Our Teachers

My name is Samantha Elliott. I am the proud of owner of three Goddard Schools. I own the Grove City School, the Worthington Hills School, and the Goddard Worthington II School. My husband, Rex, and I have three lovely daughters who are all Goddard graduates. We also have two beautiful labradoodles- Scout & Aspen. I am proud to be part of the The Goddard School and I am committed to providing the highest quality preschool experience for the children in our community.

Miss Alex is a part of the outstanding administrative team at The Goddard School of Worthington 2! She has a degree in Sports Management from Baldwin Wallace and has taught at the Worthington Hills Goddard for the last four years. Miss Alex is also Miss Sam's daughter and is thrilled to be involved in the family business. She is also the proud mom of Niko, an energetic husky!

Mr. Drew started working at our Worthington Hills location in 2017. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in both English and Educational Studies from Denison University. Mr. Drew is our lead teacher in the Elk classroom, as well as a director, and is passionate about helping all of our Goddard students get ready for Kindergarten. Mr. Drew is happily married to Jeannette and they have a dog named Zoey.

Miss Ruthie (or Miss Rue / Rutie as her children might call her) has been working with us at The Goddard School since May of 2021. Previously she could be found working around the building, drawing pictures on the walls as one of our very talented muralists. Miss Ruthie works in our Preschool (Bear) room, where she puts her degree in Fine Arts and Education from the University of Cincinnati to good use. She loves her kids and is always teaching them fun, and engaging information both about art and other topics. In her free time she loves working on murals and other forms of art.

Miss Karen is the dictionary definition of a seasoned educator. Having worked in the school system for more than 35 years, she knows full well what it takes to nourish growing minds, and take ownership of a classroom. With a degree in Early Childhood Education, she is the perfect person to take the reins of our Pre-K classroom, sharing with her other teachers and the students her years of valuable knowledge. Miss Karen has been with our Goddard School for more than a year now, and we look forward to the many wonderful years to come. Our school would not be the same without Miss Karen, and we smile a little brighter every morning knowing that she is here with us.

Miss Nichole (or Miss Cole as her children sometimes call her) is a wonderful educator, and one of the most energetic, loving and enthusiastic individuals you will ever meet. She always begins each day on her best foot possible, with a "Can Do" attitude that only a cup of coffee can replicate in others. Having been with The Goddard School for more than 5 years, and with our location for more than 1 year, Miss Nichole is the perfect person to have assisting in all of our young toddler classrooms. Her knowledge and persistence is unrivaled. Not only are we lucky to have Miss Nichole in our school, everyone is lucky to have her in this world.

Miss Emma is who we should all aspire to be in our everyday lives. She is bright; loving; funny, and kind. Our toddler classroom could not be the same without her, as her energy and love is unmatched. Each morning begins with a wide smile, an enthusiastic "good morning", and potentially a big, warm hug. Miss Emma wears her heart on her sleeve, and every room she walks into is brighter because of it. With an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education, Miss Emma is the perfect person to nurture her students and foster a life long love of learning, and a life long journey of kindness. We are incredibly lucky to have her at our school, which benefits greatly from her enthusiasm, boundless energy and hugs.

When you walk into our Porcupine room, you are most likely to be greeted by the artwork on the walls, and Ms. Jenny, our extraordinary lead teacher who always welcomes her friends with a warm “hello” and “good morning, friends”. Having been in The Goddard School program herself when she was younger, Ms. Jenny came back to us in May of 2021, and she’s been hard at work teaching our young first steppers ever since. The artwork hanging from the walls of the room speaks for itself, and to her talent, as she works everyday to enrich the growing minds of her students. Ms. Jenny is a lovely individual, who cares greatly for the children in her care, and we are thrilled to have her here with us, as a member of our staff.

Miss Madison is a talented member of our Goddard family, having joined us in July of 2022. She is always ready and willing to help out, looking for more opportunities to be involved in the young toddler classrooms. Having taken ownership of our second toddler classroom, the Coyotes, Miss Madison works hard each and every day as she constructs engaging lesson plans, nurtures her students' love of play, and fosters a kindness and respect in all of her kiddos. With a degree in Psychology, Miss Madison is always thinking of new ways to improve her classroom, always putting the child first in all of her activities. We are incredibly lucky to have her as a member of our staff, with each day being a new day to learn and grow together.

Ms. Kris has worked for The Goddard Schools since 1999 starting out as a Get Set teacher in our Pickerington location. She advanced to become the director at our Pickerington location prior to moving to become the director at our Grove City location. Ms. Kris has a Master's in Early Childhood Education. Ms. Kris now works as an executive director between our Worthington and Grove City locations. She loves interacting with the children, especially exploring science experiments, puzzles, cooking, and board games.