Our Teaching Team

I live in Knox with my husband, Matt, our two children, John and Ansel, and our two dogs, Ursa and Mari. We all LOVE spending time outside enjoying hiking, biking, fishing, boating, surfing, skiing, and snowboarding adventures together! 

I have been teaching for 17 years, and this will be my second year teaching social studies at Troy Howard. Before that, I worked for an educational nonprofit called The Rural Aspirations Project coordinating the Maine Forest Collaborative program in 6 school communities around the state. I was also a middle school teacher for 15 years, with 1 year at Mt. View Middle School, and 14 at Warsaw Middle School in Pittsfield. I have taught mostly ELA and social studies, but have also taught a bit of science. I love being able to integrate subjects, and to help students make connections while exploring, learning, and sharing their work outside the bounds of the classroom walls. Check out some of the projects my former students have completed over the years online at Ms. Hutt's Social Studies Community Based Projects. I'm so excited to see what we come up with for our 2023-24 8th grade community based project at Troy Howard this year!

I am originally from Vermont and moved to Maine to attend Husson University. I graduated with my Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Psychology. I previously taught middle school math in Florida! I currently live with my fiance and 2 kitties: Dylan, Banner, and Chloe!  I love a good project, book, podcast, or reality TV show. In the summers I enjoy traveling for softball tournaments (I don't play; that's all Dylan), playing fetch with my cat, and spending time relaxing with family!

Teaching is a great passion of mine, but especially math! My favorite topics are algebraic equations and statistics! I truly enjoy helping students discover a love for a subject so often disliked, and cannot wait to be a part of the BEST year at THMS! Go Lions!

My name is Jess Young. I live in Belfast with my husband, Matt, our 2 teenage boys, and our daughter who is halfway through nursing school. We have a project house with some lovely gardens, and a rustic camp on a beautiful pond that we like to visit up north. I am happiest spending time with my family outdoors. 

I have taught for 10 years in various positions in RSU 71, and I started at THMS in 2022/23. I teach an accelerated 7th and 8th grade math class, Algebra 1, and Geometry for students who are ready for advanced placement in math. I love exploring math concepts with my students and building understandings together. 

This is my second year teaching at Troy Howard, and I'm so happy to be returning to this amazing community of educators and learners. 

After earning my teaching degree from the State University of New York at New Paltz in 2013, I spent seven years teaching English, Social Studies, and Theater Arts to 7th and 8th graders at a PreK-8th school in New York’s Mid-Hudson Valley. In 2021 I moved to Belfast with my husband and two daughters - boy, did we get lucky! I absolutely love it in mid-coast Maine, and I continue to love working with kids on the verge of adulthood, exploring literature and language, and watching them discover new connections to eachother and to the world around us!

When I'm not at school, I love to cook (and eat) delicious food, find any reason to laugh, overanalyze my favorite TV shows, and relax with a good puzzle of pretty much any kind! 

I’m so pleased and happy to say I am now teaching Physical Education at Troy Howard Middle School, leaving my position at Kermit Nickerson, East Belfast, Gladys Weymouth, and Ames School in the good hands of Catie Ray. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at the elementary schools, but the middle school level was too enticing to pass up. Looking back upon my own middle school experience brings up fond memories of my childhood and ultimately played a large part in my career path.
Now entering my 26th year teaching Physical Education (three of which were at the middle school level), I have developed and nursed a hands-on teaching style. I am involved in every aspect of the class, as I encourage full participation, students’ best effort, acceptance of others, and sportsmanship on a daily basis. My classes are designed to be educational, safe, and fun. If one of these elements is missing, or not working as intended, the lesson is quickly modified.
I grew up in a large Navel military family, living in such states as Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Florida. As a young man, I too served our country by enlisting in the U.S.
Army, dividing time between Georgia, Kansas and Europe. My post-secondary education comes from the University of Maine at Orono, with a concentration in Kinesiology, Health, and Physical Education, graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree. I grew up playing team sports, and today I enjoy sports through officiating high school baseball (26 years), football (15 years) and now entering my first year of volleyball. I also appreciate hiking our beautiful state of Maine, as well as enjoying our lakes and ponds with friends and family.
A few “get away” activities which I enjoy include visiting Boston to take in the Boston Red Sox, partaking in the energy and feel of live music concerts, script writing, and watching classic movies. I am dedicated to help enable growing young minds to achieve their goals and am confident my experience and teaching style will be an asset to THMS.

As an educator with over 30 years of experience, I have taught students in every grade level from kindergarten through grade 12, as well as acted as lead teacher and academic coordinator in a private school. I earned my Master's Degree in Moderate Special Needs (K-12) from Lesley University and hold a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education (K-8) with a concentration in Communication Disorders from Salem State College. Working with students in middle school has been a very rewarding experience for me, as it provides me with the opportunity to build positive connections with students while teaching socio-emotional awareness at a malleable age.