Please join us in welcoming this year's new faculty and staff!
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Antonia Angeles - Upper School Spanish
Ms. Angeles was born and raised in Peru. She used to teach English as a foreign language in her home country in both private and public schools and language centers. Her experience as a Spanish exchange teacher in a high school in Williamsburg, Virginia motivated her to pursue a Masters in Hispanic Studies. She obtained her masters from Villanova University in 2008. Right after graduating, she started working at The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania where she worked for eight years. When she is not preparing lessons, Ms. Angeles is watching movies, reading, or listening to salsa music (and sometimes dancing to it, too!).
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Monica Campbell - Lower and Upper School Art teacher
Ms. Campbell has been teaching art in the Washington area since 1991 at various schools including Madeira, Flint Hill, Potomac, and most recently Burgundy Farm Country Day School. She loves creating her own art as well - painting, photography, and ceramics. She has three children out of the nest - two in college and one starting grad school in the fall. She and her husband are avid outdoors enthusiasts and love kayaking, running, cross-country skiing, or just about anything that gets them out in nature.
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Chus Gonzalez - Upper School Spanish
Ms. Gonzalez was born and raised in Spain (Valencia). For the past twenty years, she has lived in variety of locations including Madrid, Boston, Mexico D.F., and Washington, D.C.
Ms. Gonzalez has previously taught Spanish language, grammar, and literature in independent schools. Most recently, for the past twelve years, she has taught at George Washington University (GWU) and John Hopkins (SAIS). She enjoys reading, walking, going to the movies, the opera, and traveling - always with her family and friends. She also likes to write short stories based on magical realism with her daughter.
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Rachel Helming - Lower School Counselor
Mrs. Helming has spent the last 13 years working in schools as an elementary school teacher and most recently as a school social worker. She has also worked as a therapist in private practice serving students and families. Mrs. Helming earned her Bachelors of Arts from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!), Masters of Education from Hunter CUNY, and Masters of Social Work from The University of Chicago.
Mrs. Helming is originally from Chevy Chase, Maryland and returned to the Washington area two years ago after living in Chicago and New York City. >>Read more
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Jennifer Horne - Director of Strings and Music Technology
Ms. Horne is a graduate of Temple University's Esther Boyer College of Music and Dance with a degree in Music Education, and most recently received her Masters in Music Education from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Ms. Horne grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey where she was an active violinist and vocalist. While studying violin with Helen Kwalwasser at Temple University, she held concertmaster and section leader positions in various university ensembles. >>Read more
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Cheryl McCulla - Upper School English, Latin, and History
Cheryl returns to Holton after two years of teaching Latin at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia following a four-year stint in Liberia and Jamaica with her Foreign Service husband. Before that, she taught Latin for a dozen or so years at Holton. In the course of her travels, she has lived in six countries and taught everything from second grade to IB English. An admitted dabbler, Cheryl holds a passionate belief that living is learning. She sings, paints, and plays many instruments (most of them rather badly); she enjoys reading, birding, scuba diving, origami, and messing around with computers.
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Hannah McCloud - Athletic Trainer (filling in during maternity leave)
Ms. McCloud is a certified athletic trainer who is licensed in both Maryland and Virginia. She graduated with a BA in Sports Medicine from Central Michigan University in 2006. Additionally, she is attending San Juan College working on her associates in their physical therapist assistant program. Her most recent job took her to Camp Lejeune, NC for five years where she worked with the Marine Corps and Navy in their sports medicine department. Now relocated to the Washington area, she lives with her husband, a Marine, her 14-month-old daughter, and their yellow lab in Alexandria. She loves the Detroit Tigers and is training for the Marine Corps Marathon in October. Ms. McCloud missed using her athletic trainer skills, while staying home after the birth of her daughter, She is very excited to begin the year at Holton!
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Laura Monagan - Upper School History
Ms. Monagan returns to Holton as a long term substitute after a five year tour in Berlin, Germany, where she mentored ESL students in the IB program at Berlin Brandenburg International School. Upon returning to the States, she taught at the Siena School in Silver Spring, a college prep school for students with language-based learning disabilities. She also tutored adults in ESL. Laura brings with her a love of music and says she looks forward to singing along at the Thanksgiving Assembly. All told, this will mark Laura's twentieth year at Holton!
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Louisa Nill - Middle School History
Ms. Nill is so excited to become a part of the faculty at Holton! She was born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts and has since lived in Montreal, Quebec; northern New Jersey; and Washington, DC. She also taught for one year at the Shady Hill School in Cambridge. For the past three years, she taught math, science, and social studies to fifth graders at Capitol Hill Day School. She can't wait, however, to get back to her roots teaching middle school history. In her free time, Ms. Nill likes to cook (well), dance (poorly), and do anything that will get her outside.
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Hilary Park - Fine and Performing Arts Administrative Assistant
Ms. Park has been praised for her musical sophistication, vocal agility, and solid musicality. No stranger to concert repertoire, she was a featured soloist on Voices of Ascension's 2009 Grammy - nominated recording,
Song of the Stars, by Naxos. She has appeared with the Washington Summer Opera as La Fée in Massenet's
Cendrillon, where she received critical acclaim as she, "managed her fairy godmother role with sparkling Queen-of-the-Night coloratura"... Cecelia Porter,
The Washington Post, and as Miss Silver in
The Impressario, where the singing and acting were "splendid"....Joseph McLellan,
The Washington Post.
>>Read more
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Lucia Piacenza - Middle School Science
Ms. Piacenza is joining Holton's Middle School science team after teaching and coaching at Kent School in Kent, CT. Prior to Kent, she taught health and was assistant director of residential life at Fryeburg Academy in Fryeburg, ME. Her career began in neuroscience research at Stanford University, just after she graduated from Bates College with a BS in Neuroscience. She is thrilled to be teaching seventh grade science and coaching crew at Holton this year. In her free time, Ms. Piacenza loves to practice yoga, play with her dog (George Eliot), and camp with her husband (who teaches English at Potomac).
>>Read more______________________________________________________________________
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Kelly Randall - Diversity and Global Education Administrative Assistant
Diversity and Global Education Administrative Assistant, Kelly Randall, has worked in a variety of education and youth development programs for the past 15 years through the YMCA of San Diego County. She was also a Global Ambassador for the Y, helping to develop global curriculum and partnerships throughout the world, as well as engage the community in the YMCA's diversity programs. Her work oversees as a volunteer teacher in Thailand and South Africa solidified her passion for global education. Within the past year, she returned to the Washington area where she grew up. She is excited to return to her roots, and make new roots here at Holton-Arms. In her spare time, Ms. Randall, enjoys traveling and photography.
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Kate Rizzi - Lower School Learning Specialist
Ms. Rizzi lives in a house with her husband—the house where her three children were born and raised. In that house, she has had a ton of fun, made a ton of mistakes, loved a lot and learned a lot. She hopes to continue doing exactly that.
After fifteen years of teaching, Kate most recently served as Instructional Coach at McLean School, where she worked closely with teachers to help them discover what could inspire their students to engage in meaningful inquiry and investigation.
>>Read more
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Emily Wilde '09 - Coordinator of Special Projects and Upper School Student Activities, Coach and Substitute Teacher
Ms. Wilde graduated from Holton in 2009 and is happy to be back! After Holton, she attended Connecticut College where she received a degree in Psychology Based Human Relations. Since then, she has worked at The Primary Day School and the Woods Academy as well as at lululemon athletica. Athletics and fitness have always been an important part of life, especially while at Holton. After coaching Holton ice hockey last winter, she is excited to coach all three seasons this year.
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Samantha Zavras '07 - Admissions Assistant
Ms. Zavras is thrilled to be officially back at Holton full time after spending the last year working in the School Store and Admissions office. Prior to that, she graduated from William & Mary Law School in May 2015 and became a lawyer after passing the Maryland Bar. She graduated from Drew University in Madison, NJ in May 2011. She adores cooking, reading food blogs, talking about television, and cross stitching. She is excited to help usher in the next generation of Holton girls as the Admissions Assistant. Go White Team!
Several familiar faces have also taken on new roles at Holton this year:
Melissa Brown
Director of Diversity and Global Education
Kenny Bryson
Security Administrator
Christy Diefenderfer
Interim Director of Middle School
Alyce Dillon
New Faculty Mentor and Middle School History & Social Sciences
Adrienne Dobson
Academic Technology Coordinator
Dena Greene
Assistant Global Education Director and Middle School English Teacher
Chris Lynch
Interim Director of Upper School
Margo Tintle
Grade 3 Teacher
Gail Whitley
Middle School Learning Specialist and Coordinator of Student Activities and Leadership
Kevin Wilson
Security Operations and Lead Investigator
The following staff members were hired mid-school year in 2015-2016:
Maggie Dozier
Director of Annual Giving
Bradley Norwood
Alumnae Relations and Stewardship Manager
Claire Rossin
Assistant Librarian
It is with deep sadness that we share that Charles Pillsbury Lord, Head of School at Holton-Arms from 1987 to 1992, passed away on August 17, 2016.