Our Staff

Jocelyn Director

Jocelyn brings a wide range of experience to her current role with the Village School, including a background teaching in a variety of public school and independent school settings, with students ranging from preschool to college level. Jocelyn holds a B.A. in Community Health Education and a M.A. in Languages, Literatures, and Cultures from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Jocelyn’s nonprofit background includes both staff and board leadership roles, most recently as Executive Director of NOFA/Mass (the Northeast Organic Farming Association).

Rise Assistant Director

Rise grew up in Chicago, graduating with a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Illinois.  After living in Israel for a year, and a year in England studying with J. G. Bennett, she settled in Massachusetts.  In the 1980’s, Rise was part of a group of local parents that began looking at education, and serving the needs of both their own children, and the children in this area.  They formed the Village School in 1989, and it has been a labor of love since.  Rise and her husband John have a small farm, with maple sugaring, sheep, hay fields, pastures, woods and gardens.  When not at the school, you can find her in the summer blissfully weeding in the garden, and in the winter, cross country skiing through the woods.  Rise has three grown children, the youngest of whom was lucky enough to be the first Village School graduate.

Wendy Student Support

Wendy spent her childhood in Connecticut and California and her adult life in Massachusetts.  Wendy got her BA in English at UC Berkeley and her MA in Education at Tufts University. Her parents were both teachers and Wendy followed in their footsteps and began teaching in 1981.  She has worked at the Village School since 1999.  Her two children attended and loved the Village School- in fact her daughter was the Village School’s first (and only!) Kindergartener when the Village School decided to expand from a preschool.   In addition to working at the Village School, she is part of the teacher team at the Farm School’s Chicken Coop School, where she teaches English.  She recently became certified as an Orton Gillingham reading tutor. She also serves on the Village School Board of Directors. Once the snow melts, you’ll find her in her garden.

Sofie Preschool Teacher

Sofie grew up in Lexington, MA and moved out to the North Quabbin area to pursue her love of farming. A degree in Early Childhood Education from Mount Wachusett Community College led her to The Village School as a practicum student and it was love at first sight! Sofie is settled in Royalston with her husband Steve, daughter Delaney, and sons Jesse and Forrest. You’ll find them tending to their many farm animals, growing vegetables and flowers in the garden, and enjoying summers at The Village School as Sofie runs the summer programs. 

Leanne Preschool Teacher

Leanne grew up nearby, in the Pioneer Valley. After experience in day care and early childhood education, Leanne joined the Village School in the year 2000. Both parents and children who have gone through the Preschool are grateful for the lifelong skills in conflict resolution, and communication with children, that they have learned from Leanne. Leanne loves cooking and gardening with children. Her two children, Dylan and Lindsey, are both graduates of the Village School.

Brooke Preschool Teacher

Brooke (she/her) grew up in the mountains in Utah and loves all the seasons. She’s trained as an elementary educator, a nurse-midwife, and sexuality educator. She facilitates story hour at the Royalston library and has fulfilled her dream of driving a bookmobile by bringing books back and forth to The Village School. Her three children have all attended the Village School since preschool.

Martin Kindergarten Teacher

Martin grew up in a village in the southeast of England. After graduating from college, he traveled around the world and discovered the vocation of teaching. He returned to the U.K. to study for a Post-graduate Certificate in Education then began teaching in central London for six years. Seeking a rural community life he moved to Royalston in 2007 to teach at the Village School. He has a daughter who has attended the school since pre-school. He enjoys reading stories from culturally diverse sources and traditions, and hiking around the local area with his class.

Zulma Kindergarten Assistant

Zulma grew up in New York City and currently lives in Orange, Massachusetts. She has joined the Village School as our Kindergarten Assistant Teacher. Zulma is excited to formally step into this role, after working at the school in a part-time capacity. Zulma received a degree in biology at Trinity College and has furthered her education by getting certified as a Waldorf teacher through the program at Sophia’s Hearth Family Education Center. In addition to working with young children, Zulma enjoys gardening with her rabbit, knitting, crocheting and cooking.

Myra 1st-2nd Grade Teacher

Myra grew up in a small Massachusetts town where she was immersed in the quiet magic of the natural world. A lifelong interest in the arts brought her to the Maine College of Art, where she earned a BFA in painting. She found her way to the Village School as an intern while attending Antioch University New England. She earned  her M.Ed. in Elementary Education with a focus in placed-based and integrated learning. After several years working in public schools, Myra happily returned to the Village School where she has taught grades 2 through 6. Myra lives in Orange with her husband Lee, a farmer, and her son Lucas, a Village School graduate.

Hanna 1st-2nd Assistant Teacher

Hanna grew up and currently lives in Winchendon, Massachusetts. Hanna is a proud alum of The Village School and is thrilled to be back as an Assistant Teacher in the 1st and 2nd grade classroom. She graduated from The University Massachusetts Lowell with a Bachelors of Arts in Peace and Conflict Studies, while minoring in Education and Arabic Studies. Hanna brings a diverse background, having taught at a Montessori school, worked as a Behavioral Therapist, and taught English internationally. These experiences have enriched her approach to education, and she is excited to apply them in the classroom. 

Shannon 3rd-4th Grade Teacher

Shannon was born in Worcester, Massachusetts and lived there for 30 years.  She attended Middlebury College and Clark University.  She graduated from Clark with a degree in teaching and a degree in English.  She taught in Worcester for five years and also coached field hockey and softball.  She spent five years at home with her children before joining the Village School as the 2nd-3rd grade teacher in 2008.  Shannon and her husband Rich are the parents of two Village School graduates.  Shannon enjoys spending time with her family, reading, gardening and hiking.

Ellee 3rd-4th Assistant Teacher

Ellee Newton has 2 children currently attending The Village School. She and her husband are lifelong Royalston residents.  She graduated from Worcester State University.  Ellee has a bachelors in psychology and teacher certification. Previous work experience includes years of directing  a school-age after school program and outdoor summer camp.  She also worked in Athol-Royalston Public schools for  five years.  She and her family spend a lot of time outdoors enjoying nature.

George 5th – 6th grade Teacher

George was born in London, England, and grew up in an experimental spiritual community of fifty people set up in the 1940s by his father, J. G. Bennett. He studied history at university and took a master’s degree in American history and politics. George spent seven years as an international truck driver, driving from England across Europe and the Middle East – which he described in a memoir, Into the Distance – before becoming a journalist and editor of magazines written for the truck and transport industry. In 1990 he set up his own company to buy the magazines he worked on, and sold the business seven years later. After twenty years as a journalist, editor and publisher, George trained as a teacher at London University in 2000. He worked in a London public school for two years before joining the Village School in 2003. George is married to Ana, a U.K.-trained osteopath. They have two adult children, both Village School grads, and he has three older ‘children’ living in England and Sydney, Australia. He has six grandchildren. George likes to travel as often as he can, and always with a book in his pocket.

Lily 5th-6th grade Assistant Teacher

Lily grew up in the North Quabbin Region (Athol). She is a proud mother of three children. Before joining the Village School in 2020, she had a broad range of experience in public schools with children from preschool to preteen, with a focus in Kindergarten as well as special education. She works every year in the Village School summer program. Lily loves traveling, live music, camping and spending time with family.

Sharon 2nd, 3rd and 5th Math Teacher

Sharon started her career as a corporate financial analyst. She went on to earn her M.Ed. at Lesley University and has spent decades teaching at independent schools. Sharon has a particular love for presenting math, science, STEM, and integrated project-based curriculum in an exploratory way that values children’s interests and growing capabilities. Outside of teaching, she enjoys gardening, traveling, and spending time with her family.

Fenn  3rd-6th Science Teacher

Fenn is a Village School graduate with a B.A. in biology from Hampshire College and experience teaching science and health to middle and high schoolers.

Kim Early Literacy Specialist & Coordinator

Kim (parent of Village School student Cat) is thrilled to join the Village School staff as the Early Literacy Specialist & Coordinator. She trained at Smith College, Lesley University, and Carroll School, obtaining her M.Ed in Special Education and her Orton-Gillingham Associate Certification. When she isn’t reading, Kim is spinning wool, teaching Zentangle classes, or playing board games with her family.

Lynn After School Program Director

Lynn was raised in New Hampshire and has been a Royalston resident since 1997; starting at the school in 2003. Her daughter is a Village School alum and now works in higher education in Boston. Lynn loves the natural world and its never-ending magic. At home in the cool months she loves to create soup and sometimes remembers to write the ingredients down! In the summer she can be found in the flowers & hiking the area. She enjoys creative endeavors that involve playing with color, especially flameworking glass; and is also a life-long knitter. Lynn’s motto is “ancora imparo” (I am still learning), and discovering what she wants to do when she grows up. Because of this, she believes the Village School is a perfect match.

Katrina Preschool, Kindergarten and 1st-2nd Science Teacher

Katrina has a degree in microbiology. Her three children are Village School alums. Katrina loves teaching preschool, kindergarten and 1^st-2^nd grade science, focusing on hands-on observations and immersion in nature.  Katrina loves drawing in nature.

Loren  Art and Yoga Teacher

Loren was born in Georgia and moved frequently as a result of her father’s military career, with the longest time spent in Alaska and Hawaii.   A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, she worked in Washington DC for a White House cabinet member and for Dr. Jane Goodall.  Her discovery of yoga and lifelong artistic practice led to an entirely different path which brought her back to her ancestral roots in rural New England.  Loren has been teaching at the school since 2011 and has three children who have attended the Village School from preschool through 6th grade.

Emily  Music Teacher

Emily lives in New Salem and has two young fun and outgoing girls.  Emily aims to foster a passion for music within her students, and create an environment where her students feel comfortable and excited about learning.  Emily plays guitar and sings too.