New teachers at Kennebunk High School!

Mr. Hatfield

Mr. Hatfield, a new English teacher explains himself as “dry, inspired, dedicated, and more laid back than peers.” Mr. Hatfield grew up in Maine, but has moved around a lot. He taught for two years in an “underperforming” school Northern Vance North Carolina for a Teach for America group, then taught for 7 years at a “struggling” school in East Knox in Ohio. He picked less fortunate schools because he enjoys helping kids that need it extra, but he is excited to be in a different kind of environment at KHS.

Mr. Hatfield chose to become a teacher “accidentally” as he would explain. He was accepted into “Teach for America” program and thought it was a great opportunity. He later on figured out that he loved being in a classroom, and loved being able to impact young people’s lives. Mr. Hatfield enjoys coaching football, spending time with his family, and reading. He says, “I coach football too, so I have no life outside of English and football”.

As a teacher, Mr. Hatfield explains himself as “hopefully specific to the text and hopefully doing whatever I can to encourage kids to think for themselves, and that there is not only one answer.”  He does not allow kids to use their personal electronic devices during class because he wants kids engaged in the class, and not on their phones. He says, “Independent work or a quick write with one headphone in is okay, as long as it is not distracting to others.”

Mr. Hatfield is excited to be teaching in a new environment here at KHS. He is excited to meet new kids, and to be back home. Mr. Hatfield says, “There is no need to get kids excited about school, because they’re already happy to be learning.”

Ms. McLellan

Ms. McLellan, a new science teacher explains herself as, “energetic, adventurous, studious, and shy.” Ms. McLellan describes herself as a “hobbyist” outside of the classroom. “I don’t stick with things but I like to try new things”, she says. She likes to go hiking, camping, go on international trips with students(Costa Rica last spring), going to the beach, and studying Spanish. Ms. McLellan has a 15 year old son that she loves playing Pokemon go with. In the past, she has gone to both Boston and Portland to specifically go Pokemon go hunting.

Ms. McLellan decided to become a teacher after college. She wanted to go into the medical field, so she studied pre med in college. She had never been into a hospital, she just knew that she loved studying science. After her first project in a hospital, she knew she hated it and couldn’t stand it. After finishing her chemistry, biology, and physics degrees she realized that she loved helping kids. After college she realized how much she wanted to be a teacher, and reached out to Windham High School. Ms. McLellan has never actually studied to be a teacher, but has been teaching for 13 years. She is currently getting her masters degree in teaching, and finishing that in February.

Ms. McLellan said, “I was surprised about the students that say thank you when they leave the classroom. I wasn’t expecting it, and I’m not used to it. It made me feel good that students took a minute to appreciate me. That is a really nice thing that makes me excited to be here and know the students are such nice people.” Settling in has been easier than she thought it would be. “Teachers and students have been helpful and nice,” says Ms. McLellan.

Ms. McLellan enjoys new challenges. She explains Kennebunk High Schools environment as “especially challenging with the construction, but since everyone is dealing with challenged with construction it makes it easier.” This is how Ms. McLellan explains the school construction “exciting, and fun to watch the school take shape. I like driving in to see what new things are there. I have a lot of earthquakes and I wish we could measure them. To me it’s pretty cool watching the equipment, and next year will be much better.”

Ms. McLellan could never imagine having any other occupation. She says, I love my job.. it’s so goofy. It’s always different and it’s so much more fun than working with adults.” Ms. McLellan loves personal electronic devices because they allow us to learn. She allows kids to use their phones during class as long as they are not extremely distracting for them. “Kids usually make good choices, and they need to be able to manage their electronic device use for the future.”

Ms. Reinoehl

Ms. Reinoehl, a new chorus teacher describes herself as hard working, positive, friendly, and energetic. She used to perform in a choral group, but not at the moment. She likes to do solo singing, ski, and hike outside of the classroom.

This is Ms. Reinoehl’s first year teaching, and she is very excited. She is especially excited that she is starting with something new while the construction is going on, which is new for everyone. She explains the construction as “surprisingly smooth. Everyone has been efficient with updating us day to day with things like where to park, enter, or other things that change by the second, which everyone is adapting to pretty well.”

Ms. Reinoehl decided to be a teacher when she was very little. She decided to become a music teacher when she was a freshman in college, when an accapella group inspired her. She explains her teaching style as “positive and flexible, but also efficient. I don’t like to waste class time on things that don’t matter, but i like to save time for natural moments and enjoy the class, teacher and students.”

Settling in has been a smooth transition for Ms. Reinoehl, and everyone has been super friendly with her. Her favorite part about Kennebunk High School is that “The students are very eager to learn. They are accepting of critiques and and willing to work hard for me as a teacher and they work well with others in the class.”

Ms. Gagnon

Ms. Gagnon, a new guidance teacher describes herself as kind, outdoorsy, organized, and dependable. Ms. Gagnon enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time with her family. She decided to become a guidance counselor after going to college for physiology. She has always enjoyed working with kids, but never liked being in front of a classroom. During college she decided that she wanted to have a helping profession, and that a guidance counselor could become a good fit.

Ms. Gagnon is excited to be working with the students at Kennebunk High School. Since she interned here a few years ago, she is familiar with some of the faculty. She worked at Lake Region High School last year, and Kennebunk High School is much closer to home for her, so she’s excited about that too. She loves how understanding her colleges are, and how willing they are to answer her questions.