The 2011-12 Rumney Memorial School Staff

Adam Rosen, principal, is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and has a Master's Degree in Education from Antioch New England Graduate School and Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Castleton State College. Adam lives in East Montpelier with his wife, Jennifer Calder, and two daughters: Terrin and Aliyah.  He enjoys reading, bicycling, berry growing and picking, jelly-making, small carpentry projects, cross country skiing, most of all, long walks on quiet mornings.

Joanne Breidenstein, paraprofessional, is in her 5th year in the Primary Unit at Rumney. In her "past life" she was a High School English teacher and before that, a media planner. She and her husband, Mike, have lived in Middlesex for 19 years and their son, Corey, attends U-32.

Margaret (Scottie) Brower, 1/2 Grade Teacher, is in her 28th year at Rumney. Scottie was born in Washington, Pennsylvania and grew up in Long Island and in Connecticut. She has a daughter, Caitlin, two grown stepchildren, and two grandchildren. Scottie graduated from Colby College and earned her masters degree from Bank Street College of Education. Scottie enjoys reading, traveling, working on dreams, and yoga.

Lauren Caswell, Physical Education Teacher, is in her 2nd year at Rumney, and her 10th year teaching.  Lauren grew up in Northfield, Vermont where she currently lives her husband, Eric, and son, Elliot.  She graduated from Lyndon State College and earned a Masters from Southern New Hampshire University.  She enjoys coaching and playing soccer, backcountry skiing, crafts, and family vacations.

Jennifer Campbell, Art Teacher, is in her 12th year teaching at Rumney. Jen was born and raised in New Jersey and moved to Vermont in 1988. She earned her BFA in Fine Arts from Johnson State College and her teaching certification from the University of Vermont. Jen lives in Waterbury Center where she enjoys the surrounding mountains for hiking, running, swimming, field hockey, and both downhill and cross-country skiing. One of her goals is to take a few weeks and hike the Long Trail from end to end. Other interests include music and theater and, of course, art!

Jessica Lyle Chaplin, Special Education Tutor, grew up in New York and moved to Vermont in 1973 after graduating from Ithaca College. Jessica and her husband Mark have three daughters. She enjoys reading, tennis, scuba diving, making baskets and canoeing.

Diana Costello, 3rd-4th grade teacher, is in her 7th year at Rumney, and 17th year in teaching. Diana grew up in Connecticut but knew she belonged in Vermont after graduating from Lyndon State College in 1986 with a B.S. in Elementary Education. She has taught pre-school/Kindergarten, 4th grade, and  5/6 at Roxbury Village School. For the past 17 years, she has lived in Moretown with her husband Chris, who also teaches 3/4 at Thatcher Brook Primary School. Her daughters, Katie and Meghan attend Harwood Union High School and Champlain College. Diana and her family enjoy playing vigorously outside in all four seasons. When forced to be indoors, she reads, sews, or redecorates her house.

Becky Crandell, Kindergarten Teacher, is in her 8th year at Rumney. Becky was born in the Finger Lakes Region of upstate New York, and grew up all over including Nashville, London and Denver. She received her B.A. from Metro State College in Denver, and completed her Masters in Education at UVM. She and her family live in East Montpelier where they enjoy gardening, music, art and traveling.

Christa Danyew, Paraeducator and Office Assistant, is in her 12th year at Rumney. Her husband, Howard and children, Alicia and Andrew built their home in Middlesex 16 years ago. Christa enjoys the Boston Red Sox, camping, gardening and sewing.

Sara Dillon, Music Teacher, is brand new this year to Rumney Elementary. She has taught previously in Cranston, RI, and Rutland, VT. Her degree is a Bachelor's in Music Education from the University of Rhode Island. You might see her performing locally on violin, trumpet, French horn, or voice. She may also be shooting some hoops or kicking around a soccer ball! Currently she resides with her Smooth-hair Fox Terrier named Joey.

Heather Dion, Grade 5 Teacher, was born in Massachusetts and grew up in New Hampshire. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and her Masters in Elementary Education from the University of New Hampshire. Heather taught 4th, 5th, and 6th grade in NH. Heather has been living in Vermont for six years and she is very excited to call Vermont home. She enjoys hiking with her husband, biking, playing softball, volleyball, and field hockey. She also enjoys reading, traveling, spending time with family/friends and working out at the gym.

Maribeth Domanski, 1/2 Grade Teacher, is in her 26th year teaching at Rumney. Maribeth graduated and completed her master's degree from Seton Hall University in New Jersey. She taught first grade for four years in New Jersey. Maribeth and her husband, O.W., have two grown children, Jesse and Marissa and both were Rumney students K-6. Her hobbies are hiking, tennis, kayaking, reading and cross-country skiing.

Jennifer Donovan, Spanish Teacher, is in her 8th year teaching at Rumney. Jennifer was born and raised in Suffern, New York. She majored in Spanish at Castleton State College and enhanced her language experiences by studying in Chile, South America. Jennifer continued her education and earned her Master's of Science in Teaching at SUNY Potsdam. Besides her love for teaching Spanish to young children, Jen loves Vermont and the outdoors! Jen lives in Waterbury with her husband and son, where she also enjoys hiking, rock climbing, snowboarding and cooking.

Linda Emmons, 3/4 Grade Teacher, is in her 12th year at Rumney. Linda is a local girl who went to both East Montpelier Elementary School and Union 32. She is also a proud graduate of Lyndon State College. Linda enjoys biking, reading, cross country skiing, kayaking and spending time with her family. She lives in East Calais with her husband, Brian, and her 6 and 4-year old daughters, Lea and Sylvia.

Katy Farber, Grade 6 Teacher, is in her 12th year teaching at Rumney. Katy grew up in State College, Pennsylvania. After graduating from Colorado State University with a B.S. in Natural Resources, she taught New York City school children at an environmental education center. She completed her Master's of Science in Teaching in Elementary Education at the State University of New York in Plattsburgh. Katy taught fifth grade at the Twinfield Union School for two years before coming to Rumney. She lives in Middlesex with her husband and daughters. She enjoys running, biking, hiking and skiing.

Sharon Spector Grossi, Guidance Counselor, is in her 9th year at Rumney. Sharon grew up in Beverly, MA and graduated from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN in 1994. After living in St. Paul and Duluth, MN, she moved to Vermont and graduated with a master's degree in counseling from UVM in 2000. Sharon lives in Worcester with her husband, Jacob, and son, Sage. In her free time, Sharon enjoys being outdoors, cross-country skiing, music, gardening, natural foods cooking, and any kind of craft she has time to learn.

Theresa Hait, paraeducator, is in her 3rd year at Rumney School. She graduated from UVM with a B.S. in Early Childhood Education and is currently working on a Masters Degree. Theresa grew up mainly in Massachusetts, with a short stint in Pennsylvania, but has come to find Vermont her home. Theresa enjoys traveling, reading, hiking, playing ultimate frisbee, savoring a massive mug of tea or cocoa, cheering on the Red Sox, and enjoying time with friends and family.

Chip Hedler, Educational Technology Resource Teacher and Math Challenge Teacher, is in his 12th year at Rumney. Chip came to Rumney after teaching in two different Vermont one-room schools and working in environmental education. He has a Master's degree in science and elementary education from Antioch New England Graduate School. Chip, his wife, Maria, and her two children are now located in Norwich, VT, and enjoy hiking, biking, back-country skiing, and contra dancing.

Martha Page Israel,School Nurse, is in her 14th year at Rumney. Martha graduated from the Claremont Colleges in California with a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology and has a B.S.N. (nursing) from the University of Southern Maine in Portland where she worked in the student clinic for four years. Martha was the nurse at Union Elementary School in Montpelier before coming to Rumney. She lives in East Montpelier with her teenage son, two dogs, and two horses. In their free time, they try to escape to their camp in western Maine.

Leslie Johnson, Pre-Kindergarten Teacher, is in her 6th year at Rumney. Leslie grew up on the Connecticut shoreline and moved to Vermont in 1987. She earned her bachelor's degree from Norwich University in 2001.  She taught pre-school for nine years at Sunrise Montessori School in Waitsfield. She has also taught kindergarten and grades one and two. Leslie has four children ages 16 through 25. She enjoys teaching, gardening, cycling, hiking, skiing, music, theater, and yoga. 

Tamara Joslyn, Paraprofessional and Athletic Director. This is Tamara's 13th year at Rumney. Tamara enjoys camping, biking, gymnastics, and knitting.

Woodrow LaMountain, Jr., Custodian, is in his 26th year at Rumney. Woody was born and raised in the Worcester and Montpelier area. He and his wife, Joyce, live in Calais. Woody enjoys playing music on many instruments (accordion mostly), raising animals and gardening.

Loralyn LeBlanc Learning Specialist & 5th Grade Co-Teacher is in her 4th year at Rumney. Loralyn grew up in Massachusetts. She completed her Masters of Arts degree in Special Education at Assumption College and her Doctorate of Education from the University of Vermont. Loralyn has worked as a special educator for the Burlington Public Schools and Woodbury Elementary, and as the coordinator of professional development for the Stern Center for Language and Learning. In addition to working at Rumney three days a week, Loralyn is a literacy consultant for the Vermont Reads Institute, and an adjunct faculty member for Union Institute and University and the Vermont Higher Ed Collaborative.  Loralyn and her husband live in Montpelier with their son, Camden and dog, Yukon. She enjoys running, hiking, camping, CrossFit and spending time with her family.

Deb Lynde, Cook & Food Service Manager, grew up in Montpelier and has lived on Culver Hill in Middlesex for over 25 years. She has been part of Rumney in various capacities since 1991. Her adult son, Corey lives in Berlin, VT. She enjoys horseback riding, her cat, all animals, and, of course, cooking.

Maggie McGlynn, Speech-Language Pathologist, is in her 7th year at Rumney. Maggie earned her Master's degree in Communication Sciences from UVM.  She grew up in Switzerland where she worked in Elementary Education (1st through 3rd Grade) for 5 years. She moved to Waterbury, Vermont in 2003 with her husband and two sons after living in New Jersey for fourteen years.  She enjoys spending time with her family, skiing and snowboarding, biking, hiking, and reading.

Robin Rattazzi - Special Education Tutor, is in her 17th year at Rumney. Robin and her husband built their house in Middlesex more than 25 years ago. In her free time, she enjoys her family, gardening, her animals and weaving.

Liz Scharf, assistant cook, has worked at Rumney for the last 6 years in various roles as substitute, playgroup facilitator and healthy snack coordinator. Liz has a B.A. in English from UVM and enjoys mountain biking, singing, gardening and cooking. 

Julie Smart, Special Educator, is in her 12th year at Rumney. Julie graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in History and a Masters in Teaching special and elementary education. Julie and her husband, Chris, live in Montpelier with their daughter, Alex, and son, Avery. They enjoy camping, canoeing, reading, snowshoeing, and relaxing on the front porch.

Nicole Sorrell, Administrative Assistant, is in her 3rd year at Rumney and has lived in Middlesex for 6 years with her husband and daughter and their two dogs. In her free time, she enjoys her family, hiking, yoga, reading and snowshoeing.  

Lisa Stoudt, Special Educator, joins Rumney this fall. She was born in Vermont but grew up in Maryland. She started college at University of Maryland (fear the turtle!), but returned to Vermont and finished her Bachelor's in Elementary Education at Johnson. She completed her Master's Degree in Special Education at University of Vermont, where, for one year, she had the joy of crossing paths on campus with her oldest son, also a UVM alum! She is a mother of four boys… and several dogs. She and her husband own Park Row Café in Waterbury. Aside from those loves, she runs and gardens and reads.

Ben Weiss, First grade Teacher, is in his 2nd year at Rumney and 13th year teaching elementary school. Ben is a graduate of Stonehill College and also obtained his Master's degree in education from Johnson State College in 2004. He is a lifelong resident of Worcester and lives with his wife on their small family farm. He loves biking, skiing, and playing in general.

Lynne Woodard, Librarian, is in her 16th year at Rumney. Lynne grew up in Saxtons River, Vermont, and received a B.S. in Art Education from UVM in 1974. In 1994, after living a quiet life of adventure, she finally finished a masters degree at UVM and became certified as a school library media specialist. Each year at Rumney has been even better than the year before. Away from school, she likes doing stuff with the children in her family (Nat, Sarah, Gretchen, Hannah and Rory) and her granddaughters, Lila and Adele.