Mindy Schulz
Superintendent
With more than 25 years of diverse educational experience Mindy serves as Superintendent of the West Central Learning Academy. Prior to this, Mindy served as an executive director, elementary principal, teacher, and graduate level adjunct instructor. She has also been a state trainer for the Ohio Department of Education for all of the educator evaluation systems. She has presented numerous times at statewide conferences, and worked with educators across the state to implement various legislative mandates.
Maria Rellinger
Treasurer
Maria Rellinger is a seasoned Treasurer serving WCLA and the Apollo Career Center. Prior she served Paulding Schools, Continental Schools, and also was a State Auditor. Maria has led and served on many educational committees, executive boards, and non-profits around the state. She received a Bachelor degree in Business Administration from Ohio Northern University, and an MBA from the University of Findlay. She currently resides in Kalida, Ohio with her husband and two children.
Melanie Nixon
Principal
Melanie Nixon is the Instructional Coach and Principal here at WCLA II. She has over 30 years in education with 15 years of that in administration. She has taught for the Lima City Schools in grades 1, 2, and 4 and was a Dean of Students/Building Coach at Whittier, Lowell, and Faurot Elementary. She has been a principal at Upper Scioto and Elida. Mrs. Nixon is also a graduate of The Ohio State University and Dayton University.
Lynn Norton
[email protected] (ext.2)
Technology Specialist-Family Civic/Engagement Coordinator
Lynn has been with WCLA since the fall of 2008. She holds a B.S. in Psychology from Wright State University. Lynn has completed additional coursework at Xavier University. She enjoys working with the staff and students at WCLA.
Lynn is married to Doug, a music teacher at WCLA and employee of NOACSC. She has 2 grown sons and loves traveling, exploring and photographing new places.
Kevin Carr
[email protected] (Ext. 1)
Attendance Officer
Kevin is the Attendance Officer at WCLA. Kevin is a retired from the Allen County Juvenile Courts where he most recently served as a Diversion Officer.
Andrew Blass
Math Teacher
Andrew Blass is our Math teacher. He has been with us for 5 years. He teaches Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and our Math 4 courses. Andrew graduated from Elida High School in 2006 and then graduated from Ohio University in 2012.
Andrew believes one thing that is essential to teach a successful learner is the ability to give individualized help. He has had the opportunity to build strong relationships with the students by working with them online and though face to face time in class.
LeAnn Freehauf
Science Teacher
LeAnn is blessed to have a career combining a few of her favorite things- love of the outdoors/science, and kids. She graduated from Bowling Green and received her Master’s from Wright State.
LeAnn taught at Bellefontaine High School for 16 years before moving to Benjamin Logan High School where she is in her 12th year teaching Physical and Material Science.
LeAnn enjoys exercising, attending sporting events, spending quality time with family, and being an active member of her church/community.
Kim McGough
English/Language Arts Teacher
This is Kim’s second year at WCLA. Kim worked at The Lima News after receiving her English B.A. from Miami University in 1983. In 1986, she started at Lima Senior High School from where she retired in 2017. In 1992 Kim received her M.A. in Mass Communication from BGSU.
Kim enjoys hiking, cycling, camping, gardening, and skiing with her husband Mike. They also cook, eat, travel, and read. Kim enjoys concerts when she isn’t learning to play guitar herself. She has two grown children, Brandon and Zoë.
Amy Grant
Intervention Specialist / CBI Instructor
Mrs. Grant is an Intervention Specialist who began working in education as a preschool teacher’s aide at the age of 21. Since then, Amy has worked with all ages, from infants to senior citizens. Mrs. Grant has experience working in alternative and public school settings. She also brings her ‘real world’ work experiences outside education (factory work, retail, hospitality, food service), to develop student understanding during their Career-Based Instruction class.
Sharri Miller
Staff Liaison, Health & PE Teacher
Mrs. Miller devoted 39 years to education at Bath – 23 years as a Health and PE teacher at the middle/high school levels and 16 years as a high school guidance counselor. 6 years ago, Sharri joined the WCLA staff and currently serves as their Health and PE teacher. She earned her bachelor’s degree in HPER. from the University of Findlay and her master’s degree in School Counseling from the University of Dayton. She has also served on the staff of Bluffton University as an adjunct instructor in their HPE department.
Doug Norton
Music Teacher
Doug has been teaching with WCLA for five years now, and has over twenty years as a music educator. He has taught in Indiana and London, England as well as Ohio, He is married to Lynn Norton, and they have two sons, Caleb and Garret. He enjoys traveling the world in his spare time, and runs a travel agency in addition to teaching. Besides music and his family, his great love is movies, and he has published film reviews online for several movie review websites.
Ashley Recker
Art Teacher
This is Ashley’s ninth year of teaching in total, and fifth year at WCLA. She is from Ottawa-Glandorf, where she graduated high school. In 2011, she obtained a Bachelor’s degree at The University of Toledo in Art Education, and this past year a Master’s in Educational Leadership from Concordia of Chicago. After she graduated college she began her teaching career in inner-city Toledo for three years, teaching all grade levels K-12. After three short years in Toledo, she returned home to Ottawa and began teaching and coaching at Lima Bath and was introduced to WCLA. Ashley is married to her husband Matt, who is a Physical Therapist, and together they have a son, Rhett. At WCLA she teaches Art Appreciation online. For fun she enjoys running, sewing, photography and traveling.
Elisha Wiss
Social Studies Teacher
Elisha teaches Social Studies for West Central Learning Academy and also teaches at Elida High School. Elisha has a Masters of Education from the University of Akron
John Edinger
Math Teacher/Tutor/Assistant Principal
John has 39 years of experience in education, with the last 18 in administration. He has been a High School Principal at Delphos Jefferson and a Middle School Principal at Spencerville. Prior to stepping into the administration role, John was a 7-12 math teacher. He received his Bachelor of Arts through Bluffton University and his Masters in Administration through Bowling Green State University.
Amy Frueh
EMIS Coordinator
Amy graduated from the University of Dayton with a degree in Education. She taught for two years in Dayton and then moved back to the Lima area where she worked for 10 years with Sylvan Learning Center. Amy has been with West Central Learning Academy since March 2016.
Amy is married and has four children. In her free time she enjoys watching her children participate in their many activities.
Christina Phillips
Administrative Assistant
My name is Christina Phillips. I have spent over 20 years in education. First with the Lima City Schools in multiple positions, at Allen Oakwood Correctional Facility as the librarian and Sinclair College as an Administrative Assistant. I have served as a proud member of NABCJ. I am a lifelong Lima resident, where my husband Rob and I raised our 9 children.
Mark Shine
Tutor
Mr. Shine is a graduate of Lima Senior High School and Defiance College.
He also earned a Masters Degree in Educational Supervision from Bowling
Green State University. He is in his 50th year as an educator having
previously taught at Bellevue High School, Bath High School, and Rhodes
State College. His role at WCLA is to prepare students for the end of
course exams in American History and government and to be on site tutor.
Brittany Roof
Payroll Specialist
Brittany Roof is the Payroll Specialist at WCLA and Assistant Treasurer at Apollo
Career Center. Brittany earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from
Ohio Northern University and obtained her Treasurer License in 2021.