“Exceptional” profiles

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[ June 3, 2026 ] Pathways & Adult Ed celebrate Commencement 2026 High School News
[ June 2, 2026 ] Ann Arbor Student Building Industry Program celebrates latest home at annual banquet High School News
[ June 1, 2026 ] AAPS relay teams shine at state finals with record-setting 4×800 performances High School News
[ May 30, 2026 ] Commencement 2026: Community High School Features
[ May 28, 2026 ] Community High junior joins state student advisory council High School News

His classroom is the great outdoors

October 14, 2016 AAPS News Editor

Story and photos by Jo Mathis/AAPS District News It’s a sunny fall day at the Fox Preserve gravel pit, and the second graders are super excited about all the rocks they’re collecting in their plastic […]

Meredith Giltner, Skyline High School art teacher

October 10, 2016 AAPS News Editor

Meredith Giltner grew up in Milford and now lives in Dexter with her husband of 24 years, her 8-year-old son, three cats, 13 fish and a snail. This is her seventh year teaching art, and […]

Sean Slay, Carpenter Elementary fifth grade teacher

October 4, 2016 AAPS News Editor

Sean Slay is an Ann Arbor native who attended Haisley Elementary School, Forsythe Middle School and Pioneer High School. He graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 1996, and earned his master’s degree in […]

Andy Meyer, Abbot Elementary first grade teacher

September 27, 2016 AAPS News Editor

Andy Meyer grew up with three brothers in the Kalamazoo area, the son of a small business owner and a nurse. His love for sports started early. Meyer started playing hockey when he was […]

Collin Ganio, Skyline High School Latin teacher

September 21, 2016 AAPS News Editor

Collin Ganio was born in 1970 and grew up in Walnut Creek, California. His childhood goal was to become a starship captain by his 30th birthday, but at the age of seven, he began to […]

Greta Barfield, Huron High School Special Education teacher

May 2, 2016 AAPS News Editor

Greta Barfield spent most of her school years in Muncie, Indiana, where she graduated from Burris Laboratory School, which is part of Ball State University’s Teacher College. She also earned her bachelors degree in […]

Tracy Anderson, Community High School English teacher

April 25, 2016 AAPS News Editor

Tracy Anderson was walking out of the Ann Arbor District Library in 2000, balancing a stack of books for her thesis research, when she stopped by the job posting board and saw the opening […]

Bethany Tabaka, Carpenter Elementary third grade teacher

March 31, 2016 AAPS News Editor

Bethany Tabaka attended Chelsea Public schools through high school, then majored in both elementary education and Spanish at Western Michigan University. She learned to speak Spanish fluently by participating in a study abroad course in […]

Kristal Jaaskelainen, Skyline High School lead English teacher

February 24, 2016 AAPS News Editor

Profile and photo by Jo Mathis/AAPS District News Kristal Jaaskelainen (pronounced “Ja´-ska-lie-nen”) was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula, moved to the Ann Arbor area to attend the University of Michigan, and has been […]

Richard Ingram, Huron High School Music Department Chair

February 16, 2016 AAPS News Editor

Richard Ingram was born in Lincoln, Nebraska and lived there until 1965, when his family moved to Ann Arbor. He has lived here since. The 1970 Pioneer High School graduate received his college training at […]