IMS is excited to welcome a few new faces for the 2016-2017 academic year.

We are delighted to welcome two new members to our admissions team.

Heather Eckert will be joining the IMS community as our new director of admissions, effective August 15. Prior to coming to IMS, Heather was the director of admission operations at The Hotchkiss School. She brings years of experience in admissions to our school and has fostered deep relationships among her colleagues at independent schools. We know that Heather will continue to build on the strong reputation of IMS and help to attract a diverse pool of applicants and future students to our school.

Eliza Chapman will also be joining us as a full-time admissions intern. Eliza is a graduate of Millbrook School and a recent graduate of Sewanee University. Eliza will be living on campus, working residentially, and coaching.

We are excited to announce that we have created a new position at IMS to continue to build on and develop our outdoor education and adventure education offerings. Ethan Harris will be our new director of outdoor adventure and education. Ethan is coming to IMS from Cardigan Mountain School, where he worked as the director of residential life. He will live with his family in Upper Doolittle as the dorm head and also coach. Ethan brings a wealth of independent school and outdoor education experience to IMS, and we are looking forward to partnering with him to develop and grow our outdoor programs.

In the Athletics Department, we will welcome Max Abendroth as our new athletics trainer and assistant director of athletics. A recent graduate of the Springfield University Athletics Training Program, Max also played lacrosse at the collegiate level. He has worked at several sports camps and programs and is looking forward to contributing to life on campus as a member of the residential faculty. Max graduated from Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire, and understands well the benefits of boarding school life.

We are fortunate to welcome Veena Raghuvir to IMS as a new counselor. Veena comes to us with many years of experience as a counselor and social worker, including eight years of experience as the school counselor at the Foote School in New Haven.

Liz Carbone has joined the Health Center as a nurse. Liz has been a practicing nurse in Sharon, CT for many years and has worked both at Sharon Pediatrics and Sharon Hospital.

The Lower School will welcome Kate Oakes as the new pre-kindergarten teacher. Kate comes to us most recently from Berkshire Country Day School where she also taught pre-kindergarten. Kate has a background in the arts and music and is excited to share her talents on the Lower Campus.

Mary McAfee will be joining the Middle School as the sixth grade humanities teacher. Mary will be living in Moore House as a dorm parent. She comes with teaching experience from the Saratoga Independent School. She also has extensive camp background and outdoor education experience.

We have four new members of the Upper School teaching faculty:
Glen Seelenbrandt will be returning to IMS with his family. Glen taught at IMS from 2001-2004. Since leaving IMS, he has taught at Eaglebrook, Moses Brown, and, most recently, Quest Montessori School in Rhode Island. Glen will be teaching math in the Upper School.

Geoff Perkins will also be joining the Upper School math department. Geoff joins us from Berkshire Country Day School where he has been teaching math and coaching for 16 years. Geoff will be part of our residential team, but will be living at The Hotchkiss School with his family, where his wife will be teaching.

Erin Harris, who is coming with her husband, Ethan, and their two children from Cardigan, will be joining the science department. Erin will teach three sections of science. She has years of science teaching experience at several different schools.

Molly Belsky will be coming to IMS as an Upper School teaching intern. She will also be responsible for directing the two drama performances in the Upper School and teaching two performing arts electives. Molly will also work residentially and coach. She is a recent graduate of Trinity College with a major in theater.

New Roles
In addition to these new community members, a few returning faculty and staff are assuming new roles. Joe Del Visco will assume the role of director of athletics. Colleen O’Reilly will be the associate head of Upper School for student life. Craig Pecchia will now be the director of theater productions, overseeing the many performances that take place over the course of the year. Amy Jenkins will continue to teach Lower School art, but will also assume leadership of the Lower School afterschool programs and will begin teaching Middle School art and two Upper School art electives. Katie Hill will be teaching Spanish in the Upper and Middle School.

Welcome everyone!