Tasha C. Ring, M.Ed., Directress and Principal Consultant
Ms. Ring is a licensed early childhood and elementary educator specializing in multisensory-based methodologies. She has tutored and taught students of all ages with varied gifts and abilities. Her broad experience in the education field has included sales, marketing and administrative positions with prominent companies such as Kaplan, Inc. and Pearson Education, but her passion remains working directly with students in a teaching capacity. As such, she continues to guide classes, as well as some tutoring sessions. Her desire to create more personalized experiences for youth led her to the founding of Meridian Learning in 2008. An early and continuous advocate of a “less is more” approach to learning, she is honored to be among the first innovators of the microschool movement.
Ms. Ring completed her Masterʼs in Education, teacher training and certification at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, and her Bachelor’s in Arts and Entertainment Management at Eastern Michigan University. She received an early childhood credential from the American Montessori Society, one of the premier Montessori advocacy organizations. She has extensive training in several methods of reading and language instruction, including Orton-Gillingham and Lindamood-Bell®. Since 2013, she has thoroughly engaged in the study of mindfulness, and she incorporates these exercises into both curriculum and parent-teacher education. She is a longtime practitioner of social-emotional learning and regularly consults with leaders in this field. Committed to best practice, continued professional development and whole child well-being, her current studies include literature on hunter-gatherer societies and intentional communities. Ms Ring is also a specialist in arts integration; having spent many years studying dance and designing dance programming for several organizations including Indianapolis Parks, she is a fervent advocate for all art forms and their continuous value in learning and in life.
In addition to her work with Meridian Learning, Ms. Ring has written for various publications and websites including The Huffington Post and BabyCenter. In 2017, she started a mindful Montessori lifestyle blog, and she now co-hosts a micro online community for others seeking positive change through the application of Montessori principles. Her most meaningful role is that of mother to three children, her greatest gifts and wisest teachers.
Jaime Holden, Meridian Micro School Guide
Ms. Holden has always found happiness teaching and learning alongside children. She received her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from Northern Kentucky University, and completed her Lower Elementary Montessori training at Xavier University. She is currently completing her Upper Elementary Montessori training through NAMC. She has worked with countless children and families, and over the past couple of years, she has enjoyed incorporating the Montessori philosophy at home with her daughter, a student at Meridian Montessori. While serving as a professional nanny, she implemented a Montessori homeschool curriculum with her daughter and a few other children. This experience helped her gain a better understanding of small group learning, and she appreciates the Meridian model of honoring each child through micro group learning. One of Ms. Holden’s favorite ways to teach and learn is to bring real life materials into the classroom and get children outside. She loves to be outdoors herself. You can usually find her tinkering in her new garden or looking for worms with her daughter. She also practices yoga and meditation, and finds these are important peaceful practices when implemented in the classroom. Ms. Holden’s goal is to nurture each child’s natural desire for knowledge and honor their individual path.
Hokyoung Kim, M.Ed., Meridian Montessori Primary Guide
Ms. Kim received her Master’s in Early Childhood Education from Xavier University and early childhood credential from American Montessori Society. She has taught in a Montessori classroom for over 20 years, with much of her teaching experience at Garden Montessori School in Anderson Township. Ms. Kim grew up in South Korea and came to the United States after she graduated from college. While at Xavier to learn English, she became interested in Montessori Education. She lives in Mount Washington with her husband where she enjoys observing nature and working with gardens. She also takes classes in Zumba and Yoga and shares these passions with the children in our classroom. She loves to see how each child grows and loves to help them as they do so.
Abby McCord, Meridian Montessori Toddler Guide
Ms. McCord is a licensed professional educator who completed her Montessori Infant/Toddler training through NAMC. Before joining Meridian, she worked as a 1st and 2nd grade teacher in Northern Kentucky and prior to this, she taught 4th grade ELA in Cincinnati. She has also taught kindergarten and preschool, and served as a substitute for all ages. She has been working in education and child development since she graduated from Covenant College in 2013 with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. Loving and guiding children has always been important to her. She and her daughter, a student in our toddler environment, enjoy doing anything together, but they really like reading, dancing, playing games, and getting outside to explore nature. Ms. McCord is excited to learn and grow with her students and enjoys being a member of the Meridian community.
Bri Santucci, Meridian Montessori Assistant Guide
Ms. Santucci has always found joy in working with children. As a nanny for over 10 years she has used the Montessori method to help children learn and grow. Primarily as a stay at home mom, she incorporates Montessori learning everyday with her daughter, a student at Meridian Montessori. For the last five years she has worked in a hospital as a Registered Nurse. Prior to becoming a nurse she has worked with a number of families and has very much enjoyed the Montessori philosophy and better understanding of small group, independent learning. One of Ms. Santucci’s favorite ways to teach and learn is to have help with everyday activities such as cooking, sweeping, and cleaning dishes. In the summer she loves being outdoors with her daughter and working in her garden.
Hsin-Rou (Sharon) Lee, Art and Mandarin Chinese Guide
Ms. Lee holds degrees in studio art and illustration from Cuyahoga Community College and the Cleveland Institute of Art. She spent the first 17 years of her life in Taiwan, a little island full of traditional Chinese culture, bustling city life, and yummy tropical fruit. Over the past 11 years she has maintained a private studio where she has taught students of diverse ages, backgrounds, and places on the developmental spectrum to express and discover the strength within themselves through the exploration of art’s many media, cultures, and worlds. The journey with each individual student motivates and challenges her to learn and grow more as a human being. Her history of community involvement includes hosting multiple Asian culture/art workshops at Cuyahoga Community College, teaching Mandarin Chinese and art in two of Cleveland’s private schools, seven years of teaching preschool and kindergarten, and Reggio Emilia art workshops and the design of an interactive mural at St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf in Indianapolis.
Katherine Dooros, Yoga Guide
Ms. Dooros is a 200-hour Yoga teacher based in Cincinnati. She’s drawn to the healing, wellness, creativity, and connection that the practice brings to her life. In 2020, she decided to invest in Yoga teacher training to deepen her own practice. She has since found that she loves sharing the benefits of the practice with others. Ms. Dooros has two children, ages 2 and 4, and two dogs. When she’s not chasing them around or practicing yoga, you will find her enjoying a giant cup of coffee, hiking, and spending time in nature. She looks forward to sharing her practice with Meridian students during their extended enrichment time.
Rob Schramm, Maintenance and Tech Support
Mr. Schramm, better known as Mr. Rob, designs and builds furniture for our urban microschools and helps maintain the indoor and outdoor learning spaces, including the children’s gardens and micro farm. An accomplished IT consultant and senior systems engineer, he also guides our technology explorations and elementary coding class. He believes the Montessori approach within a microschool model to be the key to success in modern society.