OneSchool Global Teacher achieves Doctorate
Cassandra Montello: Educator, Ashlander, and now, Doctor.
Cassandra Montello—math teacher and former principal at the Ashland campus of OneSchool Global (OSG)—added another achievement to her record: a Doctorate in Teacher Leadership.
Cassandra has been a part of OSG, a network of tech-centric self-directed schools associated with the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, for 13 years—though, like all OSG educators, she is not a member of the church, and the curriculum is wholly secular. Her journey at OSG began as a math teacher and progressed to campus principal, during which time she oversaw the creation of the Ashland campus. She played a pivotal role in the transition to OSG’s , which connects 36 campuses across North America with its distance-teaching-friendly structure.
This latest achievement is something Cassandra hopes to channel back into supporting teachers and enhancing the student experience at Ashland. Balancing her doctoral studies with teaching, administration, and family life has been “beautifully chaotic,” she says.
Cassandra’s path to Ashland and getting her doctorate was far from straightforward. She initially enrolled at Kent State University with no intention of becoming an educator, following in the footsteps of her brother, who passed away when she was in high school. Unsure of her path, she became a Sports Nutrition major. “I like to be active, and I like to eat,” she says, “so I thought it’d be the perfect opportunity.”
However, the impersonal nature of large auditorium classes contrasted sharply with the hands-on, community-focused education she experienced in her small hometown. This realization led her to switch her major to teaching education, with a focus on math, “The best subject,” she contends.
A year after graduating, Cassandra joined OSG in 2011, teaching grades 11 and 12 math in Cleveland before the campus merged to become Ashland in 2016. From the outset, she emphasized her own brand of hands-on learning, personal connections, and the integration of education technology. She always made herself available to provide individual tutoring throughout the day in OSG Tutorial sessions, described as, “A learner-centered approach which applies the best instructional methods for remedial and enrichment.”
When OSG expanded to video conferencing programs from 2013-2017, Cassandra saw an opportunity to enhance connectivity and build deeper relationships with students. Even after assuming additional duties as campus principal in 2015, she continued teaching math, maintaining her personal connections with students.
“My students know I will never just talk about math for an entire class,” she says. “In order to have the students appreciate and connect to math, you have to create a connection with them too. I fully believe that.”
Jonathan Borys, Regional Director of OSG North America, says Cassandra is far too humble. “Pretty much every single campus that Cassandra has students, they talk about her and the impact that she has. And it’s not just about her ability to teach math. It’s about how she makes them feel, and how important that is to our students.”
But it was the final phase of her Doctorate journey that most tested Cassandra and showcased her resilience as an educator, a family member, and a student in her own right.
Cassandra’s husband was diagnosed with leukemia shortly after she began her doctorate in 2020. She was forced to lean on her support system in Ashland and OSG. The school found a way to keep her on in a capacity that allowed her to be there both for her family and her students. “I appreciate OSG’s support and flexibility so incredibly much,” she says. “It’s hard to put into words.”
Cassandra based her thesis on OSG’s Tutorials, the system she leaned into early as a teacher and credits as helping make tutoring equitable and accessible during the school day—an opportunity for students and a responsibility for teachers. Through these tutorials, teachers are able to go above and beyond to build connections, one student at a time. “I wanted to be a lifelong learner, and I still do,” Cassandra says.
In the 2023-2024 school year, OSG employed more than 180 teachers across their footprint and are currently adding teachers for the new school year.
Asked what has kept her with Ashland and OSG all these years, Cassandra again points to community. “OneSchool’s campuses have constant access to siblings and alumni after they graduate,” she says, and OSG helps foster “a sense of belonging to something larger which can bring a great deal of meaning to one’s life and livelihood.”
