Our Teachers
View Staff ProfilesIf you want to know what makes us different…it’s our teachers.
Our Michigan-certified teachers and supporting staff are the foundation of iCademy and the growth of your student. They are talented, passionate, patient, and specially trained to excel in all the subtleties of online teaching. iCademy teachers are drawn to virtual schools because they know all kids are different and learn in different and unique ways.
We operate on a teacher-led structure, so our teachers are leaders in their teaching and in making decisions about our school through what we call a School Responsibility (S.R.). Check out their information below!
Staff Profiles
K5 Team
Kindergarten-2nd Grade Teacher – Ms. Carolyn Tummel
3rd-5th Grade Teacher – Ms. Rachel Heerspink
Ms. Rachel absolutely loves watching her students learn, explore, collaborate, and grow during live lessons. She enjoys supporting students and watching them shine in a non-traditional, virtual setting.
Middle School Team
Middle School Science Teacher – Mr. Andy Meredith
Mr. Meredith’s favorite part of teaching is seeing students uncover the amazing world’s phenomenons around us through science. He has enjoyed seeing students collaborate and connect in a virtual setting.
Middle School Language Arts Teacher – Ms. Bethany Redeker
Ms. Redeker loves teaching middle school ELA at iCademy because she loves listening to students’ unique voices. Through reading about their greatest passions and stories on paper, she enjoys getting to know her students each personally. Ms. Redeker strives to build class community, encourage students to think creatively, and instill a love for all types of stories.
Middle School Math Teacher – Mr. Jacob Ferland
Mr. Ferland has really enjoyed teaching at iCademy and getting to know some really awesome students.
Middle School Social Studies Teacher – Mr. Joel Siemen
Mr. Siemen has a passion for helping students to expand on their critical thinking skills and always strides to promote the natural curiosity that each child innately holds. He is a firm believer that a better understanding of our shared pasts gives us clarity on our present world, and is a safeguard to a better tomorrow.
High School Team
High School Math Teacher – Ms. Pam Carpenter
Ms. Carpenter teaches Algebra 1 through Pre-Calculus and everything in between. She loves teaching all levels of Math at iCademy. She is grateful to have a great team to work with.
High School Language Arts Teacher – Ms. Amy Baragar
Ms. Baragar’s favorite part of teaching is that her focus is on learning to think critically and express ourselves clearly. She knows you might not need extensive knowledge of “Romeo and Juliet” or the art of poetry to get a job as an adult, but you do need to know how to understand the main idea of a speech or article, to know how to construct a good argument or recognize a bad one and to be able to make a claim and support it by both speaking and writing. These are the things Ms. Baragar is passionate about teaching, and she is just thankful that great literature can help us accomplish them.
High School Science Teacher – Ms. Cindy Beall
Ms. Beall loves connecting with her students virtually. She also enjoys sharing her love of science with her students. Biology was her favorite subject to learn about in school, but Chemistry is her favorite to teach!
High School Social Studies Teacher – Ms. Mandy Guppy-Koehn
Ms. Guppy-Koehn loves reading, writing, researching, and all things history so it made sense for her to put that passion to work and share it with students! She loves watching High School students grow over the four years they work together. They come in so young with so much to learn and experience, but by the time they graduate, they are ready to take on the world.
Electives Team
K-12 Physical Education and Art Teacher – Ms. Tori Banas
Ms. Tori Banas is excited to combine both of her passions as the K-12 Physical Education and Art Teacher at iCademy! She absolutely loves being able to help students learn how to live healthy and creative lives.
Email: tori.banas@icademyglobal.org
K-12 Spanish Teacher – Ms. Josefina Guillen-Henders
Ms. Guillen-Henders is originally from Guanajuato, Mexico, so her native language is Spanish. Being from Mexico, she understands how important it is to respect and learn about different cultures. She says, “When we are aware of different cultures and look at the world in a global way, we stay open-minded and are willing to accept each other… even though we may be very different.” Ms. Gullien-Henders loves teaching her students Spanish!
K-12 Music Teacher – Ms. Hillary Schmidt
Ms. Hillary loves engaging with students’ musical passions at iCademy. From music history to performance driven community partnership courses, she enjoys working with students to increase their musical knowledge and open up their musical world.
Counseling Team
K-8 School Counselor – Ms. Haley Prins
9-12 School Counselor – Ms. Rebecca Laarman
Ms. Laarman loves supporting high school students as they navigate academics and career paths for life after high school. She feels successful when students feel they have the tools to make confident choices and feel equipped for their next steps after high school. Ms. Laarman loves the unique student community at iCademy and the team of teachers that genuinely care about their students.
Technology Assistant and Counseling Assistant – Ms. Sherri Wheeldon
Ms. Sherri Wheeldon has a career history of database analysis, research and office support services. She is enthusiastic about helping students and their families understand and navigate our virtual school technology, so they can pursue school success with confidence.
MTSS Team
K-8 Math Interventionist – Ms. Lisa Haven
Math is Ms. Lisa’s favorite subject to teach and she loves seeing students learn math, from explaining a triangle and making 10, to calculating with the Pythagorean Theorem and trigonometry. Ms. Lisa also loves witnessing students make their own understanding and stories with math concepts.
Email: lisa.haven@icademyglobal.org
Re:Fuel Coordinator/MS & HS Mentor – Ms. Lyndi Roush
Ms. Roush loves working with students and families to ensure that they have the resources and support they need to succeed, and that school is a safe, accessible, and fun learning environment for everyone. She believes that all students deserve the opportunity to reach their full potential, regardless of their background or circumstances. That’s why Ms. Roush is passionate about creating a school community where everyone feels welcome and supported.
Engagement Interventionist/HS Mentor – Ms. Lindsay Light
Ms. Light believes that every student can be successful when given the opportunity to learn in their best environment!
Special Education Team
K-5 Special Education Teacher – Ms. Maria Merriman
Ms. Maria is honored to be making a difference in the lives of children, as a Special Educator, here at iCademy. In her role, she is able to meet and help all students learn to the best of their ability, while celebrating all the differences and individuality we each bring to our school!
6-9 Special Education Teacher – Ms. Becky Bierma
Ms. Becky is honored to be making a difference in the lives of children, as a Special Educator, here at iCademy.
9-12 Special Education Teacher – Ms. Megan Shriver
Ms. Shriver is a teacher who cares about her students. She believes that every student is unique and has something special to offer the world. That’s why she goes out of her way to form unique relationships with each of her students. She wants to get to know them as individuals and help them grow and succeed. Ms. Shriver also knows that she can learn a lot from her students. She loves hearing about their special talents and gifts. She also encourages them to share their kindness and acceptance with each other. She believes that everyone could benefit from a little more kindness in the world.
Speech Pathologist – Ms. Becca Beebe
Ms. Becca loves the element of discovery that is there every session with her speech-language students. By building on their interests, students can find delight in the ‘work’ they do weekly. Ms. Becca loves using good literature to achieve their goals. Being online means that the world is at their fingertips. Parents are close at hand to experience the fruits of their labors.
Email: rebecca.beebe@innocademy.com
School Social Worker – Ms. Kate Meengs
As a person and education, Ms. Kate is super passionate about all things mental health. She loves that her role at iCademy allows her to really see the “whole child” and support students and families in taking care of themselves so that they can be successful in every aspect of their lives!
School Psychologist – Ms. Lisa Runyon
Ms. Runyon enjoys working with students of all ages and abilities. She is passionate about helping students receive the support, tools, and services they need to be successful. She loves working with the wonderful students and staff at iCademy.
Email: lisa.runyon@iesschools.org
Occupational Therapist – Ms. Abby Bennett
Ms. Abby loves working as an occupational therapist to support students in their ability to learn. She enjoys that every session is centered around the students’ individual skill level. Especially when finding opportunities to think outside of the box in fun and creative ways in order to promote the students’ success in the virtual classroom.
Email: abby.bennett@iesschools.org
Whole School Supports
School Lead – Mr. Reid Nicholson
Mr. Reid Nicholson considers partnering with families in their educational adventures a great honor and privilege! He loves seeing students engage in many opportunities to discover their talents and passions. He is committed to uncovering and encouraging wonder and curiosity within all students at iCademy.
Enrollment and Communications – Ms. Leisa Lobbezoo
Ms. Leisa is our enrollment and communications person at iCademy. She loves meeting new families, learning their stories, and helping them find the right school and program for their kiddos. Helping kiddos land in their just right spot and getting a chance to cheer them on as they find success is one of her favorite things!
Technology Coordinator – Ms. Melissa Meyer
Ms. Melissa Meyer helps coordinate technology across the three IES schools.
Bio Coming Soon!
Email: melissa.meyer@iesschools.org
Community Programs Director – Ms. Jody Voss
Ms. Jody loves that she gets to combine her passions of connecting learning in the classroom with opportunities for learning outside the classroom in her job as Community Programs Director. Community Passport and Capstone opportunities are two great ways students at iCademy can take advantage of learning outside the classroom and she loves that she can be involved in helping make these connections for students!
Email: jody.voss@icademyglobal.org
Pupil Accounting – Ms. Kate Mathe
Ms. Kate is our pupil accounting and registrar for all three IES Schools.
Email: kathryn.mathe@iesschools.org
Human Resources – Mr. Jamison Andrus
Mr. Andrus finds Human Resources fascinating in a school environment. Every day is different. He says, “The most rewarding part of my position is recruiting and hiring educational staff, which gives me the opportunity to positively impact the lives of children in a non-direct way. It’s a way for me to give back to the community.”
