Julie Kaiser is the Director at My First School. She was a teacher at MFS and she also served as the Assistant Director for 6 years prior to moving up as the Director. Julie earned her Bachelor of Science in Business from Davis & Elkins College.

Julie believes that children are a great blessing from God and should be treasured. Julie has been on staff at My First School since 2010.

Julie lives in Garrettsville with her husband, Joe. They have three adult children and one grandchild. In her spare time, Julie volunteers with 4-H, and enjoys working with horses on their family’s farm.

You can contact Julie by e-mailing her at: jkaiser@cornerstoneaurora.com. 

Shelli Fergis teaches Pre-K classes Monday-Friday.  Shelli loves working with preschoolers because of their genuine honesty and enthusiasm for the little things.  She has a Bachelor’s in Computer Science from Southern Polytechnic State University.

Shelli lives in Mantua with her husband and their four children. They have opened their home to foster children and find it a rewarding experience.

You can contact Shelli by emailing her at: sfergis@cornerstoneaurora.com.

Sharon Marquis is our treasurer. She handles payroll, accounts payable, and accounts receivable. If you have a question about finances, Sharon is the "go to" person.

Sharon lives in Twinsburg and enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.

You can contact Sharon by e-mailing her at: smarquis@cornerstoneaurora.com. 

Tina Paczak teaches our 2’s & 3’s class. She loves playing a part in a child’s educational growth, but witnessing a child’s thirst for knowledge is her real joy! Tina has been teaching preschool for more than 10 years. Tina lives in Aurora with her husband and their three teenagers.

You can contact Tina by e-mailing her at: tpaczak@cornerstoneaurora.com.

Kristina Bainey is one our 3’s & 4’s teachers and has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Kent State. Kristina loves to witness new, little minds growing & experiencing things for the first time. She also loves connecting with parents, knowing that all parents want the best for their children.

Kristina has been at MFS for 7 years, and she loves working with the caring supporting staff at MFS. Kristina & her husband, Walt, have 3 children. They enjoy working on projects at their home and spending time with their family.

You can contact Kristina by e-mailing her at: kbainey@cornerstoneaurora.com.

Amanda Leonard teaches Pre-k all day M-F. Amanda loves helping to get her kids kindergarten ready while having fun (and being a little silly). She says the best part of teaching Pre-K is their genuine excitement for learning and doing new things.

Amanda has been working with kids of all ages for over 10 years but has recently changed her path to the world of preschool. She loves being a part of MFS which allows her to combine her love of teaching and her faith. Amanda has a bachelor's degree in Theatre, Music and Art from The University of Mount Union, which she finds herself using daily with her students. 

Amanda lives in Aurora with her husband (Michael), three kids and three dogs. She enjoys their busy, crazy family life, but in her free time she loves to craft and is usually in the middle of some big DIY project at home.

You can contact Amanda by e-mailing her at: aleonard@cornerstoneaurora.com.

April Roberts loves teaching preschool and getting the kids in her classroom Kindergarten-ready! She enjoys seeing the smiles of all the kids in their classroom, as they are learning fun, new skills throughout their school day. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Special Education. She also has and Associates Degree in Science.

April lives in Streetsboro with her husband David, and their 2 children. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends and vacations to the beach.

You can contact April by e-mailing her at: aroberts@cornerstoneaurora.com.

Pastor Adam Vodicka is the Preschool Chaplain at My First School and Pastor of Worship and Families at Cornerstone Church of Aurora.  He has been in ministry and serving the local church since 2008, serving as worship leader, youth pastor, and contemporary pastor at Southern Hills UMC in Lexington, KY and, more recently, Director of Student Ministries at Mayfield Church in Chesterland, OH. 

Adam received his education at Case Western Reserve University, obtaining a BA in Religion and a minor in music.  In 2006, Adam married his wife, Kate, and they moved to Wilmore, KY to pursue a Masters of Divinity at Asbury Theological Seminary.  Adam received a license through the United Methodist Church in Kentucky before moving back to Ohio in 2014.  Adam and Kate have 2 daughters: Adleigh (Age 9) and Ella (Age 7).

Music has always been a passion and consistent in Pastor Adam’s life.  He grew up in a musical family and learned to play drums, saxophone, guitar, ukulele, and sing. Some of his favorite artists include Crowder, Hillsong, Elevation Worship, John Mayer (thanks to his wife!), for King and Country, Maroon 5, and Ed Sheeran.  He listens and plays a wide variety of music…as long as it’s not country. 

Pastor Adam also enjoys preaching and sports, particularly watching football (Go  Browns!), watching and playing basketball, and playing Disc Golf.  He is also currently the boys 8th grade basketball coach at West Geauga Middle School. 

You can e-mail Pastor Adam at: pastoradam@cornerstoneaurora.com.     

 Christine Walton is our Assistant Director and one of our Tuesday/Thursday 3’s & 4’s teachers. Christine loves watching a child's face light up when he or she is exploring something new. She has worked with children ranging from 6 weeks to 12 years old in her 19 years of preschool experience. She has a BS in early childhood education from Bowling Green State University and has also worked as an assistant director.

Mrs. Walton lives in Ravenna with her husband, daughter and son. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, crafting, and gardening.

You can contact Christine by e-mailing her at: cwalton@cornerstoneaurora.com.

Bernice Usher is an office aide and fills-in at the classroom whenever needed. Bernice has been working in the education system for many years as a track coach, teacher’s aide and substitute teacher. Bernice and her husband, Randy, live in Mantua. They have three adult children and four grandchildren.

You can contact Bernice by e-mailing her at: busher@cornerstoneaurora.com.

Michelle Smith is an aide in the 2’s & 3’s class at My First School an has an Associate of Arts degree from Lorain County Community College. She has previously served in the two year old program at her church. She enjoys showing children a love for Jesus through reading, crafts, and outdoor time. Michelle lives in Streetsboro with her husband, Brian, two teenagers & their dog.

You can contact Michelle by emailing her at msmith@cornerstoneaurora.com.

Jessica Wyszinski is one of our 2’s & 3’s teachers and has a certificate from Maplewood Career Center in Careers with Young Children. She lives in Mantua with her husband, two daughters, cat, and two bunnies. Both of her children are previous students of My First School, now in grade school. As a family they enjoy spending time outside hiking, boating and traveling. 

Jessica has spent nearly 13 years in the Marketing industry, but has decided to pursue her true passion, which is Early Childhood Education. She loves watching young minds and hearts grow. My First School has been a blessing to her family for many years and it gives her great joy to now serve as a staff member.

You can contact Jessica by e-mailing her at: jwyszinski@cornerstoneaurora.com.

Lisa Seith is a Pre-K teacher and has a BA from Kent State in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology. Lisa lives in Mantua with her husband and daughter. Lisa loves teaching, especially helping with her students successes. She says that it is an amazing feeling that she wouldn’t trade for the world. Lisa’s hobbies are reading, watching movies and crocheting.

You can contact Lisa by e-mailing her at: lseith@cornerstoneaurora.com.

Jane Hill teaches our music and library classes. Jane has a BS from Kent State in Education and is a retired public preschool teacher. She and her husband, Marty, live in Garrettsville. They also have 3 grown sons and 8 grandchildren.

You can contact Jane by e-mailing her at: jhill@cornerstoneaurora.com.

Ruth Fitzgerald is one of our 3’s and 4’s teachers. She lives in Aurora with her husband, Shawn and dogs, Sunshine & Trixie. They have raised two sons (28 and 25) and have a beautiful 6 year old granddaughter. 

Ruth loves teaching preschoolers because of their curiosity and enthusiasm for the smallest things. She makes learning fun and enjoys watching them grow day after day. Sharing the good news of God's unending love for each of them is worth more to her than anything. 

She graduated from Radford University with a Journalism/Public Relations degree and has volunteered for years in children's ministry as a teacher, liturgical minister, and office aide. She has worked as an aide and teacher at MFS for 3 years; working with children is her passion.

You can contact Ruth by e-mailing her at: rfitzgerald@cornerstoneaurora.com.

Our Lead Pastor, Drew Carroll, joined our staff in September 2005 as our Associate Pastor of Discipleship and Assimilation, quickly becoming our Associate Pastor, and then becoming our Pastor in 2009. Drew has also served on the My First School Board since 2008, serving as the Chair of the Board for five years. Drew is graduate of the local Aurora School District (where he met his wife, Megan, in the sixth grade at Harmon Middle School!) and Cedarville University in Cedarville, OH (majoring in Pre-Seminary Bible). He holds a Master of Divinity Degree from Southern Seminary.

Prior to coming on staff, he was a pastoral intern at his home church (Faith Baptist Church in Streetsboro, OH) and owned a small pressure washing business. 

Pastor Drew enjoys sports, gardening, reading, playing guitar, watching movies, fountain pens, and his family, including his four children.

Pastor Drew serves as the chair of the My First School Preschool Board.

You can e-mail Pastor Drew at: pastordrew@cornerstoneaurora.com.