Our Teaching Team

I grew up in Maine, and graduated from Bucksport High School. I then left the area to attend Florida State University. I am a proud Seminole! After graduating from college, I traveled and lived all over the country including Florida, Washington State, Oregon and New Hampshire. I returned to Maine and settled in the Belfast area in 2013.  I worked in before and after school programs as a site director in both Belfast and Winterport before joining the Troy Howard team in 2020. I’ve taught 6th grade ELA for the past four years and am looking forward to my first year as an 8th grade teacher.

I live with my teenage daughter, Grace. My son Chris, a sophomore at UMaine, pops in from time to time when he wants a home cooked meal. I also have an older daughter who lives in Oregon with her husband and baby girl. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, cooking, reading and I’m currently trying to teach myself to crochet, but my favorite thing to do is curl up with a good book and a cup of tea! 

I have never been happier than I have been these past few years working at the middle school level. Teaching middle school has become my passion. I love introducing students to the world in the pages of a good book and helping them discover their own love (or at least tolerance) for reading! It’s going to be a great year with your students!

My favorite thing about teaching English is working alongside students to discover and develop a love of reading and helping them build stamina as writers. We are given the gift of language in order to express our thoughts and experiences. It is a powerful gift and I hope to encourage students to use it well. I have been an educator for 21 years and my favorite age to teach is middle school! I've taught all core subjects and have been a school administrator.  The classroom is my happy place.

I'm originally from the Midwest where I started college at Miami University of Ohio. I moved to Maine and, before I taught school, I owned a restaurant for seven years with my chef-husband. We have three sons and, once they were older, I finished my undergraduate degree in Anthropology at the University of Maine (B.A. '03).  I returned to school and earned a master's degree in teaching from the University of Maine (M.A.T. '05). Once the guys were out of high school I moved to Cambridge and earned a master's degree in school administration from Harvard (Ed.M. '14). Back in Maine, I returned once more to school and completed a certificate of advanced study at the University of Maine (C.A.S '18) in education leadership.

I now live with my carpenter-husband with our beautiful one-eyed dog, Davis, and two cats, Callie Mavis and Emmy. Oh yes...and I am soon to be a first time grammie! My middle son and his wife are due to have their first child in November. 

I am originally from Vermont and moved to Maine to attend Husson University in 2016. 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, Dylan, and 3 kitties: Banner, Chloe, and CiCi!  Dylan and I are also welcoming a daughter, Scottie, in October 2024! 

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 that is so important but not often loved, and cannot wait to be a part of another great year at THMS! Go Lions!

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 18 years, and this will be my third 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 2024-25 8th grade community based project at Troy Howard this year!

Mr. Blood grew up in Belfast and Morrill. He graduated from BAHS in 1985. He went to UMO and UMaine Farmington to get his teaching degree and  degree in biology. He likes education, farming, swimming, hiking, outdoors, cooking, rowing, writing poetry, sketch/doodle art, and traveling the world.

I am so lucky to be an art teacher. On a daily basis, I witness young people growing, learning, problem solving, and gaining confidence through making art. I am inspired by my students. I am inspired by the many teaching moments within a single day in the art room. I notice and experience moments of struggle, sadness, frustration, thoughtfulness, team work, connection, friendship, fun, whimsy, laughter, play, song, and pride alongside my students. Being a teacher isn’t a piece of cake. It is a tough job. Often, there are challenges that make for sleepless nights, but the moments I choose to focus on are the moments filled with joy.

I recently moved back to Belfast after living here most of my life. I attended CASS, THMS, and graduated from Belfast Area High School in 2016. Upon graduating I moved to Orono/Old Town, attended the University of Maine in Orono and worked as a Medical Assistant at PCHC in Brewer throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic. Working so closely with patients and learning about their health education was what inspired me to go back to school to study Health and Physical Education. I recently graduated from that program in May of 2024 and moved back home to Belfast!  

I love field hockey and  have played the sport for about 21 years now. In 2021 I accepted a position coaching here at THMS and it has been a dream come true. I have three dogs, Miley, Maya, and Maggie. I love to read in my spare time, walk my dogs or take them for a hike. 

I am so excited to share my passion for Health and Wellness with the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades at THMS!

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. 

I grew up right here in wonderful Belfast, Maine. Being from Belfast I attended East Belfast Elementary School, Troy Howard Middle School, and graduated from Belfast Area High School in 2020. After graduating from BAHS I moved to Orono, Maine to attend college. While attending the University of Maine’s flagship campus I pursued a bachelor’s degree in Biology with a Pre-Medical concentration. Throughout college I worked as an emergency medical technician (EMT) for the University Volunteer Ambulance Corps. After graduating from UMaine in May of 2024, I decided to move back closer to home in Stockton Springs, Maine with my wonderful husband Isaac.

In my free time I enjoy adventuring around the wonderful state of Maine. I spend a lot of this time hiking trails, visiting beaches, and paddle boarding or kayaking! I have a wonderful Siberian Husky/Pitbull mix named Jax, who accompanies me on many of my adventures. I also have two Calico cats who are equally wonderful, but far less adventurous Molly and Luah.

This will be my very first year teaching! While it is definitely a little intimidating - I’m beyond psyched to be teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th grade sciences here at THMS. My main goal is to facilitate science to students in a fun and engaging way this year!

I grew up here in Maine in the fishing village of Tenants Harbor and have lived most of my life in the midcoast area. I graduated from The University of Maine @ Machias with two Bachelors of Science, one in Environmental Studies and the other Elementary Education. My first teaching job was in 2001 at the Ames Elementary School in Searsmont, where I spent 18 years teaching 5th grade. In 2019 I was ready to make the transition to THMS, where I have taught everything from science, math, and social studies to 6th and 7th graders. This year I will be teaching social studies to all three grades, initially it's a bit intimidating, but also very exciting. I am looking forward to collaborating with other educators and to expand my knowledge in this content area. 

This fall I have become an empty nester as my daughter Alyson has headed off to college. To keep me busy with this new found freedom, I enjoy sitting down at Belfast Harbor with a good historical fiction or non-fiction book, antiquing, and exploring coastal Maine.

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.