Meet the

Administrative Team

Principal

Dr. Steven Clapp

Our principal, Dr. Steven Clapp, joined the faculty in July of 2021 having worked in ER9 for over 13 years as a Social Studies teacher at JRMS in Redding. Dr. Clapp grew up in the greater Boston area as a proud Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins, and Celtics fan. He learned from these teams how to be a good winner, and a good loser (as all Sox fans are :)). He graduated from Moravian College in 1997 with a BA in Political Science, received a Masters in Education from the University of New Haven in 2000, and earned his Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Southern Connecticut State University in 2013. Following his years at JRMS, Dr. Clapp developed and refined his approach to school leadership as an assistant principal at Saxe Middle School, in New Canaan from 2013-2021. You can contact him at: sclapp@er9.org

Assistant Principal

Mrs. Annie Mohr

Mrs. Annie Mohr, our assistant principal, considers HKMS her second home. Not only has her educational career been here at Keller, but she also once walked these halls as a student having grown up in Easton. She began teaching here at Keller in 2000 and taught Spanish to 7th and 8th grade students for 17 years. In 2017, she stepped into the role of assistant principal. Annie graduated from Stonehill College in 2000 with a BA in education and a certification to teach elementary school as well as world language through 12th grade. She received a Masters in Educational Technology from Sacred Heart University in 2005. She then went on to earn a second Masters and 092 certification from Sacred Heart University in educational leadership in 2011. You can contact her at: amohr@er9.org

Director of Special Services

Ms. Kelli Pollock

Ms. Kelli Pollock has served as Supervisor of Special Services for Easton since October, 2023. Prior to her arrival in Easton, Kelli was a Supervisor of Specialized Instruction for Bridgeport Public Schools for two years and, prior to that, served as a Special Education team leader and teacher in Bridgeport Public Schools for 7 years. Earlier in her career, Kelli taught in New York City at The Churchill School as well as in the Livingston, NJ public schools. Kelli has experience as a curriculum writer, consultant, and professional learning facilitator, providing training to teachers, special service providers, and administrators on neurodevelopment and learning. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Literature and Rhetoric, a Master of Science in Special Education, and post-graduate certification in Educational Leadership. As the Supervisor of Special Services in Easton, Kelli is responsible for special education programming for all students from Preschool through grade 8, including the transition for students who are currently receiving Birth-to-Three services. She has 3 amazing daughters, a dog (Moe), and 2 cats (Ollie and Violet). You can contact her at kpollock@er9.org.

The Main Office Team

Mrs. Sue Cahalan,

Data Secretary and Registrar

Mrs. Cahalan is starting her tenth year as Keller's data manger , admin assistant, and registrar. She is responsible for all things Powerschool including schedules, attendance, grades, reconciling errors, cumulative records, registering new families, signing in and screening visitors, and a myriad of teacher and student records and data. If your getting a call from Sue in the moring, chances are you child is out and you forgot to call them in sick.

Sue lives in Redding and sent her two children through ER9 schools, so she knows the ropes! You can email her at scahalan@er9.org

Mrs. Penne Rudy

Administrative Assistant to the Principal

Mrs. Rudy is starting her third year as the administrative assistant to the principal (and assistant principal). Her responsibilities include budgeting and purchasing, planning out substitute coverage, managing the school calendar, room reservations, custodial requests, facilities and technology repairs, and whatever crazy ideas Steve and Annie come up with.

She lives here in Easton and both her girls attend Easton schools. You can email her at prudy@er9.org

Our Core Philosophy

At Helen Keller Middle School the administration team has developed a set of pervasive beliefs that all students, regardless of ability or circumstance, will thrive academically, socially, and emotionally if intentionally challenged and properly supported. They believe in preparing the student for the pathways ahead bumps and all and helping them to internalize that intentional gratitude leads to happiness. They believe children should pursue their passions, discover their purpose, and give both back to the world. They believe that a successful middle school must be developmentally responsive, individually challenging, where students are empowered to take responsibility for their own learning and actions, which provides and equitable opportunities for all students, and that engages students in relevant learning opportunities (Bishop and Harrison, 2021). These core beliefs underpin the decisions, guidance, coaching, discipline, and the celebrations that inform our instructional, social, and emotional practices. They look forward to working with all HKMS families to ensure that students are engaged, challenged, supported and ultimately fulfilled.

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