Williston Welcomes Eight New Faculty Members

Williston Northampton School is proud to welcome eight new faculty members to campus this fall. The eight will be learning about life at Williston during introductory faculty meetings and Welcome Days. Classes begin on September 10. The new faculty are:

Rachel Gordon (English and Student Activities)
Rachel will teach 8th grade English and serve as the Director of Student Activities. She earned a BS degree in Education from the University of South Florida. Rachel will live in John Wright Hall.

Michael Mailloux (Mathematics)
Michael is completing a MS in Mathematics at Temple this summer. He has a MA in Mathematics from Bowling Green University and a BA in Mathematics from Westfield State. He will be an advisor, and will work in the afternoon program. Michael will live in John Wright Hall.

Colin Mann (Director of Choirs)
Colin is just finishing a master’s program in Choral Conducting at The Eastman School of Music in Rochester NY. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Music Education and Voice Performance at SUNY Fredonia. He will be an advisor and work in the afternoon program. Colin will live in Logan House.

Sara Schieffelin (Director of Psychological Counseling)
Sara joins Williston after serving as the Clinical Director for the transitional-age youth program at ServiceNet in Greenfield and Northampton. She also maintains a private practice as a clinical therapist. She earned a BA at McGill University and a MSW from Smith College. Sarah lives off campus.

Josh Schmidt (Science)
Josh comes to Williston from the Hill School in Pennsylvania where he has worked for eight years. Josh earned a MS and Ph.D in Chemistry from Cornell, and a B.A. in Chemistry from Reed College. Josh will teach Physics, serve as an advisor, and be involved in the afternoon program. Josh and his family will live at 220 Main St.

Wendy Staples (Visual Arts)
Wendy joins Williston after teaching for eight years at Wilbraham Monson Academy. She earned a BFA from Alfred University with a concentration in painting, and an M.A. Ed. from Boston University. Wendy will be the Williston yearbook advisor, and she is an advisor to the 9th grade program. She and her husband Dan live in Logan House.

Sarah Swersey (Instrumental Music)
Sarah is our instrumental music teacher. She joined the faculty this winter, and we are very excited that she will be returning to Williston for the 2018-19 academic year. Sarah earned a BA in Music from Oberlin, and a Master of Music from Yale University School of Music. Sarah lives off campus.

Laura Vachet (Academic Support Coordinator)
Laura has worked as a Learning Specialist and Spanish teacher at MacDuffie and Bement over the last 18 years. She has a BA in Secondary Education from William and Mary and a Master of Education degree with an emphasis in Special Education from the University of Virginia. Laura will live off campus.