In addition to all the new students who joined the community in September, Middlesex welcomed eight new faculty members to the School.
A graduate of Phillips Academy and MIT, Jasmin Baek brings her understanding of adolescents and schools to the Admissions Office. After serving as an educational consultant in Korea for nearly three years, she earned her Ed.M. at Harvard Graduate School of Education and interned in the admissions offices of MIT and Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. With experience in teaching both English and math, Jasmin may take on a section of math next spring.
Katie Herter is also teaching math this year – and classics, too. She taught both subjects at McDonogh School, where she also coached field hockey, basketball, track, and lacrosse. An accomplished athlete, Katie captained the field hockey, ice hockey, and lacrosse teams as a senior at Brooks School. At Bowdoin College, she contributed to two NCAA National Field Hockey Championships and was named a Collegiate All-American twice in the sport, and once in lacrosse, and was a senior field hockey co-captain. Katie will coach field hockey, ice hockey, and lacrosse at Middlesex.
Serving as the School’s new director of multicultural and community development, Pascale Musto is a seasoned teacher, coach, dorm parent, and administrator. Most recently, he was the dean of students and school life at Tilton School for the last three years; he has also coached soccer and lacrosse at the collegiate and secondary school levels. A graduate of Choate Rosemary Hall and Salve Regina University, Pascale is teaching history this year.
Rebecca Smedley has taken on the role of director of spiritual and ethical education. At Haverford School for the last 11 years, she taught English, coached squash, and served in a variety of advisory roles. In prior school appointments, Rebecca has also served as a school chaplain and dorm parent. A graduate of Agnes Irwin School and Wellesley College, Rebecca earned her M.Div. at Princeton Theological Seminary. She is teaching courses inreligious studies and English.
The English department also welcomes three full-time colleagues. Will Cronin began his teaching career at Berkshire School after graduating from Williams College. Having just earned an M.A. in English at Fordham University, he returns to teaching and looks forward to working with Middlesex’s football and baseball teams. Emily Jones recently completed an M.A. in English at Georgetown University, where, as an undergraduate, she was a two-year co-captain of the cross-country and track teams – and led the 2011 squad to a Division I National Cross-Country Championship. An All-American in cross-country and Indoor Track’s MVP in 2011, Emily will support both programs at Middlesex and live in Kravis House as a dorm assistant. Stephen Koelz has taught literature and writing at the college level since 2002, beginning as a graduate student at Brown University and continuing as a faculty member at several other New England colleges and universities. Most recently, he served as an adjunct assistant professor of English at Providence College. A graduate of Washington University, Stephen earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in English at Brown and will assist with coaching soccer and basketball.
Four years after her Middlesex graduation, Caroline O’Donnell ’11 has returned to campus as a development and marketing associate in the Alumni Office. While completing her B.A. at College of the Holy Cross, she served as an intern with Student Programs for Urban Development in Worcester. An enthusiastic fundraiser for her college, Caroline has concurrently supported Middlesex as a steadfast class agent and secretary. She looks forward to returning to the court as an assistant coach for girls’ varsity basketball.
Given the depth of their personal and professional experience in schools, this year’s new colleagues have already seamlessly assimilated into the Middlesex community, adding great energy and ideas to their respective classrooms and departments.