About Michelle,
by Michelle

I have been a resident of Northeast Ohio my entire life. I was born at Parma Hospital on January 3, 1984, my parents' first child. My brother followed in October of 1986. I was raised in Seven Hills, Ohio, where I attended John Glenn Elementary, Hillside Junior High, and Normandy High School, all part of the Parma City School District. I graduated as valedictorian from Normandy in 2002. 

I continued my education at Baldwin Wallace College (now University) where I pursued a major in English and a minor in Religion. I graduated Summa Cum Laude in December 2005. I married my husband, Curt, in June 2006 and moved with him to Ashland while he finished his M. Div. In 2007, we moved to Brimfield, Ohio, where my husband was appointed to serve his first church, Brimfield Faith United Methodist, and I began my MFA in Creative Writing though the NEOMFA. I successfully defended my thesis in November 2009, three weeks after we welcomed our first son, Caleb.

In 2010, I began teaching as an adjunct lecturer in the English Department at the University of Akron. I taught two semesters before taking a leave to deliver and care for our second son, Jude. Jude received a prenatal diagnosis of Tetralogy of Fallot with Absent Pulmonary Valve. He was born at the University of Michigan Medical Center where world-class heart surgeons were prepared to intervene. Unfortunately, Jude's lungs were severely underdeveloped and could not sustain life. He died on March 16, 2011, one day after his birth. My husband and I run a non-profit organization, Buckets of Hope for Tender Hearts, in his memory and have raised more than $25,000 over the past seven years to support families grieving the loss of a child. 

Just over one year later, we welcomed our third son, Malachi, and moved to Mentor, Ohio, two months after his birth, where my husband served Mentor United Methodist Church. While in Mentor, we added our fourth son, Gideon, to our family. In 2014, after careful consideration, my husband decided to request a leave of absence from full-time ministry and accepted a job with Thrivent Financial.

For the first time in our marriage, Curt and I got to choose where we wanted to live. A quality school district was a top priority as Caleb was about to begin kindergarten. We loved what the Strongsville School District had to offer. It met all of our qualifications: a large, suburban district; neighborhood elementary schools; plenty of extracurricular options; solid sports and arts programs; a gifted program at the elementary level; and a plethora of AP classes.

We moved to Strongsville in September 2015, when I was 7 months pregnant with Jericho. Caleb attended Whitney Elementary for part of his kindergarten year and started at Surrarrer in first grade. Since moving, we have come to appreciate the wide variety of benefits this community offers. My kids love participating in events like the Duck Races and the Team Strongsville Tailgate. They swim for the West Ledge Barracudas in the summer Strongsville Swim League. We are members of the recreation center and take part in many programs there. After moving around for a number of years, we have settled and made our home in Strongsville.

After careful consideration and discussion with those closest to me, I decided to pull a petition to run for the BOE in January. The next several years are critical for the long-term health of SCS, and I believe I offer this community a fresh perspective.

What do I offer? 

• I'm passionate about education. 

• I have experience in the classroom as a college lecturer and as substitute teacher (licensed 2007-2011).

• I am a woman and a mom with preschool and elementary-aged children. I will have a child in the district for the next 15 years.

• I am at least 10 years younger than anyone currently seated on the board.

• I am the only candidate (or current board member) that lives on the north side of town. 

• I have been active in the community since we moved here. I'm a member of the Strongsville Early Childhood PTA and the Surrarrer PTA. I have served as secretary for the Strongsville Cooperative Preschool for the past two years.

• I am a good listener, a strong communicator, and an unrelenting problem-solver.