New Teacher Features

New Steps to Success Program Adviser Adebukola Ajao hopes to provide students with an idea of what it means to be successful in college and the real world.  Outside of school, she is a freelance journalist for the Huffington Post and runs her own media consulting business.  Although she has a lot of passions to balance at once, she still considers herself someone who likes to relax. What is your...

Nurse Megan Day previously worked at a collaborative school in Chelsea, Mass. Outside of school, she enjoys seeing live music and is currently teaching herself to play the guitar. What was high school like for you? I really enjoyed theater, so I was in the drama society. I played the flute and we had a really awesome band, which was relatively small. Our director was a teacher at Berklee, so he ...

Intro: Dygo Tosa taught for three years at a large public school in Texas before coming to Brookline High School to teach Latin.  He actually moved to Texas from Massachusetts to go to grad school where he got his masters at the University of Texas at Austin and soon after his teaching certificate.  He moved back to MA at the end of June and made his decision to teach at BHS in July, so his summ...

Special education teacher Alexandra Zembruski, who graduated from Northeastern University and Lesley College, is teaching at the high school for her second year, as she was previously a paraprofessional. Zembruski likes to paint her nails, hang out with her dog and go out for brunch. How did you end up majoring in English? English has always been really my first love. I think my kindergarten b...

What got you into teaching? I had a Biology teacher in high school who was really good and when I began to think about what I wanted to do after college, he came into my head. He had a very good sense of humor. I wasn’t too interested in high school at the time, but he got me interested. What were some of the interesting things you did this summer? Most of it was spent around the house. ...

Christine Shen is an honors math teacher. Shen grew up in Florida and attended college there. She later came to Brookline to study at Boston University. What is something fun you did this summer? I tried to make ravioli from scratch-took a lot longer than I wanted it to. But I was inspired because I like to watch Chopped, and they always make ravioli for the appetizer round, and it takes th...

Thato Mwosa teaches Digital Video, Documentary and Film History, and TV Production. Mwosa previously worked at Boston Public Schools for seven years. She is from Botswana, Africa and graduated from Emerson College. What was something interesting you did this summer? My husband and I first went to Kenya, with our family. We did safaris, went to the Giraffe Centre, and also went to the coast in Mal...

Maura McGill is the new librarian at the high school. She has teaching experience in Brooklyn and librarian experience at the Devotion elementary school. McGill loves refurbishing old bikes and fixing her house with her husband. She is enthusiastic about being part of the BHS team. Why did you become a librarian? I was working in Brooklyn and I was a Special Education teacher. I saw what an ...

Mr. Matthew DuBois is the high school’s new psychologist. He previously worked in hospitals but is excited about Brookline’s welcoming and accepting community. Why did you choose Brookline High School? Back in 2009 to 2011, I was here at Brookline High School as part of my doctoral training and I loved my time here. Then for five years after that, I bounced around a little bit. I’m fami...

Bilingual, dancer-actress, artist, “coffee-sniffer,” “tea sampler,” Jani Rodrigues is a Brookline High Spanish teacher. She’s been teaching for eleven years from Spain to New York and now in Massachusetts. She Flamencos and travels likes Fridays and ballet. What made you want to teach, and why Spanish? When I was young, I made friends with three sisters who moved next door to me from...

Eliza Tyack is a new English teacher at Brookline High School. She grew up in Massachusetts but moved away to upstate New York for college. While in college, she wanted to be a cognitive science major until she discovered the power of English. This summer she spent a lot of time with her ninety-year-old grandmother. She is excited to be part of the Brookline community and be back home in Massachuset...

Jason Montrose is a special education teacher who also co-teaches English and learning center. Outside of school, he enjoys spending time with his son and playing video games with his relatives. What’s something you always remember to do when you’re teaching? As a teacher,  I always want to infuse some sort of “funness” into the classroom. I want to be entertaining while also teaching...

Tanika Fields is a new transition paraprofessional at Brookline High School.  She was born in Boston, but has lived in several places around the U.S.  Fields had previously worked at Devotion for three years with grades K-4. At what point did you start thinking about teaching as a career? “It was mainly from my personal experience. I have relatives in my family that had some form of disa...

Eliana Freeman Special Education teacher Eliana Freeman spends most of her time in Pathways and in small group English classes. She enjoys dancing, psychology and education. What is something interesting you did this summer? This summer I went to Portugal with my family, which was nice because we haven’t been on a family vacation in a while. My sister is in medical school and my parents ...

Coral Rondeau was previously a teacher in the Wachusett School District. She is now teaching in the RISE Program, a home base for students on the autism spectrum. What was something interesting you did over the summer? I did a 5k. It was called the Ridiculous Obstacle Course. It was like the show wipeout. It was like all those things that you have seen on wipeout but it was spread out at Gille...

Terry Rowe is an Alternative Choices in Education math teacher who has previously taught in the Arlington and Watertown school systems. In his free time, he coaches different volleyball teams. He likes to travel, loves to be outdoors, and enjoys skiing and white-water rafting. How have your first two weeks been here? Fabulous! The culture here is unlike any other school culture that I’ve ever worked i...

Danny Costigan was born in Boston and grew up in North Reading before moving to Brookline in first grade. Last year, he finished at Lawrence as a paraprofessional and has joined the special education department at the high school this year. He is interested in sports and coaches freshmen football and junior varsity lacrosse at the high school. What made you want to become a teacher? The teac...

Ms. Dondero is a 9th and 11th grade English teacher who teaches honors American Literature and Points of View. Prior to teaching at the high school, she taught at Andover Middle School for four years. In her free time she enjoys writing, traveling and spending time with family and friends. What did you do this summer? I did a lot of prepping, which is exciting. I love to come up with creative and...

Originally from Maine, Kathleen Bernier works in Rise, a special education program for students on the autism spectrum.  She has previously taught students, but has never been in a real teaching position before.  She enjoys “nerdy stuff” and working out with her friends.  What do you like about teaching at a High School?  I like interacting with students at this age, particularly bec...

Dr. David Lemmel is the new head of the African American Latino Scholars program. Dr. David Lemmel is an alumnus of the high school, returning after graduating in 1986. Dr. David Lemmel is extremely excited to get re-acquainted with the community this year. What led you to this career? I ended up going back to school after having a couple of unfulfilling jobs as an 18-year-old and 19-year-old ...

Director of Special Education Wendy Ryder is not just a teacher, but a dancer, tennis, softball player, and an occupational therapist. She majored in sociology and communications in graduate school at New York University. She has always thought about having a career in administration and is excited to pursue that position this year. What was one interesting thing that you did this summer? I went...

Dr. Oyé Carr is an AP U.S. History teacher who has previously taught at schools in Oregon and Boston. He grew up in New Hampshire, and this summer he moved from Luxembourg, where he worked for a private company, to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Dr. Carr says that although life was a lot quieter in Luxembourg, he really enjoyed the country’s natural beauty and quality of life. What are some hobbi...

Alternative Choices in Education Program social studies teacher Elijah Evans ’07 said he always knew he would eventually return to the high school as a teacher. He now looks to teach students history in a way that affects their lives. Tell me more about your experience as a social studies student here at the high school. It was tough, but what I remember most from history here is that it did...

Sarah Shuster is a Social studies teacher at Brookline High School who now has her first full teaching job, after being a student teacher at Boston Latin. She is from Long Island New York, where she has grown up and lived for most of her life. She enjoys to return there every year to be a camp counselor at a camp that she has been going to for 17 years. What made you want to become a teacher? I k...

  New English teacher Kevin Wang moved from Brookfield, CT where he previously taught. During his free time, Wang enjoys hiking. Wang said that he is excited to bring his personality into the classroom.  What are the morals and values that you look for? I like simple rules. So something that I usually say a lot is just, “Don’t be a jerk,” but you can simplify that to “Be nice...

Physics teacher Dr. Jason Tong was born in Syracuse, New York and has been interested in physics since high school. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he got his bachelor’s degree in engineering, and Syracuse University, where he got his PhD. He is currently finishing up his master’s degree in education at Lesley University. What are you most excited for at Brookline Hig...

Dr. Tina Bozeman is the new Health and Fitness Department Chair for Brookline Public Schools. She’s originally from Nashville, Tennessee, and has been working in education for 25 years. She enjoys strength training, walking her dogs and travelling. What was highschool like for you? I was a bright student. I valued my education greatly, but I was also an athlete..  I was a scholar-athlete, ...

Cathy Heller is the special education team facilitator at the high school. She has returned to Brookline after seven years working in other school systems. Tell me about your first teaching job. My first teaching job was when I was in college. I went to Northeastern and they had a co-op program, so in my sophomore year first quarter, I worked in New York. I was 18, 19 years old, and I have ...

Sarah Hemphill is a science teacher who has been teaching for approximately ten years after a previous career in public health. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her children and listening to music. What do you like to do in your free time? I love to go hiking, I love to cook and especially bake delicious sweet things and then eat them. What are you most excited for at the high ...

A Worcester native, Lori Lynn attended undergrad at MassArt, where she started out as a printmaking major, then realized her true love for photography. When she is not working on her own series of photographs, Lynn likes to ride her bike, collect fun things at thrift stores and see local bands. This summer, she received her master’s degree from the University of Hartford. Her goal is to engage students ...