The Lower School Faculty at Sparhawk
2008-2009

Individuals qualify to teach at Sparhawk if they are broadly literate, demonstrate a zeal for life and learning, know child and adolescent development, are expert in a particular area that complements the rest of the teaching team and have a passion and talent for teaching.

The teachers presently employed at Sparhawk School are experienced educators and idealists united in the belief that Sparhawk's philosophy embodies their values. Teachers experience success and satisfaction working with small classes of motivated students and find the collegial atmosphere of our small school supportive.

Lower School Director

Marion Cipolle, Director of the Lower school, (shown here releasing butterflies) believes adults must switch hats in response to what each child brings to school. At Sparhawk, in her capacity as Director, she wears many. She values open communication between home and school as crucial to a child’s success and she works to sustain relationships with parents and teachers to assure that it happens.

Marion first earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and in her earliest career, she worked in laboratories as a microbiologist. She also owned and operated a full service bakery and catering establishment until the birth of her second child. A life-long love for teaching was rekindled at this time as she took her science interests into classrooms and science summer camps.

Marion earned a Master's degree in Education from Lesley College in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialty in Creative Arts in Learning.  She taught preschool and kindergarten for twelve years, acting as the director of an early childhood program for three years and designing afternoon and summer programs, for children six through nine years-of-age, at two nearby private schools.

During her first year at Sparhawk Marion taught 4th, 5th, and 6th grade math and science, as well as enrichments. Her warmth, wisdom, and broad experience made her an obvious choice for Director of the Lower School. In this role she supports teachers in designing curriculum that integrates the multiple intelligences, that uses developmental practice and assures individualized instruction.

Marion regularly attends workshops and classes to further enrich her repertoire. She also presents workshops to both parents and educators in learning styles, multiple intelligences, understanding differences in perception, and in math and literacy development in young children. Her many interests and life experiences fuel her passion for encouraging others’ enthusiasm and curiosity about how children learn.

Marion has also taught swing and ballroom to both adults and children. In addition to her love for dancing, she enjoys cooking and baking, nature, hiking, and a good laugh. Most of all, she takes pleasure in sharing these pastimes with her family.  (Sparhawk, year 3)

 

Faculty

Arts Curriculum Coordinator

Susan Adams, Director of Music for grades K-8, and Arts Curriculum Coordinator, has been an active music educator and collaborating pianist since 1979. She holds a BA in Music Education from Westfield State College and an MM in Piano Collaborating/ Performance from Arizona State University. She is a fully certified music educator and an active member of the Music Educators National Conference, the American Orff Schulwerk Association, and the Technology Institute for Music Educators.

Her classroom experience includes K-6 positions in Nevada and Arizona, and at Berwick Academy in South Berwick, Maine. She also enjoyed great success in bringing one of the first Kindermusik programs to the Seacoast area. While living in the Southwest, Susan traveled with Bonnie Jo Hunt, an accomplished opera singer, and a native Sioux, who brings art and music programs to reservations all over the United States.

As a collaborating pianist, harpsichordist, and organist, Susan has enjoyed employment at the College of Santa Fe, the University of New Mexico, and as an adjunct faculty member at the University of New Hampshire for ten years, working as coach/pianist for the UNH Opera Program and voice studios.

Susan loves tying together the two venues, as a teacher and a performer. Her experience is especially beneficial to the way music is approached at Sparhawk. Students interact with music as "real" musicians, presented with the same tasks faced by professional composers and performers. She has implemented numerous programs since coming to Sparhawk in 2002: the Private Lesson Program and Rock Ensembles (Upper School).

In 2005-06 Susan began to implement the Arts-Propel approach, a dynamic and effective way to approach music education and assessment. Through a series of sequential "domain projects" students in grades 2-8 assume increasing responsibility for their learning, approaching music in the manner of a professional musician, composer, or music critic. As singers, instrumentalists, and composers they document the process by way of a music portfolio, in which students keep revisions, performance and rehearsal CDs, journal entries, and associated assessments. In this way students can reflect upon their successes, communicate them to family and community, and have a lasting document of their musical achievements. Susan joyfully anticipates this year's adventures. (Sparhawk, year 7)

Catherine Debrocke has taught art to students in grades K-5 at Sparhawk School for the past seven years and ceramics at both the high school and middle school for the past two. She has a Bachelor of Fine Art Degree from The University of Massachusetts. She is a Sparhawk treasure. An artist by trade, she spends her time, outside of Sparhawk, teaching at the Essex Art Center in Lawrence, MA and in her studio, working on her own art which she has been exhibited in many shows in the Greater Boston area.

Catherine is very in-tune to the needs and interests of her students, and because of her dazzling, yet gentle, essence, her enthusiasm is contagious. She creates a safe and excitement-charged atmosphere where students can express themselves artistically using a variety of materials and techniques. Art history, color theory, and art appreciation are also components of her program.

She makes it all come to life with her occasional portrayal of characters from the art history curriculum of the moment. She has come to school as a Renaissance patron of the arts who wishes to commission a portrait, having heard of the talented artists at Sparhawk School, and as a kooky, bright blue-wigged modern Miss Ruby Moon, or as a visiting Left Bank artist. One never knows with Catherine. The students suspend disbelief, most of them, and delight in these surprise visits from interesting characters of the past, present, and future. She initiated a full-school arts event called Edible Art where families display art they have created using edible ingredients. We are truly lucky to have her as part of our team. (Sparhawk, Year 8)

 

Kristen Espie welcomes in her second year at Sparhawk teaching the 5th and 6th grade. Kristen received her Masters Degree from Lesley University in Elementary Education, grades 1-6.  She also received her undergraduate degree in International Business from Assumption College, completed an internship and semester abroad through Boston University in London and took Fine Arts courses at Suffolk’s New England School of Art and Design. Kristen has tutored gifted students through a specifically designed curriculum that aims at strengthening individual skill sets of the child through hands-on activities and lessons. She completed her Lesley practicum in Topsfield, MA teaching 6th grade Language Arts. She has also taught a workshop for English Language Learners that focused on developing oral and written skills. She found her experiences working one-on-one with both children and adults to be extremely beneficial

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Kristen’s teaching philosophy centers around the belief that the experience of learning grows through a process of discovering one’s own skills, strengths, and learning style by exploring a curriculum that engages students in a multidisciplinary approach.  She values kindness, respect, creativity, and a safe learning environment.  Kristen lives in Amesbury and enjoys the time she has with those she cares for - her family, friends, and dog Matilda.  (Sparhawk, year 2)

 

Eric Getz, joins the Sparhawk Lower School faculty this year to teach a multiage third and fourth-grade group. While working toward his Master of Elementary Education degree from Lesley University, he came to know and love Sparhawk School first as a Sparhawk parent. His two children joined our elementary school program in 2007. Upon completing his Master's degree coursework, he applied for a teaching position at Sparhawk. What a pleasure it is to welcome him back to our community this year in his dual roles as teacher and Sparhawk parent.

Eric has had a successful career in education prior to coming to Sparhawk, though in a very different kind of classroom. He has designed, developed, written, and produced award-winning exhibits for educational centers and museums throughout the country. They have been seen by millions of people on almost every continent. His two most recent educational exhibits include ones at The Reynolds Museum and Education Center at George Washington's Mount Vernon, in Virginia, and at The Pilgrim Hall Museum in Plymouth, MA.

His exhibits have touched on a variety of subjects, including the arts and literature, natural science, and national and world history. In each exhibit he consciously sought to appeal to the widest range of learning styles whether through interactive experiences, multimedia environments, or simple artifact displays. "Sparhawk," he explains, " is dedicated to teaching to multiple intelligences and I cannot wait to bring what I have learned in the museum world of education into the classroom." (Sparhawk, year 1)

 

Lisa Hargreaves returns for her seventh year to teach a pre- K group. Lisa holds a Master of Elementary Education from Lesley University and a Bachelor of Arts from Massachusetts College of Art. In the decade before joining Sparhawk, Lisa ran a developmental program for young children in her home that evolved into a summer program for school-aged children as she began her career at Sparhawk. As an educator at Sparhawk, Lisa has taught combined groups including kindergarten, first, and second grades. Lisa has an obvious gift in working with children. Her approach is tender and respectful with an eye towards the joys found in every day. What she plans is engaging-irresistibly engaging.
(Sparhawk, Year 8)

Julie O’Neill is very happy to teach science to Sparhawk's 4/5 and 5/6 groups after having taken a hiatus from classroom teaching to be home with her three children. Julie holds a Bachelors Degree in Social Sciences from New College of Hofstra University, and a Masters Degree in Teaching from Simmons College. Although she has been a life-long lover of science, Julie actually became a teacher because of a strong interest in literacy. Combining both interests is something she loves doing at Sparhawk. Julie’s mission as a teacher is to respect children as individuals, teach to their strengths, and create opportunities for them to explore, discover, build, take apart, and thrive in the world around them. Her classroom teaching experience includes teaching science to 5th – 8th graders in an urban middle school, and team teaching on a 2nd/3rd grade loop at a pilot school in Boston Public Schools. Her non-classroom teaching experience includes five years of teaching hands-on workshops at the Museum of Science and as one of their Camp-In and Summer Festivals Instructors.

Julie recently moved to Amesbury with her family where she enjoys walking her children (Emma -7, Lily – 5, and Henry – 2) and the family dog Sophie at Woodsom Farm. She loves traveling both far and near, reading good fiction books and enjoying a very rare quiet cup of coffee with her husband, Dan. (Sparhawk, year 2)

 

Maryclaire Ward Paullis  Directly upon receiving her Master of Education degree in Creative Arts and Learning from Lesley College, Maryclaire found Sparhawk and immediately fell in love. Then a diamond in the rough- Sparhawk was a dream waiting to be actualized by the right first teacher - a role gloriously fulfilled by Maryclaire. Despite the progressively creative curricular ideals she learned at Lesley College, professors and students there lamented that it was rarely possible to integrate these ideals in the typical classroom. Sparhawk, quite joyfully, did not seek the typical, so autonomy was given to Maryclaire to implement the plethora of innovations gleaned at Lesley, and to make learning splendid. Sparhawk remains deeply honored to have had Maryclaire play such an integral role in Sparhawk's conception.

 

Fourteen years later, Sparhawk School is still thriving and Maryclaire is returning to the Sparhawk nest after a two-year hiatus at home with her youngest child, Eli. She spent the four years prior to that in Administration, at the upper school, in a variety of roles that included Community Life Coordinator, Admissions Tour Guide, New Teacher Mentor and Multiple Intelligence Curricular Support.

Maryclaire is delighted to be returning to the classroom at the lower school where, for her first Sparhawk years, she taught multi-age groups of children in kindergarten through grade six. For Maryclaire, spending a day at the FarmSchool is like being suspended in time. The realities of off-campus life recede, and the joy that exudes from the lower school shines and shines as the days soar by. This year she will be teaching in second/third-grade.

In addition to plenty of nurturing experience in the classroom, Maryclaire and her husband Jay, have a full house at home as well. Sarah and Emily, ages 13 and 11 respectively, have been at Sparhawk virtually all their lives and will both attend Sparhawk Middle School this fall. Liam, age six, is a proud first grader at the FarmSchool. And little Eli, well, look around for him in just a few short years!

For Maryclaire and her family, Sparhawk has long been a second home. They have in a sense, grown up together, and Maryclaire has nurtured both the Sparhawk family and her own, with love and dedication. Maryclaire has a clear vision of all that is Sparhawk, and we are nothing short of delighted to have her back in the fold! (Sparhawk, year 11)

 

Kristin Spinney Kristin Spinney is the primary teacher of a K/1 group. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Child Development from Colby-Sawyer College and has Master's Degree in Curriculum Instruction in Creative Arts and Learning from Lesley University. Sparhawk School is everything Kristin imagines a school should be. "It has been the best experience working here. We are a close knit community and co-workers and Sparhawk families are friends.”

Kristin was born to teach. She is passionate about enriching the lives of her precious students for whom she designs exciting learning experiences with just the right developmental level of challenge, in her classroom full of sunlight and love.

When not at Sparhawk School Kristin enjoys time with husband Michael and two-year-old son, Connor. They love to travel and spend time with family and friends. (Sparhawk, Year 6)

 

Bob Watson is excited to be joining the Sparhawk Community as a Spanish teacher, and looks forward to sharing his passion for the Spanish language and Latino culture with Sparhawk students. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in English from the University of New Hampshire with a concentration in Race, Culture, and Power. Between 2005 and 2006, he and his partner Daniela, Sparhawk's high school art teacher, spent 18 months on the road in South America, Central America, and Mexico. He became fluent in Spanish over the course of this 13 country odyssey. The couple spent time volunteering at an orphanage, a youth jail, a summer camp, a group home, a wheelchair distribution team, and working with communities in the jungles of Panama and Ecuador. Before leaving for Latin America, Bob spent two and a half years at AS220’s Broad Street Studio in Providence, Rhode Island, where he began as an Americorps*VISTA volunteer. This volunteer stint evolved into a full time position running writing workshops and teaching magazine production to high school students in Rhode Island, including those incarcerated in the state's juvenile detention facility. Most recently, he taught students with autism and acquired brain injuries. Last spring, he began substitute teaching at Sparhawk and assistant coaching the school's Cross Country team and looks forward to working with the team again next year. Besides running, Bob enjoys discovering new music and spending time working on his first home: a 19th century farmhouse that provides him with an endless supply of construction, demolition, and renovation projects. (Sparhawk, year 1)

Emily White teaches Italian to students in grades K-6. She acquired fluency in the language while living in Italy for three years where she taught English. Emily complemented this experience with a Master's degree in Italian Studies from New York University. She also holds bachelor's degrees in both International Relations and Spanish from Bucknell University. She has taught all three of her languages for seven years before coming to Sparhawk. Her classroom experiences include teaching Italian at Long Island University in Brooklyn, developing and teaching a Spanish curriculum for a small elementary and middle school in Massachusetts, assisting ELL students in a New York City public high school, and finally, instructing Italian university students and working adults in the English language in Torino, Italy. These diverse experiences, along with her love of travel, have not only shaped and solidified her teaching, they have also molded rich cultural understandings which she openly shares with her students. She inspires young learners to become present-day explorers and encourages them to break through boundaries by offering them an opportunity to understand people and places different from their own and by encouraging them to put their language knowledge to practical use. Emily expresses appreciation for the openness to learning and willingness to try which all of her Sparhawk students possess. As a part of this remarkable community, she tells us, she can only hope to provide as many significant opportunities for learning as her students provide to her. (Sparhawk, year 3)

School Counselor

Catherine Mannheimer, LCSW, is a teacher, artist and psychotherapist. She holds a Bachelor of Art from Bradford College in creative arts and a Master of Social Work from Simmons College. She has taught art therapy, a survey of visual, and performing arts at Bradford College, and creative process at Northern Essex Community College. Before coming to Sparhawk five years ago, she worked for a number of years as a clinical social worker at Lowell High School, and presently maintains a private practice. She enjoys looking for the creative and expressive aspects in everyone. One of her favorite ways of doing this is through team teaching with her husband Marc. Together they have taught Drum Making, Creativity, Relaxation Techniques, Humor in the Work Place, and The Social and Artistic Implications of the Renaissance, which they taught in Florence, Italy. Currently, Cathy sees her animal spirit guides as the frog, black crow and alligator. (Sparhawk, Year 8)

Lower School

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