“Exceptional” profiles – AAPS District News

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[ October 5, 2026 ] Scarlett Middle School Bands receive $30,951 in instruments through Morgan Wallen’s Give Back Program Features
[ October 2, 2026 ] A minute in the room: Abbot School Librarian Christina Nielsen welcomes an enthusiastic group of third graders A minute in the room
[ October 1, 2026 ] Dicken community celebrates topping off of new school Elementary News
[ September 30, 2026 ] Marietta “Nurse Rita” Brooks-Hayward, Carpenter Elementary School Nurse "Exceptional" profiles
[ September 29, 2026 ] A minute in the room: Quran Jackson teaches the new 4th/5th class at Carpenter Elementary A minute in the room

Marietta “Nurse Rita” Brooks-Hayward, Carpenter Elementary School Nurse

September 30, 2026 AAPS News Editor

Marietta “Nurse Rita” Brooks-Hayward was born and raised in Detroit. She is one of four children on her mother’s side of the family and one of nine on her father’s. Brooks-Hayward began her nursing career […]

Beth Homan, Pattengill fifth grade teacher

September 22, 2026 AAPS News Editor

Pattengill Elementary fifth grade teacher Elizabeth Homan is in her seventh year of teaching. She grew up in the small town of Napoleon, Ohio, where she was encouraged from an early age to take on […]

Mike Porter, Skyline High School Community Assistant

September 16, 2026 AAPS News Editor

Skyline High School Community Assistant Mike Porter grew up in Ann Arbor and attended Ann Arbor Public Schools, beginning at Northside Elementary and continuing through Thurston Elementary, Clague Middle School, and Huron High School. During […]

Sara Gibson, Slauson Middle School Director of Orchestras

September 11, 2026 AAPS News Editor

Sara Gibson, M.A. Ed., is Director of Orchestras at Slauson Middle School. She brings extensive experience in music education and leadership, along with an active performing career as a cellist. Before joining Ann Arbor Public […]

Jessica Rodriguez, Wines Elementary third grade teacher

June 9, 2026 AAPS News Editor

Jessica Rodriguez is a lifelong Ann Arbor resident and a “townie” from the Old West Side. Rodriguez attended Bach Elementary, then Mack (now Ann Arbor Open), Slauson Middle School, and Pioneer High School, where she […]

Kristin Mahler, School Nurse at Logan, Pathways, and Wines

June 3, 2026 AAPS News Editor

Kristin Mahler spent her childhood in Panama before attending college in Boston, where she worked for four years. She later moved to Ann Arbor to complete a Master of Public Health at the University of […]

Lemisse Abdelbaqui, Carpenter Elementary 2nd grade teacher

May 27, 2026 AAPS News Editor

Lemisse Abdelbaqui grew up in Canton with her parents and three brothers. She attended Eastern Michigan University, where she studied Elementary Education and graduated in 2023. This is her second year teaching at Carpenter. Principal […]

Julianne Cooper, Bryant Elementary first grade teacher

May 20, 2026 AAPS News Editor

Bryant second grade teacher Julianne Cooper was born and raised in the small downriver community of River Rouge. She has been married to her husband, Jeff, for 17 years, and they live in Pinckney with […]

Sharon Jakob, School Nurse at Forsythe Middle School

May 6, 2026 AAPS News Editor

Sharon Jakob was born in Guyana, South America, and immigrated at the age of three to Canada, where she was educated and completed her Registered Nursing degree. She immigrated to the United States shortly after […]

Hookki Chance, Lakewood Elementary first grade teacher

April 30, 2026 AAPS News Editor

Hookki Chance was born in Bangkok, Thailand, and moved to Michigan at just 18 months old. She grew up in Jackson alongside her parents and four sisters. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics […]