Dr. Thomas Michel

Dr. Thomas Michel started his career in education as a Dropout Prevention teacher at Punta Gorda Middle School in Charlotte County before coming to Diplomat Middle School in Lee County where he taught social studies. Dr. Michel moved on to school administration by serving as Assistant Principal for Gateway Charter High School and then to Mariner High School where he was an Assistant Principal for 13 years. He became Mariner High School’s Principal in 2018. Dr. Michel has a Bachelor Degree in Education from Kent State University, a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and a Doctorate Degree in Education from Nova Southeastern University. He was a professor at the College level for over 15 years and has served on numerous School District Leadership Committees. Dr. Michel’s wife Alena is a professional piano instructor and pipe organist for St. Hilary’s church in Fort Myers. His oldest daughter Katia is a graduate from the University of South Florida School of Medicine, and his youngest daughter Sophia is a Freshmen at FGCU. In his spare time Dr. Michel enjoys traveling with his family, entertaining his dog “Bruce” and spending time by the pool barbequing.

Robert Higgins

Mr. Robert Higgins is originally from New York state.  He earned his Bachelor’s degree in finance from Florida Gulf Coast University and Masters of Educational Leadership degree from American College of Education.  Mr. Higgins began his career in education in 2011 after spending many years in banking and finance. He worked as a middle school math teacher for seven years beginning at Veterans Park Academy for the Arts then Challenger Middle School, and has been an Assistant Principal at Mariner High School since 2018.  His primary responsibilities at Mariner High are facilities, safety and security, transportation, athletics, science, PE, and student discipline.

Roberta White

Ms. Roberta White was born in Tennessee and lived in many states since her father was in the Marines. Mrs. White ended up going to high school and college in Virginia. She received her Bachelors in Family and Child Development from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University otherwise known as Virginia Tech. She received her Masters in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University. She taught for ten years in elementary, middle, and high school. She became an assistant principal in 2005 at Caloosa Middle School. She transferred to Mariner High in April of 2012. Her primary responsibilities at Mariner include curriculum, scheduling, grades, and standardized testing.

Beth Gedde

Mrs. Beth Gedde is from Edgewater Park, New Jersey. She earned a Bachelor’s of Economics from Rutgers University, a Master’s of Business Administration from Strayer University, and a Master’s of Education Leadership from Florida Gulf Coast University. Mrs. Gedde spent 13 years in the Airline industry before coming to Mariner High School in 2005 where she started as a reading/business teacher.  She has been an Assistant Principal since 2014.  Her primary responsibilities at Mariner High School include Special Programs such as Career & Technical Education, AICE, Technology, Testing, and Attendance.

Carolyn Marsh 

Carolyn Marsh is from Gloucester, Massachusetts, but spent most of her childhood in Lee County. She graduated from Cypress Lake High School while attending the Cypress Lake Center for the Arts. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English: Creative Writing from the University of Central Florida and has also earned two master’s degrees. The first one was from Florida Gulf Coast University in Literature, and the second one was from The American College of Education for Educational Leadership. Before entering the field of education, Mrs. Marsh was a marketing associate in Atlanta for a Software company. She made the switch to education in 2005 where she was a third-grade teacher at a private school. In 2006, Mrs. Marsh decided to become a part of the Lee County School District. She joined the staff at Cypress Lake Middle where she taught Reading, Math and ELA. In 2014, she decided to join the staff at Challenger Middle. In 2021 Mrs. Marsh left the classroom and became the school’s Intervention Specialist. Now, as Assistant Principal at Mariner High, her responsibilities include Teacher Onboarding, Student Achievement Data and School Improvement Plan, ESOL, Professional Development and Student Discipline. When Mrs. Marsh is not at school, she is at the beach with her kids or reading a book.