Our Team

As the Principal at Ridge, it is Stacey’s responsibility to foster a culture of Pride, Leadership, and Excellence within our student body through experiences, relationships, and educational opportunities. She partners with the parents and community, as open lines of communication are essential to the success of our students.
 

Mr. Jones has been a part of Lakota for over 12 years.  He started working for Lakota in 2013, as part of our Treasurer’s Office.  During that time, he was hired to coach football and girls’ basketball at Ridge in 2015.  This sparked a career change, as he earned a master’s degree in teaching from Mount St. Joseph University.  Mr. Jones began as an Intervention Specialist at Ridge in 2018.  He has also served as the school’s Athletic Director over the past 4 years. Starting in 2025, Mr. Jones will continue to serve the Ridge Jr. staff, students, and families, as the Assistant Principal.

As Assistant Principal, Mr. Jones’ primary roles at Ridge Jr. include working with the special education department, overseeing discipline, attendance, as well as serving as the building test coordinator.  He looks forward to helping the Ridge Jr. staff and students navigate their educational journey.

Reeves is our Facility Dog. He joined the Freedom Family in the spring of 2021, and began spending Mondays and Fridays at Ridge in the spring of 2023.  He has been trained and certified through Circle Tail on how to interact in a structured environment. He is a true “emotions detector” and can tell when a student needs support. Reeves brings so much joy to our students and staff every day. He might just be our students’ favorite staff member!

Melissa Carmichael is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor who received her master’s degree from Northern Kentucky University in 2013. She has worked as a school-based therapist for over eight years in various schools in the Greater Cincinnati area. Melissa values the importance of access to mental health support within the school environment and works with students to help them overcome social, emotional and academic difficulties.

Melissa utilizes a variety of modalities in therapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy and solution focused therapy, while also using creative and expressive techniques to individualize treatment for each student. Melissa recognizes the importance of the developmental years of adolescence and will continue to advocate for students to succeed socially, emotionally and academically. 

Melissa likes playing sand volleyball and cheering on Cincinnati sports teams. She loves traveling and has a goal to visit all 30 Major League Baseball ballparks.

As Data Specialist, Mrs. Baker is your direct contact for any attendance-related calls/emails/questions, calling in your student’s absences, checking attendance records, etc. Mrs. Baker can assist with new student enrollment, test scores/report cards, records requests and any changes to your current records/emergency contacts. 

When calling in for attendance call 513-777-9010

Kelly Carstens has worked in public education since 1990. She has an undergraduate degree from the University of Akron and graduate degrees in education and school counseling were from Cleveland State University. In 1990, she began as a first grade teacher in St. Petersburg, Florida.  She continued as a first grade teacher in Lakewood, Ohio, and in 1996, she began my career as a school counselor in Lakewood. The transition from teaching to counseling provided an opportunity to help children become more successful students, work with them to help them effectively deal with a variety of problems, and inspire them to do their personal best in their lives.

Kelly began counseling in Lakota at Independence Elementary in 2009. In 2019, she was certified as a Trauma and Resilience Practitioner Educator. In 2020, she was certified as an Advanced Trauma and Resilience Practitioner. 

In 2021, Kelly began counseling at Ridge Junior School. She feels fortunate to have worked in both the east and west regions of Lakota at two different grade levels. Many experiences as a counselor, teacher, and parent in the district have allowed her to provide supportive care and a comprehensive program.
 

Kimberly Doty has been a  Lakota School Counselor since the 2022-2023 school year. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Cincinnati in 2020. She earned her master’s degree in School Counseling at the University of Cincinnati in 2022.

Ms. Doty is passionate about working with children who struggle with mental-health challenges. Her primary focus is to create a safe and supportive environment to encourage social and emotional growth. She can provide small group counseling or one on one counseling, surrounding various topics such as social skills, emotion regulation, self-control etc. Ms. Doty is the liaison for community agency partnerships that support our students and is also the case manager for 504 Plans.

Feel free to contact Ms. Doty with concerns related to social and emotional issues at kimberly.doty@lakotaonline.com.

As Office Manager, Jennifer is responsible for billing students for school fees such as lost library books, club card activities, Chromebook and Chromebook accessories.  She can assist parents with HAC/OneLogin login information/password and billing questions/student fees.

Jennifer can also help with any questions about our building schedules, such as school closings, after-school activities, picture days, etc.  She can answer questions pertaining to Ridge website content, building usage and school calendar listings.

Kim McNamee-Fox, LISW is a licensed independent social worker with a deep commitment to supporting youth at Ridge Junior High through her role with Cincinnati Children’s. She earned her Bachelor of Social Work from Xavier University in 2017 and her Master of Social Work from the University of Cincinnati in 2018. Kim spent four years as a school-based therapist in elementary schools around Cincinnati before broadening her clinical perspective at Montana State University, where she worked with college students for two years. During that time, she provided individual therapy and supported students navigating academic stress, adjustment concerns, and other mental health challenges—this work deepened her understanding of developmental transitions and enriched her therapeutic approach.

While she values that experience, returning to work at Ridge Junior HIgh has reaffirmed her passion for helping adolscents understand their emotional patterns, build self-awareness, and develop a strong sense of identity. Kim’s clinical approach is relational and integrative, drawing from Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), attachment theory, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) to support students in navigating complex emotional landscapes.

As Secretary, Mrs. Young is the first line of communications for the front office. Her duties include signing students in and out for attendance, assisting with work permit filings and scheduling IEP meetings for students and their families. As Athletic Secretary, Mrs. Young creates athletic schedules for all Ridge sports and inputs/updates final form physicals for all student-athletes.