Our Faculty
Caley Moore - Director
moore@ohiogermanlanguageschool.org
Jeanne Brandes - Treasurer
treasurer@ohiogermanlanguageschool.org
Mary Ellen - Director of Tutoring
tutoring@ohiogermanlanguageschool.org
Our Teachers
Anna Cesnjevar (Adults - Beginner)
cesnjevar@ohiogermanlanguageschool.org
Anna hails from Franconia, a region of northern Bavaria in Germany. She studied French & Italian at universities in Bamberg, Germany and Geneva, Switzerland and has taught German, French and Italian at various levels, including High School in Los Alamos, NM, and college at the University of New Mexico. Today she is a lecturer at Ohio State University in Italian, and loves having the opportunity to teach her native language, and to talk to about her homeland and its culture.
Peter Coccia (Adults - Intermediate)
coccia@ohiogermanlanguageschool.org
Peter Coccia is a native of Columbus and received his bachelor of arts in modern languages from the University of Notre Dame. Peter has lived and traveled in Germany and taught high school German. After retiring from a long career in State Government, Peter continued his study of German language and culture at The Ohio State University in order to renew his secondary teaching license. He has been a substitute German teacher for a number of Central Ohio school districts the past four years and currently is a director on the board of Dresden Sister City, Inc., a local non-profit organization supporting the sister city relationship between Columbus and Dresden, Germany.
Dorit Fratzscher (Adults - Advanced)
fratzscher@ohiogermanlanguageschool.org
Dorit hails from Saxony. She studied English and Russian at the University of Leipzig, Germany, where she also earned her teacher certificate. For a few years, she taught English at a business school in Leipzig, before she and her family moved to Columbus, Ohio in 2003. Dorit is the executive director of Dresden Sister City, Inc. and coordinates numerous exchanges between Columbus and Dresden, Germany. She also holds a part-time position as bilingual administrative assistant at a local law firm, where she translates legal documents and correspondence to and from German. Dorit is married and has two daughters, who go to school in Dublin and speak fluent German.
Katie Bretz (Miniklub - Ages 3 and under, Libellen - Preschool Ages 3-4)
bretz@ohiogermanlanguageschool.org
Katie hails from Sunbury, Ohio, where she began her German language journey with the help of an exceptional teacher in high school. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in German and Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Kent State University, as well as completed a semester in Germany at Leipzig University and the Leipzig Conservatory of Music, and a masterclass in classical singing with the International Saxon Academy of Singers at Schloss Hartenfels in Torgau. For her senior honors thesis at KSU, she researched and performed selections from the Nibelungenlied in a lecture recital, while exploring the relationship between medieval literature and music. She has taught beginning German on a volunteer basis, as well as private voice lessons with a focus in classical singing and foreign languages. At present, Katie lives in downtown Columbus with her oversized cat named Leo, and enjoys singing with the Columbus Damenchor and the Broad Street Presbyterian Church Choir.
Caley Moore (Hasen - Kindergarten - Ages 4-6)
moore@ohiogermanlanguageschool.org
Caley is a certified High School German Teacher. She earned a Bachelor of Education Degree at Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio and received her Masters degree in German Studies in Middlebury, Vermont. She has taught German levels 1-4, ran International club, organized high school exchange trips with Saarbrücken and Köln, and tutored for 5 years in Cincinnati. She and her son live in the Columbus area. Currently she is teaching German at DSHS in Dublin .
Leah Steiner Suter (Igel - Elementary - Ages 6-9)
steinersuter@ohiogermanlanguageschool.org
Leah is a Columbus, Ohio native learning a variation of Swiss-German since childhood. A German and Gender Studies major at the College of Wooster in Ohio, studies eventually led to Berlin, Germany at the Humboldt Universität and a Fulbright Teaching Assistantship in Vienna, Austria. From ten summers experience at the Concordia Language Villages' German village in the northern Minnesota woods, where the power of full immersion in the language and related cultures is experienced, emphasizing environmental stewardship and courageous global citizenship. Leah has experience teaching at the German International School and German Saturday School of Portland, Oregon and the Twin Cities German Immersion School of St. Paul, Minnesota. She holds a Master of Arts in Intercultural Service, Leadership and Management from World Learning's School for International Training, as well as a Master of Arts in Teaching for Social Justice from the Marlboro College Graduate and Professional Studies SPARK Teacher Education Institute (both Vermont, USA). With the Ohio German Language School since 2017, she's served as co-founder and teacher-coordinator of the Spielgruppe German Immersion Playgroup, co-director & teacher.
Divya Alukal (Frösche - Elementary - Ages 9-11)
alukal@ohiogermanlanguageschool.com
Divya comes from New Jersey and has been learning German since high school. Alongside her studies of Anthropology and South Asia Studies at Wellesley College, Divya pursued her passion of German language and culture and spent a year at the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität in Mainz, Germany. After college, she moved to India to be a teacher of third grade. She then joined an insurance company as a German-language associate, but continued teaching English and German on weekends to children and adults. Recently moved to Columbus, Divya is looking forward to being part of OGLS.
Ramona Wechsler (Adler - Middle/High - Ages 12-17)
wechsler@ohiogermanlanguageschool.com
Ramona was born and raised in Franconia, Germany. She has a degree in Hotel Industry Expertise and the Culinary Arts and worked in the hotel industry for some years. She has been teaching German to native English speakers since High School. In 2013, Ramona came to Ohio to be an Au Pair for a family for 2 years. She taught her host siblings German during that time while also attending a local university to study Spanish. Ramona and her German shepherd now live locally and enjoys teaching and tutoring for OGLS.
Caley Moore - Director
moore@ohiogermanlanguageschool.org
Jeanne Brandes - Treasurer
treasurer@ohiogermanlanguageschool.org
Mary Ellen - Director of Tutoring
tutoring@ohiogermanlanguageschool.org
Our Teachers
Anna Cesnjevar (Adults - Beginner)
cesnjevar@ohiogermanlanguageschool.org
Anna hails from Franconia, a region of northern Bavaria in Germany. She studied French & Italian at universities in Bamberg, Germany and Geneva, Switzerland and has taught German, French and Italian at various levels, including High School in Los Alamos, NM, and college at the University of New Mexico. Today she is a lecturer at Ohio State University in Italian, and loves having the opportunity to teach her native language, and to talk to about her homeland and its culture.
Peter Coccia (Adults - Intermediate)
coccia@ohiogermanlanguageschool.org
Peter Coccia is a native of Columbus and received his bachelor of arts in modern languages from the University of Notre Dame. Peter has lived and traveled in Germany and taught high school German. After retiring from a long career in State Government, Peter continued his study of German language and culture at The Ohio State University in order to renew his secondary teaching license. He has been a substitute German teacher for a number of Central Ohio school districts the past four years and currently is a director on the board of Dresden Sister City, Inc., a local non-profit organization supporting the sister city relationship between Columbus and Dresden, Germany.
Dorit Fratzscher (Adults - Advanced)
fratzscher@ohiogermanlanguageschool.org
Dorit hails from Saxony. She studied English and Russian at the University of Leipzig, Germany, where she also earned her teacher certificate. For a few years, she taught English at a business school in Leipzig, before she and her family moved to Columbus, Ohio in 2003. Dorit is the executive director of Dresden Sister City, Inc. and coordinates numerous exchanges between Columbus and Dresden, Germany. She also holds a part-time position as bilingual administrative assistant at a local law firm, where she translates legal documents and correspondence to and from German. Dorit is married and has two daughters, who go to school in Dublin and speak fluent German.
Katie Bretz (Miniklub - Ages 3 and under, Libellen - Preschool Ages 3-4)
bretz@ohiogermanlanguageschool.org
Katie hails from Sunbury, Ohio, where she began her German language journey with the help of an exceptional teacher in high school. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in German and Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Kent State University, as well as completed a semester in Germany at Leipzig University and the Leipzig Conservatory of Music, and a masterclass in classical singing with the International Saxon Academy of Singers at Schloss Hartenfels in Torgau. For her senior honors thesis at KSU, she researched and performed selections from the Nibelungenlied in a lecture recital, while exploring the relationship between medieval literature and music. She has taught beginning German on a volunteer basis, as well as private voice lessons with a focus in classical singing and foreign languages. At present, Katie lives in downtown Columbus with her oversized cat named Leo, and enjoys singing with the Columbus Damenchor and the Broad Street Presbyterian Church Choir.
Caley Moore (Hasen - Kindergarten - Ages 4-6)
moore@ohiogermanlanguageschool.org
Caley is a certified High School German Teacher. She earned a Bachelor of Education Degree at Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio and received her Masters degree in German Studies in Middlebury, Vermont. She has taught German levels 1-4, ran International club, organized high school exchange trips with Saarbrücken and Köln, and tutored for 5 years in Cincinnati. She and her son live in the Columbus area. Currently she is teaching German at DSHS in Dublin .
Leah Steiner Suter (Igel - Elementary - Ages 6-9)
steinersuter@ohiogermanlanguageschool.org
Leah is a Columbus, Ohio native learning a variation of Swiss-German since childhood. A German and Gender Studies major at the College of Wooster in Ohio, studies eventually led to Berlin, Germany at the Humboldt Universität and a Fulbright Teaching Assistantship in Vienna, Austria. From ten summers experience at the Concordia Language Villages' German village in the northern Minnesota woods, where the power of full immersion in the language and related cultures is experienced, emphasizing environmental stewardship and courageous global citizenship. Leah has experience teaching at the German International School and German Saturday School of Portland, Oregon and the Twin Cities German Immersion School of St. Paul, Minnesota. She holds a Master of Arts in Intercultural Service, Leadership and Management from World Learning's School for International Training, as well as a Master of Arts in Teaching for Social Justice from the Marlboro College Graduate and Professional Studies SPARK Teacher Education Institute (both Vermont, USA). With the Ohio German Language School since 2017, she's served as co-founder and teacher-coordinator of the Spielgruppe German Immersion Playgroup, co-director & teacher.
Divya Alukal (Frösche - Elementary - Ages 9-11)
alukal@ohiogermanlanguageschool.com
Divya comes from New Jersey and has been learning German since high school. Alongside her studies of Anthropology and South Asia Studies at Wellesley College, Divya pursued her passion of German language and culture and spent a year at the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität in Mainz, Germany. After college, she moved to India to be a teacher of third grade. She then joined an insurance company as a German-language associate, but continued teaching English and German on weekends to children and adults. Recently moved to Columbus, Divya is looking forward to being part of OGLS.
Ramona Wechsler (Adler - Middle/High - Ages 12-17)
wechsler@ohiogermanlanguageschool.com
Ramona was born and raised in Franconia, Germany. She has a degree in Hotel Industry Expertise and the Culinary Arts and worked in the hotel industry for some years. She has been teaching German to native English speakers since High School. In 2013, Ramona came to Ohio to be an Au Pair for a family for 2 years. She taught her host siblings German during that time while also attending a local university to study Spanish. Ramona and her German shepherd now live locally and enjoys teaching and tutoring for OGLS.