Ms. Farber

by Eva MacDonald

Katie Farber has recently joined the Kennebunk High School team as a biology teacher. She chose to teach biology because it allows her to combine her love for science and mentorship. Ms. Farber has been living in southern Maine for the past 5 years, but is originally from Millinocket, ME.

Outside of school, she enjoys kayaking, swimming, surfing, hiking, and going on nature walks. She also loves live music. Ms. Farber was drawn to Kennebunk because of the beaches and surrounding areas.

A fun fact about her is that she’s had the opportunity to work with students in Mexico and Morocco. Some of her favorite memories are from working with 9th grade biology students in Tangier, Morocco. If she could give a piece of advice to her students, it would be to make connections. Ms. Farber said, “Whether you join a new club or sport, or simply say ‘Hi’ to someone new, you have endless opportunities to learn through others. Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions!” 

Welcome, Ms. Farber, we are grateful to have you!

Teacher Lane 

by Eva MacDonald

Teacher Finn Lane has recently joined the KHS team as a Librarian. Teacher Finn is originally from Brownfield, Maine, but now resides in Sanford by the pond. They expressed that they chose Kennebunk after bonding with the staff and students while substituting at KHS.

They credit KHS’s librarian with encouraging them to pursue this position, saying she has been an insightful, clever, and personable individual and an invaluable resource. Outside of school, Teacher Finn likes to draw, paint, and have Dungeons and Dragons sessions with long-time friends. They’re also a sewist, mender, and love to cook. A fun fact about them is that they can wiggle their ears! A piece of advice they would give to students is to “Soak it up!” Teacher Finn says “I can’t name just how many opportunities I pushed aside in fear of social ridicule. Years later, pursuing my passions, I only wished I had done so sooner. Seize the day! Do the thing!” 

Welcome, Teacher Finn, we’re grateful to have you!

Mr. Klatt

By Quinn Wherley

Richard Klatt has joined the KHS facility as a health teacher. Coming from Sacopee High School, Mr. Klatt has grown up in Maine his whole life and has taught Health and PE for four years. He chose to teach health and PE because he values the importance of being active and finding happiness. Mr. Klatt says he’s most excited to get to know the KHS community, which drew him to come teach here. 

Outside of teaching, he is a Green Bay Packers fan, enjoys writing, and loves road trips. His piece of advice to future students is, “MAKE GOOD CHOICES, because they all add up and they all matter!”

Welcome, Mr. Klatt, we’re grateful to have you!

Mr. Lansing

by Quinn Wherley

Mr. Lansing has joined the KHS facility as a math teacher. He is coming to KHS from South Portland High School where he taught for one year, Portland High School where he taught for seven years, and he is originally from Schenectady, New York. He chose to come to Kennebunk because it is closer to his home and he believes it is a top notch school. Outside of teaching, he owns a small gardening business and enjoys watching baseball. He chose to teach math after a breakup, leading him to decide to go back to school to study mathematics. In college he valued his professors’ supportiveness towards him, leading him to want to teach math and support others. One piece of advice he has for students is, “Remember that neatness counts.”

Welcome, Mr. Lansing, we’re grateful to have you!

Ms. Magee

by Quinn Wherley

Ms. Magee has recently joined the KHS staff as a Spanish teacher! She grew up in central Maine but has lived in Colorado, Wisconsin, Oregon, Ohio, New York, California, Guatemala, and Colombia. She was drawn to Kennebunk because she views it as a community that values education and learning foreign languages as a valid part of the curriculum. Outside of school, she loves being outside! Camping, skiing, gardening, hiking, and going to the beach are all valued aspects of her life. She loves cooking and used to run a recipe blog online. She chose to pursue the subject of Spanish after living in California, where she felt it was in her best interest to learn Spanish, which led her down a path of teaching Spanish in schools, as well as teaching English in Colombia. Her one piece of advice to future students is; “Having your path set out before you, can definitely help steer you in the right direction, but don’t be afraid to occasionally take a detour, try something new and put yourself outside your comfort zone!” 

Welcome Ms. Magee, we’re excited to have you!

Mr. Noel

by Molly McKinney

Kennebunk native Mr.Keith Noel is the new PE teacher coming from MSK, and has been there the last six years. Outside of teaching, he enjoys hiking, camping, coaching his kids’ youth sports, and is overall a sports enthusiast. Mr. Noel has taught middle school for the past 17 years and was looking for a change. He chose KHS because he was frequently in the building to coach football, and it became a place he looked forward to being at. One piece of advice Mr. Noel gives his students is said by former coach Bear Bryant: “It’s not the will to win that matters – everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.” This quote inspires him because it can relate to many aspects of life, not just sports. Mr. Noel specifically enjoys teaching PE because it is not a traditional classroom setting. He likes to promote an active lifestyle as well as build communication and teamwork skills.

Welcome, Mr. Noel, we’re grateful to have you!

Mr. Heathco

by Emilia Ilyas

Mr. Heathco is joining KHS as a new math teacher, and he is going to be teaching both geometry and calculus. He is originally from Fresno, California, but he moved to Auburn when he was ten years old. He taught at Freeport High School for twenty one years, where he coached baseball, basketball, and soccer, alongside teaching math. While there, he developed an AP Calculus program, which he is really proud of. Aside from teaching, Mr. Heathco enjoys being outside and loves activities such as running, biking, and coaching soccer. He values a strong work ethic, and though he has high expectations, he wants nothing more than to help his students to meet them. 

Mr. Heathco was drawn to Kennebunk because of the excellent facility and great coastal community, and he heard positive feedback from a friend who taught in a math department in the district. He is excited to be teaching calculus again and becoming a part of the Kennebunk High School community. 

Welcome, Mr. Heathco, we are all excited for you to join us!

Mr. Scoville

by Isabella Donnery

Mr. Scoville is a new science teacher at KHS this year, teaching some Intro to Physics and Environmental Science classes. He’s originally from North Carolina but has gone to school/worked in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. For the past 10 years, he’s worked at Cony High School in Augusta. When his wife’s job in Unity, Maine took a turn towards Southern Maine, they moved out to Saco and he found a job opening in Kennebunk! Mr. Scoville loves photography and is hoping to make it to plenty of school events to take pictures.

He’s also done things involving the theater, drawing cartoons, making things out of stained glass, and more. If you’re interested in learning more about pugs, Mr. Scoville is the person to ask! When asked, he said he would gladly teach a class on pugs if KHS offered one.

It is also incredibly important to note that contrary to popular belief, Mr. Scoville is “in fact, 6 ‘4”.” To close out the interview, when asked for one piece of advice to give to future students he said to ask him “how physics is related to the stuff that you are interested in. It is really remarkable how studying physics will make you see the world differently; and I am certain that, no matter what piques your interest, looking at the activity through a physics lens will be enjoyable and revelatory.” Welcome to KHS, Mr. Scoville!

Ms. Lavoie

by Shane Wolozyn

Ms. Lavoie has recently joined the Portland community as a math teacher. Originally from New Hampshire, she previously taught at Coe-Brown Northwood Academy, her alma mater, before moving to Portland this summer. Outside of school, Ms. Lavoie enjoys reading and crafting, particularly crocheting, and loves making presents for the people in her life. A surprising fact about her is that she was a dancer for six years, with a particular focus on hip hop. Reflecting on the recent inclusion of breaking in the Olympics, she fondly recalls her dancing days. When it comes to advice for her future students, Ms. Lavoie emphasizes the importance of advocating for themselves, reminding them that teachers are not mind readers and are more than willing to help if students communicate their needs. Inspired by the enthusiasm and passion her high school and college teachers had for math, she now aims to share that same excitement with her students. 

Welcome, Ms. Lavoie, we’re lucky to have you!

Ms. Bui

by Emilia Ilyas

Ms. Bui is joining KHS as a GT ELA teacher, who is also teaching at MSK. She is originally from Belgium but has been living in Maine for the past twenty years. She was previously teaching at Noble High School in Berwick. Outside of school, she really likes music, Dungeons and Dragons, and being outdoors. She also loves a video game called Tears of the Kingdom. She was drawn to Kennebunk because of the history behind the town and what she could add to the community. She is most looking forward to spending time with her students, and she wants them to know that they are more than just the sum of their parts.

Welcome, Ms. Bui, we are happy to have you join the KHS community!

Ms. Heathco

by Aubree Veilleux

Mrs. Heathco is one of our new school counselors for last names starting with H – S. She is originally from Massachusetts, but moved to Maine during middle school. For the last 10 years, she taught at Falmouth High School, but decided to move to Kennebunk High School because she loved the staff and students here. Mrs Heathco loves being outside, doing activities like running, gardening, yoga, renovating homes, and more. A surprising fact about her is she loves to spend time with her adult children by going on family trips to Disney! During her time here, she is excited to help students connect with their interests within the workforce by connecting them with job shadowing experience. Some advice she wants to give to students would be, “High school is a great time to explore the possibilities. Take that class that you have wanted to take or if you want to try a different sport, go for it!  I would also remind students to take care of themselves and make time to laugh and have fun!”

Welcome to Kennebunk Mrs. Heathco!

Ms. Bisson

by Aubree Veilleux

A very big welcome to our new school counselor, Ms. Bisson. She is coming to Kennebunk from Newmarket High School in New Hampshire, but previously taught at Bonny Eagle High School. She was drawn to Kennebunk from the community and from a glowing recommendation from Ms. Ovington. Outside of school, you could find Ms. Bisson rock climbing, trying new foods, running around with her two-year-old, or paddle boarding. She actually completed a 14.5 mile round trip paddle to the Isle of Shoals for Big Brother Big Sister twice; she sadly didn’t see any sharks, but is contemplating doing it again next summer. Ms Bisson hopes students utilize the counseling department more this year, saying, “please come down to the Counseling Dept to say hi and introduce yourself. Feeling overwhelmed? I’m here. Have questions? I’m here. Need to vent? I’m here. Want to tell me a cool story? I’m here.” She wants to help students with career exploration and tying their interests into their potential post grad plans.

We’re so excited for you to join us! 

Mr. Gonzalez 

by Thomas Morin

Mr. Gonzalez was born in Barcelona, Spain. He studied literature and the Spanish language before working in France for three years as a language assistant. He spent one year in Kansas, USA as a Spanish teacher and nearly a year in Nicaragua. Later, he spent more than twelve years in Madrid, the capital of Spain. 

He joined the Spanish Visitant Teachers program, a program that is from both the Spanish and American departments of education. In turn, this allowed him to come and teach in the U.S.A. He came here under the interest of learning teaching procedures and techniques, and he hopes to give his two kids an opportunity to learn the English language.

Mr. Gonzalez is passionate about music and knows a little bit about how to play the violin. The genres he knows most about are Spanish, Celt, and Argentinian folk and classical music, but nonetheless, he enjoys all kinds of music. Mr. Gonzalez also enjoys going to live performances and reading literature. 

Pleased by the woods and nature around Kennebunk, Mr Gonzalez jumped at the opportunity to come here. Even though he has an urban background, he missed nature and the Pyrenee Mountains, which are between Spain and France. The coast of southern Maine reminds Mr. Gonzalez of the Cantabric Coast, which lies in northern Spain, which is also where his family comes from. Mr. Gonzalez understands the interesting educational policies and higher level of education that the RSU21 district hosts. A surprising fact about Mr. Gonzalez is that he lived in both the Caribbean and Aragon, which is a dry area of Spain. 

His message for the students of Kennebunk is that he wants them to appreciate the opportunities they have for a great future, to study and travel. He also hopes that they appreciate other cultures and that humans share a similarity in needs and desires. Mr. Gonzalez is an avid reader and values learning and practicing other languages.