Sarah Ibson
sibson@huusd.org
Sarah Ibson earned her Bachelor's Degree in History from the University of Wisconsin- Madison. After college Sarah did an AmeriCorps program in Portland, Oregon mentoring high school students. In 2000, Sarah moved to Vermont and got her teaching license and Master's Degree in Curriculum from Saint Michael's College.
Sarah hopes her students will use historical thinking skills like perspective, inquiry, and analysis to become more engaged and active citizens in our democracy. Sarah has been teaching at HUMS for seventeen years and loves the community of teachers, students, and families that make Harwood such an amazing middle school.
Aside from teaching, Sarah enjoys being outside with her family and dog, Winnie, cooking, reading, and spending time with friends!
Wendy Moore
Wendy Moore was born and raised in Rutland, Vermont. She earned her B.S. degree in Zoology from University of Maryland. After teaching for 2 years in the Peace Corps Wendy earned her Master's in Teaching from Oregon State University. She began her Science teaching career at Harwood Middle School 1995-1997. She then moved to CBMS when it opened in 1997 and spent 20 years teaching on a 7/8 team. This will be Wendy's sixth year back at HUMS.
Wendy aims to tap into the inherent curiosity of her adolescent students, striving to instill a sense of wonder and excitement, showing them that, as the poet Walt Whitman said, "Science is a limitless voyage of joyous exploration." As members of a greater community, she wants her students to observe perceptively, reflect thoughtfully and make informed decisions based on evidence with the awareness that they are an integral part of the natural world.
Outside the classroom Wendy enjoys spending time with her family doing anything active and outdoors, with mountain biking and walking with her dog, Roo, at the top of her list.
Andrea Knepper
aknepper@huusd.org
Andrea Knepper grew up in Southern California. She moved to Iowa City, Iowa to attend the University of Iowa where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology. Andrea acted as the Vice President of a local charity, coordinated a large fundraising program for her children’s school, and tutored students in all grades in math, reading and organizational skills before moving to Vermont in 2019. Andrea completed Champlain College’s Teacher Apprenticeship Program to become licensed in Middle Grades Math and Science.
Math is Andrea’s favorite subject and she believes that everyone can achieve success in math. In math class, students can expect to practice reasoning and problem solving skills as well as engage in discussions of mathematical thinking.
In her free time, Andrea loves to read, knit, sew, exercise, garden, and spend time with her family.
Meredith was born and raised in Roxbury, Vermont. She earned her BA in Education with a concentration in English from State University of New York at New Paltz. Meredith moved to sunny San Diego after college, but she eventually ventured back to Vermont to be closer to family and launch a teaching career in her home state. She started teaching high school in 2008, and in 2014, Meredith got a MA degree in English from Southern New Hampshire University. She has taught in the classroom for twelve years, both at the high school and middle school level.
Meredith believes in the power of stories: the stories we tell others and ourselves, the stories we write, and of course, the stories we read. She aims to create a safe and open environment, with the hope that students discover their voices, express themselves with confidence, and develop the skills to carve out their place in their communities.
She loves spending time with her family and friends and her playful dog, Gusty. When she's not teaching (or reading or writing), she enjoys yoga, gardening, hiking and running.
Meredith Vaughn
Growing up just outside of Philadelphia, Jen earned her undergraduate degree in Social Work at Temple University. After spending a few years in Colorado, Jen pursued her Master’s degree from University of Vermont in counseling. Jen thinks middle school is an exciting time of transition for students and families.
Jen views her work through a family-systems lens and loves to work with families and caregivers during this exciting time of middle school transition. Jen is passionate about encouraging students to discover who they are and to grow into their full potential.
When Jen isn't working she enjoys spending time with her two kids, husband and dog, and loves cooking, crafting, snowboarding, skiing, running, hiking, biking, paddle-boarding and any activity that involves being outdoors.
Jen Dreimiller
Hi, my name is Anna Duffy. I grew up in the Madriver Valley and attended Green Mountain Valley School (GMVS). Although my time at Harwood was brief in 7th grade, I am looking forward to joining the community there this school year. After GMVS I attended Saint Michael’s College and graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in Education Studies. I am currently pursuing my master’s in special education there as well. I have always enjoyed working with the school age population and have had vast experience in my undergrad working with students independently and have gained a lot of knowledge in this area. I really enjoy getting to know students with a holistic view and supporting them in all aspects of life. This year I am looking forward to forming new relationships and helping the middle school students navigate their journey towards high school. Additionally, I am excited to bring students skiing this winter on ski days!
Anna Duffy
Jodie was born and raised in New York but her love of the outdoors brought her to Vermont where she earned her B.S. in English and teaching from St. Michaels College. After graduating she spent five years combining her desire to travel with teaching in the outdoors. In the summers she worked as a guide in the Canadian Rockies living with and mentoring adolescents through some epic adventures. Each fall she returned to Vermont to teach English at Mt. Mansfield Winter Academy where she also worked as a head ski coach. Later, she decided to pursue her Masters in Special Education at St. Michaels College and set some more permanent roots.
Jodie joined the Harwood community in 1998 and is proud to call the middle school home. She truly loves teaching this age group and enjoys supporting both students and families through this tumultuous time.
When not at school, she can be found mountain biking, backcountry skiing and hiking with her dog, camping with her family or paddling on some body of water.
