OUR FACULTY

Dean of Students

Ted Hall, Dean of Students, retired in 2012 with 35 years of service to the North Canton City Schools. During his career, he served as a social studies teacher, Director of Media Services, Associate Principal at Hoover High School and Dean of Students at the Mary L. Evans Early Childhood Center. Ted is married to Rebecca Ink Hall and they have one son, Peter Hall. Volunteer activities include the North Canton Educational Endowment Board, North Canton Student Loan Foundation, John Knox Presbyterian Church, North Canton City Schools, Finger Lakes Boating Museum, and other school and community events. He looks forward to working daily with the students, staff, and parents at Portage Collaborative Montessori School.

Preschool/Kindergarten

Jane Reifsnyder, Preschool/Kindergarten Teacher and Program Coordinator, holds a B.S. in Education from the University of Akron and an M.A. in Education from Walsh University. She earned her Montessori Primary Diploma at the Michigan Montessori Training Center. She has over 35 years of teaching experience at the preschool, kindergarten, and college level. Her special interests include reading, sewing, and motoring in sports cars.

Stacey France, Preschool/Kindergarten Teacher, has a B.A. in Education from Walsh University and an M.A. in Educational Administration from Ashland University. She received her Montessori Primary diploma from Walsh University’s Montessori Teacher Training Program. Stacey has over 10 years teaching experience at the Primary level. In her leisure time, she enjoys photography, traveling, and spending time with her family.

Lower Elementary

Jan Oravec, Lower Elementary Teacher, holds an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from Kent State University. She took her Elementary Montessori training at the Columbus Montessori Training Center. Her 25+ years of teaching experience includes 12 years in Learning Disabilities classrooms before coming to PCMS. She enjoys traveling, crafts, and outdoor activities.

Kim Rimmele, Lower Elementary Teacher, holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from Kent State University. She completed her Elementary Montessori training at Columbus Montessori Training Center and has been teaching at PCMS since 1994 when the school opened. She enjoys spending time with her family and her church friends and playing volleyball.

Melissa Vozar, Lower Elementary Teacher, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Walsh University and a Master’s degree from the University of Akron. She received her Montessori Elementary accreditation through Montessori Opportunities, Inc. She worked as a substitute teacher and was an Elementary teacher at Canton Montessori School before coming to PCMS. Melissa enjoys spending time with her family, working on her 1929 tudor-style home, reading, and working out.

Upper Elementary

Julia Gallik, Upper Elementary teacher, holds a B.F.A. in Music Performance and an M.A. in Education from Walsh University. She earned her Primary Montessori diploma from St. Nicholas Training Center and her Elementary diploma from Columbus Montessori Training Center. She has teaching experience at the preschool and elementary levels and has been an instructor for a Montessori training center.

Beth Julian, Upper Elementary Teacher, earned a B.S. in Fashion Merchandising from Ohio University and a Master’s in Education from Walsh University. She received her Pre-Primary level Montessori training in 1999, Elementary level training in 2002, and taught at Canton Montessori from 1998-2008.   She taught at the Primary level in several Canton City Schools from 2008 until she joined PCMS in 2012.  She and her husband, Pat, have been married since 1984 and have two sons and a daughter who are now young adults. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, scrapbooking and singing with “A Chorus For a Cause” as well as her church choir at St. Louis in Louisville.

Middle School

Michelle R. Wadley, Middle School teacher, holds a B.S. in Education from Baldwin-Wallace College and an M.A. in Education from the University of Akron. In addition, she received her Montessori training and credential through the Houston Montessori Center in Houston, Texas. Mrs. Wadley earned her National Board Certification in Early Adolescent English Language Arts. Outside of school, she enjoys playing the viola at her church and with a string trio, spending time with family, traveling, visiting friends, and scrapbooking when she has the time.

Specialists

Susan DeNoi, Intervention Specialist, earned her B.S. in Education and Special Education from Youngstown State University. She furthered her education at Kent State University taking courses to obtain her Intervention Specialist license in 2000, and a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in reading in 2006. She enjoys reading, quilting, bird watching, bike riding, and spending time with friends and family.

Deb Lea, Physical Education teacher, holds a B.S. in Physical Education from Kent State University and a Master’s degree in Educational Administration from Ashland University. She taught PE in Plain Local Schools and North Canton Schools for 30 years, retiring in 2008. In addition, she coached swim, cross-country, and volleyball teams, advised cheerleading, served as a pool director, and taught various exercise and nutrition classes. In her spare time, she baby-sits for her two grandchildren, enjoys biking and rowing, and is a trailblazer for Stark Parks.

Cindi Luke, Art Instructor, is a graduate of Kent State University with a B.A. in Art Education. She retired from North Canton City Schools with 39 years of teaching students from Kindergarten through Middle School. She recently worked with “at-risk” youth at an inner-city day camp. Her son, Luke, attended PCMS many years ago, and her oldest daughter has her Montessori certification. Cindi enjoys spending time with her grandchildren and studying feng shui.
Seth Norton, Music Instructor, graduated in 2005 from Kent State University with a B.S. in Music Education. Since that time, Seth has been a substitute teacher at various schools. He currently gives private guitar lessons and performs as a solo guitarist as well as in a local band.

Custodian

Herb (Kip) Beadle joined the PCMS staff in 2012. Upon graduating from Glenwood HS, he began working at the Hoover Company. He had 35 years of service time with them before being forced into early retirement due to the company’s closing. During a layoff in 1974, he began working for North Canton City Schools in the maintenance department where he continued to be a substitute custodian until 2011. Kip served in the Army National Guard, as a policeman in Waynesburg, and as an auxiliary policeman in North Canton. He has been a fire fighter in North Canton since 1992 and is currently a captain, fire inspector, and EMT. He and his wife, Cheryl, have 3 sons, 2 daughter-in-laws, and 2 grandchildren. His hobbies are horseback riding, boating, fishing, and woodworking.