Kensington Woods Faculty
Rebecca Longoria
Art
Art Honors Society
Class of 2022 Advisor
E-Mail: rlongoria@kwoods.org
Course website: rbrown.kwoods.org
Certificate in Art Education, Oakland University
BFA, Harding University
Rebecca Brown recently earned her teaching certification from Oakland University, after four years of working as a freelance artist, designer, and educator. After graduating from Harding University with a degree in Fine Arts in 2010, she has built prototype furniture for a forge, exhibited in small galleries, studied ceramics and photography under master craftsmen, and worked closely with non-profits in the Mid-Michigan area to make sure all people of all abilities can have the expressive outlets that art provides. Ms. Brown's favorite part about teaching: the creative give-and-take as students build their artist communities in the classroom. "Art encourages students to look hard at the world around them and continually build meaning from it. It's a very engaged, vivid way to think."
Someday, Ms. Brown would love to try deep sea diving and perhaps illustrating children's books.
Traci Brown
Special Education Teacher Consultant
Student Council
Class of 2022 Advisor
E-Mail: tbrown@kwoods.org
Course website: tbrown.kwoods.org
MA in Special Education/Learning Disabilities, University of Detroit Mercy
BA in Psychology, Oakland University
Ms. Brown's teaching career was launched when her two sons helped her realize that students learn differently. She enjoys helping unique learners navigate their own pathway through learning. Ms. Brown prefers the term “learning difference” over “disability.” She believes that we all have strengths that help us shine and differences that we need to find a way around.
She enjoys trail running, kayaking, and crossword puzzles. She previously lived in Singapore with her family and has made more than 300 skydives.
Benjamin Cunningham
Music Teacher
Middle School Advisor
E-Mail: bcunningham@kwoods.org
Course Website: cunningham.kwoods.org
BME, University of Michigan - Flint
Benjamin Cunningham is the Music Teacher and Director of Choirs at Kensington Woods Schools in Lakeland, MI. A graduate of the University of Michigan-Flint, his groups have performed at Central Michigan University and in Mackinaw City, as well as hosted the annual Mid-Michigan Charter School Festival of Choirs. As a teacher, Mr. Cunningham believes that all students are capable of a high level of performance. Through these performances, Mr. Cunningham hopes to foster a lifelong love of music.
When he is not teaching, Mr. Cunningham enjoys cooking and photography. He can often be found performing with Vehicle City Swing, the Genesee Wind Symphony, with whom he has been a featured soloist, and the East Shore Wind Symphony.
Ed Dzierwa
Custodian
E-Mail: edzierwa@kwoods.org
Mr. Ed, as he is fondly called, proudly works for Kensington Woods after working for General Motors.
He and his wife celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in 2016 and have four great kids. When he's not working, he's addicted to doing Sudoku puzzles. His favorite thing to do is the float in his pool while doing a Sudoku puzzle.
Charlene Gawronski
Main Office
E-Mail: cgawronski@kwoods.org
Mrs. Gawronski came to work at Kensington Woods in 2014 and loves working at KWoods. Before coming to Kensington Woods, Mrs. Gawronski worked as an Administrative Secretary in a corporate office for 6 years before taking a leave to raise her family. She also worked as a Secretary and Library Services Coordinator at Howell Public Schools for 6 years and owned a party store in Webberville. Mrs. Gawronski's youngest daughter graduated from KWoods in 2011.
In her off time she love to ride her horses, hunt, camp, and metal detect. She recently startedto master the art of fly fishing.
Ken Ferguson
English
Games Club, Garage Band
Class of 2021 Advisor
E-Mail: kferguson@kwoods.org
Course Website: ferguson.kwoods.org
MAT in Teaching, Marygrove College
BA in English, University of Michigan
Ken Ferguson has been teaching English (and many other subjects) since 1998. He spent five years teaching in Tanzania, East Africa. He loves the daily interaction with the students, coming up with interesting lessons, and challenging students to stretch their communication skills.
Mr. Ferguson is married and has three children. He enjoys running, camping, composing and recording music, playing board games and just working on projects and researching interests on the internet. He is very active in his local church and mentors youth in the youth group.
Melinda Leffert
Main Office
E-Mail: mleffert@kwoods.org
Before joining Kensington Woods in 2014, Melinda Leffert has been a stay at home mom enjoying the time spent raising her family. She has volunteered for many years with the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 364 in Howell mainly as a Merit Badge Counselor and Co-Committee Chair. Both of her kids have attended Kensington Woods since 2012 and her youngest will graduate this year!
Mrs. Leffert decided to join Kensington Woods, because she has seen what this school can do for students. She hopes that little by little she can make a difference in students' lives. She loves to visit the Upper Peninsula and enjoys spending time with her family and looking forward to a great year at Kensington Woods!
Shannon Morton
English, Social Studies
Class of 2020 Advisor
E-Mail: smorton@kwoods.org
Course website: morton.kwoods.org
MA in Educational Studies, University of Michigan
JD, University of Nevada
BA in English, University of Texas
Shannon Morton joined the staff at Kensington Woods in 2012 after receiving her Master of Arts in Education. Before pursuing a career in education, Ms. Morton practiced law in southeastern Michigan, during which time she developed teaching skills as a tutor and mentor for Washtenaw Literacy. She enjoys incorporating real world scenarios, such as legal dilemmas, into the classroom to help her students develop and practice language and critical thinking skills.
Author Alice Munro said that “The complexity of things - the things within things - just seems to be endless...nothing is simple'' Like Munro, Ms. Morton believes that learning opportunities are infinite in scope and depth, and she will work to provide her students the chance to embrace this philosophy as they develop the habits to sustain lifelong learning.
Shawn Pollman
Math
Class of 2019 Advisor
College Counselor
E-Mail: spollman@kwoods.org
Course website: pollman.kwoods.org
MAT in Teaching, Marygrove College
Certification in Mathematics and Social Sciences, University of Michigan
BA in Economics, University of Michigan
Shawn Pollman has been teaching since 1993, joining Kensington Woods in 2003. Mrs. Pollman has experience in a variety of educational settings, teaching court placed juveniles, middle school, high school and night school students. What Mrs. Pollman loves most about teaching is having the opportunity to build positive relationships with students that often carry on from one school year to the next. "I am always looking for new ways to engage my students and their understanding of mathematics. This position allows me to be creative and to try new strategies in the classroom. I love that I am always learning new things, right along with my students. Our math classrooms are equipped with the latest technology, which allows students to tackle problems which are more challenging and relevant to the real world. It is an exciting time to be teaching mathematics!"
Markus Muennix
Principal
Girls Soccer
E-Mail: mmuennix@kwoods.org
MA, Eastern Michigan University
BA, University of Michigan
Markus Muennix has worked at Kensington Woods since 2005. Mr. Muennix believes that everybody can learn, that learning is for everybody and that everybody owes it to themselves to learn. "It is my role to help each student to capitalize on their ability and willingness to learn to their highest potential." Mr. Muennix's favorite quote is by Epictetus from Discourses, “Only the educated are free.”
Jessie MacGonigal Pratt
Director of Educational Programming
Art
Athletic Director
Cross Country, Running Club, NHS/Leadership
E-Mail: jpratt@kwoods.org
Course website: pratt.kwoods.org
MA in Art Education, New York University
BFA in Ceramics, Photography and Graphic Design, University of Michigan
Before joining Kensington Woods in 2007, Jessie Pratt taught art at a middle school in the Bronx, NY. What Mrs. Pratt loves most about her job is seeing her students grow, learn and link what they learn in the classroom to the world outside of school. "I love to challenge them to ask the question “why” and create personal definitions about what art is and can be. Students should feel empowered to create work that makes themselves and others think."
Mrs. Pratt is married to her high school sweetheart and they welcomed their first child, Madeline, in the summer of 2015. She also has a cat and two dogs and loves to be creative, be outside and spend time with her family.
Steve Sabo
Science Teacher
Middle School Advisor
E-Mail: ssabo@kwoods.org
Course Website: Please contact Mr. Sabo for access to his Google Classrooms.
Kristin Tenney
Social Studies
Middle School Advisor
E-Mail: ktenney@kwoods.org
Course website: tenney.kwoods.org
BA in Education, Eastern Michigan University
Ms. Tenney recently graduated from the teaching program at Eastern Michigan University and joined Kensington Woods in 2016. Before finding a home at Kensington Woods, Ms. Tenney taught in Slovakia, China, and South Korea. In each of these countries and in the states, Ms. Tenney loves to see students connect class material to the real world. One of her key beliefs is that in order to understand the present, students need to understand the past.
While she is not teaching or lesson planning, Ms. Tenney can be found at a café, sipping a cappuccino and planning her next travel adventure.
Tom Wagner
Math
Class of 2020 Advisor
E-Mail: twagner@kwoods.org
Course Website: Please contact Mr. Wagner for more information