New teachers in Region One

FALLS VILLAGE — New teachers in Region One gathered at Housatonic Valley Regional High School Tuesday, Aug. 22 for orientation.

There are 14 new hires by Region One.

The teachers received a briefing on information technology and security from Mike Ellington, the network administrator at HVRHS.

Jessie Bate

Housatonic Valley Regional High School
Library Media Specialist

Jessie Bate is rejoining the Housatonic Valley Regional High School faculty as the library media specialist. She is finishing her Master of Library and Information Science degree at Southern Connecticut State University. She holds a bachelor’s degree in physical education and health from Eastern Connecticut State University. Jessie previously worked as a health and physical education teacher and, most recently, as the high school library assistant for the past two years.

Jessie is a graduate of HVRHS and a Cornwall native, where she now lives with her boyfriend, Mark, and their three cats, Bryan, Schmidt, and Margie. In her spare time, Jessie enjoys traveling to national parks, playing pickleball, and pet sitting. Jessie is looking forward to starting her new role and offering new programming and activities in the library. Salary: $93,342

Karen Littau

Housatonic Valley Regional High School
School Counselor

Karen Littau  is a certified School Counselor. She holds a Masters Degree in School Counseling from Capella University, and a Bachelors Degree in Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies with a focus on Psychology and Human Rights. Her initial interest to become School Counselor came from her experience abroad, where she worked with students from a variety of backgrounds. Karen completed her practicum and I internship hours with Terryville High School before joining the Housatonic Valley Regional High School counseling department.

Karen is excited to continue building relationships with students, parents, faculty and staff as the years progress. When she’s not at HVRHS, she enjoys hiking, various training, paddleboarding, and reading books. Salary: $53,590

Colleen O’Reilly

Housatonic Valley Regional High School
Mathematics

Colleen O’Reilly is stepping into the Math Department at Housatonic Valley Regional High School with years of teaching experience at the middle school level. A graduate of St. Lawrence University and Teachers College at Columbia University, she holds a BS in Mathematics and an MA in Mathematics Education. Colleen lives in Lakeville with her husband and three children. She is most excited to return to the classrooms at HVRHS where she was inspired to teach math. Salary: $86,206

Samantha Flunory

North Canaan Elementary School
Special Education

Samantha Flunory is a Special Education Teacher who has been in the field for 14 years. She relocated from Brooklyn, New York, to North Canaan two years ago and is excited to join Region One as a Special Education Teacher and to work in her local community. She attended Brooklyn College, obtaining her Masters’s Degree in Education with a dual certification in Special Education.

In her free time, Samantha enjoys reading, spending time with her family, exploring new places, and trying different cuisines. Salary: $77,906

Patricia Bunk

Lee H. Kellogg School
Art

Patricia Bunk has earned an M.Ed in education. Studying at Smith, California College of Arts and Crafts, and The Art Institute of Boston, her passion involves the creative process. Bunk is the new art teacher at the Lee H. Kellogg School in Falls Village.

“I focus on the elements and principles of design. Working in watercolors, and have taught grades k-12 and foundational college courses in illustration and color. My love of nature has included portraits, landscapes, flowers, birds, and animals. I have exhibited my work from Ireland to Europe and the USA.” Salary: $47,286

Kaitlyn Buckley

Cornwall Consolidated School
Third Grade

Kaitlyn Buckley will return to her roots at Cornwall Consolidated School as the Third Grade teacher. She recently graduated from Western Connecticut State University with a BS in Elementary Education. During the summers, Kaitlyn works for Chimney Rock, a local gardening company, and enjoys spending her free time outdoors. Kaitlyn is looking forward to teaching in her home town. Salary: $47,793

Susana Martinez-Bauer

Cornwall Consolidated School
Art and Spanish

Susana Martinez-Bauer is a bilingual Pre-K-12 certified Art teacher and Spanish teacher. She holds her Master’s Degree in Art Education from Long Island University and her Bachelor’s Degree in Art History from Adelphi University. Susana is returning as the art teacher at Cornwall again this year. Beginning this school year she will also be teaching Spanish in the Spanish Lab and incorporating it in the Art Studio for more immersive language learning in grades K-8. Susana comes to Region One from the Winchester Public School District last year where she taught Pre-K – 2nd grade art for 6 years and the Talented and Gifted Art Program for grades 4-6. Susana is originally from Long Island where she taught middle school art.

Susana has a passion for language, culture, art history, drawing and continuously learning artistic techniques. She enjoys sharing these passions with her students and believes that through techniques, language immersion and creativity all students can become bilingual artists. Susana is married, has a 17 year old son, 2 dogs and a rabbit. She loves animals and enjoys taking her dogs on adventures including kayaking, hiking and paddle boarding. Salary: $43,804

Steven Huang

Kent Center School
Music

Steven Huang has conducted youth, community, and professional orchestras across the United States and throughout the world. He served as tenured faculty as Director of Orchestral Activities at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. He is currently the Music Director of the New Westchester Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Yale Medical School Orchestra, and Conductor of the Norwalk Youth Concert Orchestra. Steven is particularly excited about learning and teaching with young musicians at Kent Center School. He is a pianist and a cellist. Although he grew up in Southern California, Steven studied on the East Coast at Harvard College and the University of Michigan; and received his Teaching Certification in June 2023 from Connecticut Alternate Route to Certification (ARC).

Steven lives with his two children in Sharon. In addition to music, Steven picked up many other hobbies during the pandemic, including day-hiking, cooking, and managing a country home. Salary: $18,624

Cody Rodrigues

Kent Center School
Spanish

Cody Rodrigues is a K-12 Certified Spanish teacher who will be joining Kent Center School. He holds a Master’s Degree in the Art of Teaching as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish from CCSU. Cody joins Region One from Middletown Public Schools where he taught Spanish for two years.

Cody is passionate about the science of learning and the ways in which people acquire a second language. He believes every student is capable of acquiring a second language and the cultural competencies that come with it. He looks forward to engaging students in the language and helping them learn to communicate with others in meaningful ways. A speaker of English, Spanish, and Portuguese, Cody’s love of language and culture has allowed him to live and work in several Spanish speaking countries. He takes full advantage of summer breaks to travel and interact with other cultures, experiences he brings with him to the classroom. Salary: $52,937

Alison Hasenbein

North Canaan Elementary School
Science

Alison Hasenbein is a science teacher and has been teaching for the last 8 years. She is excited to bring her passion and love for science to North Canaan Elementary school where she will be teaching 7th and 8th grade science. Alison holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Biological Sciences from University of Connecticut and her Master’s Degree in Environmental Geosciences from University of New Haven. She comes to us from Regional School District 10 (Harwinton/Burlington), where she taught 7th grade science for the last 4 years. She previously worked at the Watertown School District teaching high school science for 4.5 years.

In her spare time Alison enjoys spending her time outdoors hiking, camping, and skiing with her partner Ryan and their two dogs. You can also find her tending to her gardens, chickens, and honeybees. Salary: $74,236

Mindy Rosen

Salisbury Central School
Math, Science, and STEM

Mindy Rosen recently relocated to Lakeville  from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, where she specialized in integrating STEM Education into the curriculum and teaching math, science, and technology. Mindy received a master’s degree in computer science education from Nova Southeastern University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology and education from Gettysburg College. Mindy is a Master Lego Educator and is passionate about using robotics in the classroom. For the upcoming 2023-2024 school year, Mindy will teach math, science, and STEM at Salisbury Central School. Salary: $47,546

MaryEllen Epstein

Sharon Center School
Science

MaryEllen Epstein is a lifelong Connecticut resident, now living in Kent with her husband, two children, and dog. Prior to joining Sharon Center School, she taught 7th grade science in New Milford and taught 6th grade science for more than 20 years in Wilton. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield and continued her graduate studies there, earning a Master’s degree in education. She believes that learning is about wonder and discovery and is looking forward to working with all of the children at Sharon Center School. Salary: $95,556

Ryan McNulty

Sharon Center School
Music

Ryan McNulty is a Music Teacher who recently earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Western Connecticut State University. He comes from the Danbury School District, where he completed his Student Teaching requirements teaching General Music, Band, and Choir. He will be teaching Music at the Sharon Center School for the 2023-2024 school year.

Living in New Milford, Connecticut, Ryan enjoys performing around the area singing or on the saxophone. He believes that learning music is essential for a student’s success in school. Outside of performing and teaching, Ryan loves to run, hike, and play tennis. Salary: $50,555

Grace Hemenway

Salisbury Central School
School Psychologist

Grace Hemenway holds a Master’s Degree in School Psychology, with a specialty in clinical child counseling, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Hartford. She comes to us from Granby Public Schools, where she completed her year-long internship. Being a Litchfield County native, Grace is excited to start her career with Region One. In her free time, she enjoys reading a good book at the beach, hiking with her two dogs, and spending time with family and friends. Salary: $56,793

Abigail Thompson

Salisbury Central School
Special Education

Abigail Thompson is a certified Special Education teacher and holds a Masters of Education. Originally from southern New Hampshire, Abigail attended the University of New Hampshire where she earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees. She then moved to Manhattan where she lived on the Upper West Side and worked as a Special Educator in Washington Heights. She recently moved to Sharon where she lives with her fiancé, Nick, and goldendoodle puppy, Gatsby.

Abigail is excited to bring her passion and excitement for teaching to Region One, where she will be a Special Education Teacher at Salisbury Central School. In her spare time, Abigail enjoys hiking with family, reading, and doing yoga. Salary: $70,404

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