The Lower School Faculty at Sparhawk
2009-2010

Individuals qualify to teach at Sparhawk if they are broadly literate, demonstrate a zeal for life and learning, know child and adolescent development, are expert in a particular area that complements the rest of the teaching team and have a passion and talent for teaching.

The teachers presently employed at Sparhawk School are experienced educators and idealists united in the belief that Sparhawk's philosophy embodies their values. Teachers experience success and satisfaction working with small classes of motivated students and find the collegial atmosphere of our small school supportive.

Lower School Director

Marion Cipolle, Director of the Lower school, (shown here releasing butterflies) believes adults must switch hats in response to what each child brings to school. At Sparhawk, in her capacity as Director, she wears many. She values open communication between home and school as crucial to a child’s success and she works to sustain relationships with parents and teachers to assure that it happens.

Marion first earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and in her earliest career, she worked in laboratories as a microbiologist. She also owned and operated a full service bakery and catering establishment until the birth of her second child. A life-long love for teaching was rekindled at this time as she took her science interests into classrooms and science summer camps.

Marion earned a Master's degree in Education from Lesley College in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialty in Creative Arts in Learning.  She taught preschool and kindergarten for twelve years, acting as the director of an early childhood program for three years and designing afternoon and summer programs, for children six through nine years-of-age, at two nearby private schools.

During her first year at Sparhawk Marion taught 4th, 5th, and 6th grade math and science, as well as enrichments. Her warmth, wisdom, and broad experience made her an obvious choice for Director of the Lower School. In this role she supports teachers in designing curriculum that integrates the multiple intelligences, that uses developmental practice and assures individualized instruction.

Marion regularly attends workshops and classes to further enrich her repertoire. She also presents workshops to both parents and educators in learning styles, multiple intelligences, understanding differences in perception, and in math and literacy development in young children. Her many interests and life experiences fuel her passion for encouraging others’ enthusiasm and curiosity about how children learn.

Marion has also taught swing and ballroom to both adults and children. In addition to her love for dancing, she enjoys cooking and baking, nature, hiking, and a good laugh. Most of all, she takes pleasure in sharing these pastimes with her family.  (Sparhawk, year 4)

 

Faculty

Catherine Debrocke has taught art to students in grades K-5 at Sparhawk School for the past seven years and ceramics at both the high school and middle school for the past two. She has a Bachelor of Fine Art Degree from The University of Massachusetts. She is a Sparhawk treasure. An artist by trade, she spends her time, outside of Sparhawk, teaching at the Essex Art Center in Lawrence, MA and in her studio, working on her own art which she has been exhibited in many shows in the Greater Boston area.

Catherine is very in-tune to the needs and interests of her students, and because of her dazzling, yet gentle, essence, her enthusiasm is contagious. She creates a safe and excitement-charged atmosphere where students can express themselves artistically using a variety of materials and techniques. Art history, color theory, and art appreciation are also components of her program.

She makes it all come to life with her occasional portrayal of characters from the art history curriculum of the moment. She has come to school as a Renaissance patron of the arts who wishes to commission a portrait, having heard of the talented artists at Sparhawk School, and as a kooky, bright blue-wigged modern Miss Ruby Moon, or as a visiting Left Bank artist. One never knows with Catherine. The students suspend disbelief, most of them, and delight in these surprise visits from interesting characters of the past, present, and future. She initiated a full-school arts event called Edible Art where families display art they have created using edible ingredients. We are truly lucky to have her as part of our team. (Sparhawk, Year 9)

 

Christina Spurling, Lower and Middle School Music

Christina graduated from Gordon College with a Bachelor of Arts degrees in Music and Visual Art. Having been raised in a small village on an offshore island in Maine, Christina feels at home in the Sparhawk community, where the classroom structure is much like that of her own elementary experience. She credits her home community for enriching her life and supporting her musical pursuit as a pianist.

Christina has taught chamber music to young musicians as well as music and art at Summer Festival of the Arts. Other teaching experience includes an internship with The Food Project, which led her to create and teach curriculum in vegetable gardening to elementary and middle school students in Lynn, MA. One of her favorite projects, for her local high school's garden, was painting a mural on a school bus that was converted into a greenhouse where they grew seedlings. She spent last year in southern France studying art and volunteering on organic farms with her partner, Andrew, who is also a musician. Together they hope to start their own vegetable production while continuing to teach and learn music. Christina is thrilled to have the opportunity to expand her teaching experience to the classroom and engage students of all ages in music at Sparhawk. (Sparhawk year 1)

                                                                                                                                                                                 Bob DeLibero, teaches 4th and 5th grade Language Art. Bob can be found in his fourth and fifth grade homeroom teaching Language Arts and Humanities or in his science room exciting upper elementary students about electricity, bacteriology, chemistry, and other areas of scientific exploration. Bob has taught at the elementary and middle school levels in the following grades: 6th -8th grade at Sparhawk middle school, 3rd grade in Amesbury, where he also served as behavioral tutor for one year, 6th grade science in Merrimac, and 7th grade science and 8th grade theater at Glen Urquhart.

An accomplished actor, Bob was trained in theater at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, as well as, HB Studios in NYC. He ha performed, directed and produced theater for more than 25 years- locally, as well as in Boston, NYC and Los Angeles. Bob spent five great summers working as Theater Director for Camp Manitou, a boys sports and theater camp in Maine. He also is Artistic Director of Waterfront Productions, a theater group he began in 1991. Bob directs the falll play each year at Sparhawk School.

Writing poetry and stories is another of Bobs favorite endeavors. He recently finished a children’s adventure novel about pirates and is working on another with a baseball theme. Bob is looking forward to incorporating his love of theater and writing into his curriculum at Sparhawk.

When he is not working with kids in the classroom Bob can be found coaching them on the baseball field where he has coached all ages, from 6 to 16, for over fifteen years now. When he is not teaching, performing, coaching or writing, Bob enjoys playing softball, cooking with his son, Brad, who is the owner of Mad Martha’s Beach Cafe on Plum Island, or just hanging out with the love of his life, Paulette and the rest of their sons Billy, Jordan, Davi and three year old, Caden.
(Sparhawk year 3)

 

Eric Getz, joins the Sparhawk Lower School faculty this year to teach a multiage third and fourth-grade group. While working toward his Master of Elementary Education degree from Lesley University, he came to know and love Sparhawk School first as a Sparhawk parent. His two children joined our elementary school program in 2007. Upon completing his Master's degree coursework, he applied for a teaching position at Sparhawk. What a pleasure it is to welcome him back to our community this year in his dual roles as teacher and Sparhawk parent.

Eric has had a successful career in education prior to coming to Sparhawk, though in a very different kind of classroom. He has designed, developed, written, and produced award-winning exhibits for educational centers and museums throughout the country. They have been seen by millions of people on almost every continent. His two most recent educational exhibits include ones at The Reynolds Museum and Education Center at George Washington's Mount Vernon, in Virginia, and at The Pilgrim Hall Museum in Plymouth, MA.

His exhibits have touched on a variety of subjects, including the arts and literature, natural science, and national and world history. In each exhibit he consciously sought to appeal to the widest range of learning styles whether through interactive experiences, multimedia environments, or simple artifact displays. "Sparhawk," he explains, " is dedicated to teaching to multiple intelligences and I cannot wait to bring what I have learned in the museum world of education into the classroom." (Sparhawk, year 2)

 

Maryclaire Ward Paullis  Directly upon receiving her Master of Education degree in Creative Arts and Learning from Lesley College, Maryclaire found Sparhawk and immediately fell in love. Then a diamond in the rough- Sparhawk was a dream waiting to be actualized by the right first teacher - a role gloriously fulfilled by Maryclaire. Despite the progressively creative curricular ideals she learned at Lesley College, professors and students there lamented that it was rarely possible to integrate these ideals in the typical classroom. Sparhawk, quite joyfully, did not seek the typical, so autonomy was given to Maryclaire to implement the plethora of innovations gleaned at Lesley, and to make learning splendid. Sparhawk remains deeply honored to have had Maryclaire play such an integral role in Sparhawk's conception.

 

Fourteen years later, Sparhawk School is still thriving and Maryclaire is returning to the Sparhawk nest after a two-year hiatus at home with her youngest child, Eli. She spent the four years prior to that in Administration, at the upper school, in a variety of roles that included Community Life Coordinator, Admissions Tour Guide, New Teacher Mentor and Multiple Intelligence Curricular Support.

Maryclaire is delighted to be returning to the classroom at the lower school where, for her first Sparhawk years, she taught multi-age groups of children in kindergarten through grade six. For Maryclaire, spending a day at the FarmSchool is like being suspended in time. The realities of off-campus life recede, and the joy that exudes from the lower school shines and shines as the days soar by. This year she will be teaching in second/third-grade.

In addition to plenty of nurturing experience in the classroom, Maryclaire and her husband Jay, have a full house at home as well. Sarah and Emily, ages 13 and 11 respectively, have been at Sparhawk virtually all their lives and will both attend Sparhawk Middle School this fall. Liam, age six, is a proud first grader at the FarmSchool. And little Eli, well, look around for him in just a few short years!

For Maryclaire and her family, Sparhawk has long been a second home. They have in a sense, grown up together, and Maryclaire has nurtured both the Sparhawk family and her own, with love and dedication. Maryclaire has a clear vision of all that is Sparhawk, and we are nothing short of delighted to have her back in the fold! (Sparhawk, year 12)

 

Kristin Spinney Kristin Spinney is the primary teacher of our     preK/Kindergarten group. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Child Development from Colby-Sawyer College and has Master's Degree in Curriculum Instruction in Creative Arts and Learning from Lesley University. Sparhawk School is everything Kristin imagines a school should be. "It is the best experience working here. We are a close knit community and co-workers and Sparhawk families are friends.”

Kristin was born to teach. She is passionate about enriching the lives of her precious students for whom she designs exciting learning experiences with just the right developmental level of challenge, in her classroom full of sunlight and love.

When not at Sparhawk School Kristin enjoys time with husband, Michael, and her sons, Owen and Connor. They love to travel and spend time with family and friends. (Sparhawk, Year 7)

 

Bob Watson teaches Spanish to students in elementary and middle school. He loves sharing his passion for the Spanish language and Latino culture with Sparhawk students. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in English from the University of New Hampshire with a concentration in Race, Culture, and Power.

Between 2005 and 2006, he and his partner Daniela, Sparhawk's high school art teacher, spent 18 months on the road in South America, Central America, and Mexico. He became fluent in Spanish over the course of this 13 country odyssey. The couple spent time volunteering at an orphanage, a youth jail, a summer camp, a group home, a wheelchair distribution team, and working with communities in the jungles of Panama and Ecuador.

Before leaving for Latin America, Bob spent two and a half years at AS220’s Broad Street Studio in Providence, Rhode Island, where he began as an Americorps*VISTA volunteer. This volunteer stint evolved into a full time position running writing workshops and teaching magazine production to high school students in Rhode Island, including those incarcerated in the state's juvenile detention facility. Most recently, he taught students with autism and acquired brain injuries.

After school, now, Bob coaches the Sparhawk High School Cross Country team. Besides running, Bob enjoys discovering new music and spending time working on his first home: a 19th century farmhouse that provides him with an endless supply of construction, demolition, and renovation projects. (Sparhawk, year 2)

April Odell, Grades 3-4

April teaches a multiage group third and fourth graders. She received her Masters Degree in Elementary Education from Lesley University and earned a BFA in Fine Art, with a minor in Art History, from Pratt Institute.

Working with children has always been a passion of April's. She has worked in the public school system for the past two years, and has been involved with teaching summer school. In the summer months, she is employed as an educator for Boat Camp in Newburyport, which helps to bring ocean awareness to children.

April is delighted to be a member of Sparhawk School, and came to Sparhawk highly recommended by Newburyport's Boat Camp and Sparhawk High School teacher, Kate Yoemans, — "April is... phenomenal in terms of how she relates with kids and maintains her calm and poise. We have thrown her into a lot of situations and we rely on her a lot, and she never disappoints... an incredibly hard worker."

In her free time, April enjoys hiking, volunteering, traveling, and practicing Spanish. (Sparhawk year 1)

 

School Counselor

Catherine Mannheimer, LCSW, is a teacher, artist and psychotherapist. She holds a Bachelor of Art from Bradford College in creative arts and a Master of Social Work from Simmons College. She has taught art therapy, a survey of visual, and performing arts at Bradford College, and creative process at Northern Essex Community College. She worked for a number of years as a clinical social worker at Lowell High School, and presently maintains a private practice.

She enjoys looking for the creative and expressive aspects in everyone. One of her favorite ways of doing this is through team teaching. She has taught Drum Making, Creativity, Relaxation Techniques, Humor in the Work Place, and The Social and Artistic Implications of the Renaissance, which she taught in Florence, Italy. (Sparhawk, Year 9)

Lower School

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