GUS Welcomes New Faculty + Fall Interns

We have a number of new faculty members to welcome as well as some exciting changes to our program this fall. 

As some of you may know, our pre-K program launched in the fall of 2018 as a single mixed-age classroom of 3-5 year olds. We have loved these last few years of GUS pre-K, and there has been so much interest in our program, led by Polly Pfau and Janelle Young, that we are expanding it for the 2021-22 school year. This fall pre-K will have two classrooms, each with two teachers.

We are also happy to announce that next year we will be expanding our Academic Support team to include Chris Doyle. Chris will still keep one foot in our third grade class, where he will teach social studies and science. Chris will be joined by a new third grade teacher, Renée LaRoche, and Lily Souza will be covering Maggie Clark’s maternity leave this fall in third grade.

We are excited for all of our new teachers and thrilled to expand our academic support team for next year. Please join us in welcoming new faculty and fall interns.

New Faculty

Rebecca Castonguay, Pre-K Teacher

Rebecca recently graduated from Endicott College with a degree and a license in early childhood education, and is currently working towards her Master’s Degree in special education. She grew up in Amesbury, MA and now lives on Plum Island/Newburyport, MA. She is very excited to be working with the Pre-K children this year and is so glad to be a part of the GUS community.

Abby Johnstone, Pre-K Teacher

Abby brings a passion for gardening, reading, and the outdoors to the Pre-K program. Prior to this position at GUS, Abby taught for two years as an Assistant Teacher in kindergarten classrooms, and spent a year leading a local school garden program. Abby loves to be with children as they make discoveries, ask curious questions, and try new things. She recently completed her Master's Degree in Elementary Education through Endicott College.

Renée LaRoche, Third Grade Teacher

Renée LaRoche, who will be taking over for Ms. Brace as a new member of our third-grade team, comes to GUS full time after getting to know and work with the community through SUMMER@GUS. With an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction, Renée has been teaching elementary and middle school students, in public and private sectors, for the past sixteen years. Her favorite part of teaching is supporting her students’ growth while appreciating their exuberance and individuality.

Maria Rodrigo-Leaman, Spanish Teacher + 5th Grade Homeroom Teacher

Maria Rodrigo-Leaman was born and raised in Tucumán, a small province in northern Argentina. She has been living in Massachusetts for the last 12 years with her husband Aron, and now, her two wonderful boys Luca (6) and Leon (4). She began her teaching career in 2007 as a literature teacher in a local High School in Tucuman, Argentina. After moving to the US, she finished her Master’s Degree in teaching Spanish as a second language and began teaching young children using a Spanish immersion approach. Maria is thrilled to join GUS and is looking forward to an exciting school year getting to know all the students, families, and staff members of this wonderful institution.  

Lily Souza, Third Grade Maternity Leave Teacher

Lily recently graduated from Gordon College with a Master’s Degree in Education. Initially wanting to be a veterinarian in High School, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology, and although her love for animals is strong, she has found her calling teaching children and thoroughly enjoys laughing and learning with her students. Previously, she worked at Lynnfield Public School as a long-term substitute. She has a 15-year-old Boston terrier named Tobin and she loves to swim, hike, and have game nights. She is so excited to join the GUS family and get to work alongside the staff and get to know the students in this year’s third grade class.

Cathy Sullivan, Math Lab Teacher
Most recently, Cathy has been working as a Teaching Assistant at Hamilton-Wenham School District, where she spent three years in the High School and two at the Middle School, primarily supporting math classes and special education students. She is currently working towards her M.Ed. in Mathematics Education (1-8) at Lesley University. She has lived in Beverly Farms for over 30 years, and has three children, Leigh, Devin and Luke, all attended GUS - from 1996-2009. She had a wonderful experience at GUS both in education, and in the community that it provided for our family, and is looking forward to being involved in the community again. Some of her favorite things to do are spend time with her kids, take long walks on the beach, and have fun with her new puppy, Sage.

Fall Interns

Connor Carson, Finance Intern

We are excited to have Carson join the finance team this fall. He is currently a student at Salem State University where he majors in Corporate Finance & Accounting. Carson has been a counselor at SUMMER@GUS for the last two years and is also a GUS basketball coach!

Jessica Fine, Lower School Intern

Jess has lived up and down I-95 - she was born in Boston, grew up in the DC suburbs, and moved to NYC in middle school. She is now a senior at Endicott College majoring in Education Studies, and is particularly interested in school counseling. Her hobbies include photography, spending time with friends and family, and watching hockey, particularly the Washington Capitals. 

Danielle French, Art Intern

Danielle is currently an art education major at Montserrat College of Art. She is from western Massachusetts and scooped ice cream at a local ice cream shop over the summer. She’s very excited to be doing her student teaching at GUS and can’t wait to get started!

Tori Hurley, Lower School Intern

Tori is going into her senior year at Endicott College. She is on the women’s lacrosse team and sports have always been a huge part of her life. There are many lessons she’s learned through sports that translate into her teaching, such as positivity, teamwork, and inclusivity. Teaching and working with children has always been a passion, and she is very excited to have the opportunity to be a positive role model for the students at GUS and inspire them to be the best they can be!

Samantha Kourtz, Lower School Intern

Samantha is going into her senior year at Endicott College. She is majoring in Educational Studies and minoring in Creative Arts Therapy. She spent last fall studying abroad in Florence, Italy, which was an amazing experience. Samantha loves to read and crochet in her spare time. She is looking forward to this school year and meeting everyone!