Announcing the Founding Faculty of Greenhills Lower School Program

As Greenhills prepares to open its lower school program at the Arbor Hills Campus, a central piece of the vision is now firmly in place: a founding faculty of deeply experienced, thoughtful educators who will bring the program to life.

The Lower School has been designed with intention from the ground up. Over the past several years, Greenhills leaders have studied how children learn best, drawing on research, visiting exemplary schools across the country, consulting with experts, and building on the school’s six decades of experience. The result is not simply an extension of Greenhills, but a cohesive, purpose-built program centered on strong relationships, joyful learning, and meaningful challenge.

If the design provides the blueprint, the faculty provides the heart. This founding group of teachers arrives from some of the finest schools in the region, united by a shared commitment to knowing students well and helping each child grow with confidence and curiosity. Their collective experience spans decades in classrooms, leadership roles, and specialized instruction, and their backgrounds reflect both depth and range—from curriculum design and literacy research to the arts, sciences, and global education.

Just as thoughtfully, the structure of the student experience has been designed to support that work. Small-group instruction is built into every grade level, complemented by a team of specialists in science, integrated creative technology, music, art, physical education, library, global performance, and world languages. A dedicated learning specialist will partner closely with classroom teachers to ensure that each child’s strengths are recognized and supported.

Together, this approach reflects a simple but powerful commitment: that every child at Greenhills will be known well, challenged thoughtfully, and supported fully.

We are thrilled to introduce the founding faculty of Greenhills lower school program, below.

LOWER ELEMENTARY (JK–2ND GRADE)

Junior Kindergarten Teacher: Danielle Twigg
Education: BS, Oakland University; MEd, Oakland University; EdD, Queensland University of Technology
Years Teaching: 30
Joins From: Ann Arbor Open, Cranbrook Schools–Brookside
Notable Fact: Danielle taught graduate level courses in curriculum design and student assessment at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia and Northeastern University in Boston, MA.

Junior Kindergarten Associate Teacher: Brooklyn Willett
Education: BA, Kalamazoo College
Years Teaching: 6
Joins From: Holmes STEAM, Daycroft School
Notable Fact: Brooklyn previously taught in outdoor education and Montessori settings, and is currently completing her lower elementary teacher certification through the M-ARC program at the University of Michigan.

Kindergarten Teacher: Clara Ashwood
Education: BA, University of Wisconsin – Madison
Years Teaching: 25
Joins From: Summers-Knoll School
Notable Fact: Clara holds a certificate in Education Leadership from Capella University and has completed 10 marathons and counting.

Kindergarten Teacher: Kara Darling (Greenhills ‘00)
Education: BA, University of Michigan
Years Teaching: 20
Joins From: Greenhills School, Ann Arbor Hills Child Development Center
Notable Fact: Kara has taught every age group from preschool to 5th grade, including a role as a Wilson reading specialist.

Kindergarten Associate and Spanish Teacher: Julio Beltrán
Education: BA, Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador; MA, Ohio University
Years Teaching: 1
Joins From: Greenhills School
Notable Fact: Julio has been a capoeira instructor since 2015 and currently teaches kids, teens, and adults at the Brazilian Michigan Cultural Center in Ypsilanti.

Kindergarten Associate Teacher: Ian Cook
Education: BA, University of Michigan
Years Teaching: 3
Joins From: Summers-Knoll School
Notable Fact: Ian has worked as behavior technician supporting children with autism spectrum disorder and recently completed the Early Career Teacher Institute with the Association of Independent Michigan Schools.

1st/2nd Grade Teacher: Mary Huntoon
Education: BA, University of Michigan; MA, University of Michigan
Years Teaching: 16
Joins From: Burns Park Elementary
Notable Fact: Mary played water polo for the University of Michigan and performs regularly with the Burns Park Players.

1st/2nd Grade Associate Teacher: Cooper Nickel (Greenhills ‘16)
Education: BA, Western Michigan University
Years Teaching: 4
Joins From: Greenhills School
Notable Fact: Cooper builds computers and does welding for fun in his free time.

UPPER ELEMENTARY

3rd Grade Teacher: Christianna (Chris) Woodling
Education: BS Pennsylvania State University; MEd Pennsylvania State University
Years Teaching: 8
Joins From: Lakewood Elementary
Notable Fact: Chris is currently pursuing her doctorate with a focus on literacy instruction at the University of Florida.

4th Grade Teacher: Cary Grimm
Education: BA, Michigan State University; MA, Michigan State University
Years Teaching: 25
Joins From: Novi Meadows Elementary
Notable Fact: Cary has coached girls’ basketball for elementary and middle schoolers since 2001 and founded the Ann Arbor Lightning travel team in 2024.

5th Grade Teacher: Nick Mosher
Education: BA, Indiana University; MEd, Wayne State University
Years Teaching: 26
Joins From: Wines Elementary
Notable Fact: Nick has designed hands-on learning collaborations for his students with community partners at Leslie Science Center, AADL Songsters, Huron River Watershed Council, and Toyota Engineering.

SPECIALISTS

Learning Specialist: Katie Drury-Tanner
Education: BA, Michigan State University; MA, Michigan State University
Years Teaching: 24
Joins From: Duke School, Cranbrook Schools–Brookside
Notable Fact: Katie taught elementary students in the UK and Honduras, and led student support for students with learning differences in Germany.

Science Teacher: Erika Noel
Education: BA, University of Michigan
Years Teaching: 25
Joins From: Summers-Knoll School
Notable Fact: Erika designed the 3rd grade science curriculum at the Alta Vista School in San Francisco, CA and worked as a museum educator at the Lawrence Hall of Science.

Integrated Creative Technology: Claudia Mihm
Education: BA, Tufts University; MEd, Harvard University
Years Teaching: 4
Joins From: Greenhills School
Notable Fact: In college, Claudia worked on the team that created Scratch Jr.

Music Teacher: Alexa Lokensgard (Greenhills ‘99)
Education: BM, St Olaf College; MM, New England Conservatory of Music
Years Teaching: 2
Joins From: Summers-Knoll School
Notable Fact: Alexa is a conservatory trained opera singer who completed her K-12 music education certificate at Eastern Michigan University.

Art Teacher: Mary Perrin
Education: BFA, Eastern Michigan University
Years Teaching: 10
Joins From: Summers-Knoll School
Notable Fact: Mary is a working artist and costume designer for the annual holiday panto at Theatre NOVA.

Librarian: Julie Rick
Education: BA, Villanova University; MA, University of Pittsburgh; MS, University of Michigan
Years Teaching: 11
Joins From: Greenhills School
Notable Fact: Julie’s new article for Booklist, “Promises and Paradoxes: Using Graphic Novels to Explore the Declaration of Independence’s 250th Anniversary,” will be published this summer.

Physical Education Teacher and LS Library Coordinator: Kaylee Tucker
Education: BA, Concordia University; MA, Oakland University
Years Teaching: 5
Joins From: Greenhills School
Notable Fact: Kaylee coached varsity high school softball and collegiate tennis before joining Greenhills, where she now leads middle school boys and JV girls tennis.

Integrated Global Performance, French and Latin Teacher: Imogen Giles
Education: BA, University of London; MA, University of London
Years Teaching: 40
Joins From: Summers-Knoll School
Notable Fact: Imogen taught at various independent schools in the UK, including a role as Head of Classics at Cobham Hall School in Kent.

Integrated Global Performance: Katie McBride
Education: BFA, University of Michigan
Years Teaching: 12
Joins From: Greenhills School
Notable Fact: Katie is a working actor and member of the Actors Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.

LOWER SCHOOL OFFICE

Head of Lower School: Jeewon Wright-Kim
Education: BA, Tufts University; MSEd, Northwestern University
Joins From: Greenhills School
Notable Fact: Jeewon spent 10 years in the classroom teaching grades K-5 and held previous leadership roles as Associate Head of Lower School at Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn, NY and Elementary Director at Daycroft School in Ann Arbor.

Administrative Coordinator – LS and Auxiliary Programs: Hannah Goldman
Education: BA, Boston University; MA, DePaul University
Joins From: Greenhills School
Notable Fact: Before moving to Michigan, Hannah taught 5th and 6th grade ELA in Long Island, NY.

Office Manager: Tao Graham
Education: BFA, California State University
Joins From: Summers-Knoll School
Notable Fact: Tao is a fine artist, designer, illustrator and animator.