And here they are, in alphabetical order:

ALEXANDER CHAMPOUX, NYA ’07, is a recent graduate of Trinity College where he was Head Tutor of the Allen K. Smith Center for Writing and Rhetoric. At Trinity, Alexander was Head Editor of the 115 Vernon Journal and Fiction Editor of Slate Magazine, and graduated with a Major in English (Creative Writing) and two Minors, including one in Mythology. As an intern at NYA this year, Alexander has enjoyed working in all parts of NYA, including running the NYA Writing Center. In addition to editing, Alexander is an avid reader and writer of short fiction, and is looking forward to teaching this summer.

BARBARA FARRELL has taken an interesting path to the field of science education; she began as an art major at the University of Delaware and eventually earned a B.S. in Environmental Planning and Design, with an English minor, from Rutgers University. Barbara has lived in Maine and taught science for 14 years, 7 of which have been at NYA. Currently she is teaching 8th grade Human Biology & Related Chemistry, 10th grade Biology and AP Biology. She also tutors students in study skills. Outside of NYA Barbara enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and dog and doing many different forms of artwork in her studio at home. She also volunteers for Ronald McDonald House and is on the Board of Trustees at her local library. Someday she might even finish the novel that she started writing many years ago.
 
MARY FARSACI earned a B.A. in English and Spanish from Saint Anselm College and an M.A. in Spanish from Bowling Green University, and currently teaches Spanish 1, 2, and 4 at the NYA Upper School. As a young adult, Mary spent a total of two and a half years studying and teaching in Spain, and loves everything Spanish! Mary is thrilled to be returning to Spain this June for the first time in six years, and to be taking with her a group of ten NYA students. Mary likes to spend her time outside of school reading, running, and playing with her two-year-old son, Owen.
 
GINA FILLORAMO received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Trinity College in 2010. While at Trinity, Gina gained a special appreciation for marine biology– especially learning about algae! She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, Canada where she is studying Molecular Phylogenetics and Red Algal Taxonomy. Gina is excited to spend part of her summer at NYA, teaching others about marine plants, animals, and conservation!
 
SHANNON GALLAGHER spent her first twenty summers in Maine, always knowing that someday, this special state would become her home. After graduating from Westfield State College (MA) with a B.S. in Elementary Education, she moved to New Hampshire, where she taught in primary grades for over ten years. During one hiatus from the classroom, Shannon and her family built and managed a state-of-the-art indoor rock climbing gym, specializing in experiential education. Her path led her back to her passion, teaching and learning with children and on to a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction/Arts Integration from Lesley University. Shannon enjoys making pottery, painting, hiking, climbing, cooking and eating, and her annual sail aboard the Schooner Stephen Taber.
 
MIKE GENGRAS has been teaching composition and literature at NYA since 1991. He holds degrees from Trinity College (B.A. English/Literary Writing) and University of New Hampshire (M.S.T. English) and has participated in numerous workshops including the Haystack Mountain School of Arts and The Frost Place in New Hampshire. Mike has twenty-one years of experience teaching literature and composition at NYA as well as seventeen years working with young boys as a senior counselor at Camp Deerwood in Holderness, New Hampshire.

PETER GERRITY, NYA ’05, is currently an Assistant Men’s Lacrosse Coach for St. Joseph’s College of Maine, as well as the Junior Varsity Boys’ Lacrosse Coach and Varsity Boys’ Lacrosse Assistant Coach, Middle School Hockey Coach, and Physical Education Teacher at North Yarmouth Academy. Peter played college lacrosse for Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, and high school hockey and lacrosse at North Yarmouth Academy.

HEIDI GRANT has taught English to freshmen and sophomores at NYA for the past six years. Prior to that, she taught English in Katonah, NY and New York City for over four years. 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. While at NYA, Heidi has been to Bard College for an intensive study in the teaching of personal essay writing, to the National Council of Teachers of English Conference in Austin, TX where she worked with teachers from the Folgers Library to learn how to integrate technology into the teaching of Shakespeare, and to VT for a week to learn about teaching an AP Literature course. In addition to teaching, Heidi is the faculty advisor for NYA’s online literary magazine, Emerge, and serves as an advisor to Upper School Students.

TIM MCMAHON, NYA ’93, has been NYA’s middle school art teacher for the past eight years. He studied sculpture at the Maine College of Art where he earned his BFA. Tim lives in Portland with his wife and two sons. He cannot wait to get his hands dirty as he dives into fun and exciting creative endeavors with this summer’s Art Exploration campers!

INGRID MERRILL has recently returned to her home state of Maine after 5 years in Hamburg, Germany. She is currently the ESL teacher at North Yarmouth Academy, and she is working on her Doctorate of Modern Languages at Middlebury College during her summers.

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. She received her Master’s in Education from Widener University in 2000, the same year her middle child graduated from high 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.

KELLY ORR joined the NYA Faculty in fall 2011, and in addition to directing Experience Summer at NYA this year, she teaches Great Questions in World History to a lively bunch of ninth graders. Outside of the classroom, Kelly is lucky to be overseeing the expansion of NYA’s Experiential Education curricula as well as coordinating Project: Reach Out efforts. She is pretty sure there is nothing more fun than thinking up new and exciting ways to get students outdoors and into their communities to learn about the world around them. Kelly lives in Portland where she enjoys baking for her students, running and biking on Portland’s fantastic trails, and checking out the local art scene every First Friday. Currently she is finishing her Master’s in Applied Literacy from the University of Southern Maine.

IAN RAMSEY is the Chair of Fine Arts and Director of Instrumental Music at NYA, where he has taught for thirteen years. He is a certified Maine Guide and has led hiking, whitewater, and sea kayak trips in Costa Rica, Ireland, Vietnam, Alaska, the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Montana, and throughout the Gulf of Maine. He has been awarded an outdoor and environmental leadership prize by Backpacker Magazine and has expeditioned extensively in Alaska, the Caribbean, and the western mountains of North America. Ian is a BCU-certified four star kayaker and is working toward higher levels of certification. He is actively involved in environmental issues and has had environmental essays and poems published in regional and national publications. Ian is looking forward to the chance to spend time above treeline and on the water with students and to howl with coyotes.

We welcome back instructor JAY ROBBINS. He is a well-known place-based historian specializing in the history of the people and events that shaped MidCoast Maine. Jay received his B.A. from Bowdoin in English and Environmental Studies and has taken extensive course work in the New England and American Studies program at USM. He has worked with many local middle schools in delivering out-of-classroom multidisciplinary historical programs. Jay previously led NYA’s We DIG History archaeology camp from 2004 to 2007. Be forewarned, your student is likely to become infected with Jay’s love of history.

LIZ SMITH began teaching at NYA in the fall of 2008. A 2005 graduate of Wheaton College (IL), Liz holds a B.S. in chemistry with a concentration in biochemistry. Intending to enter medical school, she took a year off following graduation to teach English at a private language school in Tianjin, China. It was there that she discovered her passion for teaching and returned to Wheaton to enter a Master of Arts in Teaching program—a title that she will officially hold when she finally completes her thesis! Liz currently teaches all levels of chemistry at NYA, where she is the chemical hygiene officer and the varsity girl’s basketball coach. Liz enjoys training for races that she never seems to end up running, both watching and playing basketball, and spending time with her husband and son.

NATE SMITH initially started working in the environmental consulting field, but then quickly realized his passion was to spend his days with middle school kids, both as a teacher and as a coach. Nate earned a B.S. in Environmental Science from Allegheny College and a Masters of Education for grades 5-8 from Wilmington College. He taught for a year in Wilmington, Delaware, before coming to NYA in 2005. At NYA, Nate teaches both math and science in grades 6-8. He also coaches 8th grade soccer and runs the ski club that takes trips to Sunday River. Other activities that he has led or is currently leading are futsal (indoor soccer), ultimate Frisbee, acoustic jam session, and Google Sketchup club. Outside of NYA, Nate enjoys playing guitar and competing in local soccer leagues and triathlons. He loves living in Maine and enjoys spending his free time exploring this wonderful area with his wife and two daughters.

LYNN SULLIVAN joined the History Department in 1998. Lynn’s primary focus is U.S. History, approaching the topic through society and culture while always keeping an eye on politics and the influences each one has on the other. She has abandoned the textbook approach and focuses on primary sources, poetry, music, historical fiction and non-fiction works. She earned a B.A. in History from Colby College and an M.A. in American and New England Studies from the University of Southern Maine. Her master’s thesis, The Historical Invention and Economic Transformation of 20th Century Freeport, Maine, was a particularly fun adventure for her as the research brought her closer to the community in which she grew up and where she still lives. When not in school, Lynn is on the board of Seeds of Independence, a local non-profit organization that works with at-risk youth. She enjoys spending time with her family and her Golden Retriever, Butter. A slow, short-distance runner, Lynn embraces all outdoor activity and is one of the few people who really look forward to winter and the cold and snow.