Teaching Staff Bios

Ms. Mary Pat Ament
Expeditionary Learning School Designer

Mary Pat Ament is a school designer with Expeditionary Learning.  She is delighted to work with the GEMS staff to create curriculum that emphasizes high achievement through engaged learning, character growth and teamwork. She has spent three decades in the classroom, part of that time in middle school, and part of that time as an Expeditionary Learning teacher.  Her undergraduate work focused on Sociology and Education, and her Master's work was in Literacy.  Mrs. Ament is the oldest of 11 children and now the matriarch of 45.  Mrs. Ament and her husband are the proud parents of two wonderful adults and are "Nana and Bapa" to three.  In her spare time she loves to read, garden, travel, and learn. She is proud to be part of the GEMS family.

Ms. Hadley Bachman
Language Arts

Ms. Bachman graduated high school from Mansfield Senior High.  Four years later, she received her B.A. in English from Goshen College in Goshen, IN.  Later, she earned her M.Ed. from OSU in 2007.  Her first teaching job was as a volunteer with the Peace Corps in Cape Verde, West Africa where she taught English as a Foreign Language to over 200 7th-12th graders each year.  After graduating from OSU, she taught 10th and 11th grade English, Newspaper, Yearbook, and 9th grade Language Skills at Lakewood High School in Hebron, OH.  She has been married for seven years and has one daughter, who is almost two years old.  She also has two dachshunds, Rascal and Daisy.  Ms. Bachman loves spending time with family and friends and being outdoors: running, biking, going to parks, hiking, etc.  She tries her best to delight in every day and to help herself and the people around her to be the best people we can be.  She is very excited to be teaching at GEMS and can't wait to get to know all the students and their families even better.

Mr. Michael Beard
Assistant Dean

Michael Beard is a member of our staff, but for only one year. Michael taught high school English at The Charles School at Ohio Dominican University for the past three years. He joins us this year as an Assistant Dean in preparation for helping to open up the Graham Primary School next fall. He is married and a father of 2 young boys. A native of Michigan, Michael loves cheering for all Detroit sports teams, including that other school up north.

Ms. Cathy Carrico
Front Desk

Cathy has three teenage children and is a partial season ticket holder in the Cleveland Browns’ Dawg Pound! Cathy attended The Ohio State University and has worked with charter schools for over four years.

Ms. Brittani Davis
Intervention Specialist

Brittani is a Cincinnati native who graduated from The Ohio State University last Spring.

Miss Jisuka Hessler
Humanities

Miss Hessler graduated high school from Gahanna Lincoln High School. After high school, she recieved her Bachelors degree in human development and family science and Masters degree in middle childhood education from The Ohio State University.  Miss Hessler's first teaching experience was as a dance instructor at two Columbus area dance studios. It was there that she found her love of working with adolescents. This will be her 6th year working with middle school students. Previously, Miss Hessler has taught 6th grade in Chicago, Illinois. Miss Hessler loves spending her time watching reality television, taking Zumba classes and playing with her two pitbulls, Coraggio and Bronson. She is happy to return to GEMS and excited to work with the wonderful students, staff and families.  

Mr. Sean Joseph
Social Studies

Sean is a native of Westerville, OH and spent the past two years pursuing his masters of education at The Ohio State University, graduating last Spring. Previously, he worked for two years as an editor and writer for am/NewYork, a New York City newspaper publication. He has been married for 2 years to his wife, Mikki. They have a dog named Mo. 

Mr. James Kutnow
Dean

Mr. Kutnow grew up outside of Philadelphia, PA and still roots for all Philadelphia sports teams (Go Phillies!). He has worked for the past 4 years with The Graham Family of Schools. Previously he worked in various student affairs positions in higher education working with residential students, Greek life, student leadership, student discipline and student activities. He also taught high school English for a year in Trenton, NJ. He earned his B.A. from Taylor University and M.S. from Indiana State University. James has been married for 11 years to his wife, Erin. Together, they have 3 children ages 9, 8, and 3. Other interests of Mr. Kutnow include following the English Premier League, tying flies and going fly fishing, playing the violin & banjo, reading and watching documentaries.

Mrs. Myra Molnar
Assistant Dean

Myra Molnar is married to Tom Molnar, a social studies teacher at the Graham High School.  They have a daughter in her junior year in college. Their family also includes a lively Cairn Terrrier by the name of Matilda. Myra enjoys hiking, biking, and working in the kitchen.  She loves to cook and conveniently loves to eat what she cooks! Myra Molnar has been an educator for over 30 years.  She has taught both high school and middle school English and Reading.  She instituted the English One /Guided Studies program for Worthington Kilbourne HIgh School--a class designed to support at rish high school students.  Most recently, Myra Molnar was also a Care-Coordinator for Franklin County Courts.

Mrs. Dawn Ramsey
Science & Mathematics

Dawn has been teaching for over four years and has past experiences working with charter schools. She also has over nine years of German language experience. Dawn is married and her husband, who serves as a pilot in the US military,  recently returned from a four month assignment in Qatar.

Ms. Cory Righter
Front Desk

Cory is a graduate of Ohio Dominican University. She comes to us from Worthington Libraries and also works for the Columbus Children’s Choir.

Ms. Lauren Schell
Guidance

Lauren Schell is our Guidance Counselor. Lauren is a graduate of The Ohio State University. She went to Wright State University for her undergraduate work, but has called Columbus her home for the past 2 years. She is the proud owner of a basset hound named, Emma.

Mrs. Rachelle Smith
Art

Rachelle Smith is married to her husband, Josh, who is a jazz musician (trumpet) and photorgrapher. They are proud parents to Miles who will be two this next summer! Rachelle graduated from OSU with a BFA in painting and drawing and is currently working toward an MA in Art Education. Rachelle started her own own nonprofit organization, Ruban Reflections, which holds art workshops for underprivileged families. Other interests and hobbies include baking cheesecakes, volunteering, and reading to Miles.

Mr. Mike Taylor
Math

Mr. Taylor comes to GEMS with a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education from Northern Arizona University and a Master’s Degree in Middle Grades Education from the University of California at San Bernadino.  His teaching experiences include six years teaching at Palm Springs Unified School District in California (four years in third grade and two years in middle school), six years teaching middle school at Columbus Montessori Education Center, one year teaching high school math at The Charles School, and five years at Camp Mary Orton Adventure Academy (an outdoor adventure camp). He lives with his wife, Bree, and two kids, Samantha and Alexa. Mr. Taylor’s hobbies include playing inline hockey and watching his favorite team the New York Rangers, playing and coaching soccer, non-mass-market board and card games, and going hiking and camping. He is originally from Queens, New York and reports that on occasion, he does get the “Queens” accent back.

Ms. Destanie VanDyne
Science

This year is Mrs. vanDyne's second year teaching Science at GEMS.  She is a graduate of OSU with a Master of Education degree with a focus on science education.  Before attending OSU, she worked as a math intervention assistant at Worthingway Middle School in Worthington, OH.    She lives with her husband, Jared, and her dogs, Arthur and Henry, north of Columbus.  They recently purchased a very old home and have been spending much of their time working on it.  Mrs. VanDyne loves spending time with her family and looks forward to visiting with them for Sunday dinner each week!  In her free time, she loves to bike, play volleyball, kayak, and take pictures of anything that she finds outdoors.  She also enjoys spending time with a close group of friends at church. Mrs. VanDyne is excited about getting to know her students at GEMS and helping them grow as learners and as people. 

Mrs. Stephanie Waldeck
Math

Mrs. Waldeck graduated from Miami University where she received her Bachelor of Science in Education with a focus on Mathematics. After graduating, she taught 7th and 8th grade Math in Dayton, Ohio. In Dayton she also had the opportunity to serve as the Math Counts advisor and coach track and field. She was recently married and is excited to be back in her hometown, Columbus. In her free time, she enjoys running, coaching volleyball, scrapbooking, and spending time with family and friends. She is excited to join us and looks forward to working with the students at GEMS!

Mrs. Laura Wosiak
Intervention Specialist

Laura is a graduate of The Ohio State University. However, Laura also received an education degree in Poland, her native country. Laura is married and has 2 young children. 

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