Mr. Holowatyj is the founder and Superintendent of Global Village Academy.  Prior to starting GVA Major Holowatyj spent over 20 years in the Military in various positions; Infantry, Airborne, Air Assault, Ranger, Aviator and Foreign Area Officer.  He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Kent State University as well as earning his private pilot’s license.  He later went on to earn a Master of Arts in National Security Affairs while still on active duty.  After retiring from the military, Mr. Holowatyj and his family moved back to Ohio where he taught all subjects at Richmond Heights Middle School.  He retired from Richmond Heights in 2014 to dedicate his time to Global Village Academy.  Although his superintendent responsibilities keep him busy, he still finds time to share his knowledge and experiences with GVA students.  His many hobbies include Racket Ball, Skiing, Hockey, SCUBA diving, going to antique shops with his wife and helping his children with anything requiring construction.

Anna Holowatyj was Principal at Global Village Academy from 2012-2022. She has a BS degree in Elementary Education and a Master's in Special Education from Kent State University. Mrs. Holowatyj has a wide variety of teaching experience both within the continental U.S. and overseas as her family traveled extensively for the military. At GVA, you can find her in the halls and classrooms, getting to know each student and supporting their learning. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, bird watching, listening to music, and reading educational literature.

Mrs. Traecy Rae Powers was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. She graduated from Bishop Gorman High school and later joined the U.S. ARMY.  Once proudly completing her service for our country, she moved to AZ and began teaching various grade levels and subjects from Pre-K to 8th grade. Mrs. Powers was one of 11 teachers that was chosen to pilot the All-Day Kindergarten Program in the state of AZ. She has a BA from Prescott College in AZ and moved to Ohio in 2006 with her loving husband who is from the area.  She has been teaching in the Cleveland area since 2006 and has 3 daughters and 6 grandchildren who all live in the state of AZ. 

Maja Sulovari has been teaching first grade at GVA since the school opened. She was born and raised in Croatia, part of former Yugoslavia. After a war in 1995, her parents decided that it was in their family’s best interest to move to the United States. Although this transition proved to be difficult, Mrs. Sulovari quickly adapted to American culture and the English language.  In 2005, she graduated from Lakewood High School and decided to further pursue her interests in teaching at Cleveland State University, where she received a BS Degree in Early Childhood Education. In her free time, Mrs. Sulovari enjoys watching movies with her husband, cooking, traveling, and reading.

Danielle Livingston teaches second grade at GVA. She has a degree in Early Childhood Education from Ashland University

and has been teaching since 2013. She also has a Reading endorsement and Middle Grades license, along with lots of experience working with children. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, traveling to all 50 states, and crafting on her cricut. 

Mary Doerge is the fourth grade teacher at GVA. She taught for 33 years with Parma City Schools in kindergarten, pre-first, 5th grade, 6th grade, and even special education. She also taught preschool for a year. Mrs. Doerge earned a BS in Education from Bowling Green State University and a Master’s Degree in Education from Marygrove College. She lives in Medina County with her husband and children. They have a small hobby farm where they raise Nigerian Dwarf goats—miniature dairy goats. Mrs. Doerge enjoys traveling with her family, reading, and scrapbooking.

Jeremy Tesny is the fifth grade teacher at Global Village Academy. He graduated from the University of Akron with a degree in Middle Childhood Education and a focus in math. Mr. Tesny is also the coach for the GVA Golf Team.  He lives in Medina with his wife, Leah, who is also a teacher. He enjoys all kinds of sports including baseball, basketball, and golf. During the summer, Mr. Tesny likes to spend his time watching the Cleveland Indians play at Progressive Field. 

Mrs. Perkins graduated from Cedarville University with a BA in Middle Childhood Education.  In her senior year at CU, she was recruited to teach with a company called International Schools of China.  Mrs. Perkins spent six years teaching math and science to international middle-school students in Wuhan, China. After moving back from China in 2015, a few job changes, marriage, and a couple more moves, she now lives with her husband, Drew, in Berea, OH.  She loves attending festivals and small-town fairs. Mrs. Perkins also enjoys discovering new places, trying different ethnic foods, and decorating cakes!

Natalia Yarosh has been teaching Art and Ukrainian at GVA since the school opened. She was born and raised in Ukraine and earned a Master of Arts in Education and Bachelor of Visual Arts from Ivano-Frankivsk Pedagogical University in Ukraine.  She also completed Coursework for a Master Degree in Mechanical Engineering in Cleveland State University.  Mrs. Yarosh has also taught at the School of Ukrainian Studies “Ridna Shkola,” in Cleveland since the 1990's. Mrs. Yarosh is married and has a daughter and son. Her kids are involved in many activities including dance, tennis, orchestra, hockey and soccer.  After work, most of her time is spent watching, supporting, and enjoying her children at practice and competitions. Her  hobbies include fine art, flower designing and travel. 

Mr. Havelka has provided psychological services in suburban, urban, and charter settings in both Columbus and Cleveland since 2013.  Being of service to students and families in need is both his great honor and life’s dedicated work.  He specializes in trauma informed practices, ELL evaluations, and has extensive experience working in underprivileged settings.  He has conducted several years of supervision for Ohio State University's School Psychology graduate students.  His continued work in diverse environments affords him the opportunity to grow and is one of the most rewarding aspects of this profession.

Michael Migielicz is paraprofessional educator at Global Village Academy. Mr. Michael attended the University of Akron and has a background in Communication and Marketing.  He previously worked in food service management and as an administrator for bulk sales at the Benjamin Moore paint company.  Currently, Mr. Michael lives in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood of Cleveland.  He spends his free time camping or volunteering in his community with his wife, Emilee.

Galina Yuskiv began working at GVA in 2015. She was born in Ukraine and graduated from Buchach Technical  with a degree in Veterinary and Animal Husbandry. Mrs. Yuskiv moved to America with her family in 1992. In 1994, she married her handsome husband, Anatoly. Together, they live in Parma and have six beautiful children . Some are students at GVA. Mrs. Yuskiv worked at Willcare home for ten years, taking care of the elderly. She enjoys working in the GVA cafeteria and is a friendly face for the students. When she's not at school, Mrs. Yuskiv enjoys reading, traveling, listening to music, and spending time with family.

Mr. Basalla joined the GVA staff in March of 2022 serving as the Treasurer. 

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More to come!

Alexandra earned a BA in Humanities at Saint Mary's College and then went on to study Theology at the University of Notre Dame. She has worked at GVA since it opened in 2011.  It brings her great joy to see the school grow and she loves getting to know the students and their families. Outside of GVA, Alexandra is involved with a Ukrainian Music Camp, Kobzarska Sich, where students learn to play a traditional Ukrainian instrument called the bandura. In her free time, she takes traditional Irish dance classes, and enjoys crafting. Although Toronto, ON is her favorite city, she is also a passionate Clevelander and loves exploring the city with her husband, Michael, and their daughter, Kalyna and their 2 fluffy cats, Sichka and Ptchykh.

Natalia Ockunzzi graduated from Kharkiv National Pedagogical University in Ukraine with a BS in English and Ukrainian. She also has TESOL Endorsement from Cleveland State University. After teaching in Ukraine for a few years, Mrs. Ockunzzi got involved in international business and moved to America with her new family. Taking care of her children was always a priority which eventually led to a job as an educational aid at a local school. She began teaching at Global Village Academy in 2016.  She lives in Brooklyn, OH with her husband and three sons. Mrs. Ockunzzi's interests include reading, skating, hiking, gardening, and traveling. 

Nataliia Gunchak was born in Ukraine. She received a Master’s Degree in Business Economics from Lviv Academy of Commerce, and Ph. D Degree in Economic Sciences from Ivan Franko National University of Lviv.  Mrs. Gunchak is the author of 32 scientific articles in the Economic field and 1 monograph "Government Regulation of Economy’s Intellectualization of Ukraine."  Her research interests comprise intellectualization, intellectual migration, and noospherization. In 2017, with a lovely family she started their new American life. Mrs. Gunchak additionally works as interpreter at Catholic Charities Diocese of Cleveland. Her hobbies are inspirational tourism, reading, poem recitation, and singing of Ukrainian folk songs.  Her life credo: Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible (Francis of Assissi).

Svitlana Tukalevska graduated from Ukrainian State Pedagogical University with a BS in Secondary Education and a Master degree in Physics in 1995. She has also completed an ESL program and a Medical Billing Specialist Short Term Certificate Program at Tri -C, in Cleveland, Ohio. After working as a Science teacher in Kyiv for several years, and as a Kindergarten teacher and Teacher's Assistant in Saudi Arabia, Mrs. Tukalevska moved to the USA with her husband and two sons. She worked as a bookkeeper in Home Healthcare agencies for many years. Mrs.Tukalevska has also taught Ukrainian Geography at the School of Ukrainian Studies "Ridna Shkola".

She loves working with kids of all ages.

Mrs. Tukalevska enjoys rescuing dogs from shelters, gardening and traveling.

Born in Ukraine in the city of Ternopil, Ms. Valnytska moved from Ukraine to NYC in 2002.  She graduated with an AA in Liberal Arts from Kingsborough Community College and a BS in Business Management and Finance from Brooklyn College. In 2015, Ms. Valnytska moved to Ohio and for the next five years she worked as a preschool teacher at a daycare center. She loves working with children and serving families and communities, and  in her free time, she enjoys listening to books, writing, taking pictures, and traveling.

Kaetlyn McCaulla is the third grade teacher at Global Village Academy. Ms. McCaulla graduated from the University of Rio Grande, with her bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education and K-12 Intervention in 2021. She taught second grade for Gallia County Local Schools for a year before transferring to GVA! A fun fact about Ms. McCaulla is that she decided she was going to be a teacher because of her third grade experience and teacher! She and her fiancé enjoy exploring their new home and have a german shepherd named Scooter who loves to play frisbee. She also loves hiking, watching movies, and hanging out with her friends and family in her free time! Most of all Ms. McCaulla can’t wait to get to know you and your child.

Mr. Matern began his career in education through a program at Kent State University known as Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching where he garnered first hand experience teaching in another country with a different culture. His time in New Zealand laid the foundation for his focus in education with English Language Learners. Mr. Matern taught in various cultural areas including Indonesia, Native American communities, and rural America.  These experiences molded his ability to be an effective instructor, especially among students with a non-English speaking background.

Melissa Boehnlein is the middle-school science teacher and seventh grade homeroom teacher at Global Village Academy.  She graduated from Cleveland State University with a BS in teaching. Before GVA, she taught junior-high math and science at a Catholic school for nine years.  Mrs. Boehnlein is married and has one son, Cory.  She also has two dogs, Toby and Eugene, and a snake named Monty. During her free time, she enjoys reading, playing with her dogs, and just being with her family, 

Mr. Walsh holds a B.A. and an M.A.  from John Carroll University with additional study, PhD program, University of Akron.  He has permanent certification in Comprehensive Social Studies and English. His experience includes thirty years at Westlake High School, five years at Wickliffe High School and three years, each at Benedictine High School and Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School. He and his wife, Kathy, have four children and eight grandchildren. Mr. Walsh enjoys reading, studying World War II and spending time with his family.

Melinda Koerth grew up not far from GVA, having been born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio. She graduated from Liberty University with a BA and teaching certification in TESOL and moved to Turkey not long after graduation. She taught ESOL to PreK-12 students at an American international school for five years in Ankara and recently relocated back to Ohio in June 2022. During her time in Turkey, Ms. Koerth received training in educational therapy through the National Institute for Learning Development, serving as a part-time educational therapist for three years, and also earned a Master's Degree in Education from Cairn University online. Ms. Koerth loves to travel, and has had the opportunity to help develop ESOL programs for children and adults in Thailand and Peru. As much as she loves being a language teacher, she also enjoys being a student of other languages and cultures. When she is not in the classroom, Ms. Koerth likes to spend time being outside, drawing or painting, and visiting her family and friends.

Ms. Corina Dziak was born and raised in Parma, Ohio. She graduated from Baldwin Wallace University in 2017 with a degree in Early Childhood Education (PreK-3). The following years after graduation, she taught preschool children ages 2-5 for two years. She then spent a year substitute teaching for Parma and Brooklyn City Schools for all grade levels. Eventually, she attended Franklin University online to obtain certification allowing her to also teach fourth and fifth grade students. In her spare time, Ms. Dziak enjoys playing guitar and piano, singing, and reading.

Jonathan Hejnal has been working at Global Village Acadmey since 2015. Early on he was ever present in the main office, but has transitioned into food service, and is the acting Food Service Manager and Wellness Coordinator for GVA. He enjoys seeing the students daily and hearing them speak of how much they enjoy the food now that we are cooking fresh meals in the cafeteria kitchen. Outside of GVA, he is heavily involved in the Ukrainian community, especially with Ukrainian Dance.  Currently he is the Assistant Artistic Director of Kashtan Ukrainian School of Dance. In what free time he has left, he enjoys cooking, baking, gardening, and traveling any chance he can—especially to Ukraine.

Brenda joined the GVA staff in July 2015. She graduated from Kent State University with a degree in accounting and received a second degree from Lake Erie College in Finance.  She has worked as a school and government finance officer for 34 years—30 of which were as a Public School Treasurer. In her spare time, Brenda owns and operates a restaurant in Saybrook, Ohio where she enjoys baking many pies. For stress relief, she enjoys working in her vegetable garden and flower beds.  She resides in Chardon, Ohio with her family.

Bio coming soon!