Welcome, New Faculty!

Several new faculty members bring their experiences and talents to MHS as we start the 2022-23 academic year — the School’s 125th!

Robert Bolger, Ph.D., is the new Director of the Leonhardt Academic Skills Center, bringing extensive experience as a learning specialist, teacher, coach, and author. The Academic Skills Center (ASC) at Miss Hall’s School provides individualized academic support to meet the needs of all students, neuro-typical and neuro-diverse, while promoting their academic, cognitive, and personal growth. In this role, Dr. Bolger will oversee and support the work of the ASC’s Learning Specialists, while also providing academic support and coaching for students and collaborating with administrators, faculty, and families to support the needs of MHS students with learning differences.

Dr. Bolger comes to Miss Hall’s having worked for 12 years as a learning specialist, with three of those years as Director of the Academic Resources at Eastside Catholic School, in Sammamish, Washington. Most recently, he was Director of Functional and Academic Skills with the Northshore School District in Bothell, Washington. Dr. Bolger has also taught as a college instructor, developed curriculum that stresses cultural competency and inclusion, and has written three books on religion and philosophy, with a fourth due out soon. He and his wife, Lara, enjoy live theater and concerts, reading and writing, and finding new and interesting restaurants. They also have a 16-year-old dog, Annie. Dr. Bolger earned a Ph.D. in Philosophy and Religious Studies from Claremont Graduate University and holds a post-graduate certificate in Accessibility Studies from Central Washington University. He also holds an M.A. in Religious Studies from Union Theological Seminary and a Master’s in Teaching Special Education from Seattle Pacific University.

Adrienne Lazes ’05 (they/them) has been named Mathematics Department Chair, moving into this role after serving as the Department’s representative to the School’s Academic Affairs Committee and overseeing much of the logistics in the Department during the past year. Since joining MHS in 2019 as a Math Teacher, Adrienne has taught Algebra II, Geometry, Introduction to Statistics, and Topics in Modern Math. They have also been involved in the MHS Math Center and have served as one of the two faculty advisors to the MHS Jewish Affinity Group, as well as Spectrum, a coalition devoted to supporting students on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum and to the creation of harmony and inclusion among all students. Adrienne will be teaching Algebra I and Algebra II in the upcoming year. They came to Miss Hall’s from Darrow School, in New Lebanon, New York, where Adrienne had taught mathematics since 2009 and served as Chair of the Math Department, dorm parent, coach to the girls’ varsity basketball team, and many other roles. Adrienne holds an M.A. of Liberal Studies, with a History of Mathematics Concentration, from Skidmore College and a B.A. in Math and Education from Hampshire College.

Zara Acosta-Chen joins MHS as Engineering, Technology & Physics Teacher. A master teacher with more than 10 years of experience and a passion for STEM education, Zara has taught in a range of schools and has experience developing STEM courses that incorporate engineering practices. Since 2017, she has been a science and math tutor in New York City, and she previously taught high school and middle school math and science in Michigan and New York. Zara holds an M.A. in Teaching Physics from New York University, and a B.A. in Physics from Wesleyan University, and served as a Science Teaching Fellow with the Jhumki-Basu Foundation’s Sci-Ed Innovators and as a Master Teaching Fellow with Math for America, both in New York.

Miss Hall’s School welcomes Susan Cole and Emily Gorman as Math Teachers.

Susan brings more than 25 years of teaching experience, most recently at Leland and Gray High School in Townshend, Vermont, where she taught Algebra, Geometry, and Core Mathematics courses. Susan previously taught Mathematics and chaired the Math Department at Dexter Southfield School in Brookline, Massachusetts, and she has taught in and/or chaired Math Departments at public and private schools in western Massachusetts, southern Vermont, and Virginia, including the all-girl Chatham Hall School, in Chatham, Virginia, and Wilbraham & Monson Academy, in Wilbraham, Massachusetts. Susan holds an M.Ed. through the Math English Science Technology Education Project at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and an A.B. in Mathematics from Smith College.

Emily comes to MHS from The Berkeley Carroll School, in Brooklyn, New York, where she was an Upper School Math Teacher since 2016, while also co-advising the school’s Math Team and Spirit Squad. She brings 18 years of classroom experience, teaching courses from remedial Algebra to AP Calculus. From 2004 to 2016, Emily was a Math Teacher and Programmer with the New York City Department of Education, teaching and coaching at two city public schools. From 2008 to 2016, she was a Master Teacher Fellow with Math for America, also in New York City. Emily holds an M.S. in Teaching from Pace University and a B.S. in Mathematics from The University of Chicago.

Alice Esteves has joined the Leonhardt Academic Skills Center as a Learning Specialist, providing individualized academic support and coaching for MHS students. Alice comes to Miss Hall’s from Blackstone Valley Prep, in Central Falls, Rhode Island, where she held middle and high school special education positions since 2014. She also brings a background in teaching History. Prior to her teaching career, Alice worked for nine years at the Cadmus Lifesharing Association in nearby Great Barrington, living and working with adults with developmental disabilities. She holds a B.A. in History from Brown University, has pursued further study at Brown’s Graduate School of Education, and has done additional coursework in History and Social Sciences at Mount Holyoke College and Yale University.

Kasey Leslie has joined the Horizons program as Assistant Director, advising juniors on their Horizons experiences and collaborating with the Horizons team to develop grade-level experiences for students in this one-of-a-kind service-learning and internship program. Kasey will also identify learning opportunities and internships, coordinate relationships with community partners, and arrange transportation for the program. Kasey comes to MHS from Hoosac Valley High School in nearby Cheshire, where she was an English Teacher and advisor to the Yearbook, the Rainbow Alliance, and the junior class. Kasey also taught English at Monarch High School in Coconut Creek, Florida. Kasey holds an M.A. in Teaching, with a concentration in English, as well as a B.A. in English with a concentration in writing. Both degrees are from the College of Our Lady of the Elms.

Jen Morris joins the Expressive Arts Department and will teach Photography and Hallmark History of Art at MHS. Jen’s last teaching appointment was as Professor at Landmark College, in Putney, Vermont. There, she taught photography, video, film analysis, and inter-medium art courses. As Landmark's Program Coordinator for the Fine and Performing Arts Department, she led the team that designed the college’s B.A. in Integrated Arts degree. Jen is a practicing artist who has had solo and group exhibitions and screenings across the country and internationally. You can see her work at www.jenmorris.net. Jen earned her M.F.A. with a concentration in Photography from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and her B.F.A. in Drawing and Printmaking from Carnegie Mellon University.

Thomas Stock, Ph.D., has joined the School as a History Teacher, coming to Miss Hall’s from Heidelberg University in Germany, where he was a Postdoctoral Fellow for the past year, teaching Korean history and conducting book research. As a published author and expert on North Korea, Thomas previously taught at Korea University and Yonsei University, both in South Korea, and at the University of California, Los Angeles. He brings with him experience in teaching and developing curriculum in East Asian and global history. Thomas earned his Ph.D. in Asian Languages and Cultures from UCLA, an M.A. in East Asian Studies from Indiana University Bloomington, and a B.A. in History and German from the University of North Texas.