Ms. Joanne Bailey taught French and advised students before joining the Admission Office in 1999. She started as an interviewer and was later promoted to Associate Director of Admission. She spent a large portion of her time working with day students as the head of the Day Student Admissions committee. Ms. Bailey was the longest serving admissions interviewer at Choate. “My favorite memory of her is how approachable and kind she was at Choate Revisit Day in 2019. As an accepted student, she made me feel welcomed and answered all the questions I had thoughtfully,” recalled Sofia Munoz ’23. Ms. Bailey will be retiring from her career working in education. She is excited to work on other projects and spend time with her four grandchildren.
Mr. Matt McDonald has been the Director of Financial Aid and Associate Director of Admission since 2015. He has been an instrumental part of the admissions process for many students. Outside of his work in admissions, he helped coach the Boys’ Varsity Soccer team and was an adviser in Nichols House, a third-form girls’ dorm. “He was very reliable and always checked up on me during my freshman year,” said Tigo Ponce de Leon ’22, who lived in Memorial House and an advisee of Mr. McDonald. Next year, Mr. McDonald will be joining the Roxbury Latin School in Boston.
Ms. Casey Kelsey has worked as an academic technologist and a science teacher for Choate. As an academic technologist, she collaborates with the teachers and faculty in an effort to improve learning through technology. Since iPads and computers play such a big role in academics, Ms. Kelsey has provided the community with her expertise to better the learning experience of every Choate student. Beyond the classroom, Ms. Kelsey was the Head Coach of the Girls’ Crew. “Coach Kelsey taught me the importance of perseverance and hard work. During race pieces she would always be right behind me to cheer me on and to make sure I didn’t stop. It’s obvious she really cares about our success,” said crew captain Chloe Brink ’21.
Mr. Austin Sanchez-Moran worked at Choate for two years as an English teacher, a coach of Boys’ Thirds Basketball, and an adviser for third-form boys in Memorial House. “He was a great coach, adviser, and friend, and was always there when I needed help,” said Jonathan Zhuo ’23. Since his arrival on campus, in 2019, his students and fellow faculty members recognized him for his positive attitude in the dorm and on the court.
Ms. Jenn Pelletier, or Ms. P, as her students call her, has been an HPRSS teacher for the past seven years. She also coached the Varsity Girls’ Squash to a 12-2 record and at Division I nationals last year. “She is very individually close to the players and made me more passionate about the sport in [my] first year at Choate,” said squash player Elena Zhang ’24.
Avery Feingold has worked at Choate as part of a fellowship program for two years while teaching in the Mathematics Department, coaching Ultimate Frisbee and serving as a dorm adviser in Pratt. “It was awesome to get involved in so many parts of student life,” said Feingold. One of their favorite things about Choate was the diverse perspectives that the School offered on current events. They will be exploring a new and exciting opportunity at the Horace Mann School, in New York City.
Mb Duckett Ireland has worked at Choate for the past 11 years, both as a teacher and form dean. She taught English to sophomores and to seniors. Aside from being a teacher and form dean, Mb served on multiple committees that work to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus. As a form dean, she supervised the social and academic life of students in the Class of 2021. Valerie Guardian ’23 said, “I enjoy her authenticity as a person. She never shies away from having a conversation with her students.” Mb will be leaving Choate to become the Dean of Students at Holderness, a boarding school in New Hampshire. Mb has always had a passion for student life and feels her new role will allow her to focus more on that aspect of her career.
During her time at Choate, Ms. Regina Brown has worked as a member of the mathematics department at Choate and a Girls’ Varsity Crew coach. She has played a fundamental role in all her positions, both in the classroom and outside. Throughout her time at Choate, she has connected with many students and has fostered a dynamic classroom environment. “What I love most about Ms. Brown is how engaging, organized, and patient she is,” said one of Ms. Brown’s math students, Annalise Rhodes ’23. Her favorite memories in class were “all the times she made me laugh with her jokes that would seize my attention and never allow me to lose focus in her class.” Ms. Brown will be leaving Choate to pursue a masters degree in Boston.
Mr. Kyle Di Tieri has worked as a faculty member in the Computer Science and Mathematics department at Choate for five years. He has played a major role in the Advanced Robotics Concentration (ARC) signature program, where he worked with students to study computer science and engineering. Mr. Di Tieri also taught a wide range of classes in math and science. Kenadi Waymire ’22, one of his students in ARC, said that Mr. Di Tieri “has this sort of infectious excitement about robotics,” adding “He really enjoys what he’s teaching us about.” Mr. Di Tieri will be leaving Choate to focus on his family. He will continue to work in the sciences and maths and hopes he can spend more time with those around him.
During her time at the School, Chaplain Arig Elhamouly was an Arabic teacher, a member of the Spiritual Life team, and an advisor to the Muslim Student Association. Genesis Mogent ’23 had a lot of fun in Ms. Elhamouly’s class. She loved, “memorizing and singing an Arabic song with the entire class.” Gaby Ahl ’21 added similar sentiments: “Arig is one of the kindest people I know. She always looks out for her students, checks in on us, and genuinely really cares about our mental health and stress levels.”
