MRS. KENLAN:

After two years teaching 7th and 8th grade science and math on the Wellspring team, Mrs. Kenlan is returning to a familiar role as the math teacher on the Polaris team.  This will be her 17th year at Tuttle Middle School and her 10th year as the Polaris math teacher.  She enjoys horseback riding, hiking, painting, and writing and is especially interested in the wolf reintroduction project in Yellowstone National Park.
She has worked with middle school students as a teacher/naturalist in Yellowstone for five summers and has organized two student expeditions to Yellowstone from FHTMS.  Recent adventures include sea kayaking in Alaska; work with wolf pups at the International wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota; and travel to St. Petersburg, Russia.
This summer’s plans include course work in July and a very exciting kayaking and hiking trip to Greenland!  She will be looking forward to sharing her pictures, learning, and perceptions of the Arctic.
She and her husband have two grown sons, both living and working in Portland, Maine.  Pets include Onyx the dog, Maggie the cat, and Jake the horse.

Mr. Dave Lapointe lives in Waterbury and teaches science on our team.  He enjoys woodcarving, biking, and snowshoeing.  He has two sons who have graduated from college and a daughter who just received her degree from the University of Sydney, in Australia.  His children live in Waterbury, Chicago, and Hawaii.
Some of the interesting science topics you can look forward to studying include environmental issues such as global warming and acid rain.
Technology has always been one of Mr. Lapointe's interests and he is looking forward to working with you on ArcMap, MicroWorlds EX, and Lego Logo robotics.

This will be Ms. Edith Ainsley’s 10th year at Tuttle Middle School.  She also taught high school for ten years in California before moving to Underhill with her husband Paul, and daughter Emilie, age 11.  Her household also includes three goats, two miniature donkeys, and a cat, Sophie Marie Kitty.  Her daughter’s pony, “Hershey’s Goodnight Kisses” aka Cocoa, resides at a nearby stable.
Ms. Ainsley loves literature, gardening, costuming (people and horses) and working on her house.  She is also the leader of the Starry Nights 4H Club (a 24 member equine group) in Jericho/Underhill.  Above all she likes to hang out at the barn, learning all she can about horses and horseback riding and supporting Emi’s efforts in the show ring.
This summer she plans to reorganize the whole house, get back to her piano playing and take several short car trips to visit friends and family in Massachusetts, Maine, and California.

MR. O'HARA:

Mr. Jeff O’Hara has now been with the South Burlington School District for seven years.  The first four years he was the coordinator of the elementary after school program, School’s Out.  For the last two years he has been the social studies and language arts teacher on the Polaris team.  This coming year he is very excited to be able to focus on one area of content, social studies.
Mr. O’Hara loves integrating technology into the curriculum.  The kids will get into the habit of e-mailing homework, working on podcasts, digital video, web page design, blogs, vlogs, wikis and everything else in-between.  Don’t fret, along with the new technology, he also understands the need to learn the more traditional way and will work hard to try to create the perfect recipe for academic and social success in the classroom.
Personally, Mr. O’Hara and his wife, Jaimelee, are expecting a baby girl sometime in the beginning of November.  He is very excited for his new arrival and may be highly distracted by the end of October.
As for passions other than teaching, Mr. O’Hara is a soccer nut.  He coaches a Far Post U12 team and plays on the men’s Capital team in VASL (Vermont Amateur Soccer League).  Along playing in the highly competitive VASL league, he also had his first internationally playing experience in Laval, Canada this summer.  He played teams from Begium, Spain, and England.  This tournament was by far the highlight of his long soccer career.