Heather King has a B.A. in Elementary Education and an M.A. in English and has completed Doctoral level courses in Educational Leadership. Heather is currently the Head of School at Maine Arts Academy, having a passion for the arts. Heather has held several teaching roles that span from elementary grades, high school through college level. Her recent positions include dean of students, high school teacher, team Leader of online faculty at Southern New Hampshire University, English and Liberal Arts adjunct faculty at Southern New Hampshire University and adjunct faculty of English at Allegany College of Maryland and Purdue University. Heather has been an education keynote guest speaker for the state prison system in Pennsylvania, has worked with the governor on supporting families on welfare, presented at writing workshops throughout the Northeast, and is a published author of Peace of Trash.
Heather lives in Central Maine with her husband and her three grown children. She enjoys hiking, reading, writing, attending arts events, and spending time with her family.
Gloriana Alvarado
Business Manager
Gloriana is excited to join us as our Spanish teacher. She is a passionate language learner, fully bilingual in English and Spanish, intermediate level in Chinese, and novice high in Italian.
She was born and raised in Costa Rica. She moved to China in 2014 with her two kids and husband for seven years, where she taught English to ESL students from ages 3- 20 through music, storytelling, reading, nature, gardening, and more.
Being a language learner herself, she understands the process of language acquisition, where the cognitive aspect occurs accompanied by emotions, such as frustration, embarrassment, ambiguity, and the inability to fully express in a second or third language during the learning process.
She has a TESOL certificate and is currently working on her Bachelor's Degree through UoPeople.
She enjoys hiking, gardening, playing the ukulele, playing with her kids, reading, doing crafts, learning new languages, and walking dogs in her free time.
Hannah Berry
Department of Dance
Miss Hannah Berry began her dance training at the age of 2 throughout Maine. During her childhood, she performed in countless theatre and dance productions including shows produced by Lakewood Theatre, Bossov Ballet Theatre, and The Moscow Ballet. Through her mentorship with Mr. Brad Adams beginning in 2011, she gained experience teaching students of all ages and abilities and operating a dance studio and competition team. She has continued her education by attending many dance workshops, conventions, and events such as Dance Teacher Expo in NYC and Dance Masters of America Teacher Training School. She is certified in Modules 1 and 2 of Acrobatic Arts. Miss Hannah currently serves as Treasurer on the board for the Maine Dance Teachers Club. Focusing on the classical foundations of dance, Miss Hannah Berry loves seeing the growth in her dancers physical capabilities as well as their growth as confident and capable human beings.
Acadia Chartier
Student Support Coordinator
Acadia Chartier joins us as an administrative assistant to the guidance department. Acadia is extremely detail orientated which lends itself well for working on transcripts and scheduling. Acadia brings experience assisting in an office setting and with children. She also brings management experience in inventory and logistics. She is currently working on her bachelor's degree at the University of Maine.
Acadia is passionate about the arts. She is a former dancer and has a love and appreciation for music and photography. She enjoys yoga, hiking, and quality time at home with her cat, Clementine.
Russ Cox
Department of Visual Arts
Russ Cox was raised by a pack of crazed hillbillies in the backwoods of Tennessee. Without much in the way of modern conveniences, like television or running water, he spent his time drawing, whittling, and throwing dirt clods at his cousins. With the bulk of his life spent in Pennsylvania, he met his wife; became a graphic designer; played in punk, alternative, and surf bands; had two kids; and started his own illustration studio, Smiling Otis Studio (named after one of their enormous cats).
Russ creates his art using digital software, primarily Clip Studio, and other digital tools. He works in traditional mediums, often with a mixture of paper, pencil, pen & ink, gouache, and watercolor.
Russ lives in Maine with his wife and three cats.
Travis Harden
Department of Visual Arts
Cory King
Operations Director
Stephen Legawiec
Department of Theater
In his 35 years as a director, Stephen Legawiec (le-gahv-yetz) has
curated over 100 professional productions as well as directing over
75. He was artist-in-residence at Teatr Stary in Krakow, Poland and is
a member of the International School of Theatre Anthropology. He
founded Vermont’s White River Theatre Festival in 1988 and served as
Artistic Director. During this time, he created the Invisible Theatre
Project, which delved into the use of text as music and emotion,
rather than as language. In 1997 he launched Ziggurat Theatre Ensemble
to explore the relevance of myth and ritual to a contemporary
audience, and for which he wrote and directed every play. Legawiec is
the author of 35 plays, including the critically acclaimed Red Thread,
which won the 2003 Garland Award for Los Angeles Production of the
year. In addition, Legawiec has designed over 50 sets and composed
over a dozen theatrical scores. Outside of the U.S., his work has most
recently been seen in Trois-Rivieres, Canada, at the Season of Unusual
Theatre. He is currently the Artistic Director of Camden Shakespeare
Festival.
Jenna Murray
Administrative Assistant
Garrett Pooler
Food Services Director
Garrett recently obtained a bachelor's degree in Human Services from the University of Maine at Farmington and, after a short stint out of the kitchen, has decided to return to cooking. Previously working in multiple capacities, from dishwasher to kitchen manager at different locations, Garrett is excited to be back with Maine Arts Academy and hopes to work with the students to grow the food service program.
Garrett was born and raised in Central Maine and now lives with his Fiancé and two larger than average cats, Artemis and Cowboy. Garrett enjoys cooking, golfing, working on his project cars, and spending time with family and friends.
Keenan Soule
Department of English
Rachel Merrill
Principal
Rachel graduated from Maine Maritime Academy with a bachelor’s degree in Nautical Science and an unlimited tonnage United States Coast Guard Third Mate’s License. While in the Merchant Marine, she attained her USCG First Class Pilot’s License for Great Lakes Waters. She has been teaching and working with high school students for twelve years and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Secondary Education.
Rachel lives in central Maine with her family. She enjoys renovating, developing, and managing real estate. Nurturing a lifelong love for sports, she also officiates high school soccer and basketball.
Jill Alves
Business Manager
Kristina Bonney
School Counselor
Kristina Bonney holds the position of School Counselor at Maine Arts Academy. Kristina brings dual experience working in the mental health field and the nursing field. While working in a residential setting with struggling youth ages 12-18, she decided to continue her education and pursue a master's degree in education, focusing on school counseling through Liberty University. It was during those years that she began to grow in knowledge and experience.
Kristina is passionate about helping youth build their confidence and helping them to know their value and worth so that they can pursue their dreams and do what they love. She is looking forward to having a positive influence on the students and staff at MeAA.
For personal recreation, Kristina enjoys spending time with her husband and two beautiful and amazing daughters. She loves playing and watching sports, including football and basketball. She works as a softball umpire in the spring and summer.
Eric Ciborowski
I.T.
Nicole Elliot
Department of Science
Peter Herman
Department of Music
Peter Herman graduated with a bachelor's degree from the music program at the University of Maine at Augusta in 2014 and has crossed paths with many amazing musicians, teachers, and mentors. He has been referred to many times as a guitar virtuoso and performs at venues such as the Port City Blue, Portland Maine’s best jazz venue for several years. Maine jazz great Brad Terry, 77, describes Herman as “a phenomenon,”
Herman shares his love and expertise of guitar with students at Maine Arts Academy as the guitar teacher.
Jonathan Kuiper
Department of Mathematics
Jonathan Kuiper is a veteran educator with experience in private, public, and international settings, with his most recent assignment being at an international school in Poland. Over the last nineteen years he has experience teaching English, history, science, and technology from grades 6-10. Concerning math, he has taught math across grades K-12 and especially loves Algebra 2 and Geometry. Prior to his education career, Jonathan served in the US Navy. His undergraduate degree is from Stonehill College and his masters is from Abilene Christian University. Jonathan looks forward to working with the students at Maine Arts Academy. His goal is to make math enjoyable to learn and to give some real world applications that the students can take with them.
Diane Manter
Admissions Director
Ms. Manter has been with MeAA since Fall 2016. She has years of experience in the municipal and education fields, having worked for the Towns of Hamilton and Wenham, MA, and the Pentucket School District, MA., as well as having experience in banking and construction. She is a graduate of Dean College in Franklin MA with a degree in Business Administration.
Diane started with MeAA at the Sidney campus where she had a strong relationship with the campus as her grandfather helped build many of the original practice buildings on the property for the New England Music Camp and her father helped paint the famed Bowl In the Pines amphitheater as a young man. Although raised in Massachusetts, she's spent a great deal of time on the lake and has family living locally, so she said that moving to Sidney and coming to work at MeAA was like coming home. She looks forward to the growth of MeAA that the moved to Augusta will allow. During her time off she enjoys spending time on the lake with her son, extended family, and friends. She is a strong supporter of the Children's Tumor Foundation, NF research and enjoys making belt buckles, riding horses, motorcycles and snowmobiles.
Linda Nichols
Department of Visual Arts
Robert Pycior
Department of Music
Tina Spencer
Special Education Director
Although born in Connecticut, Mrs. Spencer was raised in Maine and graduated from Winslow High School. After serving in the United States Marine Corps, Mrs. Spencer earned her bachelor's degree from Marywood University, located in Scranton, PA. She majored in elementary and special education; later she received her MS English teaching license. She taught special education in numerous settings, as well as 7th grade Language Arts as a general education teacher.
Mrs. Spencer has been married for 34 years and has four grown children and three grandchildren. She enjoys many activities which include sewing, painting, camping, and traveling.
Stacey Veilleux
Department of English
Jasen Richardson
Dean of Students, Chair of Academics, Department of English, Department of Film Studies
Mr. Richardson received his Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University, where he also minored in film studies and secondary education, his Master of Arts in English from Southern New Hampshire University, and his Master of Humanities in Film Studies from Tiffin University. He is licensed to teach 7-12 English in the state of Maine.
He taught 8th grade English and directed the middle school drama department for seven years in Tennessee. He then began his career at Maine Arts Academy in 2018 and is currently teaching English 3, Introduction to Film Studies, Honors Film Genre and Theory, Film Production 1, and two college English courses (ENG 101 and 102W) through UMA. Mr. Richardson is also the Dean of Students and Chair of Academics. He has an enormous love for Maine Arts Academy and is honored to be a part of helping advance the school's culture in a positive direction.
Besides teaching, his other passions include his family (especially his sons, his daughter, and his fiancée), his friends, traveling, going to concerts, most music (especially The Grateful Dead and Ween), watching films, reading, and film and video production.
Nick Archibald
Department of Social Studies
Nick Archibald is a 2017 Colby College graduate and History teacher at Maine Arts Academy. He is currently teaching US History, Honors Latin American History and Politics, and Current Events. Nick lives in Hallowell with his dog, Meera, and enjoys hiking, reading, and watching movies. If he's not walking his dog, he is probably planning lessons. "Kindness is always an option."
Rocio Carey
Department of Mathematics
Señora Carey is excited to join MeAA as a math teacher focusing on Pre-Algebra and Algebra 1. She was born and raised in Guatemala and spent much of her young adulthood traveling in search of the perfect slice of cake (these days, she aims to re-create her favorites at home). She lives in Central Maine with her family and pets and enjoys everything about the four seasons and the scenery in our beautiful state.
Señora Carey has a BA in Philosophy and an M.Ed. in Learning Design and Leadership. She comes by her love of math in the old-fashioned way: via number puzzles and logic tricks. Her educational research and academic interests include accessibility, equity in math education and second language acquisition, and human-centric instruction.
Michael Cloutier
Department of Special Education
Jason Graves
Department of Science, Department of Mathematics
Jason comes to Maine Arts Academy after spending over 25 years in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, primarily in Seattle, WA. There he worked primarily in the field of laboratory robotics and automation development in support of autoimmune disease research and a number of different cancer therapies. Jason is excited to now apply his years of experience combined with his passion for science and math to helping to educate the students at MeAA. Jason has a BS in Chemistry from Union College in Schenectady, NY and an MS in Chemistry from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA.
Jason and his wife recently settled in Maine after deciding to return to New England where they are both from (he from VT, she from NH). They are still searching for their "forever home" in the state of Maine along with their dog and two cats. They are also glad to be back close to Boston where they can go and watch the Red Sox and Celtics at home instead of among hordes of rival fans.
Alex Kane
Department of Music
Amy Lawson
Department of Wellness
RJ Miller
Department of Music
Long a fixture on the NYC and European jazz/experimental scenes, RJ has performed and recorded with artists like George Garzone, Ben Street, Bill McHenry, Eric Revis, Hugo Rasmussen, Meshell N'degeocello, Larry Grenadier, Jorge Rossy, and Aaron Parks to name a few. RJ's education has been primarily through private instruction from masters like Ornette Coleman, Frank Wess, Masabumi Kikuchi, Juini Booth, Reggie Workman, Billy Hart, Steve Grover, Jeff Williams and Jeff Hirshfield.
He is best known for his work on albums like "Ben Entrada La Nit," "Alive in Japan," "Ronald's Rhythm," "RJ Miller Trio," "Plainville," If the Past Seems So Bright," "Memories of Days Gone By," "Intuition," "Sinker," "Wicca," "Dreams in Apartments," and "Horses." See more on R.J. below:
Nicole Pantalone
Department of Special Education
Mrs. Pantalone’s academic background includes a B.S. in Mental Health and Human Services, with a minor in Addiction Studies. She interned at the Phoenix Academy, a school/ residential substance abuse treatment center for adolescents. After graduating, Nicole became a certified alcohol and drug counselor. She also has 15 years of experience working in special education at Windsor Elementary School. While working as a special education ed tech, Nicole continued her education to become a certified special education teacher. Being part of the MeAA team is an exciting new opportunity for her and she looks forward to working with high school students.
Besides teaching, Nicole is very family-oriented. She enjoys spending time with her 5-year-old daughter, including taking walks together and trips to the library and beach. Most mornings, she starts her day with strength training or a workout. Nicole also enjoys reading for some downtime. In the future, she hopes to spend more time traveling to experience new places.
Rebecca Singer
Department of World Languages
Rebecca Singer attended the University of Maine at Augusta, where she continued to study the French she had learned in high school. She was active in the French Club, participating in many fun activities and events, including a trip to Quebec and an immersion program on the Maine coast. A certified English teacher, Rebecca has also worked as a Writing Tutor, Reading Tutor, Substitute Teacher, and Special Educational Technician. Last year, she was the Title 1 English Teacher at Maine Arts Academy. She is excited to be teaching French this year!
Rebecca spent six years in the U.S. Navy, during which time she traveled extensively. She is on the board of directors for Gaslight Theater and co-directs the drama club at Hall-Dale High School. She is the President of Kennebec Valley Roller Derby and the lead singer of a local rock band. Rebecca is proudly supported and adored by her husband, 15-year-old son, and their three lovely cats.
John Spinale
Department of Social Studies
Stacey Veilleux received her Bachelor of Arts in English and World Literature from New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire. It took a few years for her to discover her love of teaching but she eventually found it at MeAA. Stacey has been a part of the MeAA family since the school opened, her daughter being amongst the first group of students to attend in its inaugural year. Two years later, she became a member of the staff and has seen her role grow and change each year. She currently teaches Writing Lab and Transition Humanities in addition to being a part of the Special Ed team.
Besides teaching, her interests include reading, writing, exploring nature, traveling, live music, and spending time with friends and family. Her favorite travel destination is going to see her daughter, Maya, who is attending university in London, England.
Keenan Soule is a recent Honors graduate from the University of Maine at Orono. He double majored in English (with a concentration in Creative Writing and Poetry) and Secondary Education(with a concentration in English Education). He is a lifelong Maine resident and lifelong learner who (surprise, surprise) loves reading and writing. Keenan teaches Creative Writing, English 1, English 4, and Reading.