Our Team
Linda Burwinkel
Principal
Linda Burwinkel has been the Principal of Liberty Junior School since 2022. Prior to her principal position, Mrs. Burwinkel worked as the Assistant Principal at Liberty Junior School, Cherokee Elementary and Fairfield South Elementary. She has worked in education as a teacher or administrator since 1997.
Mrs. Burwinkel assists with anything student-related, leads the staff with personalized learning approaches, and works alongside the PTO.
Andrew Ovington
Assistant Principal
A Lakota East graduate, Andrew Ovington has been the Assistant Principal at Liberty Junior School since 2022. Prior to working at LJS, Mr. Ovington was a teacher at Sycamore High School where he taught Social Studies since 2011.
Mr. Ovington assists with anything student-related, such as class selection, special education services, discipline, and the MTSS process.
Tambo
Therapy Dog
Scott Adams
SRO
School:
513-755-5822
Deputy Adams has been the Liberty Junior and Woodland Elementary SRO since the start of the 2021 school year. He is a law enforcement officer placed in the school with a goal of creating and maintaining a safe, secure and orderly learning environment for students, teachers, and staff. Deputy Adams is a member of the Butler County Sheriff's Office.
Kemmie Burrets
Office Secretary
Mrs. Burrets is the receptionist at the front desk. She is also the athletic secretary and helps the Athletic Director with sporting events. Mrs. Burrets has been with Lakota for nearly 15 years, all of which have been at Liberty Junior.
Allison Cramer
Data Processing Specialist
Ms. Cramer has been attendance secretary/data specialist at Liberty Junior since 2021. She is responsible for student records and attendance. Ms. Cramer can answer any questions you have about student records and attendance.
Demarco Robinson
Guidance
Mr. Robinson joined the Liberty Junior team in 2021 and Lakota in the 2019. He assists all students with academic, career and social-emotional needs. Mr. Robinson manages schedules and 504s and assists with the MTSS team. He is always available through email or telephone.
Michelle Williamson
Therapist
Michelle Williamson is the School-Based Therapist through Solutions Counseling and has been at Liberty Junior since 2018. Michelle has her Master’s Degree in Social Work from University of Cincinnati and has been a Licensed Social Worker through the state of Ohio since 2011.
Prior to supporting the mental health and wellness of LJS students, she worked as a Community-Based Therapist with children and adolescents and was a social worker at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital on the psychiatric inpatient units.
Michelle is passionate about mental health and social emotional learning and prioritizes working collaboratively with parents, the school counselor, administrators, school staff and outside providers as necessary to support the unique needs of a developing junior high student.
If you believe mental health therapy would be beneficial, for your student please reach out to Michelle through email or by calling her work cell phone directly, or you can contact the school counselor or administrator.
Meet Tambo
Tambo, a Labrador retriever, is our therapy dog at Liberty Junior School. She has been working with the students and staff at Liberty Junior since 2020.
Tambo, along with all of Lakota's therapy dogs, has been trained, certified, and insured through Circle Tail. This means that she has received extensive training on how to interact with students and staff within a structured environment. Tambo has undergone temperament and obedience training, and she has passed her assessments with flying colors.
Tambo’s main job is to support the mental health of students and provide social benefits that are unique to interactions with animals:
- Cognitive: Companionship with a dog stimulates memory, problem-solving and game- playing.
- Social: A dog provides a positive mutual topic for discussion, encourages responsibility, wellbeing and focused interaction with others.
- Emotional: A school dog improves self-esteem, acceptance from others and lifts mood, often provoking laughter and fun. Dogs can also teach compassion and respect for other living things as well as relieving anxiety.
- Physical: Interaction with an animal reduces blood pressure, provides tactile stimulation, assists with pain management, gives motivation to move, walk and stimulates the senses.
- Environmental: A dog in a school increases the sense of a family environment, with all of the above benefits continuing long after the school day is over.
*If your student has a significant dog allergy or fear of dogs, please contact our school counselor so she can work with your family to ensure the best experience for your child.