SUPER STAFF    &                                FEATURED TEACHERS

Short bios on MKMS Staff and Faculty

MRS. BENNETT (MATH)

Mrs. Bennett teaches seventh grade Advanced Math and eighth grade Intensive Math. Since receiving her Master's Degree from the UNC Greensboro, she has worked at six different schools. She is a California native and lived there until graduating from high school. Her favorite part of California was the mountains and beaches. When asked what her favorite memory is, Mrs. Bennett responded "the day I found out I was pregnant with twins!" Mrs. Bennett likes working here because she finds joy in working beside her colleagues. When she isn't helping students with math by finding multiple pathways in the problem, she is watching college football or reading her favorite book, The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin. 

MR. MILLER

BY ALICE WEBBER     February 2021

Mr. John R. Miller, Jr. is the newest assistant principal here at Markham Woods Middle School. He has worked at several other schools throughout four Florida counties, and this is his first time working within Seminole County Public Schools. When asked how his experience at Markham Woods Middle School is different from other schools he has worked at, he responded with, "I really like the culture and climate at MKMS. MKMS is different from my previous school as the demographics are not the same; but all middle school students have the same needs. Students want to be heard and want to know someone cares about them." This is his fourteenth year in education, and we are very excited to have him here at Markham. Mr. Miller attended the University of South Florida on a football scholarship. He graduated from USF with a Bachelor's degree in Criminology, and received his Master's degree in Educational Leadership from National Louis University. Mr. Miller loves to watch comedy movies with his daughters and wife and having fun with his close friends by making them laugh. "I love my daddy because he tells me I'm beautiful every day," said Jessica Robyn, Mr. Miller's six-year-old daughter. 

Mr. Miller's life mission is to "inspire all people to live and serve in a way that enables them to reach their full potential." He mentioned that his experiences as a child and young adult "really served as a catalyst to aspire for better than my circumstances when I was a child... (these) experiences inspired me to want better and more for myself."

MRS. MACMILLAN

BY ALICE WEBBER     January 2021

Mrs. MacMillan is a seventh and eighth grade science teacher here at Markham Woods. She started her career studying psychology and biology at Boston University, and eventually graduated with an art education degree from UCF. When asked what her favorite things about working at MKMS are, Mrs. MacMillan responded with, "working with students, doing science experiments, and my colleagues. I also really like that my days are rarely boring, and the time goes by quickly."  She loves playing board games with her family, but on her own time, she likes to do pottery, cooking, painting, and reading mystery books. Mrs. MacMillan said that she does not have a favorite book because she loves to read so much. Some food she lives to eat consist of pasta, garlic bread, and mac & cheese "because they are delicious." Surprisingly, both her mom and husband work here! (You can check out Mr. MacMillan's interview at the bottom of this page.) 

MRS. RULAND

BY ALICE WEBBER     December 2020

Although you may not realize it, Mrs. Ruland plays a big part in our school. She is behind all the social media for the school, and she works at the Markham clinic. Mrs. Ruland graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor's Degree in Human Environmental Sciences and a Masters in Health Education. She cares a lot for others and says "[I do] everything I can to make middle school a good experience for everyone."  Something interesting that not many people know is that she went to high school prom with the catcher from the Boston Red Sox! Right now she likes to run and do yoga for fun, and in her younger years, she ran track and cross country. She was even awarded Central Florida Athlete of the Year in 1989. When she is not working at the clinic or doing sports, Mrs. Ruland likes to watch true crime shows and rooting for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team.

MRS. ANTMANN

BY VRITI SHAH     November 2020

Even if you don't take chorus, you probably know Mrs. Antmann as a smiling face on campus! Mrs. Antmann teaches all three of the choral classes offered at Markham Woods Middle School which are Beginners Chorus, Concert Chorus, and Black and Silver Singer Chorus. This is her 15th year teaching and has spent her whole teaching career at Markham Woods Middle School. When asked what her favorite thing to do outside of school was she responded with, "I enjoy visiting the Walt Disney World theme parks with my two awesome children and my husband. My favorite park is Magic Kingdom, but I'll happily spend a day at any of the four. When we're not hanging out at Disney, we really enjoy swimming and watching baseball and football."

She was also asked what her favorite memory teaching chorus was and she said, "In everyday teaching, I love the moment when we sing harmony in a piece of music together for the first time and everyone in the room feels a connection with one another. If we're talking amazing, life changing, never forget it, specific favorite memories - my favorite would have to be watching my students sing their dress rehearsal for their concert at Carnegie Hall in New York in May 2019. It was unbelievable to watch and listen to my kids sing in a music hall with so much history, where so many notable composers and musicians also performed."

Regarding traveling, she has an interest in the snowier side of the world. "I've actually traveled quite a lot - including spending a semester abroad in Austria when I was in college - but I've never been to Alaska and I've been wanting to go there for a really long time. I'm particularly fond of marine wildlife and beautiful vistas and I'm pretty sure Alaska would be a great place to see both of those things." Finally, when she was asked what her favorite type of music is she responded with, "It really depends on what kind of mood I'm in. If I need to be calmed down or inspired, I prefer choral music. If I need to get amped up for a big moment, I prefer pop/rock. If I'm driving around with my kids - it's all Disney music, all the time!"

MR. FIELDS

BY ZIA ALI     October 2020

Mr. Fields is the Science Olympiad teacher, the Biomechatronics teacher, and the Student Government teacher. Mr. Fields said that he loves teaching Biomechatronics because he's teaching students things they'll actually use. He also said that he competed in Science Olympiad when he was in middle school, which he enjoys. When he was asked what things he enjoys doing outside of MKMS he replied, "I do theatre, play DnD with a group of Markham teachers, have board game nights with some of my other friends, and spend time with my family". He hadn't planned to become a middle school teacher, but when he finished his Bachelor's degree from UF, he wanted to teach for a few years and then get his PhD in Educational Policy. Mr. Fields ended up at Journeys Academy and is now at MKMS and has been with us for around 8 years. Mr. Fields' favorite color is indigo, his favorite food is Dairy Queen's Blizzards, and his favorite book is Catch-22. Since it's Spooky Season, he said that his favorite movie is Paranormal Activity. NYC is his favorite travel destination, specifically the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met); on his last trip, he spent three full days there. He likes to watch college football. And as many of you know, "The Florida Gators is my one and only favorite sports team."  This photo is of him and his father, Donald Fields Sr.  Mr. Fields' dad is actually the Pad Safety Manager for Cape Canaveral and he's being inducted into the Space Worker Hall of Fame in November 2020!

MR. NELL

BY ALICE WEBBER     September 2020

MRS. MUMEY

BY ALICE WEBBER     August 2020

Mrs. Mumey is the Principal at Markham Woods Middle, and has been in that position for 4 years. It took her a lot of hard work to get her to where she is today, and she has done lots of great things along the way, personally and professionally. She has been working for SCPS for 21 years. 

She graduated with her bachelor's degree from University of Central Florida, and her master's degree from Nova Southeastern University. Prior to getting a job at Markham Woods, she worked several other schools in Florida. She was principal at Lawton Chiles Middle, assistant principal at Greenwood Lakes Middle School and dean and Rock Lake Middle School. While doing other things she also worked at Nickelodeon and in television as a wardrobe stylist and costume designer. That means that she bought, designed and made clothes for actors and talent. She was there for 10 years. Some famous people that she met include Shaq, Steven Spielburg, and George Lucas.

She also really enjoys staying fit and healthy. She loves to do heavy lifting and Cross Fit. "My workouts help me de-stress and keep me sane." When she is not working out, another thing she finds peace in is watching birds, especially cardinals.

She enjoys chocolate more than vanilla ice cream, even though she doesn't really eat it that much and she has an adorable German Shepard named Charger, who is only 16 weeks old! She loves any crunchy snacks including pretzels, Cheetos, and popcorn.

When asked what quote she tries to live by or follow, she responded with: "Never, Never, Never Quit. It's simple but applies to all things in life. Always try your hardest and absolutely never give up."

MRS. SCHLEPER

BY ALICE WEBBER     February 2020

Mrs. Schleper is the campus restaurant manager. She makes sure all of the campus restaurant staff is organized and that our food up to the health requirements. She likes to work in Markham because of the staff and students, who she finds inviting and kind. She says that this has been her favorite school she has worked in so far. Mrs. Schleper likes the color purple, sushi, Thai food and hanging out with her grandchildren. She also enjoys hiking, and gardening. She is a Vikings football fanatic and a snowbird.