I am thrilled to be a part of the Sturgis Charter School community! I recently returned to the US after being overseas for seven years. I have had the fortune of living and teaching in Egypt, Malaysia, South Africa, Azerbaijan, and Germany. I have a PhD in Special Education from the University of Texas at Austin, an MA in Bilingual Special Education from the University of Arizona, and a BA from Southern Connecticut State College. I strongly believe that each student's language, culture and/or learning difference has value, and that each student has the right to an education that is relevant, supportive and inclusive. I believe I have won the trifecta - being a reading interventionist, teaching at Sturgis, and living on the Cape. My partner, Minna, joins me with our two dogs and one African Gray parrot.

“Everything happens for a reason. That reason is usually physics” - Unknown Genius (novelty t-shirt in my wardrobe)

I could not be more excited to join the Sturgis West community as a physics teacher. Although I grew up in Connecticut, I have been a Massachusetts resident since moving here for graduate school a decade ago. This past year my wife, two daughters, and dog Bowe recently moved back to my wife’s hometown on Cape. At this point, we can’t imagine living anywhere else! I have spent the last 3 years teaching both biology and physics at a charter school in the South Shore. I have a BS in Kinesiology from the University of Connecticut and a MS in Clinical Nutrition from Boston University. Prior to teaching, I ran a sports performance company for 10 years and fully appreciate the science behind human performance, specifically biomechanics. My growing passion to understand the “why” behind movement has led me to the field of physics. I truly enjoy witnessing students have their eureka moments as they make connections between concepts and their daily experiences. Also, there is nothing better than trying to convince students to twirl a bucket of water over their heads.

I look forward to utilizing the IB curriculum to bridge the gap between what we think we know and what science tells us.

I am excited to be joining the wonderful team at Sturgis! I moved to the Cape last year to be closer to my family. There are many beautiful local places I am looking forward to visiting (or revisiting) with a paintbrush and easel this year. I love art, and one tremendous benefit to living in this area is that you can find inspiration practically anywhere. In addition to art, I am also passionate about science. I have taught a combination of science classes for the last seven years. It is rewarding to help students learn not only the basics, but also the real world applications of STEM topics. At West, I will be working with students in both biology and chemistry.

I am beyond excited to join the Sturgis team to teach both business and math after teaching math for the past 10 years at Notre Dame Academy in Hingham.  My family has had a summer home in West Yarmouth since I was in high school and I absolutely love this area, the beach, ocean swims, paddling, biking, hiking, and relaxing around a fire pit at the end of the day.I earned my BS from Fairfield University in both Business Management and Information Technology, and then continued on to complete my MBA at Bentley University while working in the technology field.  After taking a few years to raise my four children I went back to school to earn my graduate certificate in education from Bridgewater State University and have been teaching ever since. I cannot wait to combine all my passions; teaching, business, and math, into one great teaching experience at Sturgis!

After a year off to study and attain my personal training certification and indulge my passion for fitness, I am returning to Sturgis for my 6th year of teaching (and my 10th year total - I graduated from Sturgis myself in 2010!). Besides striving to empower others on their wellness journey through exercise and nutrition, my other hobbies include boating and outdoor activities (this summer I kayaked a mile straight into the wind and waves to Sampson's Island, only to be greeted by piping plovers), reading about neuroscience and other science topics like string theory, and of course - ESPAÑOL! I fell in love with the Spanish language, music, food and culture when I made fast friends during a Honduran exchange student in high school, went on to study abroad in Costa Rica during college (I have since tried to adapt some "Pura Vida" perspective), traveled to many other central american countries, and spent 5 weeks traveling all over Spain by myself a few summers ago. I am excited to once again share my passion for the beauty of Hispanic (and all) places, people and ways of life with young Cape Codders.

I was born and raised in Fort Wayne, IN where I then studied secondary mathematics at Indiana University in Bloomington. My love for traveling and seeing the world led me to participate in IU's Global Gateway Project where I did my student teaching on the Navajo Nation in Many Farms, AZ. This experience led me to taking the jump to moving abroad for the next/last 6 years. I lived and taught mathematics for 3 years in Kuwait followed by 3 years in Asuncion, Paraguay. While living abroad I met my wife, was able to visit over 25 countries, adopted 2 Kuwaiti cats and 2 Paraguayan dogs. My wife and I (and our animals) are excited to be back in the States and to set our roots on the Cape. I am an avid sports fan and will be teaching Algebra I, Analysis SL 1, and Application SL 1 for the upcoming year.

I am very excited to be joining the Sturgis community this fall! I will be teaching English as a second language at Sturgis West for the 2020-2021 year. Originally, I am from Farmington, CT, but I grew up going to Cape Cod with my family so I can't wait to be back! After graduating from Dickinson College with a B.A. in Educational Studies, I went on to earn my Master's degree in Teaching and my K-12 ESL certification through Mount Holyoke College. In my free time, I love to play volleyball and travel.

My name is Joe Feia and I will be teaching Math at Sturgis East this year. I grew up in Minnesota, but have spent much of my life teaching overseas. Some of the places I have lived and taught include Hong Kong, Guatemala, Saudi Arabia, Antigua West Indies and Lebanon. My family and I have just moved to the Cape from Albania and are looking forward to seeing what these United States are all about. I have been teaching in IB schools for about 10 years now and enjoy the challenges of the program. I have been involved in coaching, mostly rugby and wrestling, and directing plays/musicals. I am looking forward to finding some way to contribute to Sturgis student life outside of the classroom.

Hi Everyone! My name is Phyllis Gowans and I am very excited to be joining the team at Sturgis West. I was born and raised in Ontario, Canada but have spent almost half of my life in the United States, more specifically in Connecticut and Texas. My career has always been in an educational setting beginning with a community college, then a high school of 1500 students, and then a high school of 3000 (a larger student population than the community college). I am happy to finally call my summer home in Harwich Port, my forever home. When I'm not in the garden or at my sewing machine (who needs a mask?) you can find me in the Main Office at Sturgis West.

I am so excited to join the Sturgis West community as a 10th grade English teacher! I have spent the past two years teaching and residing at Church Farm School, a boarding school in Pennsylvania that provides a private school experience for highly motivated boys from low-income, single-parent, or otherwise disadvantaged households. I taught modern history and helped run theatre, student leadership, and other activities. Before that, I worked and student-taught in Medway Public Schools, and I’ve also spent time with Boston and Quincy Public Schools. I spend my summers at Camp Sewataro in Sudbury, Sewataro was one one the few camps open this summer (maintaining social distancing and wearing masks, we were able to have a full summer with 0 positive cases of Covid!) I earned both my B.A. in English and my M. Ed. in Middle/Secondary Education from UMass Boston, after a brief exploration of Screenwriting at Emerson College. I’m local to Massachusetts, having grown up in Mendon and attended Nipmuc Regional High, and I've just moved to Middleborough for this new chapter in my professional life. While this is not the ideal time to get to know a new community, Sturgis already seems so welcoming, and having had a successful run with remote/Zoom learning at the end of last school year, I am looking forward to taking on the new experience of a hybrid classroom this fall!

I am the Technology Coordinator for both East and West. I began my career as a hardware design engineer, and then spent a number of years co-owning an antique business, selling both in a shop and online. I began teaching computer classes and life science in a K-8 school in 2003, then began working at Cape Cod Academy in 2007. I started as a tech integrationist and math and computer programming teacher, and became the Director of Technology in 2012. I joined Sturgis in April of this year, in the midst of the pandemic. Busy time for tech! After a few weeks teachers settled into a routine, but we have spent the whole summer reinventing routines. I look forward to working with all of you as we take on this hybrid learning model; please don't hesitate to reach out to me! When I'm not being a techie, I enjoy walking, kayaking, and gardening, and just enjoying the beautiful outdoors that we get to live in here on Cape Cod.

I'm super excited to be joining the Sturgis West Navigators this year.  I've been a School Counselor in Western Massachusetts for the last 18 years.  My family and I have been coming to the cape for years and bought a house in 2016. Last year, I took a sabbatical and my family and I moved to Valencia Spain.  Due to some unforeseen circumstances, we returned to the states and decided to stay on the cape instead of returning to Western Massachusetts.  A long term sub position opened up at Sturgis East,  I applied, got the job, and loved it!  The students, faculty and staff were some of the best and I knew, if I could stay I would.  A counseling position opened up in the spring, I applied, and got the job.  I never thought I would be able to live full time on the cape and work at one of the best schools in the state, but here I am.  Some of my favorite hobbies include traveling, kayaking, paddle boarding, walking on the beach, cooking and hiking with my German Shepherd dog Vinnie. I am so excited to meet the students and families of Sturgis West.