Welcome to LA

Mike Polsonetti assumed the role of Dean of Enrollment and Admissions in July. A graduate of Connecticut’s Pomfret School, Hobart & William Smith Colleges, and Northeastern University, he previously served as the senior associate director of admissions and director of external partnerships for the Canterbury School in New Milford, Conn. Mike has also worked in admissions at Northeastern University’s College of Professional Studies and Brandeis University. He also has experience both coaching ice hockey and playing at the college level and in the ECHL and CHL.

Ben Rogers ’02 joined Lawrence Academy as the new Director of Annual Giving in late August. The Sharon Massachusetts resident has teaching, coaching, and tutoring experience. However, since 2008, he held various positions in development and alumni relations — most recently, Director of the Annual Fund and Director of Alumni Relations — at Waltham’s Chapel HillChauncy Hall School. Ben holds a B.A. in history and a minor in education from St. Lawrence University; an M.S. in Education from Simmons College; and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS) in Educational Leadership from Salem State University.

Lawrence Academy’s new Director of Parent Advancement is Tonya Kalmes of Dedham, Mass. She comes to LA from West Roxbury’s Catholic Memorial School, where she was the Director of Institutional Advancement. Tonya also has previous experience as Associate Director of Annual Giving and Reunion Manager at Dedham’s Noble & Greenough School, and as Associate Director of Alumni Giving, Alumni Relations, and Initiatives at Kent School in Kent Connecticut. Tonya is a graduate of The State University of New York with a B.A. in liberal studies. Tonya spends her free time cross-country skiing, cycling, hiking, running, cooking, and practicing yoga.

Matthew Ferreira is Lawrence Academy’s new Senior Athletic Trainer. A graduate of Springfield College (B.S., athletic training) and West Virginia University (M.S., athletic training), he most recently spent two years as a specialist in athletic training at the University of Connecticut, serving as head athletic trainer for the school’s 37 club sports teams. Matthew has also worked as an assistant athletic trainer at the College of the Holy Cross and Morgantown, W.Va.’s HealthWorks Rehab and Fitness, and has clinical experience with Holy Cross, Springfield College, Mount Holyoke College, and Longmeadow High School.

As LA’s new Assistant Athletic Trainer, April Buchheit will work closely with Matthew. A graduate of Colby-Sawyer College (B.S., exercise and sport sciences) and the University of Maine (M.Ed., kinesiology and physical education), she previously worked for nearly a decade as Merrimack College’s assistant athletic trainer. Previously, April was an assistant athletic trainer at UMaine Farmington and the University of Maine.

Marcelle Barker joined the College Counseling Office in August as the college counseling office assistant. She’s not new to campus, though, because from September 2012 through February 2014, she served as LA’s bookstore manager. Marcelle holds a B.S. in education from Keene State College and has previously worked as the lead pre-K teacher at Indian River Nursery School in Canaan, N.H.

Lawrence Academy’s new Director of Theatre, Dennis Canty, brings more than 15 years of experience to the role. Most recently the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild, he has also served as Boston College High School’s Director and Technical director, and as a guest director for both Middlesex School and Westford Academy. A member of the UMass Amherst Alumni Association Board of Directors and the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild’s Board of Trustees, Dennis holds a B.A. in women, gender, and sexuality studies from UMass Amherst and recently completed a M.S. in non-profit leadership through the University of Pennsylvania.

Anna Fleming joins the English department for the 2021-2022 school year from the College Preparatory School in Oakland, Calif. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of California, Berkeley and an M.A. in English, with a concentration in teaching literature and writing, from the University of Virginia. During her time at UVA, Anna worked as an English Department graduate instructor and research assistant, and was a writing center tutor. At UC Berkeley, she served as the Berkeley Fiction Review’s student instructor, editor, and director of events.

Also joining the English department this school year is Katy Svec, who will be also be involved in LA’s ESL program. The Phillips Andover Academy graduate spent a year abroad in Hanoi, Vietnam before attending Middlebury College to earn her B.A. in theater and German. While there, she spent semesters in Irkutsk, Russia, and Berlin, Germany. Katie also holds her TEFL certification and most recently was a teacher with Wall Street English.

Rhonda Hawthorne of Dunstable, Massachusetts, joins the language department to teach Spanish after more than 20 years of experience at both the middle school and high school levels at Lexington Christian Academy, Innovation Academy Charter School (Tyngsborough, Mass.), and Groton-Dunstable Regional High School. A graduate of Eastern Nazarene College with a B.A. in communication arts (theater education and Spanish education), Rhonda also previously served as the director of performing arts at Lexington Christian Academy and the director of theater programs at Innovation Academy.

Molly Purcell joins the history department after three years at Cheshire (Conn.) Academy, where she served as a history teacher, the health and wellness curriculum coordinator, lead junior class advisor, a coach, and a dorm parent. The Milton Academy alumna received her B.A. in architectural studies from Mount Holyoke College and will earn her M.A.T. in teacher leadership from Mount Holyoke in 2022. Molly is an avid runner, hiker, and fisher, and loves to read. Also joining the history department for the 2021-2022 school year is Gerry Wixted, who brings a B.A. in history from Dickinson College and a M.Ed. from the University of Virginia. Since 2015, he has worked at Woodberry Forest (Va.) School as a master teacher in the history department, dormitory head, faculty advisor, JV basketball coach, and summer program leader. Gerry also served as the faculty head of the school’s Young Libertarians Club and as a member of both the Financial Sustainability Committee and the Demerit Reform Committee.

Forrest Stillwell is Lawrence Academy’s third new history department hire for the 2021-2022 school year. He has extensive experience as a lacrosse coach at the collegiate level — including, a recent stint at UMass Lowell. He also worked as a coach and teacher at Citrus County Schools in Inverness, Fla., and Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in Atlanta, Ga. Forrest received his B.A. in political science from Auburn (Ala.) University and is currently pursuing a Masters of Curriculum in history at UMass Lowell.

Jake Douville of West Swanzey, N.H., is joining the math department for the 2021-2022 school year. He is a Keene State College graduate and recently completed a postbaccalaureate teaching certificate at Granite State College. Previously, Jake has worked as a math teacher at Kreiva Academy (Manchester, N.H.), Vermont Academy (Saxtons River, Vt.), and Hawthorne Academy (Antrim, N.H.), and as a paraeducator at the Marlborough (N.H.) School and a private tutor at the Forman School (Litchfield, Conn.). Whitney Jones joins the math department this school year and will also be working as a learning coach. An alumna of North Andover’s Brooks School, she graduated from Colgate University with a B.A. in psychology and educational studies in 2017. She recently taught math at Portsmouth Abbey School, where she also served as the assistant athletic director, a coach, and a dorm parent. Whitney remembers her own time as a boarding school student fondly and hopes to be a mentor to current LA students in the same way her teachers were to her at Brooks.

After four years teaching science at Dedham’s Ursuline Academy, John Andersen is joining the science department at Lawrence Academy. Prior to his time at Ursuline, John taught science at Renbrook School (West Hartford, Conn.), Hampton Roads Academy (Newport News, Va.), and The Hillside School (Marlboro, Mass.). He also has experience as an ice hockey coach. John holds a B.S. in education from UMass Boston and a M.S. in education administration from Springfield College.

Kara Celstin joins the Lawrence Academy Health Center staff as a part-time nurse. An experienced nurse manager who has worked at a variety of practices throughout Massachusetts, she is a licensed registered nurse and a certified developmental disabilities nurse, and has completed the American Red Cross’ CPR and first aid certifications. Kara earned her B.S. in nursing from Fitchburg State University.