Zoe Guy '02 & Hannah Blunt '02

Mara Whelan
Where she is coming from: Hamilton College.
What is she teaching? Ms. Whelan is teaching one section of Intro to Art and aides Mr. Dickinson with his AP Studio art class.
Why did she choose DA? Ms. Whelan graduated from Deerfield in '95. She became serious about teaching when Mr. Dickinson took one of his art classes to Paris, France, where she lived two years ago, and began thinking about the possibility.
Most Memorable High School Experience: "Playing thirds soccer with some of my best friends and through all the stressful days and homesickness, just going out there, having a good time and for the first time feeling a part of something at DA

Wayne Marge
Where he is coming from: Mr. Marge grew-up in Rhode Island and taught at The Hotchkiss School.
What is he teaching? Mr. Marge teaches Algebra II, Pre-Calculus and Pre-Calculus Accelerated.
Why did he choose DA? Mr. Marge's main reason for teaching at Deerfield is its location. He is closer to his family in Rhode Island and the cultural five-college area is more appealing than the rural Connecticut scene.

Sonja O'Donnell
Where is she coming from? Ms. O'Donnell taught at The Thayer School outside Boston for six years and described it as a "great place with good people."
What is she teaching? English I & II
Why did she choose DA? Because she and her husband decided it was time for change. "I always wanted to work at a boarding school that was more academically charged and had a more diverse student body. And the magic of this place is just amazing," Ms. O'Donnell commented with enthusiasm
Most Memorable High School Experience: When she went to Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, Delaware, she enjoyed the senior pranks because they were a great bonding experience.

Peter Nilsson
Where is he coming from: Mr. Nilsson is from Marblehead, MA, and graduated from Middlebury, class of '99 with English and Music major.
What is he teaching? English II
Why did he choose DA? Because of the "interaction between faculty and students which is an ideal environment because it benefits both the students and faculty."
Most Memorable High School Experience: A Phillips Andover alumnus, his most memorable experience was his senior year when he lived in a little house with three other members of his graduating class.

Gregory Mitchell
Where is he coming from? Mr. Mitchell is fresh out of Duke University, where he majored in biology.
What is he teaching? Mr. Mitchell is currently teaching Bio I.
Why did he choose DA? Mr. Mitchell was specifically looking at teaching fellow positions, because he didn't want to jump into teaching. "Deerfield felt the best," he said in reference to coming to Deerfield.
Most Memorable High School Experience: The prom. "It was a blast and the most exciting night of my life. We took limousines up to San Francisco, and then went to a friend's house where we went swimming, ate, and just had fun."

John Poor
Where is he coming from? Mr. Poor was in his hometown of Cornish, New Hampshire, last year teaching fifth graders in a public school.
What is he teaching? Mr. Poor is an athletic intern and is assisting in the Fine Arts Department, specifically photography and teaching some spring electives.
Why did he choose DA? "After teaching last year, I was looking into teaching at an independent school long-term." His grandfather taught at Deerfield for 40 years and his mother grew-up in the Stebbin's house, so Mr. Poor was pretty familiar with the history of the Academy.
Most Memorable High School Experience: Participating in school activities such as rowing and theatre.

Danae Marr
Where is she from: Ms. Marr is from Northampton where she taught at the public high school.
What is she teaching? English I and III. "I'm thrilled about teaching at DA." I am happy with my students and excited to teach American literature as well as freshmen because they are beginning a period of change which I like to observe as the year progresses," she said.
Why did she choose DA? Ms. Marr always thought of teaching at a private school and knew the best place for her would be Deerfield. She likes how welcoming the school seems and says she is "dazzled by the splendor of neckties since I am not use to people dressing up for class."

Ngoc Do
Where she's coming from? Originally Vietnam, but she just finished school at Hamilton College in New York.
What is she teaching? Algebra II.
Why did she choose DA? "I chose DA because I was a student here; I decided to come and contribute to the school."
What was her most memorable high school experience? "...At Deerfield, the first time I saw snow! It seemed like it would never end."

Booth Kyle
Where he's coming from? Originally from Andover, MA, he comes to DA from a job at BB&N (Buckingham, Brown, and Nichol School) in Cambridge, MA. He was also getting his masters in education at Boston University.
What he is doing? He is the new Assistant Director of Admissions and will coach crew.
Why did he choose DA? "I loved everything about it. I wanted to be able to live in a dorm, and there was a need for crew coaches."
What is his most memorable high school experience? I played soccer for Brooks School and we won the New England championship."

Wendy Bradley
Where she is coining from: Ms. Bradley comes to us from Agawam Public School in Massachusetts.
What she is teaching? Ms. Bradley is the new Student Activities Coordinator and is a Deerfield Admissions Officer.
Why did she choose DA? "It seemed like a very exciting opportunity to do something new and interesting!"
Most memorable high school experience: "I was the New England discus champion in 1988. That was one of my most memorable times."

James Kapteyn
Where he is coming from: The Williston-Northampton School in Easthampton, MA.
What is he teaching? English I and III.
Why did he choose DA? "I came here as a student and absolutely loved it! The facilities are terrific, the colleagues are among the best to work alongside and the students are among the best that one could teach."
Most Memorable High School Experience? "Lots of things! I was lucky enough to have some wonderful English teachers! Also, the guy I proctored with ate an enormous amount!"

As published in the October 4, 2000 issue of The Deerfield Scroll, the monthly newspaper of Deerfield Academy.