Faculty
Rebekah F. Kersten (director of drama, theatre manager, and co-advisor of Garrick Club at BUHS) has been a performer ever since she could talk, move, and sing. For over twenty-five years, she has been a theatre artist in the contexts of educational, community, and professional theatre, practicing her craft through acting, design, stage management, and directing. Her teaching career officially began in 2018, but she has been a teacher for far longer, serving as trainer, mentor, coach, and manager in a variety of capacities.
Having spent her childhood in various small New England towns, Mrs. Kersten landed in Brattleboro in 1996, where she attended BUHS and her theatre education truly began. Favorite roles include Nora (A Doll's House), Miss Prism (The Importance of Being Earnest), Domina (A Funny Thing...Forum), Ann Putnam (The Crucible), and Rosaline (Love's Labor's Lost). Professional technical credits include Production Stage Manager at Vermont Stage Company in Burlington, Resident Production Stage Manager at Lost Nation Theater in Montpelier, where she served as Production Stage Manager for the world premiere of Stone, and Resident Costume Designer/Costume Shop Manager for the Peterborough Players, where she designed the world premiere of This Verse Business. She has worked with many accomplished theatre artists over the years, including Sam Fleming (Associate Costume Designer for Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, on tour, and worldwide) and Gordon Clapp (NYPD Blue). Mrs. Kersten holds a B.A. in Theatre from UVM, an M.Ed.: Literacy and Language Arts from New England College, and English and Theatre Arts certifications from the state of Vermont. This is her fourth year teaching at BUHS, and she is thrilled to be teaching Acting, Directing, and the Theatre Capstone. When not in her classroom or the auditorium, Mrs. Kersten can be found spending time with her family at their home in West Chesterfield, NH, reading, doing Zumba, or working on her latest project.
Christopher Rose (co-advisor of Garrick Club and co-director of the spring play) Bio coming soon...
Bunny Saranita (Music Department chair, band director, jazz band director) has been teaching instrumental music and band in the Merrimack, New Hampshire school district since 2004. She specialized in beginner instrumental music at James Mastricola Upper Elementary School for eighteen years before becoming the high school band director at Merrimack High School in 2022.
Ms. Saranita is past president of New Hampshire Band Directors Association and remains active with the association through her role as membership chair and as a committee member for the NH All State Chamber Music Festival. Ms. Saranita also has served on the NH Jazz All State Committee for 15 years. NHBDA awarded Ms. Saranita the NH Outstanding Young Band Director Award in 2001 and the Outstanding Band Director Award in 2022. Passionate about the science of learning, Ms. Saranita has been a clinician for the Merrimack school district and for NHMEA.
Ms. Saranita earned degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the University of Louisville, studying trumpet with Walter Chesnut and Michael Tunnell. Prior to teaching in Merrimack, Ms. Saranita taught courses in music education at the University of Louisville (KY) and at Rivier University (NH), instructed trumpet for the Performing Arts Division at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and directed the instrumental music programs in several public-school settings, including the Union 38 School District in Massachusetts and the Winnisquam, Auburn, and Manchester school districts in New Hampshire. Ms. Saranita is excited to return to her hometown and state to teach here at Brattleboro Union High School.
Julie Ackerman-Hovis (choral director and vocal director for the musical) is the vocal music teacher at BUHS and BAMS. She earned a B.A. in Music from Swarthmore College, a postgraduate degree in Music Education from Brooklyn College, and a Masters in Jazz Performance (singing) from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College in New York City. Before moving to Brattleboro in 2016, Ms. A lived, taught and sang jazz in New York City for 16 years. She taught in public and private elementary, middle and high schools, and was also Director of a K-12 music program. Ms. A has led many vocal and instrumental groups through the years, working in a wide variety of musical styles. She has been the musical director of many school musicals. Ms. A has a passion for helping students recognize that there is something for everybody in the realm of music. Whether you are a performer, composer, or a fan, you belong!
Tom Nasiatka (woodwind instructor) is in his eleventh year as an Instrumental and Digital Music Production Teacher at Brattleboro Area Middle School and Brattleboro Union High School in Brattleboro, Vermont. His teaching responsibilities include instructing the school’s 7th and 8th grade concert and jazz ensembles, 7thand 8th grade group instrument lessons, teaching 7th and 8th grade Digital Music Production, and 9th-12th grade woodwind lessons. Thomas is also an active private saxophone teacher and freelance saxophonist in the western Massachusetts and southern Vermont regions.
Mr. Nasiatka holds a Master’s Degree in Music Education with an emphasis in Applied Saxophone Performance, and Bachelor’s Degrees in Music Education and Saxophone Performance, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. During his time at UMASS, Thomas studied saxophone with esteemed Professor Lynn Klock, performed in the University’s top ensembles, and was the 2003 recipient of the Theodore Presser Award. His primary interests in music education include creativity in working with Digital Audio Workstations (DAW's), and middle-school level instrumental music.
Maintaining professional involvement in his local music education organization, Mr. Nasiatka recently served as treasurer of the Connecticut Valley Music Festival Association (District VI), and often serves as an ensemble manager. In 2012, the association honored him by awarding him 'Music Teacher of the Year,' and nominating him for the Vermont Young Music Educator of the Year.
Prior to his appointment in Brattleboro, Thomas taught elementary and middle school instrumental Music for three years in central Massachusetts; and has recently returned from a three-year teaching appointment in Minnesota.
Thomas maintains professional memberships in the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the Vermont Music Educators Association (VMEA), and the Technology Institute for Music Educators (TI:ME). In his spare time, he is an avid distance runner and is often training for a race, or is on an airplane heading somewhere across the world (in non-COVID times, of course).
Michelle Page (musical producer and co-director of the spring play) is thrilled to be serving as one half of the BUHS Spring Play Director team. Michelle began her theatre career as a high school student at Oddfellows Playhouse in Middletown, CT. She minored in Acting and Directing at Castleton University, while studying to become a math teacher. She currently serves as the president of the Vermont Theatre Company where she produces several shows a year. Some recent roles Michelle has played include Smeraldina in The Servant of Two Masters in 2022 and in the role of Lady MacBeth in VTC's production of MacBeth in 2019. Past directing credits include They Don't Pay, We Won't Pay, Romeo and Juliet, Moon Over Buffalo. She will be directing Twelfth Night for VTC in July 2023. In her free time she can be found paddle boarding on local rivers or baking treats for her daughter and husband.
Francesca Bourgault (musical choreographer & visiting artist) grew up dancing, began teaching at age 14, and never stopped. She specializes in tap, modern, and creative dance with an emphasis on getting to know your body in a fun and judgement-free atmosphere. She holds a BA in Dance from Western Michigan University. When not teaching, she can be found at her shop, Windham Movement Apparel, playing with her daughter, or relaxing with her family.
Mary Linney (musical costume designer) Bio coming soon...