For our Preschool position at Sycamore, we have hired Tiffany Stahl. Tiffany taught Kindergarten here for several years before leaving to pursue additional education. After receiving her Master's Degree from Ball State, she spent a year beginning a doctoral program at Indiana State. Ultimately, Tiffany decided she wanted to be back in the classroom, and are thrilled to welcome Tiffany back to Sycamore.
We hired Marissa Argus for the Kindergarten position. Marissa earned both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees from Butler University. After teaching Kindergarten in Franklin Township for two years, Marissa has been at IPS/Butler University Laboratory School teaching Kindergarten for the past five years. Two summers ago, we first met Marissa when she participated in our Differentiated Instruction course that we offered here as part of our Adult Summer Academy.
Melissa Burke will be the new Middle School Spanish teacher. Melissa is no stranger to Sycamore or to independent schools; she is a graduate of University High School and earned her Bachelor's Degree from Miami (OH) University. She is working on her Master's Degree from Indiana University and has been working in our Middle School language program for the past two years teaching 5th grade Spanish and 7th and 8th grade French, as well as working as an assistant in other Spanish classes. She has spearheaded the creation of the first chapter of the Spanish Honors Society at Sycamore and helped lead the Student Leadership Council.
Erin Bortz will be one of Sycamore's two thrid grade teachers. She graduated from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota in 2014 with a Bachelors degree in Educational Studies and Psychology and worked at Sycamore as a first grade assistant beginning in the 2014-2015 school year. Erin then went back to school and obtained a Masters in Teaching and K-6 Teaching from Marian University. During her program at Marian, she also taught in a first and third grade classrooms .Bortz is a 2010 graduate of University High School, and outside of school, she coaches girls basketball at Indiana Primetime Sports and enjoys reading and walking her dog, Lucy, on the Monon.
When parents come into the school via the Early Childhood entrance, Kim Papp will greet them, as she takes over at the at the Early Childhood reception desk. Kim earned her Bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has worked as an executive assistant, a freelance artist, a product coordinator, a marketing assistant, a receptionist, a marketing representative, and a communications specialist. She brings a unique combination of skills that will fit well for her work in the Early Childhood division. Kim is also the mother of three current Sycamore students and one alumna. We look forward to Kim's cheerful presence at the Early Childhood reception desk.