#Between2BlueDevils

This week I sit down with Mrs. Courtney Davis, Tallmadge City Schools newly appointed Director of Curriculum and Instruction. Mrs. Davis has been with Tallmadge for over a decade serving all of those years as principal of Tallmadge Elementary. Mrs. Davis knew she was called to be an educator from an early age. She was one of those future teachers who sat all of her stuffed animals up in her make b...

This week I sit down with the one and only Maximus, AKA Mr. Mark Verrona . Mr. Verrona has been a teacher for 22 years...19 of which have been here in Tallmadge City Schools . He is one PROUD DAD!! He has 3 kids: Megan who is 12, Benjamin who is 10, and Violet who is 9. When not busy with the joys of fatherhood he likes to go for a run, catch a movie (click to see what his favorite movie is) , or...

This week I sit down with Mrs. Stephanie Caicco .  Our conversation was so good. Yeah, this is a long one but it is full of value and passion. Mrs. Caicco has not taken the traditional route to the classroom. It has been a journey for sure: “ This is my 3rd career.  When the housing market took a dive I needed a new career and I was still coaching (cheer and volleyball) and thought that...

So often I look outside the classroom to chat with movers and shakers in Tallmadge. This week I tapped into the wisdom and voice of 5 amazing students, 2 of which are seniors. This year has been a strange one. Here in Tallmadge we have spent time remote, but the majority of the year we have been on a hybrid schedule. The goal was to have our students in front of a teacher 5 out of 10 days. We divi...

Episode 29 features Tallmadge alumnus and current Tallmadge High School Biology, Chemistry, and Anatomy and Physiology teacher, Mrs. Laura Benedict. What a fun interview to sit in on and hear this scientist drop some wisdom, most especially her admonition to "trust science." Mrs. Benedict can chat for hours about boring statistical studies and make them sound amazing and mind boggling. In the mids...

This weeks episode features the first person one may see when they enter the high school...our Attendance Secretary Mrs. Gibson. She is the smile you are greeted with from behind the "plastic curtain" in the main office. If you have never seen her you most certainly have heard her voice if you have ever called your child off of school.  Her job by day is to keep track of any and all students...

This week we sit down with teacher and head basketball coach Bill Johnson . Coach sits down with me and talks about what it is like to coach during a pandemic and all the lessons learned from this unprecedented season. Coach is happily married to his wife Annie and they have a beautiful daughter named Abby. The story of how Annie and Coach met is a great one. It typifies the adage that behind ever...

This week's episode is a bit of a special one. My guest is none other than my wonderful niece Kayla. The WHY behind this podcast is to tell stories...people’s stories. Kayla’s story is pretty amazing. As you will hear in the interview Kayla loves drawing. I think she was born with a sketchpad in her hand! I have watched her grow in her passion for the past 21 years. She has a gift.  In the ep...

This week we sit down with TCS's School Resource Officer's Dave Quillen and Mike Dornack. Find out who these guys are behind the uniforms! We chat hobbies, stories, what life is like on the road as a Tallmadge police officer, and you may even hear them poke a little fun at a few of their fellow police officers. These two have been serving in Tallmadge for a long time. They love their job, their co...

What an interview! I had the privilege of sitting down with our new Superintendent Mr. Steve Wood (click link to read Steve's message to the community). At the time of this interview Mr. Wood had only been in his new position for 5 days. You are going to enjoy this interview! Hear how Steve went from chemical engineer, to school board member, to Chief Operations Manager for Tallmadge, to our new S...

A day late but why not extend the Christmas spirit!! This episode features a chat with Assistant Principal Jen Stewart and two funny and amazing teachers, Tammy Habbyshaw and Lauren Stone . Enjoy this final episode of our Christmas series. Merry Christmas!! While your at it check out Mrs. Stone's amazing podcast: That Just Happened!

Tonight we hear from Mrs. Dunton, Mr. Slivka, and Mr. Taylor. Now this was a good time. Enjoy a little holiday cheer from some all star teachers!

Hear from some of your favorite teachers what their favorite holiday traditions are. This is the first, of a 3 part series of Between2BlueDevils Christmas Edition.

This week we sit down with Tallmadge High School Spanish teacher Mr. Dave Slivka, aka Sr. Slivka, aka Slivka, aka Sliv. This amazing teacher has been teaching for 11 years. Sliv describes himself as being silly, helpful, and reasonable. Mr. Slivka loves teaching Spanish. He also loves being a teacher. He was inspired to become a teacher because it encompasses two of his passions. In his own words...

This week’s guest is the extraordinary Mrs. Krista McCourtie, 6th grade math teacher at Tallmadge Middle School. I loved this conversation. We went a bit longer, and here is the thing...we could have gone EVEN LONGER! You will pick up immediately the passion and heart that this young lady has. You will get a small glimpse of the energy she brings daily to the classroom. Mrs. McCourtie is happily m...

Ms. Wilmoth has been teaching for 20 years, most of which have been in the Tallmadge City Schools. She is the proud mother of Quinn, a 7 year old young man who loves football, pizza, and adventures with mom. Ms. Wilmoth can often be heard giving her students the following advice: take opportunities as they come your way as they may unexpectedly  lead you to where you want to go. Such great ad...

This week we sit down with Tallmadge High School Science teacher Mrs. Amy Lewis.  Aim, as her friends refer to her, is married to Geoff and they have three children. Their two daughters are twins, and are seniors at Hoover High School. Their son is soon to turn 13. Mrs. Lewis and her family love to spend summers on their boat and on the beach. While there you will probably catch her reading h...

Anastasija graduated from Tallmadge High School in 2019. Since then her life has been full of adventure chasing after her dream of landing a career in the entertainment industry.  Anastasija is currently living in Florida and attending Full Sail University. She is in the film program working towards her bachelors of film science. Her hobbies include reading, writing, skateboarding, listening...

This week's episode features J ohn Gergely, a middle school ELA teacher , high school track coach, and proud husband and father. John has been teaching for 24 years, and coaching track for 23 of those years, almost all for Tallmadge. Shortly before entering the teaching profession he married his wife, Lisa, and this month they celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. He is the proud father of Set...

Entering into year 10 is the Wizard of Roz, AKA Mr. Roz, AKA Mr. Rozborski...English teacher and Master of Technology. Father, Husband, and Teacher are three titles he wears proudly. Mr. Roz lives by the following two quotes: "Work smarter, not harder" and "don't sweat the small stuff." If there is one lesson this pandemic has taught him it is to "take some perspective of what my life is like and...

In this episode I sit down with Mr. Jeff Ferguson, the superintendent of Tallmadge City Schools. I have know Mr. Ferguson for a long time. The first year I was moved up to the high school Mr. Ferguson was hired as the principal at THS. Before that he had been a coach and teacher at Tallmadge High School, and had also served as a teacher, coach, and administrator at a few other local schools.  As y...

This episode is the first in the Between2BlueDevils Alumni Edition. Throughout the summer I will be interviewing teachers and alumni who are changing the world!! Our first episode features Bryon Cook, who graduated from THS in 2013.  After high school he attended Baldwin Wallace, where he played football, and majored in Chemisty, and minored in Math. Following an extremely successful college...

Hey seniors...this is just a small tribute to you, OUR STUDENTS! We miss you. We never imagined that March 13th would be the last time we could have you in our classrooms and our hallways. We didn't get a chance to say goodbye, to pass on advice, to share a favorite quote, or simply just to chat. So, this one is for you. Don't be a stranger. Come by THS anytime. You will always hold a special spot...

These two are inseparable! You can find them in the hallway together, at a TSO concert together, hiking, camping, and “singing” together. These two math teachers are a “tandem” and their friendship began when they both started teaching at THS. They have a lot of stories and laughs to share with us this week! Enjoy and be sure to share the episode!

This man is a legend. He has taught in the district longer than almost every teacher. His journey as an educator has taken him from military bases, to college campuses, and into the high school classroom. He is a proud husband and father, a published author, and an incredible story teller. This episode is the longest interview to date, and yet it flies by. Spend some time and get to know this math...