Middle School
Mrs. Boyle - 6th Grade
Mrs. Boyle always wanted to be a teacher since she was in elementary school. As a child, her two choices for a future occupation were to be a teacher or work at the McDonald's drive-thru window. She never had the privilege of working the drive-thru window at McDonald's; however, teaching became her ultimate goal. In order to achieve that goal, she earned a bachelor's degree in Education with a focus in Mathematics and English from Hope College in Holland, Michigan. She recently earned a master's degree from Walden University in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. Her daily goal is to express her passion for learning and creatively pass on that passion to the students. Mrs. Boyle’s husband shares her passion for teaching and teaches physical education for sixth through eighth grade in Waterford. They have three children, Owen, Anna, and Greyson. Mrs. Boyle enjoys spending time with family, camping, canoeing, sewing, singing, and watching movies.
Mrs. Bierbusse - 6th Grade
Mrs. Jennifer Bierbusse has taught at The Chatfield School since 2002. Mrs. Bierbusse is passionate about mentoring children through life’s difficulties, developing students’ character while inviting them to live with integrity and make good choices despite the opposition they may face as they grow. She values the importance of creating a nurturing and positive learning community where students’ are valued for their individual strengths, gifts and talents. Mrs. Bierbusse is a graduate of The University of Michigan-Flint with a Bachelor’s in Education and a graduate from Waldon University with a Master’s in Literacy and Elementary Education. In addition to teaching, she works alongside her husband, Dennis, who is the Youth Director at Oakwood Community Church ministering to teens from 6th-12th grades. Together they have three children, Ellianna, Trenton and Alexandra.
Mr. Kurtz - 7th Grade
This is Mr. Kurtz's fourth year teaching at The Chatfiield Middle School. In addition to teaching 7th grade Mr. Kurtz also teaches Service Learning, Music Mayhem, Keyboarding and Course 1 Mathematics. In the fall Mr. Kurtz will hold a Hunter’s Safety class for students 12 years or older as well as a Snowmobile Safety class in the winter.
Mr. Kurtz has a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education with a major in Social Studies and minor in Science. He is currently attending U of M-Flint for his Masters Degree in Administration. He will complete this degree in August of 2012.
Mr. Kurtz and his wife celebrated the birth of their son on February 8th 2011! Aside from teaching and spending time with his family, Mr. Kurtz enjoys music, motorcycling, snowmobiling, boating and camping.
Mrs. Block - 7th Grade
This is Mrs. Block’s fourth year teaching 7th grade at Chatfield! In addition to teaching 7th grade, she also teaches the explorations class of A World in Motion I, A World in Motion II, Creative Writing and Poetry. These classes study the world of aviation, engineering, and of course, writing. She also supervises students creating Chatfield's yearbook and is the National Junior Honor Society adviser.
Mrs. Block earned her B.A. from Saginaw Valley State University in 2004. She is also pursuing a Masters in Education degree from Saginaw Valley State University. Her goal is to have her Master's Degree completed in December 2011.
She and her husband celebrated the birth of their daughter on April 15th! They are very excited to the addition to their family. Mrs. Block also enjoys horseback riding, reading, cooking, and running with her dog. She has two Quarter Horses and a lab.
Mrs. Young - 8th Grade
Mrs. Young taught middle school science and math at Kingsbury in Oxford for 7 years. Previous to teaching at Kingsbury, she taught math and science for a year at Oakview middle school in Lake Orion. Mrs. Young earned her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education with endorsements in Science and Math from Oakland University in 2003. She recently obtained a Masters in Educational technology degree from Central Michigan University. She enjoys implementing and teaching new forms of technology in the classroom.
In addition to teaching 8th grade, Mrs. Young will also be teaching the explorations classes of Culinary Science, Math 911 and Dissections.
Her goal as a teacher is to inspire every student to love learning and discovery. Her method of teaching incorporates an inquiry-based approach which allows for experiential learning.
She is married to Ryan and has two children. Lilly is 5 years old and entering Kindergarten at Chatfield this year. Samuel is 2 years old and will be in Wee Dolphins. They are very excited to be a part of Chatfield's caring community.