Faculty & Staff News

Director of Studies Reshan Richards was a panelist at INDEX, an independent school conference, held in Salt Lake City on April 8. The panel, Using Data to Drive Action, discussed how schools use a variety of formats, procedures and tools to collect data and inferences on topics ranging from academic programs to mental health. The purpose of INDEX conferences is to share data, analysis, research and information to aid member schools in decision-making, policy development and strategic planning.

Director of Plus Program Kathy Kravec earned a master’s degree in Conscious Studies and Transpersonal Psychology with a certificate in Coaching with Spirit from The Graduate Institute.

Head of Early Childhood Jeannie Staunton Bean ’83 is enrolled in a yearlong leadership training course offered through the New York State Association of Independent Schools.

NCCS Director of Institutional Research

Kathleen Steinman co-presented Building

Real-Time, Interactive Dashboards with Blackbaud and Power BI to institutional researchers and technology leaders in independent schools at the 2022 Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools (ATLIS) Conference held in Orlando, FL, on May 1–4. Her session demonstrated the powerful but little-known way to connect Power BI to Blackbaud to mine and leverage data, glean insights and create interactive dashboards and reports in real-time to better inform strategy at Country School. Kathleen has also been selected for the 2022 Summer Fellows Lab at the Center for Institutional Research in Independent Schools in Washington, DC, in which research practitioners use this intensive work period to build on their technical capacities to pursue research questions specific to their institution.

Faculty professional development opportunities, including graduate coursework, are made possible by financial resources from the Special Professional Development Fund and the Ninth Grade Endowment Fund.

Director of Arts and Performing Arts Teacher for Grades 4 through 9 Andrew Tyson presented at the Connecticut Music Educators Association on March 31. In his presentation, Beyond the Beat: Metronomes in the Classroom, Mr. Tyson acknowledged that many band and chorus directors are pressed for time and it’s not uncommon to sacrifice explicit rhythmic work for repertoire preparation. He outlined the musical skills that could be supported with different metronome-based exercises and discussed how those exercises could be used with whatever warmup music was already being worked on so that a director wouldn’t need to find extra time to do this work.

◂ Grade 3 Teacher

Caroline Weihs and Beginners Associate Teacher Claire DeLaurentis completed their master’s degrees in teaching in early childhood and Assistant Teacher Madeleine Ker ’10 completed her master’s degree in education at Manhattanville College.

▲ Assistant Lower School Science Teacher Colin Thom spent three days in June tagging blacknose, nurse and bonnethead sharks off the coast of Miami as part of Sharks 4 Kids Education Outreach. An enthusiastic scuba diver and captain of the research vessel Spirit of the Sound, based out of Norwalk’s Maritime Aquarium, Mr. Thom is well-known for sharing his extensive knowledge of all-things-sharks with students.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Anthony Young and Horizons Director of Student & Family Support Nehemie Moïse Young who were married in Hamden on Sept. 3.

Former apprentice Molly McKennan (2016) is engaged to Max Aliapoulios ’09. The couple met while attending the same secondary school.

Apprentice Teacher Training & Associate Teacher Program

While Country School is excited to welcome 13 new and 8 returning apprentices and associate teachers to our 2022–2023 academic program, we are delighted to congratulate the 11 who will be departing. We thank them all for their impactful work and wish them well on their professional journeys.

* Caroline Aronowitz (2 years) is teaching Grade 5 homeroom and coaching at Rippowam Cisqua School while also completing her dual master’s degree in general education (grades 1–6) and special education at Bank Street Graduate School of Education.

* Tori Bartlett (1 year) is pursuing a career in education, psychology and law.

* Hailey Biagi (1 year) is working as a recruiter for a firm in Stamford.

* Christy Bottomley (3 years) is teaching 6- through 9-year-olds at the Children’s School in Stamford.

* Monae Cherry (1 year) is teaching Kindergarten at the Waterside School in Stamford and working with Horizons.

* Grace Hardy (2 years) is pursuing a career as a recruiter in New York City.

* Clay Kontulis ’12 (1 year) is pursuing a master’s degree in elementary education at Vanderbilt University.

* Olivia Mao (2 years) is completing a dual master’s degree in general education (grades 1–6) and special education at Bank Street Graduate School of Education in New York.

* Kat Norton ’12 (2 years) is pursuing a master’s degree in anthropology and education at Teachers College, Columbia University.

* Hartel Smith (2 years) is a lead teacher at Wilbraham & Monson Academy, a grades 6–12 boarding and day school in central Massachusetts.

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◂ Former faculty

(1974–1995) celebrated a milestone birthday in Nantucket, surrounded by grandchildren.