Staff

Neil Black, Principal

Mr. Black graduated from Cedarville University with a B.S. in Physical Education and a Minor in Bible. He has served in various capacities of Christian Education for over twenty years, all but four of which have been in some form of administration. Mr. Black answered the call to MCA in the fall of 2004. He and his family feel honored and privileged to be able to serve God in this ministry.

Email:  n.black@monclovabaptist.org

Amy Tawney, Administrative Assistant

Mrs. Tawney and her family began attending Monclova Road Baptist Church in February of 2005. She has been very active in the Women’s Ministries of MRBC and enjoys loving little ones in the nursery. Mrs. Tawney joined the MCA staff in August of 2010. She currently holds the position of administrative assistant to the principal, and also handles enrollment, state compliance information, and various school office duties. The Tawneys are proud to be a part of the MCA family and the opportunities it provides.

Email:  a.tawney@monclovabaptist.org

Mrs. Klump is the receptionist at Monclova Christian Academy, and also helps monitor the lunchroom. She and her family have attended Monclova Road Baptist Church since 1997. She enjoys serving in different ministries such as the nursery, teaching Sunday School, and other areas of service. Mrs. Klump and her husband, Ben, enjoy spending time with their four children. Her favorite verse is Jeremiah 29:11, ‘”For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans for a hope and a future.’

Email: p.klump@monclovabaptist.org

Mrs. Colleen Hester, Kindergarten

Mrs. Hester spent her childhood years in Chicago, Illinois. After graduating from Bob Jones University with a bachelor’s degree in teaching, she taught kindergarten for seven years and then became a home school mom for nine years. In 2000, the Lord provided the opportunity for her to teach at Monclova Christian Academy, where she has taught in both lower and upper elementary. Presently, she is the kindergarten teacher. Her greatest thrill is to see students develop academically, socially, physically, and spiritually during each school year.

Email: c.hester@monclovabaptist.org

Ms. Emily Van Vlerah, First Grade

Miss Van Vlerah is a life-long resident of the Northwest Ohio area.
She graduated from Bowling Green State University with a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. Teaching children is her passion, and she is blessed to be doing what God has called her to do each and every day. Watching students grow in the way that God has created them causes her daily delight and joy. Emily is thrilled to be a part of the MCA family.

Email: e.vanvlerah@monclovabaptist.org

Miss Heidi Ross, Second Grade

Miss Ross has been a member of Monclova Road Baptist Church since her childhood and is fulfilling a long-time desire to teach at MCA. She graduated from Tennessee Temple University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and now teaches second grade at MCA. Heidi says that she recognized God’s call on her life to teach when she was just in first grade and clings to God’s promise in Proverbs 22:6 that a child trained “in the way he should go” will not depart from the truth when he is old. She loves encouraging children to walk with the Lord, and seeing the light of understanding in their eyes as they learn.

Email: h.ross@monclovabaptist.org

Mrs. Jennifer Nagle, Third Grade

Mrs. Nagle earned her high school diploma from Bethany Baptist School in Grand Rapids, Ohio, and her bachelor’s degree in special education and elementary education at Bob Jones University. She taught for seven and a half years at Fairfax Baptist Temple Academy in Fairfax, Virginia, where she also met and married her husband Mike. They have three children, all of whom attend MCA. When the opportunity arose to return to this area, she was offered a position teaching third grade and has continued serving in that position since she joined the MCA staff.

Email: j.nagle@monclovabaptist.org

Mrs. Katie Sherman, Fourth Grade

Mrs. Sherman was the fourth grade teacher at Monclova Christian Academy. She considers children a joy from above and adores getting to know each unique personality. It is her purpose and goal to provide each child with individualized instruction and the scaffolding techniques necessary to help them succeed academically, emotionally, behaviorally, and spiritually. Mrs. Sherman is a graduate of the University of Toledo with a bachelor’s degree in Education, with a reading endorsement. She is currently finishing her Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction, with a specialization in Literacy.

Mrs. Batey graduated from Eastern Michigan University with her degree in Secondary Education. She currently resides in Lambertville, Michigan, with her husband and two children.  Tara considers it a privilege and an honor to work with the 5^th grade students here at Monclova Christian Academy.  Mrs. Batey coached girl’s softball at Bedford Public Schools for several years and hopes to start a girl’s softball team here at Monclova.  Her life verse is II Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Email: t.batey@monclovabaptist.org

Mr. Andrew Ervin, Social Studies

Mr. Ervin teaches junior and senior high history at MCA. He grew up in Swartz Creek, Michigan, and attended Eastern Michigan University, where he received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history. He particularly enjoys reading about early American history and has special interest in the social history of the Antebellum years (1820-1869). He says he praises God every day for allowing him to work at Monclova Christian Academy.

Email: a.ervin@monclovabaptist.org

Mr. Josh Filler, Science

Mr. Filler graduated from Word of Life Bible Institute in Schroon Lak, New York, and from  Cedarville University with a B.A. in Accounting and a Minor in Bible. He and his wife, Cortney, were married in 2010 and have been attending Monclova Baptist Church since moving to Toledo. Josh has lived in both Indiana and New York, and he thanks God every day for the opportunity to be able to teach at Monclova Christian Academy. He and Cortney both have a passion for ministering to youth and  have worked at Word of Life camps for a combined nine summers. They are both are very excited to be a part of MCA

Email: j.filler@monclovabaptist.org

Mrs. Donna Fish, Math

Mrs. Fish received her bachelor’s degree in education from Bowling Green State University and has taught all but one of her twenty-five plus years in Christian schools. She joined the staff of Monclova Christian Academy in 2000, teaching first a combined fifth and sixth grade class and then moving to the junior/senior high where she primarily teaches math. It is Mrs. Fish’s desire to model both a love for math and a love for the Lord for the students at MCA. She and her husband, along with their three adult children and their families, attend Monclova Road Baptist Church.

Email: d.fish@monclovabaptist.org

Mrs. Norma Merrin, English

Mrs. Merrin graduated from East Tennessee State University with a bachelor’s degree in nursing and then attended Liberty Baptist Seminary. Besides working as a nurse part-time while raising a family, and assisting her husband in planting churches, she and her husband, Pastor Russell Merrin, worked together to establish Monclova Christian Academy in 1999. Over the years, Mrs. Merrin has acquired more than fourteen years of teaching experience, three of them in administrative positions, and is currently teaching English, her favorite subject and her passion. Besides teaching English, Mrs. Merrin is also passionate about music and drama.

Email: n.merrin@monclovabaptist.org

Mrs. Laurie Mitchell, Education Coordinator

As Education Coordinator for MCA, Mrs. Mitchell handles guidance counseling, as well as curriculum review, and testing coordination. Mrs. Mitchell is an honors graduate of Eastern Michigan University with a bachelor’s degree in science. She has practiced as an occupational therapist in both mental health and physical rehabilitation settings and has served as a faculty member in the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program at Lourdes College. She has more than twenty years of teaching experience and has taught at elementary, secondary, and college levels. Her husband Brian is an analytical chemist and a deacon at Monclova Road Baptist Church where their family attends. Both of the Mitchell children attend MCA.

Email: l.mitchell@monclovabaptist.org

Mrs. Elise Metzger, Art

Mrs. Metzger received her bachelor’s degree in art education from Bowling Green State University and began her teaching career in Toledo Public Schools. While in the classroom, she completed her master’s degree at the University of Toledo. In the fall of 2006, the Lord led her to MCA where she has considered it a privilege to serve Christ through teaching the visual arts to students at elementary through secondary grade levels. Mrs. Metzger and her family live in Maumee and their son Luke attends MCA.

Email: e.metzger@monclovabaptist.org

Mrs. Michelle Keaster, Music

Mrs. Keaster received her bachelor’s degrees in both music education and music/flute performance from Central Missouri State University (now U of Central Missouri). She also earned a master’s degree in flute performance from Wichita State University. She and her husband, Aaron, moved to the Toledo area after he won a position with the Toledo Symphony. Mrs. Keaster served as director of music ministries at First Baptist Church in Perrysburg for eleven years. She brings eleven years of  experience in teaching to  MCA, Mrs. Keaster is responsible for the music program at all grade levels and also teaches sixth grade English and junior high girls’ Bible. The Keasters and their daughter, Kaelee, reside in Perrysburg.

Email: m.keaster@monclovabaptist.org

Mr. Dave Metzger, Athletic Director

Mr.  Metzger received his bachelor’s degree in Business and Marketing Education from Bowling Green State University.  In the fall of 2006, the Lord led Dave and his family to MCA, where he and his wife, Elise, enrolled their son, Luke. Elise teaches Art at MCA, and Dave teaches PE and directs the athletic program. They both consider it a privilege to serve Christ through education. Mr. Metzger and his family are long-time residents of Maumee.

Email: d.metzger@monclovabaptist.org

Mrs. Sharon VanDenBerghe, Science

Mrs. VanDenBerghe has rejoined the MCA staff after a victorious battle with serious illness, during which time the Lord reaffirmed her call to teach. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from Bowling Green State University and has nearly twenty years of teaching experience. In addition to science, Mrs. VanDenBerghe has a passion for teaching and participating in dramatic productions. She and her husband have three adult children and eight grandchildren. Her desire for her students is above all to recognize and acknowledge the handiwork of God demonstrated so clearly in science.

Email: s.vandenberghe@monclovabaptist.org

Mrs. Bunts graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Intercultural Studies from Lee University and is currently enrolled in the Masters of Education program at Cedarville University. She brings with her a lifetime of experience in Christian school education, including attending Christian schools throughout her preparatory, college, and graduate career, as well as teaching at the high school level in a Christian school for four years. God placed a desire in Mrs. Bunts’s heart to teach at MCA a few years ago, and being a part of the staff is an answer to her prayers. Mrs. Bunts is passionate about God’s call on her life, and she focuses on teaching her classes with loving and skilled interactions that allow her students to experience academic excellence with a Biblical worldview that will support what is being taught in the home. In addition to serving at MCA, Mrs. Bunts loves being a wife and mom.

Email: c.bunts@monclovabaptist.org