Featured Story
New St. Luke's Faculty & Staff
St. Luke’s welcomed new faculty and staff (which included a couple familiar faces) to the Hilltop this week. Head of School Mark Davis shared these spoken remarks during the first Faculty-Staff meeting:
Alexis Adams
Alexis joins the Upper School Math Department after teaching at King School for five years, where she developed the Geometry course for the Summer Institute. Alexis’ mathematics and teaching journey began at the University of Pittsburgh, where she earned a B.S. in Applied Mathematics, and she began her official teaching career with at-risk adolescents in a public school in Maryland, where she also worked on the first curriculum mapping for Common Core Mathematics in the Frederick County Public Schools. She continues to develop her skills in a Master’s program in Math and Statistics at Fairfield University.
Back
Alexis Adams
Alexis joins the Upper School Math Department after teaching at King School for five years, where she developed the Geometry course for the Summer Institute. Alexis’ mathematics and teaching journey began at the University of Pittsburgh, where she earned a B.S. in Applied Mathematics, and she began her official teaching career with at-risk adolescents in a public school in Maryland, where she also worked on the first curriculum mapping for Common Core Mathematics in the Frederick County Public Schools. She continues to develop her skills in a Master’s program in Math and Statistics at Fairfield University.
Outside of math and teaching, Alexis is a Certified Personal Trainer, a TRX Instructor, and a Spinning Instructor. This past summer, Alexis set a personal goal to complete the Spartan Trifecta. She completed 10 miles of a Tough Mudder, 4 miles of Spartan Sprint, 9 miles of Spartan Super, and is looking forward to a Military Sprint at West Point as well as 16 miles of the Spartan Beast at Killington. All of these are obstacle races that have 10-40 obstacles. There is a 24 hour Spartan in Iceland in December, but she will save this for another year. Alexis says she is a teacher, trainer, and athlete because she loves to help others develop a growth mindset.
This year Alexis will teach Algebra 1 Part 2, Geometry, and Algebra 2, in addition to serving as assistant coach of the Varsity Volleyball Team.
Sarah Blanton
Sarah joins the World Language Department after working as an instructor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an assistant instructor for the SUNY Study-Abroad Program in Salamanca, Spain, and an Auxiliar de conversación for the Spanish Ministry of Education in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. Teaching both at home and abroad has made Sarah appreciate the importance of diversity in the classroom, and she is deeply committed to the challenge of addressing each of her student’s academic needs in a student-centered classroom while cultivating cultural awareness within the community. In addition, her professional interests include immersive, student-centered teaching methods, digital pedagogy and study abroad.
Sarah holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from SUNY Buffalo State and a master’s degree in Hispanic Languages and Literatures from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where her concentration was in Spanish (19th century Peninsular and Filipino colonial literature). When not teaching, she is an avid reader with a penchant for 19th and 20th-century Hispanic literature. She also enjoys playing music, going on hikes, and keeping up with her extended family and friends.
Sarah joins the World Language Department after working as an instructor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an assistant instructor for the SUNY Study-Abroad Program in Salamanca, Spain, and an Auxiliar de conversación for the Spanish Ministry of Education in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. Teaching both at home and abroad has made Sarah appreciate the importance of diversity in the classroom, and she is deeply committed to the challenge of addressing each of her student’s academic needs in a student-centered classroom while cultivating cultural awareness within the community. In addition, her professional interests include immersive, student-centered teaching methods, digital pedagogy and study abroad.
Sarah holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from SUNY Buffalo State and a master’s degree in Hispanic Languages and Literatures from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where her concentration was in Spanish (19th century Peninsular and Filipino colonial literature). When not teaching, she is an avid reader with a penchant for 19th and 20th-century Hispanic literature. She also enjoys playing music, going on hikes, and keeping up with her extended family and friends.
BJ Casey
Before joining St. Luke’s last February as Executive Assistant to the Head of School, BJ was a Senior Vice President at Chilton Investment Company, where she spent 15 years in the Marketing and Client Relations group. Prior to her time at Chilton, BJ was the Vice President of Marketing for Onview.com, an online fine art retailer, an Associate Marketing Manager at Time Inc. for Entertainment Weekly magazine, and was in both Client Services and Estates & Appraisals at Christie’s auction house.
Before joining St. Luke’s last February as Executive Assistant to the Head of School, BJ was a Senior Vice President at Chilton Investment Company, where she spent 15 years in the Marketing and Client Relations group. Prior to her time at Chilton, BJ was the Vice President of Marketing for Onview.com, an online fine art retailer, an Associate Marketing Manager at Time Inc. for Entertainment Weekly magazine, and was in both Client Services and Estates & Appraisals at Christie’s auction house.
BJ has a B.A. from the University of Southern California and an M.B.A. in Marketing from Columbia Business School. BJ also comes from an Independent School background, having attended Convent of the Sacred Heart in both New York City and San Francisco, and Choate (where she happened to be in the Dance Company under Director Sonia Bell).
BJ lives in New Canaan with her husband, Jack, and their three children, and in her free time enjoys live music, both on and off the stage.
LaRita Hamilton
Before joining St. Luke's as a member of the English department, LaRita taught Literature and English as an Additional Language at International School Manila in the Philippines, Pechersk School International in Ukraine, and Western Academy of Beijing in Beijing, China. In addition to her teaching duties, she coached cheerleading and track and field, and also worked with the prom committees and service learning clubs. LaRita holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from Carnegie Mellon University and a M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction from George Mason University. When she is not teaching, she enjoys exercising, reading and roller derby (which Mike West plans to roll out as a new varsity sport next year). She is very excited to join the SLS community.
Before joining St. Luke's as a member of the English department, LaRita taught Literature and English as an Additional Language at International School Manila in the Philippines, Pechersk School International in Ukraine, and Western Academy of Beijing in Beijing, China. In addition to her teaching duties, she coached cheerleading and track and field, and also worked with the prom committees and service learning clubs. LaRita holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from Carnegie Mellon University and a M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction from George Mason University. When she is not teaching, she enjoys exercising, reading and roller derby (which Mike West plans to roll out as a new varsity sport next year). She is very excited to join the SLS community.
Jingjing Lai
Jingjing joins St. Luke's as the Upper School Mandarin Teacher. She grew up in the south of China and studied Teaching Chinese as a Second Language at Shanghai University. During her senior year in college, she attended the University of Wyoming as an exchange student, where she discovered an interest in applied linguistics and decided to pursue her Master's degree in the United States.
Jingjing joins St. Luke's as the Upper School Mandarin Teacher. She grew up in the south of China and studied Teaching Chinese as a Second Language at Shanghai University. During her senior year in college, she attended the University of Wyoming as an exchange student, where she discovered an interest in applied linguistics and decided to pursue her Master's degree in the United States.
After completing her Bachelor's degree, Jingjing attended Pennsylvania State University to work on her Master's degree in Teaching English as a Second Language in the Applied Linguistics Department. During this time, she taught ESL in the Intensive English Communication Program and ESL Academic Composition Program. She also taught Beginner and Intermediate Chinese in the Chinese Program.
After graduating from Penn State, Jingjing moved to The Knox School in Long Island, New York. There, she not only taught ESL but also started the school’s Chinese program. In addition to teaching, Jingjing served many roles at Knox, Middle School Coordinator, International Coordinator, and Head House Parent. Her professional interests include online language teaching, technology-enhanced language teaching, TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling).
Irene Maier
Irene - who also goes by “Renie” - is our new school nurse and comes to us with over 20 years of nursing experience, having worked in both inpatient and outpatient settings with preadolescents, adolescents, and adults. Since she graduated from Western Connecticut State University with her BSN, much of Irene’s nursing career has been focused on Behavioral Health, where she has worked as Frontline Staff, Manager and Visiting Nurse. Most recently, she was working as a Circulating O.R. Nurse for a very busy Orthopedic One Day Surgical Center in Danbury.
Irene - who also goes by “Renie” - is our new school nurse and comes to us with over 20 years of nursing experience, having worked in both inpatient and outpatient settings with preadolescents, adolescents, and adults. Since she graduated from Western Connecticut State University with her BSN, much of Irene’s nursing career has been focused on Behavioral Health, where she has worked as Frontline Staff, Manager and Visiting Nurse. Most recently, she was working as a Circulating O.R. Nurse for a very busy Orthopedic One Day Surgical Center in Danbury.
Born and raised in Danbury, CT with six siblings, Renie has also resided in St. Charles, MO and Alameda, CA. She currently lives in Danbury with husband Darrell (who you all know as our Facilities Manager), their dog Jet and her mother Connie. Darrell and Renie love to travel, with a goal eventually to have the time to travel across the country in their RV. Renie enjoys hiking, running, biking, traveling, going to the movies and reading, and is (her words) “beyond excited” to be joining the St. Luke's family.
Carolyn Meatto
Before joining St. Luke's as an Upper School Spanish teacher, Carrie was a Spanish teacher and founding faculty member at Avenues: The World School, where she was also Assembly Chair, founder of the Community Salsa Party, member of the disciplinary committee, and a Critical Friends Group leader and trainer. She taught an interdisciplinary, project-based curriculum, within an immersion classroom, driven by ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) standards.
Before joining St. Luke's as an Upper School Spanish teacher, Carrie was a Spanish teacher and founding faculty member at Avenues: The World School, where she was also Assembly Chair, founder of the Community Salsa Party, member of the disciplinary committee, and a Critical Friends Group leader and trainer. She taught an interdisciplinary, project-based curriculum, within an immersion classroom, driven by ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) standards.
Prior to Avenues, Carrie taught Spanish and a Spanish-language journalism mini-course at Millbrook School, where she was also International Student Advisor, a dorm parent, coach, and a member of the Environmental Council. Carrie has volunteered as an interpreter in the medical, legal, employment-justice, and community center settings. She was also a translator and reporter for the Buenos Aires Herald and The American Prospect. She taught English in Buenos Aires to native Spanish speakers at multi-national corporations and taught ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) in Detroit and Ann Arbor (MI). She also volunteered in and led community development and youth leadership projects in Oaxaca, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Uruguay under the auspices of Amigos de las Américas. Carrie received a B.A. with Honors in Latin American Studies and Comparative Literature (Spanish and English) from Brown University and an M.A. in Spanish Literature from Middlebury College.
She loves to hike, garden, fish, cross-country ski, sail, and play tennis, and she travels often to Spanish-speaking countries. She grew up on a dairy farm in the Hudson Valley and has lived throughout New York state, New England, and also Argentina.
Viviana Silva Gil
Viviana hails from Bogota, Colombia and has lived in the U.S. since 2013. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish and Communication from the University of Pamplona in Colombia, and a Master’s Degree in Linguistics Applied to Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language from the University of Nebrija in Spain. She began her teaching career in 2005, teaching at Pre-K and Elementary schools in Colombia as well as at the Pontifical Bolivarian University, where she taught Portuguese.
In the U.S. Viviana has worked as a Spanish teacher for Oil and Gas companies in Houston, Texas, and as a Middle School Spanish teacher at St. Luke’s since last November. Viviana lives in Ridgefield with her husband. When she is not teaching, she is usually cooking traditional Colombian dishes, riding bicycles, dancing or traveling.
Viviana hails from Bogota, Colombia and has lived in the U.S. since 2013. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish and Communication from the University of Pamplona in Colombia, and a Master’s Degree in Linguistics Applied to Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language from the University of Nebrija in Spain. She began her teaching career in 2005, teaching at Pre-K and Elementary schools in Colombia as well as at the Pontifical Bolivarian University, where she taught Portuguese.
In the U.S. Viviana has worked as a Spanish teacher for Oil and Gas companies in Houston, Texas, and as a Middle School Spanish teacher at St. Luke’s since last November. Viviana lives in Ridgefield with her husband. When she is not teaching, she is usually cooking traditional Colombian dishes, riding bicycles, dancing or traveling.
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 40 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Leading with Humanity curriculum builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
