our staff

Joanna Hastings, head of school

Born in Uganda, raised in England, Joanna has lived in France, Germany and Sweden, and now here in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She comes from a family of educators; her father was the headmaster of a progressive, trail-blazing high school which she attended, eating educational philosophy every evening with dinner.

Joanna has worked with students of all ages, from K through high school, in many different capacities. She has led Gifted and Talented programs, taught Theatre, Literature and Language Arts, and worked in schools with different pedogogies and philosophies from traditional to Montessori.

Joanna has also worked professionally as an actor, director, and playwright. She says that directing a school is a bit like directing a play: it's all about providing an arena where everyone can shine, everyone is secure enough to collaborate, everyone is engaged in the same vision and between us all we make magic happen. Contact Joanna.

Elaine Neelands, kindergarten homeroom

Elaine has taught at Summers-Knoll since the fall of 2003. She has a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education, and has been teaching for more than twenty years.

Elaine brings enormous understanding of young minds to her work. She engages the children through active experiences, fluidly offering learning opportunities that integrate whole body experiences, creative engagement, hands-on explorations and enthralling academics in a way that connects joyfully with the intellectual curiosity of each child.

One of the most charming sights you might see if you pass by the school on a rainy day is Elaine’s class out for a neighborhood umbrella walk, each child with a black umbrella, experiencing the joy of a walk on a wet day. Contact Elaine.

Susan Carpenter, 1/2 homeroom

Susan Carpenter joined the faculty of Summers-Knoll in the fall of 2002. She holds a degree in Education and an Early Childhood Specialist Certificate.

Susan is a passionate believer in community-based education, a concept that her students embrace with fervor. Opportunities for collaboration, teamwork, idea-sharing and mutual support abound in the classroom, and expeditions to connect with people and organizations in the wider community are plentiful. Visitors come and go, bringing new ideas and inspirations to a classroom that hums like a beehive. As children connect happily and meaningfully with the world through their studies, academics soar. Contact Susan.

Renata McAdams, 3/4/5 homeroom

Renata joined the faculty of Summers-Knoll in the fall of 2009. She is a young teacher, enthusiastic, brilliant and adventurous.

Students in Renata’s classroom grapple gleefully with higher order thinking. They are a band of intellectual adventurers and excavators, digging to the foundations of each subject and developing their conscious understanding of the fundamentals of learning. Renata’s richly cultural approach opens whole worlds of thought and inquiry to the energetic curiosity of her students. Contact Renata.

Imogen Giles, French and Latin

Imogen joined the faculty of Summers-Knoll in the fall of 2007. She is English, has a Master’s Degree from the University of London, and has over twenty years of teaching experience in French, Latin and Ancient Greek.

Imogen’s classes represent a fascinating exploration into culture and the power of words to the children. With thoughtful sensitivity, they take ownership of the words they study, probing the historical and social context and engaging in multi-sensory ways with the stories and linguistic concepts they encounter. Imogen leads them with calm dignity on a quest for personal involvement with the language, empowering them to use it and translate it with their hearts and creative intelligence as well as their analytical skills. Contact Imogen.

Jan Biliti, music

Jan joined the Summers-Knoll faculty in the fall of 2008. She is a richly experienced teacher who is deeply engaged in her own lifelong musical education as well as bringing a wealth of opportunities to her students.

Jan’s students are active musicians. They engage fearlessly with musical concepts, exploring them through hands-on and bodies-on experiences with a range of wonderfully tactile Orff instruments. Jan’s infectious enthusiasm pervades the room. She is a master at spotting the moment of inspiration, seamlessly offering opportunities in (as it may be) harmony, composition or notation as the students demonstrate interest and readiness. There is laughter, experimentation, fun and deeply satisfying learning going on at all levels.

Jesse Metcalf-Burton, math

Jesse joined the Summers-Knoll faculty in the fall of 2009. She has a PhD in Mathematics, experience teaching different age levels including college level, and an intuitive connection with children.

Jesse has a gift for opening her students’ eyes to the meaning in math, experiencing the connections to physics, chemistry, logical reasoning, philosophy, music, art, literature... She works with them in astonishing ways, giving them an understanding of the usefulness and beauty of mathematics that will serve them for the rest of their lives. You might see her with the children out on the sidewalk, practicing scientific notation with chalk and measuring sticks, or in the kitchen constructing mathematically correct breakfast. (One student responded: "The only thing better than food is math that is food.") Contact Jesse.

Ruth Marks, art

Ruth joined the Summers-Knoll faculty in the fall of 2009. She is a dedicated art educator with a degree in Fine Arts, a Teaching Certificate, and extensive experience. She is a practicing artist and founder of FLY Children’s Art Center in Ypsilanti. See a video of Ruth talking about her vision as a teacher here.

Ruth’s passion is to develop the unique artistic voice of each child, engaging them in their creative process as she shares the skills that they need to explore the joys of self-expression and artistic communication. She is constantly opening doors to different ways of seeing and experiencing. Children know with Ruth that their artistic journey is honored and that she is their advocate and guide in a world of possibility. Contact Ruth.

Shan Cook, physical education and summer camp director

Shan joined the faculty of Summers-Knoll in the fall of 2007. Her background is in Education, Early Childhood, Autism Spectrum, and extensively in sports teaching and coaching.

Shan’s patient, loving, creative and innovative approach to P.E. engages the children’s natural love for movement and physical exuberance. Their desire to excel comes from her warm appreciation of their efforts and her ability to communicate the benefits of teamwork, self-improvement and physical well-being. Her classes are full of connections to other areas of study: world events, cultures, arts, even grammar. Her well-rounded background enables her to engage the children intellectually as well as physically and socially as they work and play together. Contact Shan.

Karen Bayoneto, office manager

Karen is the person our children often see first if they need a bandaid or a hug, or have a burning desire to use the automatic stapler. Her strong organizational skills keep everything on track, and her warmly maternal presence infuses the school with security.

Karen is the mother of two of our students, and has been a part of the SK community for four years. She manages everything from ordering supplies to maintaining the building to organizing our community events. Contact Karen.

Penny Corbett, business manager

Penny has extensive experience in non-profit administration and financial management, as well as significant computer and networking knowledge. She established and directed for several decades two 501(c)3 organizations in this country, sister corporations to international groups in Tokyo and Bangkok. She is a notary public, offering her services gratis to the S-K community.

She lived in Japan for 6 years, and her two children are international citizens with the nationality of both their parents. She has two grandchildren, currently 4 and 7 years (2010). Recently she was business manager at Friends School in Detroit, and while enjoying that experience, she is now very happy to be within walking distance of Summers-Knoll. Contact Penny.