Barre Town Middle and Elementary School
New Staff for 2009-2010
 

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Alice Thomason Worth – Principal PK-Grade 4
Alice has had an extensive career as a public school educator. She had worked as a classroom teacher, Curriculum and Assessment Director, Principal, and Assistant Superintendent. She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and has a Master of Education Degree from Boston University. She has continued her education with numerous graduate courses in such areas as early literacy, educational leadership and assessment as well as supervision and evaluation, finance and management. Alice lives in Norwich, Vermont and has two adult children, Lillian, who is a graduate of St. Andrews University, and Samuel who is a junior at Colgate University. When not in school working, she can be found swimming, biking, playing tennis, gardening, cooking, skiing, or reading.

Melissa Anderson – Special Educator
Melissa joins our special education team working with students in kindergarten and grade 1. She is currently enrolled at Saint Michael’s College in a graduate program working toward her Master’s degree in special education. She graduated from Trinity College with her Bachelor’s in Elementary and Special Education. Melissa has held an elementary teaching position at Orange Center School for the past six years. Before that she was teaching at Moretown Elementary, Rumney Memorial School, and Doty Memorial School. She is an active member of the Barre Town Recreation Board. Melissa resides in South Barre with her husband, daughter, and son.

Kathryn Bryant – Grade 7 World Geography
Katie graduated from the University of Vermont with a Masters of Education degree with a major in Curriculum and Instruction and received a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Psychology from Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut. She most recently was a long-term 8th grade Social Studies substitute at Barre City Elementary and Middle School. She has also been a permanent substitute at Peoples Academy teaching Social Studies and F&CS, and a high school Social Studies teacher at Mount Mansfield Winter Academy. She student taught at U-32 High School. Katie worked as a crew leader for the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps and at Earthwatch Institute as Expedition Coordinator.

Linda Cleveland – Library Paraeducator
Linda has been a substitute teacher at Barre Town School and a volunteer here over the years. Linda is currently attending Community College of Vermont and received credits from Johnson State College towards a degree in education. She graduated from O’Brien’s School of Cosmetology in Burlington, Vermont.

Merrin Mandigo – Grade 3 Teacher
Merrin is a recent graduate of St. Michael’s College, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education and English Literature. She did her student teaching in Malletts Bay School in Colchester, where she became very familiar with the curricular, developmental, and emotional needs of elementary school students. She employed Responsive Classroom and Discipline with Dignity techniques in her classroom. Merrin considers educating children to be her life’s purpose and is looking forward to the opportunity of helping children develop into active, kindhearted, life-long learners here at Barre Town School.

Amanda Mathewson – Behavior Interventionist
Amanda joins us as a K-4 Behavior Interventionist. She recently relocated from New York with her husband and children. She is an alumnus of Barre Town School! Amanda graduated from Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and is currently working toward her Master’s Degree in Elementary Reading and Mathematics. She taught 5th and 6th grade history classes in Stamford, New York for 4 years and for the past 5 years has worked at the Spring Brook School in Milford, New York in their Summer ESY Program working with students with developmental disabilities. She has coached basketball and founded the Student Run Club.

Sandra Parker – Gr. 1-2 Literacy/Math Interventionist
Sandy comes to us from Greensboro, North Carolina. She has taught full-day kindergarten for the past 16 years at Canterbury School there. As a founding teacher of this independent school, she developed and implemented the initial kindergarten program there. She incorporated best practices for the whole child, was a lead teacher, and mentored new kindergarten teachers. Sandy is a leader among teachers in using the SMARTBoard. She has presented technology workshops both at conferences and at the school where she taught. Before Canterbury, Sandy was a third-grade teacher at Oak Ridge Elementary in Greensboro, NC.

Lisa Rogers – Tutor
Lisa most recently was a paraeducator last year assisting students with academic support, teaching organizational strategies, developing self-advocacy/independence skills and assisting teachers. She is also employed by UPS as a pre-loader. Previously, Lisa worked at National Life Insurance Company as an agency representative. She received an Associates Degree in Merchandising and Retailing Curriculum from Westbrook College in Portland, Maine.

Sonya Shedd – Grade 4 Teacher
Sonya graduated from Johnson State College with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education. She received her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction this past May from the University of Vermont’s Vermont Mathematics Initiative Program (VMI). Sonya has been a multiage fifth and sixth, and mathematics multiage third and fourth grade teacher at the Woodbury Elementary School. She is experienced in Responsive Classroom. Sonya student taught fifth grade at Stowe Elementary School. She was also an after-school activities specialist for Cityscape, a Washington County Youth Services Bureau program, at Barre City School. In her spare time, she likes to hike, bike, ski, and do crafts, besides her math, writing, and reading interests.
Jennifer Skinder

Jennifer Skinder Grade 5-8 Art Teacher
Jennifer Skinder was hired last Spring as a long-term substitute for our grade 5-8 art teacher who is on maternity leave. Jennifer graduated from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. She did postgraduate coursework at Johnson State College with her major in Education and graduated with her Masters in Education from Johnson State College. She was a student teacher at Union Elementary School in Montpelier and also at Spaulding High School. Jennifer was a studio artist at the Littlefield Studio in Marshfield and taught ceramics at Frog Hollow State Craft Center in Burlington, Vermont and also at the Shelburne Craft School in Shelburne, Vermont. She was a resident Potter at the Ferrisburg Artisans Guild in Ferrisburg, Vermont. She was also interim Director at the Shelburne Craft School in Shelburne.

Rachel Trussler – Grade 5 Teacher
Rachel received a Masters of Science in Teaching in Elementary Education at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies. She recently was a paraeducator at Calais Elementary where she developed and implemented curriculum as a one-on-one for a second grade student, collaborated with classroom teachers in order to facilitate student work, both individually and in small groups for grades 3-6, and provided individual assistance to students in math, language, and writing. Rachel was a substitute teacher and tutor at the Early Childhood Center, Voorhees, New Jersey, and Assistant Director at Voorhees Middle School where she worked with over 200 students in cast, chorus, and technical crew for grades 6-8. She has been trained in Responsive Classroom I and Crisis Prevention.