Faculty & Staff Directory

Emma Devanny ‘16 joins the Marvelwood faculty in 2021 as an alumni intern for residential life and athletics. Emma is a 2020 graduate of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT with a degree in Psychology and is currently enrolled at Post University, pursuing her masters in Counseling and Human Services. Emma will be a staple of the dorms on campus, interacting with students during dorm duties and evening study halls in Summit dorm, Sterling dorm and Star dorm. She will also be assisting with the girls soccer and softball teams, while serving as head coach of the girls varsity basketball team.

During Emma’s time at Marvelwood, she was an exemplary student and athlete. Her work ethic gained the admiration of her teachers and coaches, as she racked up award after award and record after record. In the classroom, Emma graduated from Marvelwood with high honors and was a member of the National Honor Society. On the sports field, Emma was a star soccer player, setting multiple school records in goals in a career and goals in a season. She was a team captain for all four years, was team MVP in 2014 and a four time All HVAL selection. On the basketball court, Emma was captain for two seasons and helped guide the team to 4 straight league championship games. She was an All HVAL selection three times. On the softball diamond, Emma was team MVP three times, All HVAL three times and won the HVAL championship with the team in 2015.

Emma resides in Summit dorm for this school year and is working hard on completing her masters program. In her free time, Emma loves dancing, working out and painting. She is also a horror movie aficionado, with her top 3 being Hereditary, Silence of the Lambs and The Witch.

At Marvelwood Since: 2021
Athletics/After-School Activity Assignment: Girl's Soccer, Girl's Basketball, Softball

At Marvelwood Since: 2022

Laurie has been with Marvelwood since 1987 and Chair of the Science Department for much of that time. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from Lake Forest College and her M.Ed in special education from The University of Hartford. During her undergraduate years, she worked with Dr. Charles R. Brown on his pioneering studies focusing on the costs and benefits of coloniality in Cliff Swallows. Today, in collaboration with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Kent Land Trust & the Purple Martin Conservation Association, Laurie and her students engage in research on a different member of the swallow family, Purple Martins. In fact their efforts have restored and expanded breeding populations of inland martins over the past 18 years from about 10 breeding pairs to well over 400!

Laurie is on the Board of Directors for the Kent Land Trust and the Purple Martin Conservation Association. She is one of two advisors of Marvelwood’s Envirothon team which won the state competition in 2021 and 2024 and which went on to represent the state of Connecticut at the annual NCF-Envirothon Annual International Competitions.

Over the years Laurie and her students have initiated numerous research projects for local communities involving aquatic macroinvertebrates, amphibians, birds, and amphibians. The school’s amphibian studies were included in the book Science and Conservation of Vernal Pools in Northeastern North America: Ecology and Conservation of Seasonal Wetlands in Northeastern North America. Several amphibians documented were also mentioned in Conservation of Amphibians and Reptiles in Connecticut

Student generated avian data was instrumental in the designation of the Macedonia Forest Block Important Bird Area. Data was also collected and shared with the recent Connecticut Bird Atlas Project. Finally, various data collected on local fauna has also been used in the generation of habitat management plans and Forest Bird Assessments for Kent Land Trust.

Laurie has also been the recipient of numerous conservation educator and volunteer awards.

At Marvelwood Since: 1987

Will is a curious and dedicated teacher of voice and music. He began music directing at the community theater in his hometown in 2013 where he fell in love with teaching. Since, he has worked in prestigious music schools, summer programs, and colleges in California, Boston, and New York City, including NYU Steinhardt's voice department and Berklee's Summer Musical Theater Intensive. In 2019, Will joined the music staff at Trinity School NYC, teaching voice lessons and subbing for vocal music classes. He is thrilled to join the Marvelwood community this fall!

At Marvelwood Since: 2023

Ben Eskind is a recent graduate from the Bard College Master’s in Teaching program with a certification to teach English Language Arts, grades 7 - 12. He earned his Bachelors of Arts from Bard College in 2010, majoring in political studies—his final project explored the relationship between American jazz music, democracy and citizenship. He later earned his Master’s in Science from the University of Rochester, in community mental health counseling.

He is an intellectually curious person with an abiding belief in student-centered learning and the value of a liberal arts and sciences education. Prior to teaching, Ben worked as a community-based mental health counselor in Rochester, New York, providing counseling services to youth and families. After graduating from Bard as an undergraduate in 2010, Ben began his career in sustainable farming—eventually founding his own small-scale organic farm in the Finger Lakes region of New York.

Ben is teaching courses in English and American Literature at Marvelwood, and will also be teaching in the Strategies Department and the Connections Program. He will also be coaching Varsity Cross-Country.

Outside of his teaching and coaching roles, Ben is an appreciator of the arts, an avid cook and bread baker, and enjoys hiking, biking, and spending time with family and friends.

At Marvelwood Since: 2021
Athletics/After-School Activity Assignment: Cross Country

Blythe worked in publishing for five years after graduating from Trinity College, but soon determined that teaching was her goal. With a Masters degree in hand, she joined the Marvelwood faculty in 1990. Twenty-eight years later, after having created an iconic Honors English 12 class, being named Female Faculty Member of the Year four times, and serving in most of the School's administrative positions, she was appointed Interim Head of School in 2018 and was officially named Marvelwood’s seventh Head of School in June, 2019. She is especially proud of the School's fiercely dedicated and infinitely talented faculty, and remains energized and enthusiastic about her responsibilities and the challenges inherent in school leadership.

Blythe was grateful for the opportunity to work alongside her husband Mike, a fixture in Marvelwood's Mathematics department for over 25 years. She and Mike agree that their longtime dedication to Marvelwood is a testament to the fact that they feel that the School represents who they are as people. The Everetts live on campus, where they raised their two children, Sam ‘14 and Maggie ‘16. The family cherishes the natural surroundings of their Skiff Mountain home.

At Marvelwood Since: 1990

At Marvelwood Since: 2020

Heni came to Marvelwood in 2007. Besides being the Mathematics Department Chair at Marvelwood, Heni enjoys teaching AP Statistics, Statistics, AP Economics, Honors Precalculus and regular Precalculus. She loves the diversity at Marvelwood and the values of being part of the Marvelwood family. Her teaching practice has focused on individual growth and building students’ confidence in the subjects she teaches. She regularly holds supplementary extra help outside the class sessions with struggling students and integrates new teaching techniques and ideas to help students learn math and econ. Prior to teaching at Marvelwood, she taught economics and statistics at the college level in Indonesia for 6 years; she also worked for a few different companies in the US for several years.

Heni earned a BA in Economics from Gadjah Mada University in Indonesia and an MBA with a concentration in Finance from Xavier University in Ohio. She resides in Kent with her husband Ryan and her second son Maxwell. Her oldest son, Samuel, graduated from Marvelwood in 2020. She enjoys gardening, cooking, and cheering on her sons in their activities.

At Marvelwood Since: 2007

Brigid joins Marvelwood as a Learning Support teacher. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Hartwick College and a Master's in Special Education from Simmons College. She earned the latter degree while working as a teacher at the New England Center for Children in Southborough, MA. Over the past 16 years, she has taught in both public and private schools in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Brigid lives in Kent with her two children, Clara and Gavin. Together they enjoy swimming, visiting local playgrounds and spending time outdoors.

At Marvelwood Since: 2023

As a Connecticut native, Abbey is thrilled to be back in her home state after living and working in places that include Boston, San Francisco, and most recently, Asheville, NC. Abbey received her Master’s in Counseling Psychology in the summer of 2008 and embarked upon a path of helping students overcome obstacles and lead productive, fulfilled lives.

After 15 years of school counseling, Abbey is excited to begin a new chapter as the Advancement Associate for Alumni Engagement here at Marvelwood. Abbey finds she does her best work at smaller, progressive, non-traditional school settings where students and staff feel like family. In addition, Abbey immediately felt a kinship to Marvelwood’s core values of honesty, respect, responsibility and service to others and plans to lean into each of these when making connections with our graduates.

In her free time, Abbey enjoys yoga, cooking and spending as much time in the woods with her rescue pup, Birdy.

At Marvelwood Since: 2024

Kathryn comes to Marvelwood with fifteen years of classroom experience teaching science to students in grades 7-12 in both pubic and private schools. She spent the last 3 years as an executive function and ADHD coach for teens and young adults.

She and her husband, two daughters, and dog reside in Sherman, CT. She is excited to bring her years of experience to the classroom again as a strategies 1 & 2 teacher this year.

At Marvelwood Since: 2023

Betty has been with the Marvelwood School since 1997 after retiring from a banking career. She has one daughter who has 2 sons and four grown step-children. She is the proud grandmother of a Marvelwood graduate from the Class of 2021. Betty lives in Kent with her husband, John, and their two boxers.

At Marvelwood Since: 1997