Ashley Blake
Ashley is our Lead Preschool teacher. She comes to us with ten years of experience as an early childhood educator, having worked at preschools in Windham, Freeport, and Gray. With a degree in Educational Studies and history, Ashley is passionate about her own learning, exploring different pedagogies, and seeking the advice of mentor teachers. These have led her to the core belief that "educational best practices are rooted in trust, fostered respectfully, emerge from students and their inherent interests, and play and nature-based."
ashley@friendsschoolportland.org
Robin Booty
Robin is the Kindergarten Assistant. She is part of our wonderful Kindergarten classroom team with Carie Garrett. She has been in the teaching world in New Hampshire, Maine, and Nepal for more than 10 years with a degree in history and certification in teaching children with learning differences.
robin@friendsschoolportland.org
Brooke Burkett
Brooke Burkett is our Development Director. Brooke joined FSP in 2016. She previously directed programming and development in outdoor education organizations and was instrumental in creating the Portland Gear Hub, a non-profit outdoor gear thrift shop and bicycle center. She has taught adventure based counseling as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern Maine. She earned a master’s degree in Social Work from the University of New England. Brooke lives in Brunswick with her family.
Megan Campbell
Megan is our Director of Enrollment. She previously worked at FSP as a 1-2 assistant teacher, and taught 5-6 grade math and science last spring. Her previous experience in the classroom at Waynflete and LearningWorks, an educational non-profit in Portland, make her uniquely suited to be at FSP. She has taught all ages from 3-18, in just about every subject. When not in the classroom, you can find Megan in her garden or making something crafty!
megan@friendsschoolportland.org
Sally Caruso
Sally is a 1-2 Lead Teacher. She has ten years of teaching experience in public and private schools. She received her BS in Elementary Education from Lesley University with a minor in Art and a specialization in Multicultural Education. She values the open exchange of ideas and learning between all members of the Friends School Community. When she is not teaching, she enjoys reading by a fire, walking in the woods, and spending her time creating with family and friends.
sallycaruso@friendsschoolportland.org
Jenni Casas
Jenni is the Office Manager. She is most often the first friendly person you will meet at FSP’s front office. She has spent many years managing non-profit kitchens and is excited to utilize her management skills in her role at the Friends School. She is a mom of two amazing kids, one sweet dog, and a tender of one beehive. She spends most of her free time outside, drinking tea, and learning about plants.
jenni@friendsschoolportland.org
Xanthe Charov
Xanthe is a 1-2 Lead Teacher. She has taught 1st and 2nd grade at Friends School since 2018. Before that, she worked as a kindergarten teacher in Western Maine. She earned her BFA in Graphic Design from Emily Carr University in Vancouver, BC, and worked as the art director at the New York Hall of Science. She received her Masters in Teaching and Learning from the University of Southern Maine. Xanthe enjoys spending time with her family in the Maine woods and on its beaches. She lives in South Portland with her husband and two boys.
xanthe@friendsschoolportland.org
Pete Curtis
Pete is the Assistant Teacher in our 3-4 classrooms. He received a B.A. from Lewis and Clark College and an M.S. in Teaching Methodology from The University of New England. Before joining the staff in 2014, he interned at Berwick Academy, coached several sports, and filled in for local teachers on leave, K-8. His interests include throwing a frisbee, photography, and aimless walking. He lives in Falmouth with his wife, four children, two dogs, and leopard gecko. Two of his children are FSP graduates.
Jonathan Ewell
Jonathan is the Preschool Assistant Teacher. Jonathan joined FSP in 2006—its very first year!— and has been an assistant teacher in every classroom. Prior to FSP, Jonathan taught in Montessori schools for 6 years. He has a BA in Sociology from Haverford College. He lives in South Portland with his wife, Anne, and son, Isaiah.
Will Entwisle
Will is a 1-2 Class Assistant and AfterCare Staff member. He earned a B.A. from Wheaton College (MA) in 2021, and a graduate certificate in audio storytelling from the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Will has found that he is happiest when he gets to be at school, and he is focused on being a source of guidance and warmth for all students. He lives in Portland with his partner Mia, and can most often be found breaking, fixing, or riding his bike.
willentwisle@friendsschoolportland.org
Nicole Favreau
Nicole is the 7-8 Science Teacher. Nicole joined FSP in 2007 as the Lead 3-4 Teacher. Her roots in education are grounded in her work as an environmental educator and wilderness trip leader. Nicole has a degree in environmental studies and a minor in plant science from the University of Vermont. She also has a master's degree in Teaching and Learning at the University of Southern Maine. She lives in Falmouth with her husband and three children who also attend FSP. When not teaching, you can usually find Nicole hanging out in her pop-up camper, her garden, or on her mountain bike.
Rachel Fischoff
Rachel is a Lead 3-4 Teacher. She taught in New York City public schools for a decade. Before becoming a classroom teacher, she worked with arts and literacy-focused after-school and summer programs in Chicago. Rachel received an MAT in Elementary Education and an MA in Education Policy from Brown University. She previously studied Dance and American Studies at Wesleyan University. Rachel enjoys cycling, hiking, and cooking.
rachel@friendsschoolportland.org
Carie Garrett
Carie is the Lead Teacher in our Kindergarten classroom. She holds a BS in Early Childhood Education and an MS in Literacy Education and ESL. Carie has been teaching children aged birth through second grade for thirteen years. She especially loves witnessing children’s joy as they co-construct new knowledge through experiences in nature. Carie and her husband Spencer live in Portland with their two daughters and their big dog Holly. She loves to go kayaking, snowshoeing, camping and boating, and enjoys cooking and sewing for the people she loves.
carie@friendsschoolportland.org
Laura Glendening
Laura is our Director of Summer Camps. Laura has worked for over twenty years teaching art in schools and community programs, and holds a Master’s degree in Art Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She spent her early years teaching in Holyoke and co-founded the Peaks Island Fiber Arts Camp as a place to tell stories, create community, make art, and to be a part of the land around us. Laura lives with her family on Peaks Island.
Aliza Gordon
Aliza is the 5-6 Science Teacher. Before coming to Friends School she worked in Environmental Education and led backpacking trips in the Pacific Northwest. She earned her B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Vermont and her Masters in Elementary Education from Antioch University New England. She enjoys backpacking, traveling and any activities that take her to the wilderness.
Yasamin Holland
Yasamin is the Art Teacher at FSP. She is an artist, educator, mother, and explorer. Teaching art is one of the greatest joys of her life. Since 2018, she has lived in Brunswick with her family. She has called upstate New York, Virginia, California, Spain, Arizona, and Colorado home. She loves tape, summers in Maine, textile and nature-inspired art. She has an MA in educational psychology. In addition to her role at FSP, she is the director of the Bowdoin Summer Art Camp.
yasamin@friendsschoolportland.org
Lindsay Holt
Lindsay Holt is a Lead 3-4 Teacher. Lindsay has taught in multi-aged classrooms in grades one through four for the last 12 years at both Breakwater School in Portland, ME, and Telluride Mountain School in Telluride, CO. She is interested in experiential education and hands-on learning. She lives in South Portland with her husband and young children.
Keith Jones
Keith is our Business Manager. Keith, a CPA, comes to us by way of Unity College, Baker Newman & Noyes, and North Yarmouth Academy, where he had been the Senior Accountant. It's great to have someone with experience in an independent school--with audits, financial aid, board reports, parents, budgeting, and financial modeling. In addition, Keith is a Registered Maine Guide and, like a true Mainer, loves getting into the back country.
Chris Keegan
Chris is our Learning Strategist. She joined FSP in 2018 after 28 years as a Special Education Teacher and school Administrator at the Reiche School in Portland. She gets her thrills, both in and out of school, from helping others meet life's challenges and find their version of success. She believes in the value of unstructured time and spends hers wandering about outdoors, messing around in boats, reading, and hanging out with like minded people of all ages. Chris has a M.Ed. from the University of Southern Maine.
chris@friendsschoolportland.org
Dareth Law
Dareth is our Spanish Teacher (grades K-8) and grade 7-8 mentor. Dareth came to us with a wealth of experience: 25 years growing up in Spain and about 10 years of Spanish teaching at all levels. Dareth was one of the founders of the Boxberry School in Norway, Maine. She is also an occupational therapist! Dareth has an amazing ability to get to know children quickly and see them as whole beings.
David Mahany
David is the Facilities Director at FSP. He has worked as a furniture maker, an estate manager, and a carpenter helping to build net-zero homes; has fabricated Public Art projects in Rumford, Farmington, Bangor, Bath, and Portland’s West End. David grew up in the Northern suburbs of Chicago. An art school dropout, his BA is from Northwestern University in Classical Languages and Literature. He lived for a season off-grid in the swamps along Florida's Choctawhatchee River, then in Hootenanny Holler, Arizona; eloped under NOLA's “Tree of Life,” moved to Maine in 2006. David lives with his family on an art farm in South Portland's Pleasantdale neighborhood.
david@friendsschoolportland.org
Billy Maley
Billy teaches Physical & Stewardship Education to students in all grades and ConnectEd to students in grades one through four. Before joining Friends School in 2007 Billy worked as a naturalist in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and as a living history instructor with the San Francisco Maritime Association. Billy also works as the after-school activities coordinator at FSP and maintains the grounds around campus. He has a BS in Recreation Management from Springfield College and lives in South Portland with his wife Laura, son Theo, and daughter Susanna.
Colin O’Brien
Colin is the 5-6 Humanities teacher. Before coming to FSP, he taught 7th grade English and Social Studies for 5 years, in Bozeman, Montana. H has worked as an outdoor and environmental educator, leading trips in the Cascades, the Tetons, and Yellowstone National Park, and helping students design and implement environmental service projects in Seattle Public Schools. He earned his BA in English and Religious Studies from Kenyon College, and his MA in Education from Montana State University. In his free time, he loves to trail run, rock and ice climb, sail, and spend time outdoors with his family.
colin@friendsschoolportland.org
Pete Nowak
Peter teaches grades seven and eight. Pete started at FSP in 2008; prior to that, he worked at The Foote School in New Haven, Connecticut. Pete completed his BA at Colby College in 2003 and his M.Ed. at the University of Southern Maine in 2012. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, riding his various bicycles and eating sandwiches.
Sara Primo
Sara began as Head of School in the summer of 2021, as the school headed into its fifteenth year. She brings to the role her nineteen years as an educator, including ten years at Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia. Sara has her BA from Brown in American Civilization with a minor in immigrant literature. She has her MAT from Brown in secondary education. She has trained extensively in clerking and Quaker education at Pendle Hill, with the Race Institute at Penn, and The Transgender Training Institute. She taught in a range of different types of schools: a boarding school, charter school, huge public school, and tiny arts-based public school. At Germantown Friends School she taught English, served as grade dean, and started a writing center for the high school and middle school. She credits her time at Farm and Wilderness Camps for teaching her that the best learning happens outside -- preferably circled up, cooking on a fire, or belaying for someone on a sheer rock face. She lives in Portland with her family.
sara@friendsschoolportland.org
Eliza Robinson
Eliza Robinson is the AfterCare Director. She is a recent graduate of the University of Maine at Farmington with a BFA in Alternative Theater and Spanish. She is a long-time lover of working with youth and has a wide range of experiences leading school-age children in a variety of outdoor settings. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering with the National Ski Patrol and riding her unicycle around town!
eliza@friendsschoolportland.org
Nell Sears
Nell is the Director of Studies. Nell is a graduate of Germantown Friends School and began her teaching career at George School. Prior to coming to FSP she worked as the Assistant Principal at Freeport Middle School. Before moving to Maine with her family in 2012, she was the founding Middle School Principal at Paul Cuffee School, a charter school in Providence, RI. Nell has BA from Bowdoin College and an MEd from Harvard University. She completed intensive residency programs at the Upper Valley Teacher Institute (Lebanon, NH) and the Principal Residency Network (Providence, RI). Nell lives in Portland with her husband, Ted, and her three children: Max, Eli and Will, FSP students.
Bethany Schmitt
Bethany is the Music Teacher, for the upcoming school year. She has a bachelor’s degree in K-12 Music Education with a choral concentration from the University of Michigan, and an M.A. in Theatre Production from Central Washington University. Bethany has taught choral and vocal music and directed shows from elementary through high school in Illinois and Michigan for over 13 years. She currently lives in Portland with her husband and three sons, where they regularly throw glow stick dance parties and celebrate Fancy Friday just because.
bethany@friendsschoolportland.org
Aila Tholl
Aila is a 1-2 Class Assistant Teacher. She has been an individual support provider here since 2016. She holds a degree in communication with a minor in elementary education from the University of Southern Maine. She holds credits towards a master’s degree in Teaching and Learning at the University of Southern Maine. She completed her student teaching internships in sixth and eighth grade classrooms at Gorham Middle School. She is grateful to have been working with children professionally for over 20 years. She lives with her husband and child in Portland where she has been practicing meditation, carving out time to read for pleasure and cooking good food for the people she loves.
aila@friendsschoolportland.org
Nadja Tiktinsky
Nadja is the Middle School Assistant. She grew up in Connecticut and has a BA in Creative Writing from SMU and an MFA in children’s literature from The New School. She is moving to Maine from Vermont this August, and is spending all summer on a solo cross-country road trip to as many national parks as she can fit in! In addition to teaching, she moonlights as a freelance editorial consultant and is working on a middle-grade novel of her own. She is also into winter sports, reading, cooking, and hiking.
nadja@friendsschoolportland.org
Friends School’s Board of Directors Is Seeking New Members
FSP’s Board is a hearty bunch who have been connected to the school in a variety of ways - but we share a dedication to supporting student growth and Quaker education. We are seeking new board members to leverage their skills and expertise to help us steward Friends School of Portland!
If you would like more information about what serving on the Board entails please send an email our Board Governance Committee Clerk, at boardgov@friendsschoolportland.org.
A big thank you to @kelseykobikphotography for many of the staff photos!