Meet the Team

Ron Poole

Instructor

Teaching driver’s ed: Since 2012
In education: 38 years at Holland Public Schools
Family: Wife: Sue, Children: Kylea, grandpuppies – Ginger, Phalin, Faith & Emma; Kyle & Andrea, grandchildren: Ian & Annalise
Hobbies: Spending time with our grandchildren, playing golf, reading golf, teaching golf, living golf… it is an addiction; working at The Meadows at GVSU
Interesting facts: Avid collector of golf equipment; golf ball collection that is currently at 38,729
Enjoy about driver’s ed? I enjoy working with the teens and providing them with instruction which will equip them to drive a car safely. My goal for each teen is to become a responsible defensive driver. I truly cherish all the relationships that have been developed through the experiences of teaching drivers’ ed.

Jerry Wallinga

Instructor

Teaching driver’s ed: Since 1987!
In education: I taught & coached in Christian middle schools in California & Michigan for 31 years.
Family: I have been married to my fantastic wife Gay for almost __ years, and we have 4 beautiful daughters who are all married to wonderful guys, and who have given us 10 precious grandchildren.
Hobbies: I love to play golf, tennis & pickleball; I also enjoy traveling & chasing grandkids!
Enjoy about driver’s ed? Working with beautiful young people, and it’s never boring!

Sid Son

Instructor

Teaching driver’s ed: Since 2000 (between Connecticut and Michigan)
In education: I have also been in public education for 31 years to date
Family: I have been married for 37 years. I have two grand daughters, one from each of our two children. My wife and I are expecting two more grand children to join our growing family right around summer of this 2018.
Hobbies: I enjoy building things. In fact, I am looking forward to fabricating a military truck (UNIMOG) into a self-contained, all-terrain camper as soon as I retire from teaching.
Interesting facts: I love teaching math to middle school students. I also enjoy singing (karaoke) with families and friends. I am not picky when it comes to foods. My favorite sport is soccer.
Enjoy about driver’s ed? I enjoy interacting and working with teens. I have trained hundreds of them over the years. I plan to continue to provide many more teens with safe, practical driving skills for many more years to come.

Chase Ockerse

Instructor

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Kraig Smith

Instructor

Teaching driver’s ed: Since 1994
In education: 35 years
Family: Wife, JoHannah and 4 adult children who all graduated from Zeeland East High School.
Hobbies: I love to be active with biking, hiking, table tennis, singing and serving in my church. I have also coached basketball at the middle school level in Holland for over 22 years and this transfers well to coaching students in improving their driving skills.
Enjoy about driver’s ed? It’s a lot of fun teaching when students are so motivated to learn how to drive

Gary Dykhouse

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Drew Johnson

Instructor

Teaching driver’s ed: Since 2011
In education: Since 1997
Family: Wife Carrie, 3 kids: Mollie (23), Chet (18), Claire (13)
Hobbies: The kids’ sporting events, bowhunting, hiking, swimming
Enjoy about driver’s ed? I enjoy observing the growth the students show in just 4 on-the-road drives! Seeing them leave the nervousness behind and building more confidence is so fun! Once in a while it is a little scary too!

Bob Zwiers

Instructor

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Jesse Carrell

Instructor

Teaching driver’s ed: Since 2009
In education: Since 1991 in elementary education at ZPS
Family: Wife, Lori; Kids, Aubri, Alden, Alex, Andrew
Hobbies: Playing guitar, hunting, gardening
Interesting facts: Got the privilege or driving with my own kids as a driver’s training instructor
Enjoy about driver’s ed? Love to see students go from scared to skilled behind the wheel

Ben Ashby

Instructor

Teaching driver’s ed: Since 2010
In education: Since 2003 (9 years teaching first grade & 5 years teaching middle school social studies & science).
Family: I am married to my lovely wife, Kim, of 15 years; we have two kiddos named Sam (10) and Teddy (7).
Hobbies: I love camping and boating with my family anywhere along the coast of Lake Michigan. I love racing cars and fixing cars with my buddies (Bad Company Endurance Racing).
Enjoy about driver’s ed? I love teaching driver’s education because I think it is important for young folks sto have a good experience learning to drive. They will drive for the rest of their lives and having a good, safe start driving will hopefully set them up for a lifetime of safe and thoughtful driving.

Derek Vruggink

Instructor

Teaching driver’s ed: Since 1997
In education: Since 1998 in Jenison Public Schools
Family: Wife of 20 years, four boys: one driver and one soon-to-be
Enjoy about driver’s ed? I enjoy working with teens to give them the confidence they need to be a safe driver.

Kevin Betts

Instructor

Teaching driver’s ed: Since 2014
In education: Since 1997
Family: Wife & 2 boys
Hobbies: Biking, boating, camping, playing softball
Enjoy about driver’s ed? Working with students eager to learn something new and helping new drivers hone their skills.

Robert Corrigan

Instructor

Teaching driver’s ed: Since 2014
In education: Since 2004
Family: Wife & 1 daughter
Hobbies: Fishing, hiking, and restoring vehicles
Enjoy about driver’s ed? Helping students become safe & responsible drivers

Mark Sneller

Instructor

In education: 38 years
Family: Wife, Ann. Son and daughter-in-law live in Breckenridge, CO. Ben is an educator, Morgan is a physical therapist. Daughter and son-in-law currently in Philadelphia, PA. Betsy will be doing linguistic research at Georgetown University, Matt will be doing brain research at Harvard University.
Hobbies: We enjoy traveling over seas in the summer.
Enjoy about driver’s ed? I enjoy being able to work with teens as they learn to drive. It often relaxes me after a day with third graders. It gives me something else to think about.

Brian Schrems

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Joy Klawiter

Instructor

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Chris Todd

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Joel Maat

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