Faculty & Staff

Arriving in Maine after a thirty year career of working with youth in Connecticut, Danni landed on the campus of Maine Academy of Natural Sciences in May of 2017. In her previous role as the Dean of Students, she was privileged to watch students grow and mature into amazing young people. Her philosophy on building relationships with students is crucial to establishing the culture at MEANS. In her downtime Danni can be found pickling and canning, practicing her fly casting and enjoying time with family and friends!

Alyssa was born, raised, and still lives in central Maine. She was raised in a large, extended French Canadian family with a rich outdoor heritage, so she grew up with a love and appreciation for the natural world. She graduated college in 2010 from the University of Maine at Orono with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and English, and comes to MeANS with over 10 years of administrative experience. One of Alyssa’s passions is writing, so you can often find her writing poetry. During her free time she also loves spending time with her daughter, Grace, and the rest of her family. Among her favorite hobbies are taking walks out to her family’s land in Freedom, fishing, hunting, and berry picking.

Over the past four years, Kasey has shared her passion and enthusiasm for teaching math with high school students right here at MeANS! Her love for learning and pleasant personality really make her classroom a place to enjoy learning. In her free time, Kasey loves doing carpentry projects with her husband, making jewelry, and spending time with her children and pets. Also, you oftentimes will see her taking pictures to capture memories and enjoy the beauty of the world around her.

Jeffry is a Maine Native. After graduating from Unity College in 1994 with a BS in Wildlife, he worked in an array of environmental education settings throughout the state. For eight years, Jeffry was the Executive Director and Lead teacher at Herring Gut Learning Center in Port Clyde. During this time, Jeffry developed and implemented marine science and aquaculture programs for middle and high school students. Through this work Jeffry was awarded the 2004 Maine Agriculture Teacher of the Year. In 2009 Jeffry returned to college to complete his MA in Education.  Jeffry has been on staff  at MeANS since its inception in 2011. Jeffry lives in Bowdoin, with his wife Carey,  son Caleb and daughter Eva.

Caleb Christensen Fletcher has been an educator since 2015, and has been heard teaching from about a mile away. He has taught at Old Orchard Beach, Gardiner, and for the past 8 years he has been at Harpswell Coastal Academy. Caleb found his way to MeANs thanks to their threshold program due to their student centered approach, and their focus on compassionate education. He has a passion for gaming, improv, and being a general goofball. Caleb hopes that he is able to either impart some of that kindness into each of his lesson or at least get a smile for that 100th joke he tried to tell. He is incredibly excited to join the MeANS faculty this year, and is ready to nerd out about everything and anything.

Over the past ten years, Evan has worked as a humanities & writing teacher, a soccer coach, a guide, and an instructional leader in Maine, Massachusetts, and California. In his free time, Evan can be found slappin’ the stand up bass, hiking with his partner, Anya, and their doodle, Moony, or writing short stories and recording podcasts. After serving as a teacher and instructional coach at High Tech High Media Arts in San Diego, California, Evan has been incredibly excited to return to Maine to infuse creativity and outdoor exploration into the project-based learning that takes place at the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences every day.

Tyler grew up in central Maine and attended Bowdoin College where he received his teaching certification. Tyler started his career in education as a high school science teacher and taught courses in biology, physics, and earth science. With a growing interest in mental and behavioral health, Tyler started his doctorate in school psychology in 2020 at the University of Southern Maine. He enjoys working with students to help them get the most out of their education and develop strong relationships with others. Additionally, Tyler enjoys working with school systems to better support the mental and behavioral health needs of students. In his free time, Tyler enjoys timber framing, cross-country skiing, and spending time with his family.

Dr. Schoenthaler-Ervin’s early career in education included teaching high school English and working with students struggling with reading and behavior problems. Honing in on school and clinical psychology, Ann went on to earn her doctorate from the University of Connecticut. Her work as a psychologist has spanned hospital, clinic, residential treatment, and public school settings. Ann’s interests include the assessment and treatment of Dyslexia, ADHD, and mood and anxiety disorders. Dr. Schoenthaler-Ervin currently serves on the Maine Department of Education’s Advisory Committee for School Psychologists. In her spare time, Ann loves to hike, cross country ski, and spend time with her grandchildren. Ann enjoys being at MeANS because of the staff’s ability to build strong relationships with a diverse student body. 

Shawn graduated from Oxford HIlls High school in 2004 and then graduated from UMF 2008. For the next nine years, he worked as a teacher at Leavitt High school. While at Leavitt, he coached Freshmen football and JV basketball. He then went to Western Foothills Regional Program (WFRP) for 1 year, before he went to Spruce Mountain High school for 2 years. The last two years before starting at MEANS he worked at Gardiner Middle school as a Math teacher. He decided to apply for the Math position at MEANS because he thought it was a great idea to combine his two passions: being in nature and teaching. Currently, he lives in the town of Palermo. He lives with his wife, Alicia, and two boys, who are 14 and 10. Both of his boys are very active with sports and both enjoy being outside. In his free time, Shawn likes to hike, fish and coach basketball. 

Becky joined MeANS in 2022, after 20 years as a homeschool parent and grantwriting consultant for non-profits throughout Maine.  The daughter of retired Maine educators, Becky attended the University of Maine at Farmington for community and school health education. She carved a niche for herself in the state by focusing on youth centric programs and youth advocacy in public health, working with teens and youth  leaders from all over the state to provide training to teens on using their voices to create policy change. Becky is passionate about self-directed learning and giving young people agency in their education by using a project, strengths-based approach whenever possible. In her free time, Becky enjoys playing competitive volleyball, keeping extensive gardens, digging into her ancestry, traveling, and spending time with her husband Kurt and their three sons.

Elise is from Caribou, Maine and first became interested in the natural sciences while conducting research on the food use of migratory forest songbirds in her undergraduate career. Elise recently graduated from the University of Maine Graduate School with an M.S. in Ecology and Environmental Sciences. There, her research focused on the effects that climate change has on Northern flying squirrel physiology and range shifts. Through her time in graduate school, Elise found her passion for science communication and began her first teaching position here at Means. Elise now lives in the Orono area and loves to bird-watch in her spare time.

Katrina Guptill has several years of experience with the school nutrition program, assisting families in need and ensuring students receive wholesome, quality meals. Katrina came to Good Will-Hinckley as an administrative assistant in 2016 after spending eight years working in the main office for Windsor Elementary School. One of her duties included managing the financial side of the school’s nutrition program. She now splits her time as Good Will-Hinckley’s kitchen manager and in the accounts payable department. As kitchen manager, she supports the kitchen staff and takes care of the financial side of the program. Katrina is always available to assist the families of both the Glenn Stratton Learning Center (GSLC) and Maine Academy of Natural Sciences (MeANS) with any concerns or assistance they need. Katrina grew up in midcoast Maine and attended Lincoln Academy and Kennebec Valley Community College. She has served as a school board member for her children’s school and the treasurer for her local Boy Scout troop for many years. She now enjoys spending time cooking, flower gardening and traveling around the state to visit her 6 grandchildren who live in Castle Hill and Phillips.

Solomon Heifets earned his Master Degree in Education from the University of Massachusetts in 2013, and worked on campus as an English and Social Studies teacher at the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences for 6 years. In 2022, he left to launch an Extended Learning Opportunities program at Belfast Area High School, but came back to MeANS in 2023 to teach in the Threshold program. He came to the Threshold program because of the unique opportunity to meet students where they are at and to build on their interests to develop a project-based individualized educational program. Sol’s favorite part about working at MeANS is the warm sense of community that exists here. When Solomon isn’t teaching, he enjoys life at 3 Level Farm with his partner, Danielle, and daughter, Clara, and runs a small business managing a herd of dairy goats and making artisanal cheeses. 

Pat Henyan will serve as the new Assistant Head of School at MeANS beginning the 2023 – 2024 academic year. Prior to his arrival, he spent 15 years as a classroom teacher in Waterville. He is excited to join a school and staff that is dedicated to making learning engaging for all students. He loves the emphasis that the MeANS teachers and learning community put on getting the students out of the classroom to experience the world around them and become active participants in their education. When he is not at school, he likes to spend time with his wife, Lizzie, and his three children. He can often be found tossing a wiffle ball around with friends, or catching a Carolina Panthers game on TV.

Sonja has worked at MeANS since the fall of 2020. Before that, she worked in several positions at Good Will-Hinckley for 25 years.  A Mainer all her life, Sonja enjoys spending time with family and friends, boat rides, fishing all year long, and having bonfires. She watches Jeopardy every day and is good at word puzzles. At MeANS, Sonja’s favorite activities have been learning the maple syrup process and beekeeping.

An outdoor enthusiast, feral horse girl, and an advocate for mental health in young people (and all people), Grace has been focused on building emotional intelligence and self acceptance in youth since she was a young person herself. A graduate of UMF and Northeastern University, she has been working with young adults in various capacities for the last 15 years, and has been working at the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences since 2014. In her ‘free’ time, you can find her riding horses, adventuring with her pups, or taking care of various other farm animals.

Born and raised in Maine on a small family farm, Alex has found herself drawn to the ag-focused academics and project-based learning MeANS has to offer since 2015 when she joined MeANS as a student.  She recognizes the importance of individuality within each student and a strong relational model. Alex got her BS in Child Development & Family Relations from the University of Maine at Orono with a minor of Psychology, Leadership, and Women/Gender/Sexuality Studies in 2021. After working with infants for many years, Alex finds her interests are leading her to connect and support young adults. In her time outside of the classroom, she spends it with her husband Sean, baby Henry, and doggo Cliff on their ever thriving and growing homestead.

Isabelle is a recent graduate of the University of Maine Farmington where she double majored in English and Secondary Education with a concentration in poetry. Born to parents who met as Maine guides for kayaking, she was introduced to outdoor education from the start. Isabelle has found a passion in working to provide students often overlooked and underappreciated in traditional education environments with opportunities to learn and grow, with hands-on project based experiences, especially in the outdoors. Her favorite teaching moments have come when lessons get spontaneously taken in unexpected directions by curious students. Outside of the classroom you can find Isabelle with her nose buried in a book, writing poetry and fiction, or with her hands busy in a wide variety of artistic mediums. She stays connected to the outdoors in her free time by hiking and training for a triathlon with her family. You will often find her yellow lab Argo trailing behind her in the halls. Argo is a gentle spirit who loves nothing more than to greet students, and provide cuddles and decompression time.

Jill never believed herself to be a math person until high school, when her teacher in Algebra class helped everything click for her. Since then, she has led a far-reaching career exploring the art and science of education, the integration of graphic design and social justice, and the beauty of mathematics. She landed in Maine in 2010 to attend the College of the Atlantic and never left. She is excited to have arrived at the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences where she engages students in math in the classroom, outdoors, and in the yurt. Jill is inspired every day by her students learning to think independently and collaboratively, growing their curiosity and creativity, and applying their math skills in more and more aspects of their lives.

Starting his first school at 21, Emanuel has been a Maine educator since 1973. Following his work at the Community School, now Wayfinder school, he got his PhD in education and psychology at the University of Maine.  In 2011, he was part of the team that designed and started MeANS.  He also designed and continues to advise the Threshold program at MeANS.

Frank teaches ELA for 11/12 at the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences.  He is passionate about project-based learning, and does his very best to instill in his students a love of language and literature. Frank enjoys reading, writing, and thinking about exercising. Recently, he started teaching psychology through KVCC. His favorite books are Titus Groan and The Brothers Karamazov, and his favorite writers include William Shakepeare, Shirley Jackson, Philip Pullman, and Emily Bronte, among many others, and he would love to tell you all about them, whether you want to hear all about them or not.

Jim Poindexter has taught high school English in Maine and Vermont for over 16 years. He holds a B.A. in English and a Masters Degree in Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment. At MeANS, Jim teaches ELA 9 and 10. In addition, in his first year at the school his electives have included songwriting, social emotional learning, debate and rhetoric, and theater. Jim lives deep in the woods in the beautiful, tiny town of Cambridge, Maine.

Ana Rothschild grew up on a family farm in the mountains of western Maine. In addition to developing a strong interest in raising animals and growing things, she has always worked on writing, drawing, sculpting, and printmaking projects. She brings a lifelong passion for the natural world, and for literature and art, to her work at the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences. She began teaching Humanities at MeANS in 2012, and helped to launch the Threshold program in 2017. She has spent the past six years working with students in their homes and communities across five counties, and loves helping them build on their interests and develop their skills and talents through interdisciplinary projects and hands-on learning. Ana shares her 1850 brick farmhouse in New Portland—which will never be fully renovated—with her partner, James, her English Mastiffs, Orion and Ursa, foster-fail Pittie, Dozer, rescue mastiff, Bagheera, and three cats. She loves reading, writing, making things, hiking, fishing, kayaking, and snowboarding, as well as cooking and eating delicious food.

Rand teaches Physics and Chemistry through exploration of everyday situations and phenomena. He grew up in the White Mountains and graduated from Keene State College with a BS in Biology. He has taught in a large public high school, a boarding school and was a commercial fisherman.  Living near the ocean in the midcoast allows him to pursue numerous hobbies like kayaking, kite flying and striper fishing.  He also enjoys tinkering on old things with engines. He has a wooden lapstrake boat, a vintage Italian scooter, an old British roadster and both of his teenage children drive antique European cars.   During the summer he and his family spend time with their dogs ‘up to camp’; which is a timber frame cottage they built on an island of a remote lake east of Bangor.  Being completely off the grid allows them to disconnect from the frenetic pace of the plugged-in world.

Paula Taylor has been driving for about 20 years. She has driven semi trucks for about 10 years and school buses for about 10 years. She was also a CDL instructor and examiner for the state of Ohio. She works at MeANS because of the way the school helps and molds their students to be successful. The teaching of respect, responsibility and community is very meaningful to her. Everyone is willing to help where help is needed. She hopes that with the discussions had on the educational bus, life is a little easier to understand on the Why’s, Do’s , Don’t’s. She hopes the students know that people at MeANS care and are willing to do what they can. Paula enjoys working at MeANS because she gets to see the students grow and sprout into young adults. The other thing she likes about working here is the 3 day weekend most of the year. When not at school, Paula enjoys going camping a few times a year, and loves going to see her grandchildren out of state 1-2 times a year. Family is her most important thing in life.

Bonnie has been a Special Education Director for 25 years in Maine school districts.  She is a strong advocate of inclusive education for students with disabilities and will make every effort to ensure they are included in every aspect of programming at the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences.  In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, camping, playing board games, and spending time with family and friends.