I am extremely excited to begin my school counseling career here at Sturgis on the East Campus. I graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a bachelor's degree in Psychology, and immediately decided to continue my education to pursue a masters degree in School Counseling. After graduating from Fitchburg State in April, I decided to make a last minute move to Cape Cod with my family. I was born and raised in Worcester, MA but am ready to begin a new chapter in my life. I spent this summer exploring the Cape with my family, and was able to jump right in as an employee at Nirvana Coffee Company in Barnstable Village. In my free time I love to be outdoors golfing, hiking, or going on adventures with my family and our goldendoodle Stanley. While continuing my education over the past few years, I have spent my time working as a teaching assistant, substitute, and an intern in various schools and I cannot wait to continue my journey at Sturgis!

I’m so excited to join the Sturgis team as a Special Education Teacher at the East campus. Previously, I was the Resource Room teacher in Falmouth for grades 5 and 6. I was born and raised in Falmouth, have two younger sisters and three dogs. I graduated from Bridgewater State with a double major in History and Geography. I continued my education at Northeastern receiving a masters in both Elementary and Special Education. In my free time, I love to go to the beach, find new walking trails with my pups, and play golf. I volunteer with dog rescues across New England, and love transporting dogs to their forever home. So excited for the 2021-2022 school year! 

I have two daughters who attend East, both of whom have had such wonderful and diverse experiences at Sturgis. I was therefore thrilled to have the opportunity to join the Sturgis community as the Assistant to the Special Education Coordinator, as well as, Front Office support at West. I spent summers on the Cape in my youth, and my family moved to Sandwich when I was in high school. I did leave for a bit, attending Providence College and receiving my Masters degree in Library & Information Science from Simmons College. I lived in the North End of Boston for 10 years and worked as a research consultant, as well as, a director of a research center at an executive outplacement firm. I ended up moving back to the Cape to raise my girls, and most recently worked as the Director of Technology/Technology teacher at a PreK-Grade 8 parochial school in Yarmouth. for 9 years. I enjoy spending time on the beach, gardening and reading.

Having taught Latin at Sturgis West a few years ago, I am excited to be returning to the Sturgis Community in a new role as an Inclusion Specialist at East. My husband, Robert and I live in West Harwich with our two rescue dogs, Tessa and Winnie. Robert and I met in Rome, Italy quite a few years ago when we were both students at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies. Since then, we have had the good fortune to return to Italy a number of times, including leading a combined trip of Sturgis East and West students to both Italy and Greece in 2017. I am an animal lover who has worked as a volunteer for IFAW’s Marine Mammal Rescue Team and the National Marine Life Center. I enjoy being outdoors, exploring the woods and the beaches of the Cape, wildlife photography, birding, reading and travel.

I am super excited to be joining Sturgis West and moving to a completely new state. I am originally from a small town called Lynchburg, South Carolina where there are less than 1500, I have a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from South Carolina State University and recently completed my Master of Science in Instructional Design and Technology at Walden University in the midst of relocating (what an adventure). 

I have worked in a wide range of industries such as banking, utilities, insurance and technology, working in the areas of customer service, quality assurance and training. The transition to the classroom is one that I’ve long anticipated and now I’m super excited about it. 

In my spare time I like to shop, watch bad SyFy (cult classic) movies and operate my own small business that specializes in home decor and jewelry. Since relocating to Hyannis, I’ve had to put that on hold for now but eventually, I’ll be back to creating the things I love. I look forward to bringing my knowledge and experience in business and technology to positively influence the students and inspire them to be the best at whatever they choose to do. 

I am an East alumni just recently graduated from Wheaton College (the Massachusetts one haha). I was Bourne and raised on cape and cant wait to start as an inclusion support individual at East. During my time at Sturgis, I was a diploma recipient involved in chorale as well as track and field/cross country still holding a top 10 record on the board. In college I continued my chorale adventures performing music from around the world and was an RA for the majority of my time there. I finished off my college years remotely, working as a sub at East for almost the entirety of last school year. I recently spent my summer as a camp counselor at Flax Pond having an absolute blast working with kids. I’m so exited for the adventure of working at Sturgis for another year, I genuinely can’t wait!

I'm Renee and I am thrilled to be joining the Sturgis Team this year! I will be teaching Wellness at the West Campus.  I am originally a New Yorker, but have spent most of my years on the shores of Massachusetts beginning at Endicott College in Beverly where I earned my Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Education. I went on to teach elementary and preschool for a decade before my children were born.  Since then, I have been the primary caregiver for my kids while running my own online wellness business. In my spare time, I love spending time with my kids and my dog on the beach!

My name is Lisa Colby and Cape Cod has been home to me since 1991 when I “washed ashore”after graduating from Assumption College. It was at Assumption where I first experienced working in a school in the Politics and Philosophy Department.

The Cape is where I met my husband, Jeff, and we have raised our 3 children here as well! Each of our children are all students who have graduated from Sturgis Charter Public School or are currently attending Sturgis! I am beyond excited to have an additional role at Sturgis as an Administrative Assistant working with Nurse Arledge at Sturgis West and Nurse Robsham at Sturgis East this year. 

For the last 9 years, I was the Office Manager and Registrar for Trinity Christian Academy. It was a joy working in the school and I am looking forward to being support to the amazing students, families, faculty and staff at Sturgis!

In my spare time, I enjoy time with my family, traveling, gardening, cooking (especially baking), and beach combing for shells!  

I am looking forward to the upcoming school year and my new role in the Sturgis community!

I’m thrilled to be joining the wonderful Sturgis community! Born and raised in Barcelona, Spain, I moved to the US to pursue my career in linguistics and I have taught at the college and high school levels as well as conducted research in first and second language acquisition. 

Besides being passionate about teaching language and linguistics, I love hiking, sailing and traveling with my family. Being with nature and admiring the world’s creation is one of my favorite pastimes all year round. I also enjoy playing the piano because it is challenging and provides me a way to divert my attention. I’m looking forward to be working and sharing my expertise with the students and staff at Sturgis.

Hello Sturgis! My name is Michelle Holmes. I have been a substitute teacher at Sturgis for the past 4 years, primarily at West in the Special Education program. I am also the mother of 4 Sturgis students. My 3 oldest graduated from East, and my youngest is a Junior at West. I am very excited to be joining Inclusion Support at West full time this year.

My background is in Social Work. After graduating from Providence College (go Friars!) I worked in several schools in Rhode Island and then with the Kennedy Donovan Center in MA when I moved to Cape Cod. However, I have been at home for many years raising my family. During that time I volunteered with the Cape and Islands Gay Straight Youth Alliance (CIGSYA), Camp Lightbulb, and Love Without Boundaries Inc.

I have many personal interests and hobbies. I am a knitter and an avid reader. I love animals and have 3 rescue dogs and foster dogs when needed with various rescue groups. I try to travel every chance I get and in addition to visiting so many wonderful places in the US, I have also traveled to China, Guatemala, Mexico, Venezuela and Portugal. I am passionate about social justice, global health (particularly maternal health), and equal rights advocacy.

Thank you all for welcoming me so warmly to school this year!

When I originally came here from Bogota, Colombia, I completed classes towards a degree in Spanish, English and French in La Salle University, Colombia. I came to the United States in the middle of my college studies to be an au pair. I wanted to improve my English, have new cultural experiences, and challenge myself to be independent and responsible. My life improved since I arrived, so I decided to live in this paradise. I went to college and completed my Associate’s degree in liberal arts with a concentration in education at Cape Cod Community College. I then transferred to BridgeWater State University and have finished all my classes towards a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and Secondary Education. I am expecting to graduate in the spring of 2022, yah....

In my spare time I like to practice crossfit, ping pong, camping, going to the beautiful beaches of Cape Cod and all summer outdoor activities. I love to travel, try new food, learn about new cultures and build fun memories. My family is my strength and inspiration in life.

Teaching has been a passion of mine from an early age. My purpose is to individualize each student's learning experience, and have a high expectation for all of them. I will encourage students to become intrinsically motivated learners and to believe in themselves to master tasks. Sturgis is the best fit for me, because of its philosophy "IB for all", and also because it is international so I have the opportunity to share my roots and background that shaped me into who I am today.

I am so grateful to have the opportunity to be part of the Sturgis team, it is exactly what I was looking for my entire journey here - even if I hadn't known it yet!

My name is Leslie Ellen O’Connell and this is my first year to join the  Sturgis Charter West Campus.  I am originally from the Boston area but through-out these past years I have been an international educator working abroad in Colombia.  This experience afforded me many professional and personal opportunities from meaningful teaching, to leading an area and section and working in the administration area of many international schools.  I have been an educator for many years and I love working with students on all levels as the connection we make with them can really impact their learning process. I strive to ensure that students feel valued, appreciated, motivated, and want to learn.

Living in Colombia afforded me other cultural opportunities and I am fluent in Spanish.  The bilingual and bicultural part of this experience helped me to grow on many levels and I am truly thankful for this amazing experience. 

Since I grew up near the ocean I love walking on the beach,  reading a good book and enjoying family time with my husband, our daughters, their spouses and my baby grand-daughter who is 8 months old. As a family we often speak and share experiences about education as 4 of us are teachers.  Family conversations sometimes are about how we impact our students on a daily basis and the importance of inspiring our students to want to learn and be academically successful. Aside from family time I also love to travel, visit sites of interest, explore new places, meet new people and learn new things. 

I am very excited to be part of this amazing school project and look forward to a great academic school year supporting and assisting students.   

Hi Everyone! My name is Katherine Johnson and I am delighted to be back at Sturgis! After graduating from Sturgis West in 2015 I went on to study Classics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. During my undergraduate career I studied in Rome with the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies. As a senior, I wrote my undergraduate thesis on the relationship between material culture and written text and its role in Augustan propaganda. After graduating from UMAss Amherst I attended the University of Colorado Boulder where I received an MA in Classics with a focus in Latin teaching. As a graduate student I spoke at a CAMWS conference about my undergraduate thesis. For my Masters project I completed a teaching curriculum focusing on epic tradition between Lucan and Vergil with a focus on the supernatural. Outside of school you can find me curled up with a great historical fiction novel or knitting a new scarf. I am beyond excited to be part of the Sturgis community once more!

I graduated from Swarthmore College in 2018 with a B.A. in Biology. I then worked jobs in science fieldwork, research, and education for 3 years before pursuing an M.A. in Secondary Education at the University of Vermont. At Sturgis I teach 4 sections of 9th grade biology.  

I am Veronika Lavelle. I am so very excited to be returning to Sturgis west as an inclusion teacher. I was raised on Cape Cod but spent most of my adult life in Colorado, attending university, exploring the beautiful state and surrounding areas and working closely with youth advocacy programs. Since graduating I have taught at different age levels and worked with youth in many different settings. I started my career working with at risk juveniles where I found my passion for making a difference in adolescents' lives.

Outside of work you can usually find me wrangling my three dogs, attending or coaching one of my sons many sport games, riding my motorcycle, camping or climbing a mountain.

I cant wait to see what this Sturgis school year brings!

I'm Jamie Noone, the new Administrative Assistant in the Special Education Department. I came to Sturgis after spending my career working for non-profit organizations. I have worked with animals for a majority of my career, most notably training seals, sea lions, and sea otters at the New England Aquarium, and dogs and cats at the MSPCA. The second half of my career was spent fundraising, most recently for IFAW and the Cape Cod Museum of Art. I have two fantastic children, ages 9 and 12 and a 2 year old rescue dog from Alabama. She's pretty terrific too! When I'm not in school, you can find me hanging out with my children, or working my other job as a wedding coordinator at the Borsari Gallery in Dennis. In my spare time (ha!) I like to exercise and perfect my comfort food recipes.