Meet Our New Staff
Essex Elementary School
Mia Ray - Title 1 Fellow: We're excited to welcome Mia to our team as a Teaching Fellow! Mia is currently pursuing her master's degree at Endicott College and has gained valuable experience through internships and practicum placements in Peabody, Beverly, and Bar Harbor, Maine. With a strong foundation in supporting student learning and a passion for education, Mia will provide academic intervention services to help our students grow and thrive.
Manchester Memorial Elementary SchoolKrista Anderson - Grade 4 Teacher: Krista Anderson joins our team as a first-year fourth-grade teacher. Through her experiences in Beverly, Danvers, and Woburn, she has worked with a wide range of learners and takes pride in helping each child succeed in the classroom. Krista is known for her optimistic, lively, and compassionate approach to teaching. She prides herself on creating a classroom environment where students feel encouraged to make mistakes, be themselves, and treat others with kindness. She is passionate about fostering a love of learning while helping students build confidence and the skills they need to be successful both in and beyond the classroom. Krista looks forward to getting to know each of her students, celebrating their individual strengths, and supporting them as they grow into lifelong learners and independent members of their community. She is especially excited to return to Memorial School, where she previously gained classroom experience, this time as the teacher of her own classroom.
Kaitlyn Gookin - Special Education Teaching Assistant: Kaitlyn Gookin is excited to join the Manchester Essex Regional School District as a Special Education Teaching Assistant. A recent graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in Inclusive Elementary and Special Education, Kaitlyn completed her student-teaching field experiences in elementary classrooms in Brooklyn, New York, and Syracuse. Grounded in the principles of inclusive learning, differentiation, and Universal Design for Learning, she is dedicated to helping every student feel supported, safe, and encouraged in their learning journey. Kaitlyn looks forward to assisting classroom teachers, collaborating with school specialists, and supporting Manchester Memorial Elementary students and families in the upcoming school year.
Emily Pugliese - IRWL Teacher: Emily Pugliese joins our school community after 7 years of teaching experience in both public and private schools. She spent the first five and a half years of her career as an elementary teacher and tutor at Landmark Elementary Middle School where she gained extensive training in teaching students with language-based learning disabilities. Emily then decided to venture into public school and spent the last year and a half as the 6th grade Language Based teacher at Beverly Middle School. Emily is excited to join the MERSD community and to be back in an elementary setting. She is passionate about meeting students where they are, building their confidence as readers, and helping each student feel successful in their learning. She looks forward to being part of the IRWL program and contributing to the MERSD community!
Cassie Repole - Special Education Teaching Assistant: Cassie Repole joins our team with a background in biology and experience providing child care for ages 3-8. She is passionate about fueling children's natural curiosity and helping them explore their own questions about the world. She looks forward to becoming a certified registered behavior technician and being able to help children develop their academic, social, and emotional skills.
Morgan Wilkie - RISE Teacher (K-1): Morgan Wilkie joins our school community with experience in special education and individualized programming, most recently working at Ayers Elementary School as part of the pilot implementation of the AIM program, similar to the RISE program offered at Manchester Memorial. In this role Morgan created a program where she supported students with autism and genetic disorders who benefit from individualized instruction, scaffolding, and supported inclusion opportunities. She collaborated closely with teachers and service providers to identify students’ strengths and challenges to develop effective, individualized approaches to help each student succeed. Morgan holds a master's degree in special education and will continue her professional studies this fall as she pursues certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). She is known for being patient, conscientious, and respectful, and she brings these qualities to her work with students, families, and colleagues. Morgan is passionate about creating inclusive learning environments where every student is recognized for their individual strengths and supported in reaching their potential. She looks forward to building meaningful relationships with students and staff and becoming an engaged and valued member of the school community.
Manchester Essex Regional Middle School
Aidan Cheney-Lynch - Teacher's Assistant: Aidan joins our TA team with experience teaching at both Suffield Academy and St. Mark's School. Aidan is a Manchester High Alum who went on to study French & Francophone literature, classics, and linguistics. He brings with him a passion for academics, athletics, and helping students become lifelong learners. In addition to joining us as a TA, Aidan is the new head coach of the Junior Varsity Girls soccer team.
Matthew Roy - Principal: Matt joins our team with 10 years of instructional leadership experience and six years of teaching experience at the middle level. Matt taught middle school social studies for six years in northern Vermont before accepting an assistant principal position in Montpelier, Vermont at Main Street Middle School. As the assistant principal, Matt led the implementation of restorative practices and helped lead the implementation of professional learning communities and multi-tiered systems of support. For the past six years, Matt served as the principal of Thomas Fleming School in Essex Junction, Vermont. Thomas Fleming is an upper elementary school with an enrollment of about 300 students. While serving as principal there, Matt engaged in an instructional leadership academy through the University of Washington's Center For Educational Leadership. He also led the implementation of professional learning communities and RTI (Response To Intervention). Matt is passionate about collaboration and continuous growth and is looking forward to working with the MERMS staff and partnering with the community to continue a tradition of excellence at the middle school.
Manchester Essex Regional High SchoolBrittney Carbone - Art teacher: We are pleased to welcome Brittney Carbone to the MERHS community! Brittney is an accomplished mixed-media artist who has built a strong career as an artist and educator. Brittney received her Master of Art at Boston University and spent a large part of her teaching career at Lexington Public Schools.
Juliana Vanegas-Marin - Administrative Assistant: MERHS is excited to welcome Juliana Vanegas Marin as our new administrative assistant. She will primarily work as the administrative assistant in the Office of School and College Counseling. Juliana comes to us with experience as a legal assistant and administrative assistant and is ready to greet the students of MERHS as they come into our counseling offices.
Manchester Essex Regional School DistrictTom Burke - Reading Specialist: We are excited for Tom to join us in the role of district MTSS Literacy Specialist. He holds a bachelor's degree from the College of William and Mary, a master's degree in Moderate Disabilities from Simmons College, and a Postgraduate certificate in Reading and Orton-Gillingham through Gordon College. His previous experiences include teaching at Landmark High and Reading Specialist/Interventionist in middle school settings.
Hannah Duffy - Elementary Speech-Language Pathologist: We are excited to welcome Hannah to MERSD as our new elementary Speech-Language Pathologist! Hannah brings valuable experience serving students across elementary, middle, and high school settings, as well as expertise supporting a wide range of communication needs. Her collaborative, student-centered approach emphasizes building strong relationships with students and families while working closely with educators and other specialists. We are thrilled to have her join our team!
Katie Pawlusiak - Literacy Instructional Coach (Essex/Memorial): Katie joins our district as our K-5 Literacy Instructional Coach and will work providing embedded professional learning for teachers across Essex and Memorial Elementary schools. She holds a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from the University of Northern Colorado and a Masters in Reading Education from Boston University. Her previous roles include classroom teacher and Reading Specialist in various elementary schools and a literacy coach for Salem Public Schools.