BlendED 9-12

By Victoria Norwood

Hannah Williams is a senior at BlendED. Williams enjoys music, gaming, the color pink, and cosplaying. She also loves art, in particular, illustrations and animation. Williams has done art commissions to earn money, and she has also worked at McDonald's.

Williams said she wants to attend college and make it out of school without debt. To reach her goal, she is raising her GPA to at least a 2.5. She said, "This is the first time I've been able to focus in school. I've been getting my best grades in this program."

When asked why she signed up for BlendED, Williams responded, "I find it easier for me. Also, since I have asthma, COVID could hurt me." Williams' life has not been easy. On top of the struggles of living during a pandemic, she has also had to deal with the loss of her parents.

Art helps her get through difficult days, along with snuggles from her puppy. She is also supported by two nephews, a brother, and an older sister.

By Victoria Norwood

London Brooks is a senior at BlendED. Her home school is Briggs High School. Brooks enjoys writing poetry, listening to music, and her favorite color is blue.

When asked why she signed up for BlendED, Brooks responded, “It’s my senior year, and I wanted to take it easy and do my work from home.” Brooks has won many awards. For example, she’s made honor roll, she’s made super honor roll, and she’s earned one for community service at her home high school.

She has once worked at Chipotle and currently focuses on studying and preparing for college. Brooks says she wants to earn a scholarship to one of the colleges she applied to and become a teacher.

Deion Ray is a junior at BlendED. Ray enjoys playing basketball and working at his job. He works at Dairy Queen and loves his job because of how comfortable and friendly the environment is. His favorite color is orange, and he enjoys eating dumplings.

Ray comes from a huge family consisting of six siblings. He has three brothers and three sisters from his mother’s side and a sister on his father’s side of the family.

Ray has won three Defensive MVP trophies from playing football. One time while playing basketball, Ray broke his shoulder.

By Victoria Norwood

Dre’ Aira Lindsay is a junior at BlendED. She enjoys cooking different cultural dishes, baking, playing tennis, and watching Netflix. Lindsay loves the color light pink, science, and vacations.

Lindsay comes from a large family of three siblings, two sisters and a brother. She’s the oldest out of all of her siblings. Lindsay says her family is very close-knit and tries to have family gatherings at least once a month.

When asked why she chose to participate in BlendED, Lindsay responded, “It was more convenient for me, and with my brother just being born, I didn’t want to take any chances.” Lindsay also has received honor certificates since she was in middle school.

Soon, Lindsay wants to start investing her money into the stock market. She plans on going to college to become a forensic pathologist. Lindsay hopes to finish her schooling within thirteen to eighteen years in the future.

By Victoria Norwood

Mahala Morris is a senior at BlendED. She enjoys playing games, creating fun content, writing, and watching movies. Since Morris has a passion for writing and creating content for others, she hopes to become a movie director soon. Her favorite music artists are Joji and Harry Styles. Also, Morris likes the color aquamarine, and she loves eating burgers.

When asked why she joined the BlendED program, Morris responded, “I feel like it’s better for my mental health.” Morris wants to be more organized and keep herself on track with a daily schedule.

Morris used to work customer service at a pizza store for over a year. Sadly, she had to end her job that she enjoyed so she could focus more on studying and helping around the house. Morris comes from a large family consisting of many siblings. And she owns a cat she named Jerry, who she met five years ago. Morris considers Jerry her best friend because they have a strong bond that can never be broken.

By Victoria Norwood

Jamilla Mbacke is a senior at BlendED. She enjoys watching anime and creating different pieces of jewelry. Mbacke also loves listening to all kinds of music except country and rock 'n' roll and likes purple.

Mbacke comes from a large family of five siblings, her mother, and her stepfather. She said, "Growing up was tough, especially since money was very slim, but my mom always found ways to make sure we succeeded later in life." Even though she doesn't tell her mom as often as she wishes, Mbacke is beyond grateful for the things her mother has done for her.

When asked why Mbacke joined the BlendED program, she responded, "Over the past year with quarantine, my social skills have depleted, and instead of going back to school and struggling with my social anxiety, I thought it would be best if I just did school online."

Mbacke has only worked one job so far but has recently had to quit due to being mistreated by her coworkers. She wants to change her school's dress code for future students before her senior year is over. Mbacke also hopes to become an actress or a forensic scientist in the future.

By BlendED Staff

Michelle Jeffries is the testing coordinator and Apex lead teacher for BlendED. When asked why she joined BlendED, Jeffries said, “I decided to take a leap of faith into something new. I love it because the staff is just so wonderful and helpful in so many ways.” Jeffries taught high school English for 14 years. The staff members also enjoy working with Jeffries. McQuate said, "Ms. Jeffries goes out of her way to encourage healthy habits for our BlendED staff. She created daily activities for our staff to complete during December to support our mental and physical wellness."

Jeffries enjoys a lot of sports. She is a spin (indoor cycling) instructor at FitZone in Johnstown, and she has run 10 half marathons (a little over 13 miles each) and one full marathon. Jeffries has also played volleyball and softball since she was young.

A fun fact about Jeffries is that she went to North Carolina on a tour bus with the band Hootie and the Blowfish. Jeffries said, “Hootie (Darius Ricker) dated my sister for a bit.” Some other fun tidbits are that she has a weakness for glazed donuts, is extremely loyal, and loves a weekend at home with her children.

Jeffries attended The Ohio State University for her undergraduate degree and Ashland University for her master’s degree in literacy and her teaching license.

By BlendED Staff

Deb Rheyne joined the BlendEd team because she loves teaching online. Rheyne said, “I love the community and family feel of the staff and students of BlendED 9-12.” Rheyne is currently teaching English 9-10 & Spanish II-II. She has also worked as a waitress, cashier, and teacher in CCS for 23 years.

Rheyne grew up in a tiny town called Waynesfield, Ohio. In her younger years, she was a cheerleader and ran track. She also participated in marching and pep band. Rhyne graduated from Waynesfield-Goshen High School in a class of 34 students (including the students who attended the vocational school). She is the youngest of six children, and they all still live in Ohio.

Rheyne earned her bachelor’s degree from Denison University and her master’s degree from Ashland University. She also earned a PK-12 principal license from Ashland University. Rheyne is licensed to teach 7-12 English and K-12 Spanish.

Staff members at BlendED appreciate the wealth of knowledge Rheyne brings to their team. McQuate said, "Mrs. Rheyne is able to organize anything. She is a natural leader and has amazing problem-solving skills. She spends so much time helping others. I'm not really sure when, or if, she sleeps."

A fun fact about Rheyne is that she has always loved animals. Rheyne said, “When I was in 3rd grade, I even had a pet chicken that I raised from a tiny chick and walked on a string like it was on a leash. We raised rabbits, so my chicken had a proper barn to live in, but I really did take it for walks like it was a dog or something. 😂”

Lisa Ciminillo teaches English to speakers of other languages for our BlendED program. When asked about how she found our program, Ciminillo responded, "I heard from a friend that CCS was creating a virtual High school, and I was excited about working with students in a virtual environment. I jumped at the chance to be part of a great, new program." Before joining BlendED, Ciminillo used to teach the English Language at different colleges, high schools, and in other countries.

As a leader of BlendED's Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) team, Ciminillo guides the staff in encouraging a positive culture. McQuate said, "Ms. Ciminillo is a patient listener, and she does a great job of appreciating every staff member and student. She truly leads by example."

Ciminillo graduated from Ohio Dominican University with a bachelor's degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She is also certified in Secondary English 7-12 grade and has a Master's degree in Educational Leadership from Dayton University. Ciminillo mentioned, "When I graduated with my master's degree, I was very pregnant with my son, so he got to "walk the stage" at my graduation."

She used to play kickball and basketball while in high school. Ciminillo was a kicker for her team, and her job was to kick the ball as far as possible so that other players could run to the home plate. After a wonderful game, her team would go out for ice cream. Ciminillo says, "I think I played kickball for all of the ice cream cones."

A fun fact about Ciminillo is that she loves to travel. She has traveled to Tikal National Park, recognized by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), one of the few World Heritage properties known for its extraordinary biodiversity and archaeological importance. Ciminillo mentions, "The pyramids have been used in the Star Wars films, and I climbed one of the pyramids." She has also traveled to Mexico, Guatemala, France, Spain and has taken students to different countries.