself buying a bike and casually riding in the more rural areas of the city everyday! 2. I would invite Keanu Reeves because of his unorthodox history and calm and cool demeanor. In history, I would definitely choose Teddy Roosevelt, as he wasn’t your run-of-mill president and had some truly outlandish stories from when he was alive. My last person, and the most important one, is my mom, because she has always been there for me. 3. My parents escaped from Viet Nam in the late 1970s after the war. Coincidentally, they decided to leave the country on my eventual birthday off the coast of Vung Tau, a city just outside of Ho Chi

Duy Mo

Candace O’Leary

Blake Pynnonen

Minh City. After approximately 18 days without food out at sea with other Viet- namese boat-people, they arrived on an island off the coast of Malaysia, where they stayed as refugees for a number of months before being sponsored by the North Hills Christian Reformed Church to come to the United States, which is actually just down the road from the Roeper Birmingham campus. I am proud of what my parents accomplished and the sacrifices they had to make on their incredible journey to the United States. 4. I actively play and follow most major sports, love playing board games and video games, and am a huge tea enthusiast and mug collector. You will almost never see me without a mug or tumbler in hand! 5. I love teaching skills related to structure and understanding of Mathematics through retelling. Although it’s great to understand concepts or skills in Math, it’s an entirely different beast to be able to explain it to someone else in simple terms. After all, everyone will have different ways of solving or thinking about problems, and it’s important to be able to 1) gain those perspectives, and 2) explain your process to someone else. The latter is challenging, but it is something we will work on in my class! 6. Being able to develop meaningful relation- ships with students and teachers is incre- dibly powerful, and with Roeper’s small class sizes, it’s entirely possible. Although my class focus will primarily be on developing critical- and problem-solving skills related to Math, I hope to set aside time in and outside of class to get to know my students’ interests and to engage in friendly everyday conversations.

CANDACE O’LEARY Candace O’Leary is teaching Art part-time in the Lower School, teaching Stage III Art. She has taught visual arts in Seattle and Detroit. 3. My Great Grandmother because I miss her stories, Beatrix Potter, and Harriet Tubman (but this may change tomorrow). 4. I grew up with five sisters (six girls/one bathroom) in Rochester Hills. Dinner was regular and family-based, and you ate what was served. Always had animals in the house, just cats and dogs and maybe a sprinkling of fish and hamsters. Moved quite a bit as a wee one. 5. Making art, knitting, baking (hope you all like to eat), cooking and cycling with my little man, Enzo. 6. Art is my specialization, but I also have a passion for poetry and writing in general, and social awareness. 7. I am open and flexible and have a wealth of information to share. I want to become a part of a family and culture and hope that Roeper will be the place for me to achieve this.

BLAKE PYNNONEN Blake Pynnonen has joined Laura Phillips as a Stage III Team Teacher. He has taught in Oakland County as well as in South Korea. One of Blake’s strengths is his ability to connect with and include all students.

1. Teacher by day, gamer by night. 2. Busan, South Korea. 3. Lawrence Kasdan, Jordan Peterson, Joseph Campbell. 4. I have a large extended family on both sides. They are both based in Michigan. I love my cousins very much. 5. I play board games. I occasionally write movie reviews for a website. I like to cook. 6. I love teaching about the Hero’s Journey, because it is so widely applicable to literature and film. 7. I look forward to the curiosity and enthu- siasm of Roeper students.

1. Mama, maker, baker, artist, thinker, listener. 2. So many places on this list, but maybe Greece, so that I could take in an entirely new culture and fortify my love for art history.

JESIE QI Jesie Qi is teaming up with Debbie Bejune as a Team Teacher in Stage II. She is the parent of Lower School students Anka (Stage III) and Richard (Stage II), and she has taught Chinese language and culture in Kindergarten through 12 th grade.

1. Diligent, reliable, cooperative, enthusiastic, resourceful. 2. My husband and my parents.  3. Maldives. 4. Playing table tennis, yoga, travel, photography, and watching movies. 5. Teaching math is always fun, creative and methodical. Math is related to everyone’s life. We need math every day in most things and activities. So, math can be taught in various ways around you. I believe my teaching will make students highly interested in math and develop a good math habit and become a math kid easily.  6. I love and believe in Roeper’s teaching philosophy. Teachers will help Roeper students find who they are and what they can do with full support from administrators. 

SHOSHANNA UTCHENIK Shoshanna Utchenik is our full-time Lower School Art Teacher. She will teach Stage I Domes, Stage II and Stage IV Art. Most recently, Shoshanna was employed at the Grace Boggs School, which has a mission very much aligned with The Roeper School. She is an active and vocal proponent of social justice.

1.  Create, love, work purposefully, play, connect! 2. In a scenic luxury tree house! 3. My late grandmothers Betty and Miriam, and my imaginary grandma Maya Angelou. I would feed them something delicious, kiss them and thank them and sit back and learn how many different ways there are to be a phenomenal woman. 4. I was born in Detroit and have lived in Chicago and Ljubljana, Slovenia! I moved back to Detroit eight years ago, and my son Oskar and I love hanging out with friends and family, making food, singing on road trips, chilling on Belle Isle, and making each other laugh.  5. Art, art, and more art! I am a puppeteer, and have worked in theater design and visual art. I often put these skills to work to build community connections and love hearing and sharing stories of different people’s lives. We learn so much about each other and ourselves when we get curious and inspired by our differences! I am so proud of my communities of amazing artists in Detroit and Chicago, and love to support their shows and events as audience or collaborator.  Over the last few years, I have spent a lot of time applying my sculpture skills to rehabbing my house on the east side of Detroit, and I’m finally getting to the fun projects like a mini-green house and rain barrels! It’s fun learning more about sustainable practices and self-sufficiency from Detroiters who are pros. 6. Puppetry arts are a passion of mine that many students have not been exposed to, so it is very exciting to share their enthusiasm as they discover the limitless potential of the medium. I also love to support students’ growing confidence as creative problem solvers. We all bring some self-doubt to the things we care about, so it is liberating to experience true creative ‘flow’.  7. I collaborated with the Roeper community as a visiting artist in the 75 th anniversary celebration in 2017, and was excited about the deep conversations, community responsibility, and supportive relationships I experienced.  When I moved back to my hometown in 2011, I promised myself I would live in close connection with others, and I think that is a shared value at Roeper.  I feel welcomed to be myself and share my skills and passions with the Roeper community, and I know we will create the same warm welcome for young artists in the Roeper Art Studio! F

Jesie Qi

Shoshanna Utchenik

STAFF PHOTOS BY ANTHONY MORROW