The Sunday News from Honey Creek

Meet Josh Ball

New Honey Creek 2/3 Teacher

Hi everyone! My name is Josh Ball (even though some of you may be told that my name is actually “Joshy”), and I am so excited to be transitioning to a classroom teacher for 2/3 this fall!

I am a Michigan State University graduate with a degree in Economics, although I have always had a passion for teaching. Over the past year and a half I have been an Instructional Assistant at Honey Creek. This community welcomed me with open arms from day one, and I genuinely loved coming to school everyday and getting to work with all our incredible students. My position at Honey Creek inspired me to enroll in University of Michigan’s teaching certification program last year. And I am thrilled to get the opportunity to stay at Honey Creek.

I believe my job as a teacher is to be a connection maker. It is my responsibility to build relationships rooted in equity with my students, help them build relationships with one another, and to be the bridge between my students and other resources to help them flourish as individuals. I strive to truly hear my students and meet them where they’re at in order to build long-lasting, two-way relationships.



Outside of my love of teaching, I am a massive sports fan — especially football, basketball and soccer. I enjoy being outside, and you’ll often find me on our great Border to Border trail. I am so honored to be a part of this community and can’t wait to get started in my new position!

Welcome Josh here!

Staffing Updates

2023-2024

Staffing for the 2023-24 academic year is significantly better than last year at this or any other time. Although some positions remain unfilled, we are confident we will begin the year fully staffed for the first time since the pandemic.

A few significant staffing updates to share:

Middle School ELA

Liz Scott will not be returning to Honey Creek this September but we're hopeful she can join us after the first quarter or first semester. In the meantime, we have already interviewed potential long-term substitutes we find promising. We will keep you posted on our progress in the days and weeks ahead.

Music Instruction

We are sad to report that Garry will not be returning to Honey Creek this fall. He shares the following message:

"First I want to thank everyone for their continued support over the summer months. It makes it even harder to let you all know that I will not be returning in the fall due continued health issues. I wish you all the best for the upcoming school year. This is incredibly tough and I will miss you all."

Amanda Notrika will return to music instruction in Garry's absence. As we all know, Amanda did an outstanding job last spring and we're thrilled she's returning.

Remaining Vacancies

Honey Creek continues to seek part-time instructional aides and daily substitute teachers.

Learn more about open positions and the simple application process here - and feel free to share with friends and family!

Meet Chris Culbertson

New Honey Creek MS Science Teacher

My name is Christopher Culbertson, and I am a proud Honey Creek alumnus. My family was one of the founding members of our school and I am excited to return to our community as your middle school science teacher. My passion for teaching and learning began at Honey Creek when I worked for the after school and summer programs, as well as a substitute teacher. My experiences in our community led me to pursue a career in education and in 2016 I graduated from the University of Michigan’s Master of Arts with Elementary Teacher Certification (K-8). Before rejoining Honey Creek, I worked as an English Language Teacher for the Ann Arbor Public Schools. I am excited for the new school year and I look forward to building strong relationships with our students, families, and staff.

Welcome Christopher here!

Meet Anna Stocker

New Honey Creek Social Worker

Hello Honey Creek Community! My name is Anna (she/they) and I am thrilled to rejoin Honey Creek as a social worker this fall. I recently received my Bachelor’s in Social Work at Eastern Michigan University, where I completed my field practicum at Honey Creek, making me a familiar face to some of you. Prior to my time at Honey Creek, I have had the opportunity to work with social work agencies such as Food Gatherer’s, Swoop’s Food Pantry, and Making Youth Matter, a youth mentorship program working to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline in Ypsilanti Community Schools. My primary areas of interest in the field are child welfare, adolescent mental health, and community organization for anti-racism.

I believe in finding the strengths in every student I meet and utilizing those strengths as tools in the classroom and beyond. Using a systems approach, I help students identify and meet socioemotional and basic needs to succeed at school and serve to connect students and families with community resources related to food, clothing, and housing insecurity, as well as mental and physical health needs. My passion for helping others manifests in ensuring each student is empowered to be a happy and healthy lifelong learner.

Outside of school, I enjoy cooking plant-based meals, golfing, and needlepoint. I’m famously terrible at baking, but I’m currently taking a brave step out of my comfort zone to try it this summer. There have been many failures and few successes, so please send your easy dessert recipes my way!

Excited to share the year with you all. 

Welcome Anna here!