Nearly a Century of Service

The women highlighted on the following pages have cumulatively dedicated 90 years to Cheshire Academy and, for their efforts, the school truly is in a better place. Their commitment and support of CA is immeasurable and for that, the school community is eternally grateful.

Join us in saying “Thank you!” and “Happy retirement!” to Ana Abbagnaro P’06,’08, Claudette Hovasse P’06, Karleen Kubat P’08,’10, and Gail Mauthe P’17.

If you would like to share memories of these four great women, email communications@cheshireacademy.org.

Ana Abbagnaro

Registrar, 27 years

When you’ve worked at one place for longer than a quarter of a century, you’re bound to have some special memories.

For Ana Abbagnaro P’06,’08, some of those snapshots are hanging on the walls of her office, including photographs of her children Amanda Abbagnaro Gratton ’06 and Steven Abbagnaro ’08 during their time as students at Cheshire Academy, and some of their artwork completed both at school and after they graduated.

Those memories will be taken with Abbagnaro, who is retiring at the end of the academic year. She joked that it’s her first summer off, having worked year-round preparing the schedules of all students enrolled at CA. She’s ready to create new memories alongside

her husband, Peter, who is retiring at the same time. They’re ready to travel and enjoy time with their family, especially with their four grandchildren.

“I’m going to be relaxing, doing some traveling, and enjoying the grandkids,” Abbagnaro said. “Trying to help out my kids if they need help with their kids, and just relaxing, honestly.”

Abbagnaro started at Cheshire Academy as a part-time assistant in the headmaster’s office for former headmaster John Hyslop. It wasn’t long before she moved to the summer school office as a full-time employee and, from there, into the role of registrar. When she started as registrar, she joined Stephen Poirot, who was new in his position of upper school director. They implemented procedures and built a baseline together that, while modified and improved over the years, have been followed throughout Abbagnaro’s tenure.

As registrar, Abbagnaro handles class schedules for students, inputting grades, putting together report cards and transcripts, organizing the valedictorian, salutatorian, and honors awards, and other responsibilities. Establishing everyone’s schedules was always challenging, but when CA became an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School in 2011, an additional challenge was introduced: two-year-long courses. It was always a task to ensure small class sizes with year-long and semester-long courses, so adding two-year commitments to the mix brought in an additional obstacle to overcome.

Another area of Abbagnaro’s office that stands out is the large dry-erase board with all faculty members’ class schedules. Abbagnaro still uses it today, although only as a supplement to her own methods that better help her.

For Abbagnaro, the sense of family prevalent at CA kept her here for 27 years. To this day, she will receive calls from Hyslop, even if it’s to wish her a happy birthday. “It’s always been like a family here. My kids went through here. I have so many good memories; they even did summer camps before they enrolled here.”

And despite changes in faces and office neighbors throughout the years, Abbagnaro has always felt like a member of the Academic Office.

“I always felt like I was included, like I was part of the department. They would ask my opinion, and my opinion was valued. We had a lot of fun in this office, too.”

She credits CA with providing her children a greater space for growth, which carried over to college and beyond. Steven, for example, was involved in the development of the innovative software program, "Tooble," created by Jesse Youngblood ’08 to download, convert, and import YouTube videos to play on Apple Devices. That experience propelled Steven into the world of technology, which he studied at Marist College and Southern Connecticut State University. Today, he works in the information security field.

Amanda, after graduating from the University of North Carolina, pursued a job teaching. Today, she is a fifth-grade teacher in a local school district.

"They received so many opportunities here so that when they went to college, it just opened so many more doors for them," Abbagnaro reflected.

Abbagnaro looks forward to the future of CA, especially with Head of School Julie Anderson P’19,’23 at the helm. Having worked closely with Anderson when she was academic dean/ associate head of school for academic affairs, Abbagnaro has seen firsthand the talent and knowledge Anderson has that can positively impact the school.

"The school is in a very great place with her, and I hope she's here for a very long time to come. I do miss her here (in the Academic Office) though. I didn't want her to leave!" Abbagnaro said. "I think there are a lot of changes that are happening that are heading in a good direction, and a lot of new people who are taking over that bring a lot of positive changes. CA is in a good place."

Claudette Hovasse

Library Director, 23 years

If you ask a librarian what their plans are upon retirement, you wouldn’t expect them to say “read a book.”

For Claudette Hovasse P’06, however, that’s exactly what she’s going to do. “I’m going to read for a year. I am just going to go through my Goodreads list and read all the books that I have always wanted to read, but never had the time. I’m totally looking forward to that—I plan on reading a book a week.”

After 23 years of service to Cheshire Academy, Hovasse is retiring to spend more time with family, and simply because the time is right. She’s handing over the reins to Kate Daly ’05, who has been named interim director of library services.

“I really do feel like it was the right time to retire because I know that Kate loves this library,” Hovasse said. “I know she feels the same way I do about this space, and she’s connected to this school in a way that you can’t get unless you’ve been here for a long time or you went to school here.”

Finding the way to CA was an easy one for Hovasse; the school was suggested to her in 1999 by friends and family— even her own mother—so she looked into and applied for the position. “The administration met with me, and former Headmaster Jerry Larson and I instantly had chemistry,” reflected Hovasse. “I thought, ‘Oh, I could work for this guy.’”

She was offered the role, and enrolled her two children, AnneMarie Hovasse ’06 and Daniel, in sixth and fourth grades, respectively. That meant a lot for Hovasse, who was looking for a job where she could be more involved in her children’s lives.

When Hovasse started, the library was located on the first floor of Hurley Hall. Previously a dining hall and now a gathering space and room for the coed fencing team matches, the former library was laid out quite differently than it is now. Books were stored in a back room that is now used as a dance studio and locked up at night, and sometimes students whose dorms were above the space would leave their music on while they were at class, Hovasse quipped.

One of Larson’s focuses as headmaster was to create a more academic environment on campus. During his time at CA, the new humanities building was constructed and, on the lower level in the fall of 2003, the library found its new home. Larson’s vision, according to Hovasse, was to have the library serve as the nexus between humanities and STEM courses in the John J. White ’38 Science & Technology Center.

Since her start, the library has transitioned from a study area with books to a community space. Looking around the multi-level space, there are certainly books, magazines, and other reading resources, but there are also quiet study areas and rooms, a jigsaw puzzle waiting to be solved by the community, board games, chess, and space for events to be held throughout the day. It’s a transformative location on campus, both socially and academically, full of growth opportunities for all community members.

Validation for Hovasse’s work came one day when the town’s library director called asking if Cheshire Academy had banned its students from using the municipal library, since so few were now going there. Students, however, weren’t banned. Hovasse and the library staff had catalogued all the books, so students were finding the information they needed without going into town.

“It validated everything that I felt like I was doing, even if the kids weren’t happy with me changing the space and making it more of a library,” reflected Hovasse. “The fact that they weren’t going to the public library said that they wanted to be in our library, or that they were using our library. They were getting books from us, and that was the most exciting thing ever.”

What about some advice from our departing library director?

“If you want to be successful at school, make friends with the librarians,” Hovasse said. “Go in for your first assignment and say, ‘This is my assignment, I just want to make sure I can get to the right resources. Can you show me what you have?’ They will love you and they will help you until the end.”

Karleen Kubat

Fine Arts Teacher, 23 years

As Karleen Kubat P’08,’10 reflected on the past two decades of teaching at CA, alumna Lilena Storer ’21 stopped by her class to say hello.

While only a brief drop in, Storer’s visit demonstrated the kind of impact Kubat has on all of her students. Even after graduating, they keep in touch with her, letting her know what they’re up to, and seeing how she’s doing.

“I really like teaching art,” Kubat reflected, smiling. “My biggest joy is just getting kids and people excited or interested in the arts, especially people who otherwise wouldn’t even touch it.”

After 23 years at Cheshire Academy, Kubat has announced her retirement. It was a difficult decision for Kubat, but she believes, simply, that “it’s time.”

“I’m looking forward very much to working on my own art and really focusing on developing my artistic career,” she said. “I’ve been able to work, I’ve been able to show, I sell my work, but not like I really need to be doing to be an artist, so I really want to step that up.”

Kubat also has plans to volunteer, teaching veterans how to paint as a way to help them cope with post-traumatic stress disorder. Her father, a World War II veteran, suffers from PTSD, so it’s something near to her heart. “It helps them to deal with it or cope with it. I’d love the opportunity to work in that way if I can.”

Originally from the Chicago area, Kubat left New York City to come to Connecticut when her husband, James, was hired at Yale University. Previously, Kubat worked at the Parsons School of Design and The Kings College, both in New York City. “When I had children, I stopped that and took some time away from working for just a few years, and later developed a whole art program at a small private Christian school in Bronxville, New York.”

When she moved to Connecticut, Kubat considered teaching at independent schools. After meeting with then-Headmaster Jerry Larson, she knew she wanted to work at Cheshire Academy. Upon starting, her office was in a small room off of her current painting classroom in the art building, which was the lower school at the time.

Since starting, Kubat has taught countless students, including her own children, Cori Kubat- Hayunga ’08 and Hannah Kubat ’10. She also developed her own curriculum at CA on ceramics, printmaking, drawing, and painting, for students from kindergarten to 12th grade.

Deep conversations are a mainstay of Kubat’s classroom, with some related to the day’s topic, and others not. “Being in the art world, it’s full of wonderfully fun and interesting things that can make you really angry or really happy,” reflected Kubat. “It’s just a real interesting world to get people to tap into that. I try to get students excited about it, I like to talk about art history in my classes, past artists, art movements that are going on…I really like that.”

One such conversation that will stick with Kubat is one she had with William “Sifiso” Chapman ’15, who questioned if a piece of abstract art could actually be considered “art,” and what made the piece valuable.

What followed was a meaningful discussion on art with Chapman and some of his classmates. And, recently, Kubat received a message from Chapman on LinkedIn, who said he’s been visiting art museums on his own in Washington D.C. as time permits.

Another experience was with Malik Golden ’12 who, after listening to music playing in Kubat’s class, wanted to dance. “I taught him some swing because it was swing music,” Kubat said, laughing. “That kind of atmosphere, that’s what the art rooms have always been like. It’s not stuffy; it’s not formal.”

In the past two years, Kubat has also helped guide students through the stress, exhaustion, and feeling of being trapped presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Students have been able to express themselves through their artwork, including self-portraits with masks and images of isolation in airports or their bedrooms. Kubat practiced in her classroom what she encourages new teachers to do: to be open-minded and support students.

“There’s a lot going on with children, and art is really good at letting kids express themselves the way they want to,” Kubat said. “Not worrying about whether or not it’s good art is something I learned particularly from the pandemic.”

Gail Mauthe

Director of Counseling, 17 years

Originally, Gail Mauthe P’17 had pursued a degree in architecture at Kansas State University. When she realized that she didn’t have a passion for the profession anymore, she took a hiatus from higher education.

It was during that break when Mauthe went to work at the children’s summer camp she had attended when she was a child. Something clicked: helping children sparked a new passion in her. She changed majors, ultimately acquiring a Master of Science degree in counseling from the University of Vermont.

Mauthe has worked at CA since 2004, coming from Pennsylvania to Connecticut with her family. She originally worked within the Roxbury Academic Support Program, since the counseling “department” was only one person. It only took one year until she was named the school’s director of counseling.

“I stayed here for 17 years because we work so well as a team,” reflected Mauthe. “I firmly believe in the team process because when the student leaves my office, they’re bumping into teachers, dorm parents, and coaches, and we all have to be on the same page to help that student.”

“It’s the type of student at CA who really keeps me here, too. They are intelligent kids. They want to grow, they want to have a positive life, so they’re already on that path, and I just nudge them along.”

As director of counseling, Mauthe meets with students to discuss their needs and helps guide them to the resources and programs necessary to achieve their goals. Long-term needs may result in Mauthe referring the student to a trusted therapist in town, while other students have their own therapists with whom Mauthe works. “My whole job when I first meet with a student is to understand where they’ve been up until they sit on my couch and where they want to go from here.”

“I’m sort of like the school bus driver,” Mauthe quipped. “I help them along that path, and I try to identify resources that will get them there faster. It’s a confidential process, they’re in charge of what happens outside of the office and who they want to have as support.”

Mauthe’s son, Alex Wirth, is a member of the Class of 2017. Her daughter, Jessica Mauthe, also attended CA before going to Cheshire High School.

As for why Mauthe is retiring, she simply believes it’s time. She’s confident that School Counselor Alexis Wheeler ’07 and the rest of the team will continue the great work for which CA is known. “I’m just excited about the direction in which Cheshire Academy is going. I will certainly stay in touch with my friends here and make sure it stays on a good course.”

Once she is officially retired, don’t expect Mauthe to be sitting on her living room couch. She’ll likely be outdoors, enjoying the fresh air and taking on new challenges.

“I’m a hiker, a biker, a kayaker,” she said. “I love to travel. My front door is going to be opening and closing a lot.”

SNAPSHOTS: A look at the retirees' experiences at CA.

ANA

What first attracted you to CA, and what kept you coming back during your years of employment?

I loved the people I worked with. I felt like Cheshire Academy was a close family. I was always included and felt like part of the community.

What are you most proud of, or what accomplishments stand out?

Personally, I am most proud of my children and their accomplishments. I feel Cheshire Academy was a wonderful learning environment for them. They went off to college and had a great foundation to help them through. I loved being here for them during their high school years—it was truly a priceless experience.

Workwise, I am most proud of getting a working master schedule each year and getting the students into the classes they wanted.

What’s your favorite on-campus event and/or tradition, and why?

I loved the annual reunion and auction. It was such a fun event, and I loved seeing alumni and socializing with alumni families.

What will you miss most about your role on campus and the school?

I will miss everything and everyone! Cheshire Academy has been a part of my life for 27 years. Retirement is a new chapter and one I am truly looking forward to, but it doesn’t mean I won’t be sad. The memories will be with me forever, and I hope I am remembered in a good way.

CLAUDETTE

What first attracted you to CA, and what kept you coming back during your years of employment?

The initial attraction to CA was that my children could be in the same school as me. What kept me coming back for 23 years was the uniqueness of each year. The job never stayed the same and neither did the library! I was never bored. I love a challenge and I always had them from year to year!

What are you most proud of, or what accomplishments stand out?

I am most proud of having helped design our current library. I have had the privilege of having a free hand in making changes, updating the space for student needs, creating a vibrant activities program, and getting to order whatever we needed, whether it was supplies, furniture, books, or databases.

What’s your favorite on-campus event and/or tradition, and why?

I love the pageantry of the opening commencements and graduations. Seeing all the faculty in their academic garb and having the bagpipers or music to process by has always been very moving to me. It is also a connection to our history that has not changed in over 200 years!

What will you miss most about your role on campus and the school?

I think what I will miss most is helping students and faculty. I love the ah-ha moment when someone learns something new. I will continue to find those moments with family and friends too, but I hope to volunteer my tech skills for a nonprofit organization after I spend my first year of retirement reading!

KARLEEN

What first attracted you to CA, and what kept you coming back during your years of employment?

I really liked that I could develop the curriculum for the courses I would be teaching. CA did not have an art teacher for the lower and middle school per se, so I was able to fill that role.

What are you most proud of, or what accomplishments stand out?

The work that I have done with the students. Years ago, I had students wrap various objects on the campus, like flower pots and benches, similar to the work of Jeanne-Claude and Christo. Another is the “Paint by Numbers” painting (similar to one Andy Warhol did) the whole student body and faculty worked on during Arts Week. One year, I had the middle school students weave yarn between a group of trees that used to be on the sliding hill next the John J. White ’38 Science and Technology Center as a piece that expressed our interconnectedness. I even really enjoyed creating a rigorous program to teach ceramics online during the pandemic.

What’s your favorite on-campus event and/or tradition, and why?

I always enjoyed the International Food and Performance Festival. I liked working with a group of students from China, helping them set up and make loads of food. I always enjoyed the festive atmosphere and the delicious food from around the world as we celebrated, in depth, who we are as a school.

What will you miss most about your role on campus and the school?

I will miss my crazy students. I love them to bits. They make me laugh (and cry sometimes) and it is such a great pleasure to see them delight in what they found they could actually do in art, that they originally thought was beyond them.

GAIL

What first attracted you to CA, and what kept you coming back during your years of employment?

The faculty and administration attracted me to CA. It seemed like a great place to raise our family. I have stayed for the same reason. I am most effective in my job when I work with such a professional and positive team of people who have the students’ best interests in mind.

What are you most proud of, or what accomplishments stand out?

I am most proud of the way I have interacted with and supported the students and faculty through teaching, coaching, and advising. I have enriched the Peer Mentor program and Coleman Group, brought the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and Freedom from Chemical Dependency (FCD) programs to campus to work with our school and taught the Psychology class for many years.

What’s your favorite on-campus event and/or tradition, and why?

My favorite on campus events have been the weekends and Discovery Week. They enable me to interact with students I don’t normally see. I also love supporting my advisees and seeing them grow from freshmen to seniors.

What will you miss most about your role on campus and the school?

I will miss my friends on the faculty and the students. They are extended members of my family, and I have been fortunate to be a part of theirs.