Camp Staff

Summer at Laurel is staffed by Laurel School faculty, students, and alumnae. Check out the biographies below to learn more about our fabulous staff!

Ray Rossman

Ray is an 8th grade Science Teacher and an Assistant Middle School Track Coach at Laurel School. He also coaches the youth wrestling team at Hawken School.

Fun Facts about Ray: He loves all sports, the outdoors, and being adventurous. Ray and his wife recently found out that they are expecting their first baby in January!

Kim Soeder

Kim is the Assistant Director of Summer at Laurel and oversees the camps on the Butler Campus. She has worked in various aspects of Laurel School, including assisting in third/fourth grade, working in After School at Laurel and running various auxiliary programs, such as Kids' Night Out and Haunted Night Hike.

Fun Facts about Kim: She went to art school for two years before deciding to be a teacher. Kim also loves country music.




Emma Forquer

Emma is a Chinese Teacher at Laurel School. She teaches in the Pre-Primary, Primary, and Middle School divisions.

Fun Facts about Emma: She was born and raised in Taiwan. Emma also has a black cat who understands both English and Chinese!





Ida Porris

Ida is a Dance Teacher and the Performing Arts Chair at Laurel School. She teaches in the Pre-Primary and Primary divisions.

Fun Facts about Ida: She has always wanted to be a drummer in a rock band!




Abby Polott

Abby is a rising junior at Laurel School and will be returning for her second year as a camp counselor this summer. She works in After Care at Laurel, is a member of Laurel’s a-cappella group, Bad In Plaid and is a song contest leader for the class of 2016.  

Fun Facts about Abby: She has attended Laurel since Kindergarten and has been dancing since she was three. Someday she wants to become a performing arts teacher!

Anthony Gault

Anthony is a Music Teacher and the Dean of the Upper School (11th and 12th Grades) at Laurel School. 

Fun Facts about Anthony: He will be traveling to Bolivia this summer where he will co-lead a course for high school students from independent schools around the country. They will construct, deliver, and install filters to communities along the Rio Beni who lack access to clean water and work to be engaged global citizens!

Nicole Franks

Nicole is a Kindergarten Teacher at Laurel School.

Fun Facts about Nicole: She has taught children in Chicago, Washington D.C. & Puebla, Mexico. Nicole enjoys building furniture in her spare time and love all things gardening. Also, there is not a food that she truly dislikes!






Andrew Horner

Andrew is a student at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. He is studying Environmental Studies and Economics. He has been working with Laurel since the spring of his senior year at University School when he completed his senior project at Laurel. This is his fourth year working with Summer at Laurel.

Fun Facts about Andrew: He plays club soccer and squash.





Kaylie Patacca

Kaylie graduated from Laurel in 2013 and is currently a student at Colgate University. She is returning for her second year as a counselor for Summer at Laurel.

Fun Facts about Kaylie: She went to Laurel for 13 years. Kaylie loves cycling and is thinking about majoring in Geology at Colgate!




Caitlin Moury

Caitlin teaches seventh and ninth grade English at Laurel School.

Fun Facts about Caitlin: She loves camp! She has worked at camps every summer for the past 10 years! Caitlin's favorite element on the Project Adventure Course is the Giant Swing. Her photo was taken last summer when she spent 11 days in Ireland with Laurel faculty and alumni.

Miriah Seckel (aka Miss Miriah)

Miriah is the Auxiliary Programming Assistant at Laurel School.

Fun Facts about Miriah: She grew up in the small town of Hood River, Oregon and moved to the Cleveland area eleven years ago. Miriah has a 2 year old daughter and is expecting her second daughter in October! Her favorite animals are cows.





Kristen Mehalko

Kristen is a rising sophomore at Laurel School. She was a CIT for Summer at Laurel in 2013. Kristen has also participated in the Haunted Night Hike and plays soccer, basketball, and softball for Laurel.

Fun Facts about Kristen: She loves her dog (more than anything!) and her favorite hobby is playing softball.




Elyse Evans

Elyse is a rising sophomore at Laurel School and has been going to Laurel since 6th Grade. She has worked in After School at Laurel for two years and worked in the French camp for Summer at Laurel 2013.

Fun Facts about Elyse: She loves working with kids and is thinking about a career in Primary Education. Elyse has 2 Labs named Humphree and Drake. She takes classical ballet and is interested in photography.


Kara Marshall

Kara is a 2014 graduate of Laurel and will be attending Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati in the fall.  She has returned for her second year as a Summer at Laurel counselor.  Kara also was a counselor for Laurel’s Winter and Spring camps.  While at Laurel she was a 4 year 3 sport athlete(volleyball, swimming and lacrosse).  

Fun Facts about Kara: She will continue to play lacrosse in college where she plans to major in Sports Management.  

Regina Campbell-Malone

Regina Campbell-Malone is the Director of STEAM Initiatives at Laurel – which means she helps add the "A" for Arts to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). This summer she will be teaching Science to Gator Train campers! 

Fun Facts about Regina: She recently built her first electric guitar through at the STEM Guitar Institute and will be working with middle school teachers to teach girls to build their very own Electric STEM Guitars!

Tamika Ellis

Tamika is the Director of Gator Train Camp. She is also a Middle School Social Studies and PE Teacher at Laurel. 

Fun Facts about Tamika: She spent the last three years teaching Third Grade in the Primary School. Tamika was also a lead teacher in Gator Train last summer and is excited to return this summer and work with Summer at Laurel's youngest campers!

Leslie Evans

This is Leslie's third summer as Director of Summer at Laurel.  She also serves as the Director of Auxiliary Programming at Laurel which includes managing Laurel's After School programs and Community-Based Programs.  

Fun Facts about Leslie: She started her career at Laurel as the J.V. Tennis Coach and she has 3 daughters who currently attend Laurel.  When Leslie isn't at Laurel, you may see her driving her convertible Red Mini-Cooper around town with two Labrador Retrievers in the back seat.