Justin Baxter is a Hull resident. He is joining the Memorial School staff as a special education teacher. He received his bachelor’s degree from Westfield State University and his master’s degree from American International College. He comes to us after 13 years as a learning center teacher in the Waltham public schools, where he had both teaching and IEP-related duties. Justin’s daughter is a proud member of the Jacobs School community.
Rebecca Brown will be an English language arts teacher at Hull High School. She received her bachelor’s degree from Emerson College and her master’s degree from Harvard University. After spending 14 years as English Department chair and English language arts teacher at Mount Alvernia High School, an independent school in Newton, she taught ELA for a year at the Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School in Marlborough. She wants to work closer to home, which is Weymouth. She is one of eight Massachusetts educators named Calderwood Fellows by the Calderwood Writing Initiative, where her final inquiry report won the first annual Calderwood Writing Award.
Anna Cerilli is a lifelong Whitman resident. She will be joining the Jacobs School as a long-term substitute third-grade teacher. She received her bachelor’s degree from Keene State College, magna cum laude, and her master’s degree from Lesley University. Before taking two years to be at home with her baby, she worked as a third-grade teacher in the Rockland public schools. Anna has known since second grade that she wanted to be a teacher and is excited to get back into the classroom.
Julie Galluzzo is joining the Memorial Middle School as a long-term substitute Spanish teacher. She may be a familiar face to some at the middle school because she taught Spanish for a year back in 2008-2009. She also lives in Hull. Julie has been working in marketing for many years. She received her bachelor’s degree from Bridgewater State University and her master’s degree from Emerson College. She also holds a master of design studies in historic preservation from Boston Architectural College.
Candace Greland is going to be the long-term substitute art teacher at Hull High School. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. She worked for many years as a graphic designer part-time, while also being a freelance designer. In 2015 she became an adjunct faculty/instructor at Stonehill College, where she taught graphic design foundation for seven years. She has also been an art classroom volunteer. She has won professional awards and honors in the field of graphic design; she is also certified to teach visual arts. She lives in Marshfield.
Melinda Grabowski resides in Kingston. She will be teaching English language arts at the Memorial School. She received her bachelor’s degree from Bridgewater State University, where she was on the dean’s list. She is expected to receive her master’s degree from Bridgewater State University in December. She started as a paraprofessional in the Hingham public schools and had a few long-term substitute English language arts posts since 2017. Last year she was an eighth-grade teacher at Hingham Middle School.
Jonathan Hawes joins the Jacobs School staff as a physical education teacher. He received his bachelor’s degree from Westfield State University. He comes to us from St. Columbkille Partnership School in Brighton. He is also a lifeguard/swim instructor for Dedham Recreation and has experience with coaching and with extracurricular activities. He resides in Boston’s Allston neighborhood.
Alexandria Huntington will be joining the Jacobs School as a long-term substitute fourth-grade teacher. She has been a substitute teacher in various capacities in Weymouth since 2017. She also lives in Weymouth. She received her bachelor’s degree from Rider University in New Jersey, magna cum laude, and her master’s degree from Bridgewater State University.
Mark MacDonald comes to us from the Weymouth and Braintree public schools. He has experience teaching in various capacities at the elementary and middle school levels. He has accepted the position of long-term substitute social studies teacher at Memorial School. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Boston. He grew up in Braintree and is now a Hull resident.
Michelle Ross will be taking on the role of special education teacher at Hull High School. She received her bachelor’s degree from Assumption College and her master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Boston in secondary education – English and her CAGS from American International College. She taught high school English in an alternative education program in the Newton public schools before locating to the South Shore, where she has been a special education English teacher and case manager at the South Shore Educational Collaborative and Marshfield High School. She sang in high school and college choirs and currently belongs to the Fine Arts Chorale, a Weymouth-based choir focused on classical choral pieces. She resides in Abington.
Rebecca Thompson, a Hingham resident, joins the Hull faculty as a speech and language pathologist at Jacobs School. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire, summa cum laude, and her master’s degree from Northeastern University. She completed her clinical practicum in the Cambridge public schools. Last year she was contracted at a collaborative school and public school through Rockingham Contracting and Therapy Services. She volunteers at The Edgewood Center and The Krempels Center.
Julia Vasconcelos will continue as a long-term substitute English language arts teacher at Hull High School, a position she has held since January. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Bridgewater State University. She lives in Assonet and completed her student teaching in Taunton. She has been a field hockey coach since 2018.
Laurie Vaughen, from Tennessee, recently moved to Brookline to be close to her daughter, who is also a public-school teacher. She is going to be a long-term substitute English language arts teacher at Memorial School. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. She also received a master’s of fine arts from Sewanee School of Letters at the University of the South. While in Tennessee, she was a corporate communications manager and senior technical writer and a production editor. She was a long-term substitute English language arts and social studies teacher in Chattanooga and was an adjunct faculty member in the English Department at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Since relocating to Massachusetts, she has been a freelance writer, editor, and photographer. She is also an award-winning poet and writer, having authored three books, individual poems, essays, and presentations.
