Contrary to popular belief, WHHS staff members are not robots. Here is a compilation of fun facts about teachers and staff members that will hopefully prove that they do not come from Mars.

Kevin McCormick, history teacher:

McCormick has a popular architecture Instagram account called Cincinnati Revealed, which currently has over 43,000 followers on Instagram.

Chris Gibson, orchestra teacher:

Gibson is a huge FC Cincinnati (FCC) fan, and there is a photo of him on the cover of Reach magazine. The photo of him is from when FCC used to play at Nippert Stadium.

Blake Taylor, English teacher:

Blake Taylor plays harmonica for two bands, a blues band called Easy Tiger and a duo called 46 Long that can be found on Spotify. 46 Long often performs at Arnold’s Bar and Grill and their last appearance there was on Jan. 24.

Drew McGarvie, English teacher:

McGarvie loves her Peloton. She is a huge dog lover and has two dogs, one of which is a Dalmatian named Perdita.

Mitchell Perdrix, history teacher: 

Perdrix had a podcast with his friends titled The Lonely 30 Podcast. Unfortunately, they no longer record, but past episodes can be found on Spotify.

Francesca Bownas-Rayburn, English teacher:

Rayburn is a member of a dance team called Dance Flash Fusion. They can often be seen performing at parades and other events.

Ashley Morgan, Interim Principal:

Morgan has a jewelry business that specializes in earrings. 

Morgan Taylor, Interim Assistant Principal:

Morgan Taylor loves Disney. Once a week, she can also be spotted around the building sporting Mickey Mouse ears.

Elizabeth Thomas, Latin teacher:

Thomas has edited and published multiple Latin books with her husband that her students use in class.

Denise Pfeiffer, science teacher:

Pfeiffer’s favorite holiday is Christmas. She has a collection of 13 Christmas shirts that she wears during the month of December.

Kathy Noland, Assistant Principal:

Noland is a jazzercise instructor, which is a program that combines exercise and dance. On teacher PD days, Noland and Morgan often run a jazzercise class for teachers to have fun.

Lowell Kloth, PE teacher: 

Kloth has a twin.

Nicholas Vose, history teacher:

When Vose was 17, he was in a low-budget horror movie. Unfortunately, his acting career never quite took off.

Marjorie Platt, English teacher:

Platt studied abroad in both England and France. She received her master’s degree in England at the University of Bristol.

Nicolas Sabet, history teacher:

Sabet went skydiving once but has no plans on doing it again. The plane was 11,000 feet in the air and Sabet says he found the experience enjoyable.

Patricia Conrad, science teacher:

Conrad, who was originally born in the United States, moved to Japan at 10 months old. As a result, Japanese became her first language and she attended Japanese school through high school. At 19 years old, Conrad moved back to the U.S. and went to college, her first experience with the U.S. education system. As a result of her fluency in Japanese, Conrad worked as a translator before becoming a teacher.

Marlene Montgomery, math teacher:

Montgomery and her husband have hiked the two most dangerous trails in the U.S. Over Thanksgiving break, they hiked Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park, which, as of 2024, has caused 18 confirmed deaths.

Jennifer Fay, math teacher:

Fay acted as Mary Poppins in a musical at Coney Island.

Andrew Peoples, band teacher:

As a child, Peoples was an award-winning Scottish Highland dancer.

Elizabeth Lloyd, art teacher:

Lloyd’s celebrity crushes are actors Matthew McConaughey and Adam Demos. She loves Disney and has been to Disney World over 20 times. Lloyd also sponsors a child named Emely from Leon, Nicaragua, through the organization Compassion International. Her sponsorship allows Emely to attend school, buy new clothes and buy food.

Tanya Ficklin, counselor:

Ficklin’s first job was at a dry cleaner’s. Her dream was to go to the Olympics as a gymnast.

Angela Schnormeier, English teacher:

Schnormeier has taken dance classes since the age of three, her favorite being tap dancing.

Doreena Fox, French teacher:

Fox’s celebrity crush is Bradley Cooper, and in addition to being a teacher, she is also an attorney. Fox also taught English for three years in France.

Elizabeth Owens, Spanish teacher:

Owens is a former police officer.

Johanka Hart-Tompkins, German and Russian teacher:

Hart-Tompkins is an exceptional skier and singer.

Julie Vernon, English teacher:

In her first year at WHHS, Vernon was hired in the second quarter and her first day was Halloween. All the English teachers were dressing up as Sesame Street characters and Vernon was worried that they were doing an intense hazing scenario and that she would come to school and be the only one dressed in costume. Luckily, this assumption proved to be false.

Michael Stewart, history teacher:

Stewart had his own radio show in college every Friday night for three hours. He was able to play whatever he wanted, which ended up being a wide assortment of things. From high school through his mid 20s, Stewart was part of a spelunking club, which explored caves all throughout Eastern Kentucky. Finally, Stewart was also on an indoor soccer team in his late 20s to early 30s.

Christine Rohling, math teacher:

Rohling enjoys knitting and has met former President Barack Obama.

Leah Madigan, math teacher:

Madigan plays the keyboard in a band for her church.

Rebecca Dobbs, math teacher:

Dobbs’ celebrity crush is Kendrick Lamar. The craziest thing she has ever done was move from Charlotte N.C. to Chicago with nothing but her belongings and a car. She couch-surfed for a month before finally getting her own apartment. Dobbs is also a WHHS alumna and was voted ‘Most Likely to be a Walnut Teacher’ in the SENIOR edition of The Chatterbox. For her SENIOR prank, Dobbs and classmates hacked the PA system during 4th bell and played Earth, Wind & Fire. Finally, in fifth grade Dobbs was on a popular PBS show called Zoom.

Margo Fisher-Bellman, librarian:

Before getting her full-time teaching job, Fisher-Bellman was a substitute woodshop teacher. She grew up on a farm and has ridden in a hot air balloon. Fisher-Bellman did a two-week school exchange with a teacher in China. Fisher-Bellman also officiated the wedding of teacher Ashley Markesbery and her wife as well as teacher Samantha Stephenson and her husband. Also, her husband’s uncle was at the birth of fellow teacher Joseph Gerth, he was a priest and good friends with Gerth’s mother. Finally,

she and Jake Riordan, an English teacher, went to high school together but did not know each other. 

Ashley Markesbery, English teacher:

At her old school, Markesbery was the DJ at a prom.

Kyle Scudder, English teacher:

Scudder has a Mariah Carey obsession; he is her number-one fan.

Justin DeMoss, history teacher:

DeMoss has a talent for making wooden pens. His first teaching job was as a PE teacher for middle school, and he also used to be a licensed Home Economics teacher. 

Mary Rhame, math teacher:

Rhame and her sister make all of her family’s wedding cakes. These works of art are both delicious and beautiful.

Lisa Brokamp, science teacher:

Brokamp’s celebrity crush is Idris Elba and the summer after her first year of teaching, she went backpacking across Europe for six weeks, visiting 13 countries.

Chelsie Hoskins, English teacher:

Hoskins used to give walking tours in the Over-The-Rhine area; she still has a vast knowledge of 19th-century history about Cincinnati. Hoskins also has a witchy herb garden where she grows plants for cooking and teas; this spring she will start to keep bees. Hoskins also loves houseplants, there are more than 50 plants scattered around her house. She is involved with a local cat shelter and also participated in her high school theater. Finally, Hoskins was previously a marketing and sales associate before transitioning to teaching. She was also an adjunct professor and still teaches part-time at Miami University.

William Valenzano, health teacher:

Valenzano ran the Columbus marathon in 1991 and completed it in two hours and 28 minutes. For context, this is about a six-minute mile and the world record for the fastest marathon completion is two hours and 35 seconds.

Jake Riordan, English teacher:

Riordan has a deep and strange love for literary theorist Gustav Freytag. He also rode to class every day freshman year of college in roller blades.

Kathleen Wilke, Spanish teacher:
Wilke has a twin sister who lives in Washington, D.C., who works as a sign language interpreter for Amazon. Her celebrity crush is MacGyver, who is a character from a TV show and also does vermicomposting, which is composting with worms. She has been able to keep her worms alive for ten years. During her junior year of college, Wilke lived in San Jose, Costa Rica, with a family with whom she still maintains contact.

Anne Ramsay, math teacher:

Ramsay spent the summer after her second year of college working as a cook at Yellowstone National Park.

Tara Ligon, Latin teacher:

Ligon was able to go inside a Roman aqueduct. She has been learning how to make ceramics and has designed a no-wheel-required project.

James Martin, history teacher:

Martin worked as a ditch digger for Hamilton County in high school. The ditches were used to replace fire hydrants. Also in high school, his celebrity crush was Olivia Newton-John, of Grease fame. Martin has a passion for reducing violence in Cincinnati and also is a big fan of FCC.

Joseph Gerth, history teacher:

Gerth is an avid fisher and fishes weekly with fellow teacher William Shaw. They are involved in a friendly competition and Gerth is proud to have won the last season. He also used to play the possibly made up sport underwater hockey for around six years, even flying all the way to Hawaii for a competition. Finally, Gerth can fly a plane, although he does not have his flying license. He started flying lessons when he was 11 years old and last flew on his honeymoon in Spain, shocking both his new wife and the actual pilot.

Page Lee, CIC director:Lee has lived in eight states and has seen both former president Bill Clinton and actor Rob Lowe going on a jog. She enjoys crossword puzzles and is not able to whistle.

Hannah Greulich, history teacher:

Greulich was once a student at WHHS, where current assistant principal Chaney was her ninth grade history teacher. She also went to a premiere for the movie “Bridge to Terabithia” with actor Josh Hutcherson.

Teresa Christie, counseling office manager:

One of Christie’s first jobs was as a photographer at the Cincinnati Zoo. She took pictures of guests as they entered and sold them if the photos were good enough.

Allen Frecker, history teacher:

Frecker loves to barbecue. When he taught at Hughes STEM High School, he created a barbeque class for students. Frecker has been recognized multiple times for his skills in barbecuing by Steven Raichlen, who is the host of a barbecuing TV show.

Jayma Hazelbaker, science teacher:

About five years ago, Hazelbaker waited in line for 20 hours to get tickets for Saturday Night Live. She and her best friends ended up having to sleep on the street, but luckily they were one of the last people to get tickets. 

Tricia Moore, math teacher:

In order to pay off her student debt, Moore worked at a Christmas tree farm. She loved it, and eventually was able to hire students in her classes. Additionally, she also worked as a lifeguard at Burt Lake in Michigan. There, she was allowed to use the main kitchen and the cook eventually asked for her help as a sous chef. Over the summers she worked there she learned how to cook fancy new dishes, and became a much better cook overall.

Renita Brooks, counselor:

Brooks’ celebrity crush is rapper and actor LL Cool J, who she has been fortunate to have met multiple times. Using photos from her celebrity encounters, she was even able to trick students into thinking he was her daughter’s father. 

Melody Riggs, librarian:

Riggs has run two full marathons and 17 half marathons and has also biked a 100k charity bike ride in honor of a student battling leukemia. She once traveled to South Africa to work with teachers in mountainous areas. There, she was able to go on a game drive and see elephants and other animals. In high school, Riggs worked at a retirement home. Before school dances, she and other coworkers would parade in front of the residents in formal attire, essentially having 150 extra grandparents. Finally, Riggs’ celebrity crushes are Harry Kane, Bono and David Grohl. 

Acacia Moraes-Diniz, librarian:

Diniz, who is from Brazil, met her husband in Belfast, Ireland. Both were studying abroad at the same time, and Diniz eventually came back with her husband to Ohio. 

Rick Kerkhoff, math teacher:

Kerkhoff played Division I volleyball at Wright State University, where he was named team captain and MVP. He still holds the school setting record.

Samantha Bramlage, history teacher:

Bramlage only speaks Spanish at home with her husband and children. 

Lauren Posta, English teacher:

Posta loves to play euchre. She has a dog named Lulu and her husband is also a teacher but in a different district. 

Barrett Smith, Latin teacher:

Smith biked 751 miles to Washington, D.C., all run on burrito power.

Alex Baggott-Rowe, Latin teacher:

Baggott-Rowe once went to a Blue Man Group performance and was called on stage as an audience volunteer. He even got to go backstage and meet the Blue Men. 

Andries Van Der Bent, science teacher:

Van Der Bent is almost fluent in German. He also went to Mongolia for a graduate class through Miami University. There he studied Przewalski’s horse, the last remaining wild horse species.

Helen Raymond-Goers, theater teacher:

Raymond-Goers started college at 16 and graduated at 19. She originally started college as an opera major and eventually earned her Master of the Arts. Raymond-Goers has also received eight tattoos, but only seven of them remain.

Samantha Gerwe-Perkins, journalism teacher:

Gerwe-Perkins worked at the Renaissance Faire for ten years where she made wax flowers. Also, she once had a hotdog themed party, inspired after the movie “A Hotdog Program”, even though her family is vegetarian.

Becky Junewick, counselor:

In college for one summer Junewick worked at a taco truck. She was able to meet other fellow food truck workers and sometimes work in other trucks, such as the pizza or a snow cone truck.

Cynthia Carlton-Ford, writing center director:

Carlton-Ford used to enjoy archery, which she did with her dad. Her sons also learned this useful skill.