FRCPS: Faculty and Staff

From a Parent:

"We love the individual attention, the sense of community and the general respect for knowledge and challenge in our daughter's education."

Kate Conant, Academic Support Director
kconant@fourriverscharter.org
B.A., English and Community Service, Univ. of Massachusetts; M. Ed. In Special Education, Univ. of Massachusetts. Mrs. Conant's experience includes fourteen years special learning needs experience at Great Falls Middle School in the Gill-Montague District and five years at the Guilford, VT. Central Middle School. She is certified in Special Needs and joined Four Rivers in 2006.

Susan Durkee, Assistant Principal and Co-founder
sdurkee@fourriverscharter.org
B.F.A. in Sculpture; M.F.A. in English, University of Massachusetts/Amherst. Ms. Durkee has experience teaching Art in grades K-6 and teaching writing at the college level, and was a member of the Friends and Faculty Network at UMass, an organization to which one is nominated for outstanding service to students with learning disabilities. She joined Four Rivers in 2002.

William Fogel, School Psychologist and Counselor (Part Time)
wfogel@fourriverscharter.org
Ph.D., Child Clinical Psychology, St. John’s University; B.A., Psychology and Education, Hampshire College. Certified as a school psychologist. Dr. Fogel has worked in clinical and school settings for 10 years and most recently served as school psychologist in the Greenfield Public Schools. He joined Four Rivers in 2005.

Peter Garbus, Principal and Head of School
pgarbus@fourriverscharter.org
B.A. in History/Writing/Education, Brown University ; M.Ed. in Teaching, Harvard University . Mr. Garbus has been the founder and director of the North Central Charter Essential School in Fitchburg , a grade 7 – 12 school somewhat larger than Four Rivers. He is certified as a principal in Massachusetts . He previously taught for many years at the Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School in Devens , MA and was part of the inaugural faculty of an innovative public high school in Arizona . He joined Four Rivers in 2007

Matthew Leaf, Dean of Students
mleaf@fourriverscharter.org
B.A. Anthropology with a minor in Religion, Kenyon College. Mr. Leaf has 8 years of middle school classroom experience, and is also trained to teach Nature Studies and Outdoor Education. He joined Four Rivers in 2003.

Daniel Lederer, Director of Technology
dlederer@fourriverscharter.org
Mr. Lederer attended New Hampshire Vocational Technical College, Berklee College of Music in Boston, and City College of San Francisco and has had web design and systems administration positions in private industry. He has had technology and teaching roles at area schools, including 10 years at Hilltown Cooperative Charter School in Haydenville. He joined Four Rivers in 2005.

Jeanne Milton, Nurse (Part Time)
jmilton@fourriverscharter.org
RN, St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing, Providence , RI . Jeanne is experienced in all aspects of nursing and knows the local community health resources well. Her 27 years of practice in the local community includes 12 years as an emergency room and ICU nurse. She joined Four Rivers in 2007.

Andy Stenson, College and Guidance Counselor
astenson@fourriverscharter.org
B.A. Leeds University ; Post Graduate Certificate in Education, Bristol Polytechnic , England ; M.A., Education, Smith College . Mr. Stenson has extensive teaching experience in technology and special education, and he has also worked as an Outward Bound instructor. He joined Four Rivers in 2004..

Leslie Taylor, Registrar
ltaylor@fourriverscharter.org
B.A. American Studies and English, Colby College. Ms. Taylor has worked for many years in non-profit and educational settings in Franklin County, including high school and college admissions, as Executive Assistant at a regional history museum, and as leader an area performing arts center. She joined Four Rivers in 2003.

Carolyn Wood, School Secretary
cwood@fourriverscharter.org
B.A, English, Boston College; Carolyn has many years experience in office management and advertising research and teaching at Full Circle School in Bernardston. She joined Four Rivers in 2004 and subsequently developed the SPED Secretary role. She assumed the role of School Secretary in 2009.

Amy Wales, Director of Finance and Operations
awales@fourriverscharter.org
B.A. Environmental Studies, Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA; MBA, UMass Amherst. Amy spent 11 years working as an auditor and the past 2 years as Finance Director for United ARC. She also serves on the Finance Committee for the Town of Charlemont. Amy joined Four Rivers in 2016.

Shanti Archer, 7th and 8th Grade Teacher Assistant
sarcher@fourriverscharter.org
B.S. in Botany and M.S. in Microbiology, University of Massachusetts – Amherst. Ms. Archer was a lab researcher in marine science in the West Indies, and at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute. She later taught high school Biology and Environmental Science in schools in Brookline, Chelsea and Foxborough, MA. She joined Four Rivers in 2019.

Pic Coming!

Elizabeth Beardslee, Spanish and 9th grade Science.
ebeardslee@fourriverscharter.org
BA, Biology, Brown University ; MA, Spanish Literature, Middlebury College . Ms. Beardslee established an interdisciplinary ESL curriculum at the Monteverde Friends School , a middle/high school in Costa Rica and has taught Spanish and led school innovation at The Field School in Washington , DC . She returns to her science roots, teaching the Environmental Science class. She joined Four Rivers in 2009.

Leonda Boateng, 9th and 10th Grade English Teacher, Advisor
lboateng@fourriverscharter.org
B.A. in English, Virginia State University; M.A. in Teaching of English, Teachers College, Columbia University. Ms. Boateng has taught English language, literature and composition, in high schools in New Jersey, Texas and Connecticut. She spent two summers teaching English and drama at the Northfield Mount Hermon School’s Upward Bound Program. In addition, Ms. Boateng has spent several summers and school years teaching English language, American culture and English as a second language to high school and college students abroad in China, Equatorial Guinea, United Arab Emirates and Ghana. Before joining Four Rivers she and her family had just returned from a year teaching at the National High Jakarta School in Jakarta, Indonesia. She joined Four Rivers in Fall 2019.

Mike Bukowick, Title 1 Teacher
mbukowick@fourriverscharter.org
B.A. in Sociology, University of Virginia; M.L.A., UMass-Amherst; M.Ed., UMass-Amherst. Mr. Bukowick has taught History and English at the High School and Middle School levels in Springfield, Northampton and here at Four Rivers, and previously taught Math and Science at the equivalent of High School level using New Zealand National Curriculum, as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Solomon Islands. He has lived, worked and travelled in a wide variety of places and occupations, and now does some illustration on the side.

Deborah Chamberlain, 11th and 12th Grade Assistant Teacher
dchamberlain@fourriverscharter.org
B.S. in Education and Biology from North Adams State College (now MCLA). Ms. Chamberlain lives in Wendell and has been teaching Wellness at the Francis Parker Charter Essential School in Devens for the past 16 years. Deborah worked for 3 years prior to that at NYC Outward Bound and 8 years at the Hurricane Island Outward Bound in Florida. She joined Four Rivers in 2013.

Anneke Dunnington, 7th Grade English/Social Studies
adunnington@fourriverscharter.org
BA in Fine Arts, Alfred University; M.A.T., Marlboro College. Ms. Dunnington taught humanities and history at the Kindle Farm School, student taught at the Brattleboro middle and high schools, and taught 7th grade social studies for 1 year at Mohawk Regional. She also has deep interests in farming and various arts. She joined Four Rivers in 2017.

Bob Etzweiler, Nature
retzweiler@fourriverscharter.org
B.A. in Psychology from Penn State University. Mr. Etzweiler has over 15 years experience teaching nature through summer programs and other wilderness programs near his home in Putney, VT and in Pennsylvania where he is from. He joined Four Rivers in 2011.

Jessica Farwell, 8th grade Math
jfarwell@fourriverscharter.org
B.A., Psychology, Bard College. M.Ed., Science Teacher Education, UMass-Amherst with licensure in General Science and Middle School Mathematics. MA Institute for New Teachers, Boston. Ms. Farwell has taught math and science to middle school students for over 15 years in various schools, including Newton Public Schools, PVPA, and Hilltown Charter. She also taught for 2 years in our own Div 2 at Four Rivers. Jess joined Four Rivers in 2005 and again in 2015.

Marc Guillaume, 8th Grade Science
mguillaume@fourriverscharter.org
BA in Philosophy, SUNY Albany; M.Ed. UMass Amherst. Mr. Guillaume has been teaching middle school science at the International School of Dakar, Senegal for the past four years. Prior to that, he taught middle school science for 3 years at Amherst MS, 4 years at Greenfield MS, and 1 year in West Springfield. He joined Four Rivers in 2017.

Anne Haxo, 9th and 10th Grade Learning Specialist
ahaxo@fourriverscharter.org
B.A. Education/Special Needs, Elms College. Ms. Haxo has three years experience in Special Education at the elementary and middle school levels prior to joining the Four Rivers faculty in 2003. She is certified in Special Needs (K-9). She joined Four Rivers in 2003.

Bethany Hobbs, 9th and 10th Grade Social Studies
bhobbs@fourriverscharter.org
B.A. in Applied Linguistics and Spanish, Union University; M.A. in Social Justice, SIT Graduate Institute; M.A. in Teaching Social Justice Curriculum, Marlboro College Graduate School. Ms. Hobbs has been teaching 7th grade humanities for the past 5 years. She established an English educational program at El Ayudante, a non-profit organization in Leon, Nicaragua, and comes to Four Rivers after teaching 7th and 8th grade humanities at Compass School in Westminster, Vermont. Ms. Hobbs also serves as a faculty member with the Vermont Governor's Institute and travels with international students through World Learning's Youth Leadership and Peacebuilding programs. She joined Four Rivers in 2012.

Zach Jakub, Music
zjakub@fourriverscharter.org
B.M. Music Education, Keene State College, Keene, NH. Zack spent 13 years teaching music at Northwood School in Lake Placid, NY before moving back to this area where he grew up. He is also the Lead Raft Guide, Snowboard Director and Terrain Park Manager at Berkshire East.
Zack joined Four Rivers in 2016.

Sara Katz, 11th and 12th grade Math
skatz@fourriverscharter.org
B.A., Math and Psychology, Smith College; M.A., Adolescent Math Education, Brooklyn College. Ms. Katz taught math at a small project-based school in NYC, the Essex Street Academy for 8 years and for 3 years prior to that at a vocational school in New York. She joined Four Rivers in 2018.

Amanda Locke, 7th Grade Science and Math
alocke@fourriverscharter.org
Ms. Locke comes to Four Rivers with a B.A. in Communication Studies with a minor in Environmental Studies from Hamilton College and a M.S. Environmental Education with Middle School General Science Certification from Antioch New England Graduate School. Perhaps her best training for teaching middle school is her experience as an Outdoor Educator, Life Skills teacher and Wilderness Trip leader with teens prior to joining Four Rivers as a founding faculty member in 2003. Nominated by her colleagues, she was honored to be a 2018 finalist for the KLINGENSTEIN TEACHER AWARD .

Felix Lufkin, Nature Asistant
flufkin@fourriverscharter.org
B.A., plant medicine at Hampshire College. Mr. Lufkin works with K-12 and college students at a number of programs in the Valley teaching nature awareness and homestead skills. He joined Four Rivers in 2008, working with the nature program and helping to nurture the Blatchford Garden.

Sara Lyons, Art
slyons@fourriverscharter.org
B.F.A. in Photography from the Rochester Institute of Technology and an M.A.T. in Visual Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design. Ms. Lyons has taught art to students in high school in Michigan and Maryland. She also has experience teaching photography at Greenfield Community College's Community Education department. She joined Four Rivers in 2012.

Amanda McNamara, Wellness (Health and Physical Education)
amcnamara@fourriverscharter.org
B.A. Sociology and Anthropology, Wells College; M.A Social Work, Smith College. Ms. Griffith has had dual interests and experience in counseling adolescents at the Academy at Swift River, and an early college major in Physical Education, including as co-captain of her Wells College soccer team. She joined Four Rivers in 2005.

Jackie MacNeish, 8th Grade English and Social Studies
jmacneish@fourriverscharter.org
B.A. in English Literature from Grinnell College and a Masters of Arts in Environmental Leadership and Experiential Education from Naropa University. Ms. MacNeish taught English, Art, Orientation, and Physical Education at the Academy at Swift River for three years and she taught English, Social Studies, Science, and team building for two years at the Antrim Girls Shelter School in New Hampshire. She's worked with outdoor and adventure programs on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay and in Boulder, Colorado, and has worked and traveled in many parts of the world. Some of her hobbies include cooking international food, throwing clay on the wheel, and writing and illustrating kids' books. She joined Four Rivers in 2013.

Andy Patari, 11th and 12th Grade Science
apatari@fourriverscharter.org
B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Pittsburg; M.S. in Environmental Studies from Antioch University New England. Mr. Patari comes to Four Rivers after teaching experiences at the Compass School in Vermont and two years with the Peace Corps in Guatemala. Mr. Patari is fluent in Spanish and rock climbs, among other interests. He joined Four Rivers in 2012.

Leah Plath, 11th and 12th Grade English
lplath@fourriverscharter.org
M.A in English Literature, Southern New Hampshire University, B.A. English Literature, University of Massachusetts Amherst. Before Four Rivers, Ms. Plath taught at New Leadership Charter School in Springfield, MA. She has directed the annual Four Rivers drama productions since 2009, including Hello Dolly, Grease, and Godspell. She is also a multi-published author. Ms. Plath joined Four Rivers in 2007.

Dovrah Plotkin, Division 2 Teacher Assistant, 10th Grade Wellness Teacher,
dplotkin@fourriverscharter.org
B.A. from Umass Amherst's University Without Walls program, concentrating in the connection between education and psychology with a minor in psychology. She worked as a paraprofessional in both a special education school, and at Brookline High School in Brookline, MA working mostly with students on the autism spectrum. She is also the coach of Girls Varsity Ultimate at Four Rivers, and has been coaching ultimate since 2011. She is also an experienced drummer, and a Four Rivers Alumna. She joined Four Rivers in 2017.

Rebecca Rice, Spanish
rrice@fourriverscharter.org
B.A. Spanish Language and Literature/Education, Guilford College. Ms. Rice is a graduate of the Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School in Devens, MA and after leading inter-cultural educational programs in Central and South America, she completed the Parker School’s teacher certification program and taught Spanish there for two years. She joined Four Rivers in 2011.

Elizabeth Rodriguez Salas, 7th and 9th grade Spanish
ers@fourriverscharter.org
B.A., Spanish, UMass Amherst. Having grown up in Chile, Ms. Salas taught four years at the Academy of Charlemont and several years before that at Mohawk. She joined Four Rivers in 2018.

Jessica Roll, 11th and 12th Grade Learning Specialist
jroll@fourriverscharter.org
B.A. in Spanish , Bates College ; M. Ed in Spanish and ESL , Boston College ; M.Ed. in Special Education, UMass Boston. Ms. Roll taught special education at the Mystic Valley Charter School in Malden, has taught at Boston International High School and at Brookline High School and also has taught for two years at the Shackleton Expeditionary High School in Ashby , MA . Ms. Roll worked as an assistant farm manager and led at-risk youth repairing trails in the mountains of Oregon . She joined Four Rivers in 2010.

Shuyang Sun, 9th and 10th grade Math
ssun@fourriverscharter.org
B.S., Math, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; M.A., Math Education, Teachers College, Columbia University. Originally from China, Ms. Sun student taught at a high school and middle school in New York City and was a math specialist at the Acera School outside Boston. She joined Four Rivers in 2018.

Laura Stamas 10th Grade Science
lstamas@fourriverscharter.org
B.A. Biology, Bard College; M.S. Environmental Studies and Teaching High School Biology, Antioch University New England. Before arriving at Four Rivers Ms. Stamas taught science and math to students with special needs at Eagle Mountain School in Greenfield, MA. Her professional development work with Expeditionary Learning and the Next Generation Science Exemplar System has helped her continue to craft engaging curriculum that incorporates real investigations and critical thinking into the science classroom. She joined Four Rivers in 2005.

Niki Walk, 9th and 10th Assistant Teacher, 9th Grade Advisor
nwalk@fourriverscharter.org
A.A. in Liberal Arts, Greenfield Community College; B.A. in Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Ms. Walk is a graduate of Four Rivers and was a member of the founding 7th grade here in 2003. She returned to serve for several years as an Ultimate Frisbee coach, and worked at Sheffield School as an after school teacher. She joined the teaching staff at Four Rivers in 2019.

Photo coming!

Alex Wilson, 11th and 12th Grade Social Studies
awilson@fourriverscharter.org
B.A., Political Science, Bates College; M.A. in Teaching, Lewis and Clark College. Mr. Wilson has experience at the elementary, middle and high school level and has taught in Marin County California, Portland Oregon and in West Hartford Connecticut. Prior to that he worked on political campaigns in Boston and in the Bay Area. Mr. Wilson played professional basketball in Denmark and has coached at nearly every level. He currently leads the Varsity Otters Hoops Team. He joined Four Rivers in 2011.

Perri Wexler, 7th and 8th grade Learning Specialist
pwexler@fourriverscharter.org
B.A. and MEd. in Special Education, University of Florida. Ms. Wexler has worked for the past 16 years as an English teacher and Education Coordinator at the Seaport Academy in Charlestown, MA. She has additional years of experience as a Learning Specialist and writing teacher. She joined Four Rivers in 2016.