Our English Faculty
Ross Markonish
Ross Markonish
English Department Chair
rmarkonish@nya.org
Mr. Markonish’s Page
Ross Markonish, a graduate of Harvard University, has been teaching English at NYA since 1995. In addition to teaching English III and AP Language and Composition, Ross is an advisor to the senior speech program and assistant director of the NYA Studio Band. In past summers, Ross also has taught creative nonfiction writing through the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) program. Prior to coming to NYA, Ross taught English at Seabury Hall, an independent school located on Maui, Hawaii. Though January occasionally finds Ross daydreaming about warm Pacific water and lush tropical environs, he truly is happy to call Maine his home.
Outside of NYA, Ross leads a double life as a guitarist in a Portland-area rock band that has released several albums, traveled the East Coast, and toured Japan. When not rocking out or reading student writing, Ross enjoys reading, listening to music from his extensive CD collection, and spending time with his wife (Marissa Markonish, Head of the Middle School and a Latin teacher at NYA) and two children at their home in Raymond.
Jack McMahon
Jack McMahon
jmcmahon@nya.org
Mr. McMahon’s Page
Jack McMahon has taught English for forty-two years at independent schools in Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine, and has been an NYA faculty member for the past twenty-four years. Jack earned his B.A. in English literature from Merrimack College, and his M.A.T. in linguistics from Salem State College. Presently, Jack teaches seventh and eighth grade English. For many years, he taught all levels of English in the upper school.
While at NYA, Jack has worked in various capacities. Over his tenure at the Academy, he has been English Department Chair, Head of Upper School, and Chair of the Curriculum Committee. He coached boys’ and girls’ ice hockey, boys’ and girls’ soccer, and softball. In addition to his teaching duties, Jack mentors middle school teachers new to NYA.
His sons, Andy (’91), Tim (’93) and daughter Molly (’95) are alums of NYA. When he is not in the classroom, Jack can be found playing with his two grandsons, Finn and Jack, or in his wood shop, crafting wooden toys. Jack lives in Cumberland with wife, Elaine.
Heidi Grant
Heidi Grant
hgrant@nya.org
Mrs. Grant’s Page
“You will either step forward into growth, or you will step back into safety.” ~ Abraham Maslow
Heidi Grant has taught English to freshmen at NYA for the past three years. Prior to that, she taught English in Katonah, NY and New York City. Her undergraduate degree in English is from Colby College, and she received her MA in the Teaching of English from Columbia University’s Teachers College. She loves teaching at the middle and high school level – helping students dig for and shape their fantastic ideas into polished writing. She enjoys all types of fiction: novels, poetry, plays, and, most of all, short stories.
Recently Heidi has been to Bard College for an intensive study in the teaching of personal essay writing. In addition, she participated in the National Council of Teachers of English Conference in Austin, TX where she worked with teachers from the Folger Library to learn how to integrate technology into the teaching of Shakespeare. This summer she will head to VT for a week to learn about teaching an AP Literature course.
In addition to teaching, Heidi helps publish the NYA Yearbook and serves as an advisor to Upper School Students. When she’s not at NYA, she leads a local Brownie troop and keeps very busy with her husband and three children.
Karen Messick
Karen Messick
kmessick@nya.org
Mrs. Messick’s Page
Karen Messick moved to Maine in 2003 after having taught for 10 years at Springton Lake Middle School in Media, Pennsylvania. For the past five years, she has taught sixth grade English and geography at NYA and served as a sixth grade class advisor. With her move to Maine, she has now lived in three of the four corners of the United States. For two years after graduating from Westminster College, she lived in Miami, Florida, where she began her teaching career as a fifth grade teacher in an inner city Catholic school, a challenge that served to satisfy her desire for a Peace Corps experience. She then moved to Seattle, Washington, and following that, came back to her adopted home town of Media, Pennsylvania (she spent her childhood years in New Orleans), where she took time away from teaching to begin a family. Her three children now live in Pennsylvania, Washington, and Massachusetts. In 1992 Karen returned to teaching, working in different elementary grades before deciding that sixth grade was her true love. She received her Masters in Education from Widener University in 2000, the same year her middle child graduated from high school.
When not at school, Karen enjoys visiting her children, renovating her house in Brunswick, sailing in the beautiful waters of Casco Bay, working in her ever expanding garden, and searching for new experiences, such as her latest interest – beekeeping. Alas, she will likely not get to live in the fourth corner of the United States, now that she has discovered the well kept secret that is Maine.
Mike Gengras
Mike Gengras
mgengras@nya.org
Mr. Gengras’s Page
Mike Gengras joined the NYA faculty in the fall of 1991. He holds a B.A. in English from Trinity College (Hartford) with a literary writing focus. A product of Trinity’s interdisciplinary Guided Studies program, he likes to approach the study of literature with an eye towards its historical and cultural context. He also holds a Masters of Science in Teaching from the University of New Hampshire. A fan of both teaching and writing poetry, Mike’s background includes workshops at the undergraduate and graduate level, as well as at The Haystack Mountain School of Arts in Maine and The Frost Place in New Hampshire.
In his twenty years at NYA, Mike has taught English classes ranging from 7th grade through 11th grade. Currently, he teaches all sections of 10th grade English. Outside the classroom, he serves as Upper School Dean of Students and coaches in the girls lacrosse program.
An avid craftsman, Mike spends his summers as a senior counselor at Camp Deerwood for Boys in his native New Hampshire, where he teaches woodworking, blacksmithing, and boatbuilding. A longtime blues fan and harmonica player, as a hobby Mike also builds custom harmonica microphones for blues players across the globe.
Erica Kent
Erica Kent
While this is Erica Kent’s first year at NYA, she has been teaching in a variety of settings for the past dozen years. Most recently, Erica, her husband Mike, and daughter Zoey moved back to Maine after a three year “experiment” at a boarding school in Southern California. While the endless days of sun were appealing, factors such as lack of seasons, distance from family, and a decidedly East Coast sensibility outweighed reasons to stay.
Erica’s passion for teaching can be classified as a genuine enjoyment of children and a strong incentive to share the written word. As such, Erica became a teacher due to a succession of extraordinary teachers while she was a student — from kindergarten up through graduate school. These teachers helped to forge Erica’s work as a writer, a craft that she loves and continuously crams into a busy schedule.
At present, Erica teaches one section of seventh grade and two freshman English classes. She relishes the experience of watching kids evolve in terms of reading and writing skills, as well as critical thinking. Over time, she has found that enthusiasm tends to be infectious and that it is easy for her to love the material she teaches.
Outside of school, Zoey, her five year-old daughter, keeps her quite busy. Jack, a black bear of a dog, helps to keep things lively. Beyond family time, Erica writes, reads, meditates, and loves to walk on the beach off-season. Housework is not a strength. Although the length of Maine winters makes her cranky, she is thrilled to be back here both in terms of joining the NYA community and life in general.
