5th Grade

This is Teacher Merritt’s second year teaching at A2STEAM. They completed a Master's degree in Elementary Education at the University of Michigan and also received an endorsement in teaching English as a Second Language.

Prior to graduate school, Teacher Merritt studied and received their Bachelor’s in Psychology at the University of Michigan with a focus on child development. Teaching has been such an important part of their life and they could not be more excited for this upcoming school year!

Outside of the classroom, Teacher Merritt enjoys spending time with friends and family and engaging in various hobbies. They love to explore the natural world through hiking, camping, backpacking, and gardening. Artistic practices are an integral part of their life as well, and they love experimenting with different mediums, including film photography, sewing, embroidery, painting, and mixed media.

This is Mrs. Stowe-Blanchard’s ninth year teaching at Ann Arbor STEAM and has loved teaching kids to be independent 5th graders. She also has the knowledge and experience of working with K-8th graders in her teaching career. She graduated from The University of Michigan with a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education and teaching certification. She also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Education with concentrations in literacy education and sports administration from Michigan State University. In case you were wondering where her heart lays – Go Blue!

Mrs. Stowe-Blanchard loves spending time with her family, which includes her husband Lavell, her 5-year-old daughter Gabrielle, and her 4-year-old son Lavell. She loves the outdoors, especially summers in Ludington! You can also find her at the nearest basketball hoop because she loves basketball!

Mrs. Stowe-Blanchard also serves as our school Athletic Director and is an advocate for healthy living in our community. She has added her expertise in gardening and cooking healthy foods to our project-based learning curriculum. She brings a strong passion for equity, social justice, and inclusivity to the 5th-grade learning community.

This is Mr. Josh Tumolo’s 15th year teaching in Ann Arbor Public Schools and 8th year at STEAM. Over those years he has taught all of the elementary grade levels (K-5) and for seven of those years taught multi-age classrooms! He believes that learning should be a joyful act and focuses first on social-emotional learning, building connections, and meeting students where they are.

Teaching was a calling for Mr. Josh after spending his “first career” as a General Contractor building custom homes and subdivisions in Washtenaw and Livingston County. In his spare time, you will see Mr. Josh with his family (Alyssa, Jimmy- 6th Grade, and Addy 5th Grade), gardening, woodworking, and cooking.