Meet the Team

Taryn Kaplan, Director (they/them)

Mx. Taryn is our director and Pre-K teacher. They live in Cleveland Heights with a dog and cat, and in their classroom they keep our school pets Glitter, Sushi, and Kiwi! Mx. Taryn encourages students to be resourceful, creative, and respectful of the spaces we all share. They have taught many places in the United States and also in Haiti. Mx. Taryn loves to celebrate what makes each individual child and family special and unique.

Favorite Children’s Book: The Giving Tree

Read Mx. Taryn’s full bio here.

Sam Dominic, Teacher (she/her)

Ms. Sam is the teacher of our Threes, and loves to explore learning in creative and fun ways with her students! She lives in Cleveland Heights with her husband and two sons who are 9 and 6. Ms. Sam loves to travel and has been to the Dominican Republic, France, and Spain so far.

Favorite Children’s Book: The Snowy Day

Read Ms. Sam’s full bio here.

Margie Balog, Teacher (she/her)

Ms. Margie is our teacher for our Early Learners (age 2.5) and our Threes and Fours! She’s been teaching preschool for over 15 years and can’t wait to bring her love of teaching to Heights Cooperative. She lives in Mayfield Heights with her husband Don, dog Lola, and bearded dragon Rocky. Margie and Don have three grown-up kids.

Favorite Children’s Book: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus

Read Ms. Margie’s full bio here.

Joyce Robinson, Aide (she/her)

We couldn’t do it without Ms. Joyce, our school's aide! She is a shining star at Heights Cooperative and helps our students and teachers each and every day.

Favorite Children's Book: The Giving Tree

Samuel Popik, Aide (they/them)

Mx. Samuel is our newest substitute teacher and teacher's aide for the 2023-2024 school year! They live in Cleveland Heights with their wife Amelia and cat Midna. They have 3 years of experience in daycare/tutoring and graduated from Cornerstone University with a degree in Intercultural Studies, though they grew up in Twinsburg with their twin sister. They hope to find their forever job in Heights Cooperative, helping the next generation grow up happy, healthy, and informed by being the gender non-conforming adult they wish they had to look up to as a child. They don't want anyone else to have to grow up thinking they can't be themselves when they become an adult. Check out Critical Hit Games on a Sunday to catch them playing the Pokémon card game!

Favorite Children's Book: The Name of this Book is Secret

Caitlin Fisher, Marketing (they/them)

Mx. Caitlin joined our team for school year 2022-2023 to help us create a new website! They now help out part time to manage our blog and keep our community to date on the latest news at Heights.

Caitlin formerly worked with children as a pre-school aide and a nanny, and they love staying in touch with the education and learning needs of upcoming generations! Caitlin lives in Akron, Ohio with their partner, roommates, three cats, and a corgi named Gwen.

Favorite Children's Book: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Cooper, Therapy Dog (she/her)

Cooper is a mixed breed rescue dog from Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter. We fostered her at the end of the 2022-2023 school year, and adopted her over the summer. She's officially in training to be a therapy dog and has an important job in the PreK classroom helping us practice social and emotional skills. You can read more about Cooper and how she's working at Heights on our blog!