Teacher Features 2021

Roy Dow is a new teacher at the high school and teaches history and special education. Dow is grateful for his colleagues, as they have been welcoming and supportive while starting his new job. Aside from preparing to teach at the high school, he spent much of his summer with his family in New Jersey. What is something unique or special about your role, either as a history or special education teacher...

Benjamin Marsh is a new wellness teacher at the high school this year. He loves to travel, work out and spend time with friends and family. He strives to create a safe space for all his students to feel comfortable in and a community where everyone feels accepted. What was your first impression of the high school? The students are very driven and self-motivated, which I really liked. I come fr...

Stephen Eesley is a 10th grade history teacher who previously taught at the Rising Tide Charter Public School. Eesley grew up in Martinsville, New Jersey and went to high school there as well. Eesley completed his undergraduate in history at the University of Maryland and got one of his masters degrees at Yale, and the other from University of Massachusetts Amherst. How did you hear about the hig...

Esperanza Barcelo has always had a passion for the arts –– a passion that translates into her first year as a 9th grade geometry teacher. Outside of school, she enjoys playing the guitar and drawing, even going so far as to compete in an art competition. What interested you in teaching? When I was in school, I was not very good at math and wanted to try to get better at it and help other p...

Bianca D’Antonio began teaching this year at the high school as a paraprofessional after completing her undergraduate at Emerson College. She currently attends graduate school at Lesley University. She loves singing and drama and hopes to become a history teacher in the coming years. What's your favorite part of the high school so far? I really enjoy being in a bunch of different kinds of classro...

Amanda Grindstaff, originally from Washington DC, is a new wellness educator who spent fourteen years working as a gym teacher at the Pierce School before coming to the high school. An outdoor enthusiast, Grindstaff enjoys exercising, spending time with her family and painting. How did you know you wanted to become a wellness teacher? My mother is a social worker, so I always liked helping pe...

Joeanna McPherson is a METCO (Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity) adjustment counselor. Having grown up in Boston, she found a love for the Boston school environment and has worked in the area ever since. In her free time, McPherson likes to talk about sports, play basketball and color. How did you spend the summer? During the month of July, I worked at the Old Lincoln School teaching...

Summer Williams, originally from South New Jersey, has been working at the school for 18 years and is now the Interim Dean of Students for 10th, 11th, and 12th grade. Williams enjoys listening to DJ Jazzy Jeff’s DJ sets and is involved in a theatre company. One of her favorite playwrights is Ntozake Shange. What is your current role and how is that different from what you did before? My former position ...

Astrid Allen is a Spanish teacher, the Chair of Judiciary and the new Interim Associate Dean for the Class of 2023. In college, she was an English and Spanish double major, and she enjoys traveling internationally. When she was younger, she liked reading Go Call Alice. Dean Allen also does a Halloween costume with her family every year, and her favorite Halloween movie is “Cabin in the Woods.”...

Jenny Longmire, originally from Aspen, Colorado, is entering her fifteenth year at the high school and is the new Associate Dean at Old Lincoln School. She supports the Class of 2025 and makes sure that they have a great experience in school. What are the main aspects of your new job? As a dean, I am part of the support staff for students. My job is to basically make sure that they are getting...

Special Education Interim Director Carolyn Wilson was born in Danvers, Massachusetts and now lives in her childhood house. Wilson enjoys hiking, snowshoeing and exploring the outdoors with her children. How did you spend your summer? I spent my summer hanging out with my two kids, and I learned to use a new app called "Swimply." It's kind of like Airbnb but for people's pools and their backyards,...

Devon Oberle is a passionate math teacher at Winthrop, an off-campus program for students with social or emotional issues at the high school. Before working at Winthrop, Oberle was a middle school math teacher for five years. In her spare time, she enjoys doing yoga, reading and cooking with friends. What is your favorite thing about teaching? I really love working with students. I’ve been want...

Wen Sailer is a new biology teacher at the high school. She is a DC (Detective Comics), Marvel fan and dog lover. Over the summer she visited her family and spent time relaxing by doing yoga. As a teacher she hopes to form connections with her students and become a trusted adult in their lives. What do you like about the high school so far? The new space is beautiful, and I just enjoy being here...

Winthrop House English Teacher Kelly De Oliviera has built a career she finds great joy in through combining her passions. Her days are packed with the realities of being a loving mother to three children and a brand-new puppy, a high school teacher and a new co-entrepreneur with her husband. What is it like to teach at Winthrop House? I have been at the Winthrop House for seven years now workin...

Special Education Speech Pathologist Madelina Piela is a new teacher at the high school. Piela enjoys reading books, taking walks and watching movies. She adores the curious aspects of life and takes pride in learning. How did you spend your summer this year? It was pretty relaxing for me, except for at the end of the summer when I moved apartments. It was pretty chaotic, there was a lot of sch...

Special Education teacher Marissa Drossos is a devoted mother and passionate about activism and social justice. Drossos loves to garden and connect with her students in the classroom. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, baking and spending time with her son. Could you tell me a little bit about being a special education teacher? I am in the special education department. I teach at a lea...

Donna Sartanowicz is the new Visual Arts Coordinator for Brookline Public Schools, but she is hardly new to the community. Sartanowicz has been working as an art teacher at the high school for the past 18 years. How did you start working at the high school? This is my 18th year, so I've been here for a long time. The whole time I've been here, I've been at the high school in the art departme...

Karim Azeb has been teaching since 2013. In 2019, he arrived at the high school and has recently taken on the role of Interim Associate Dean for the Class of 2024. He enjoys watching soccer and follows the sport both in his hometown and on a global scale. What do you like most about teaching at the high school? This is the first truly diverse school I’ve taught at. It has everything and e...

Meghan Richer is a Special Education Teacher at the Old Lincoln School. She coaches field hockey at the high school, and she likes to read and exercise in her free time. When did you start working at the high school and what do you do? I started as a paraprofessional in 2018 and then started as a lead teacher last year in October. This is my second year as a lead teacher, but my fourth year overall....

Zac Broken Rope is an SWS English teacher and the new advisory coordinator. A Nebraska native, he held a number of teaching roles over the past decade before settling at the high school. Broken Rope is an avid runner as well as a dog lover. How would you describe the primary goal of your new job? I think that advisory is a social and emotional learning program. At the end of the day, we want to...

Bryce Davidson is a new visual arts teacher at the high school. When not at school, he is a freelance illustrator who released a sci-fi book last summer. A cartoonist by trade, he plays the guitar and keyboard, likes traveling, playing video games with his friends and trying new places to eat. In his free time, he especially finds it relaxing to read by the Charles River. What is one of your pe...

Math teacher Christopher Monschauer is a new to the high school this year and has previously taught for four years. Monschauer grew up in suburban New Jersey, and in his free time, he enjoys spending time with friends and his fiancé. Why did you want to become a teacher? When I got to college, I really liked it but could recognize it as really off-putting at times. Teaching for me has been ...

Georgia Carter is a new teacher for the RISE (Reaching for Independence through Structured Education) program this year. The RISE program is for students at the high school with autism. She grew up in Narragansett, Rhode Island, and in her free time, loves skiing all over New England. If given a research grant, she would use it to explore new technologies to assist her students. Can you tell me...

Psychologist Gina Penley began working at the high school this year and has found it to be a welcoming and supportive environment for students and staff. When she isn’t helping to foster an inclusive environment at school, she enjoys cooking, going on walks with her dog and finding sand dollars on the beach. How are you liking your new job at the high school? I love it. The differences betw...