Staff
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Christine Haynes
Director
I received a Master's degree in Education from Marygrove College in Detroit, Michigan and a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Baldwin Wallace College. I taught kindergarten for nine years at St. Leo the Great Elementary School in Cleveland. I taught the T/TH four year old class at Hobbitts for two years and am looking forward to my fifth year as director of this fantastic school!
My husband Brad and I are high school sweethearts and have been married for seventeen years. We reside in Broadview Heights with our two children. Our daughter, Rylie (14) and our son, Cameron (11) are both former Hobbitteers! I enjoy spending time with my family, reading and traveling.
Director
I received a Master's degree in Education from Marygrove College in Detroit, Michigan and a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Baldwin Wallace College. I taught kindergarten for nine years at St. Leo the Great Elementary School in Cleveland. I taught the T/TH four year old class at Hobbitts for two years and am looking forward to my fifth year as director of this fantastic school!
My husband Brad and I are high school sweethearts and have been married for seventeen years. We reside in Broadview Heights with our two children. Our daughter, Rylie (14) and our son, Cameron (11) are both former Hobbitteers! I enjoy spending time with my family, reading and traveling.
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Sue McDermott
Assistant Teacher T/Th AM & PM 3's / M/W/F PreK 1 / Passport 2 Discovery I am a graduate of the University of Akron with an Associate's degree in Early Childhood Education. I have worked as both a preschool teacher and nanny. For the past several years, I have enjoyed working as the babysitter for the Parent/Toddler classes as well as supervising Lunch Bunch. I have been married for 17 years to my husband, Bill. Together we have 2 girls, Sami (16) and Kenzie (14). Both are former Hobbitters! We love living in Richfield where our daughters attend school in the Revere School District. I enjoy traveling, biking and watching my kids sporting events. I am so excited to be part of the classroom experience as the assistant teacher for the 3's, PreK 1 and Passport 2 Discovery classes. |
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Christine Donner
Lead Teacher M/W AM 3's / T/Th AM & PM 3's I am so excited to begin my fifth school year at Hobbitts Preschool! I love teaching the three year old class. The students at this age are always so full of awe and wonder that makes my day so joyful! I am a graduate of Ashland University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. Prior to teaching at Hobbitts, I was a Special Education Aide for Highland Schools. I taught the three year old class at Covenant Nursery School and was an instructor for an after school program for inner city children in Cleveland. As our children became school age, I volunteered extensively at Hinckley Elementary. My husband Dave and I have been married for 22 years and live in Hinckley. We have two very active children, Caitlin (18) and Michael (15). My greatest joy is my family. Our family loves spending time outdoors together. Whether it is gardening, taking hikes, beekeeping, playing with our dog and rabbits or reading, you will usually find the Donner family outside enjoying every season. |
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Suzie Knotek
Assistant Teacher T/Th PreK 1 I am a graduate of Miami University with a degree in Family Studies and Early Childhood Education. I also received an Early Childhood Education (PreK - 3) degree from Ashland University. This is my 4th year working at Hobbitts Preschool, but I have been part of Hobbitts as a parent since 2004. See if you can spot me in the 50th Anniversary picture in the hall! I worked in daycare, preschool and as a nanny before I had the privilege of being a stay at home mom. My sweet husband Gerry and I have been married for 26 years and we have lived in Richfield for 14 years. We have 3 awesome boys (ages 20, 17 and 13) and a delightful 8 year old daughter. Of course, I love to spend time with my family! We spend many hours watching, driving, and chasing kids at sports of every sort, but you might find me scrapbooking, walking the dog, hiking or volunteering at Assumption Academy. |
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Sue Dietrich Lead Teacher PreK 2 I am excited to start my fifth year as the PreK 2 teacher. I received my Bachelor of Education from the University of Toledo where I played on the tennis team. Upon graduation I married John, my college sweetheart and began teaching at St. Gabriel School in Mentor for 7 years. I also coached the boys and girls tennis teams at Lake Catholic High School. I took a break from teaching while raising my two boys. We moved to Broadview Heights where I continued to be active teaching Sunday School, teaching tennis and volunteering in the P.S.O while my boys were in elementary school. Before coming to Hobbitts, I worked at Horizons Preschool in Brecksville for eleven years. Now my boys are young men. Matthew is 25 and is working on his PHD at Vanderbilt in Environmental Earth Studies. Joshua is 23 and will be attending the University of Wisconsin working on his PHD in Chemical Engineering. John and I enjoy hanging out with friends and family, working in the yard/garden, traveling (to see our boys) and parents! We also enjoy attending concerts and musicals. I love teaching and can't wait to see what these young, energetic, creative minds will do. I teach because I want to touch the future! I am proud to be a part of the Hobbitts family! |
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Diane Mack
Lead Teacher M/W/F PreK 1 / T/TH PreK 1 I hold a Master's degree in Literacy from Akron University and Bachelor degrees in Psychology and Elementary Education from National Louis University in Chicago, Illinois. I spent one year as a long term substitute as a Primary Special Needs teacher at Rushwood Elementary in Macedonia, then later taught kindergarten there for four years. I was a member of the Hobbitts Parent Board and spent half of a year subbing in the Parent/Toddler class. I have thoroughly enjoyed being the lead teacher for the MWF and T/TH PreK 1 classes! This will be my fourth year as a PreK 1 teacher I am looking forward to another wonderful year! My husband Adam and I have been married for almost twenty years and have four children - Grace (16), AJ (14), Gabby (10), Sammy (8). All of our children are former Hobbitteers! I have been a member of the Hobbitts family for twelve years! My family keeps me very busy and I love every minute of it! Spending time with them is my favorite thing to do! When we're not running from activity to activity we love to travel or just enjoy quiet time at home. |
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Carin Kubera Lead Teacher Parent/Toddler Classes / Passport 2 Discovery I attended Cleveland State University majoring in Elementary Education. This is my tenth year at Hobbitts Preschool! Where have the years gone? Hobbitts is such a wonderful community to be part of and am looking forward to teaching the Parent/Toddler classes as well as the Passport 2 Discovery class. What adventures we will have! Prior to joining the Hobbitts family nine years ago, I worked with individuals who have disabilities as a special education PSR teacher and an educational assistant for the Brecksville-Broadview Heights School District. This summer marks my 24th year as a Challenger baseball coach, a league for individuals ages 5-22 who have physical and developmental challenges. My husband Jim and I have been married for 28 years and live in Broadview Heights. We were blessed with three children ~ Michael, Katey, and Grace. Katey is a Music Therapist and finds her work with hospice patients very rewarding. Grace is in her final year working on her masters degree at Cleveland State University to become a speech-language pathologist. It is such a pleasure working with children and their families. In my spare time I enjoy gardening, traveling, reading and especially spending time with my family and friends! Mindy Opsincs Assistant Teacher PreK 2 Hi my name is Mindy Opsincs. I am an assistant teacher in the PreK 2 class. I have a bachelor's degree in Child and Family Development from the University of Akron and nine years experience teaching and assisting in church based preschool classrooms. My husband Brad is a Hobbitts Alum and Revere graduate. We have been married for 13 years and have two wonderful children. Our daughter, Brianna, is 9 1/2 and Bennett, our son, just turned 4. He will be attending Hobbitts this year as well! We recently welcomed 2 amazing children to our family this past December in hopes to adopt soon. Jamie is 11 and Michael is 9. All the kids keep me active and ready to play with the young ones! We enjoy hiking as a family and you can always find me reading when the kiddos are sleeping! We moved to Richfield 2 years ago to be closer to friends and family. I am excited to continue my new adventure at Hobbitts Preschool and look forward to meeting and getting to know you all! Kristina Tartara Assistant Teacher MW AM 3's I received a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from Kent State University and a Master's degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in teaching reading from the University of Akron. I have worked with students in preschool through 5th grade, but preschoolers are my favorite age group. My youngest daughter attended Hobbitts and we had a wonderful experience. I'm thrilled to now be a part of the Hobbitts team! My husband and I live in Richfield with our two daughters who are in elementary school. For fun I enjoy spending time with my family, doing crafts with my girls, gardening and playing the piano. While not at Hobbitts, I also do freelance graphic design and create children's book illustrations. I look forward to working with your child this year! |
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