By Coco Chen ‘24
Last year, remote and hybrid learning were very challenging or even frustrating for both teachers and students. In particular, student-teacher interactions were very limited to the unsatisfactory medium of Zoom meetings. However, this year, we can finally get to meet and talk with our teachers in person and get to know each other better. Sometimes, even just a few jokes about trivialities can lighten up our day. Before you launch off to banter around, here are the new faculty’s biographies.
Science - Nathan (Gabe) Armatas
Mr. Armatas joins St. Mark’s after over a decade of teaching at both private and public universities. He earned his Ph.D. in chemistry (inorganic) from Syracuse University, where he researched organic-inorganic hybrid materials, and a B.S. in chemistry from St. Lawrence University, where he developed a mass balance model of mercury in Lake Champlain. Gabe is passionate about bringing science to life in the classroom (ask him about his chemistry magic show!). Outside the classroom, he enjoys basketball, lacrosse in central N.Y., cooking, and hiking with his partner, Kelly, and golden retriever, Sadie.
Assistant Director of Athletics - Luke Chiasson
Mr. Chiasson has taken on a new role as the Assistant Director of Athletics. He rejoined the St. Mark’s community in 2019 as the Assistant Varsity Baseball coach after graduating from the School in 2015. He then joined the residential team as a dorm parent in Coe in January 2020, serving as the Interim Assistant Athletic Director. He served as a member of the L.E.O.S. during the 2020-2021 academic year. Before returning to Southborough, Luke completed his B.A. in communication from Virginia Wesleyan University. He also spent time working in the Athletic Department at Wellesley College post graduation. He will be coaching football in the fall.
Classics - Ryan Davey
Mr. Davey was raised in Nashua, N.H., and spent his formative years in and around the Granite State. Ryan graduated from St. Paul's School in Concord, N.H., where he lettered in football, ice hockey, and baseball. He received his B.A. from Saint Anselm College in classics before receiving his MEd. in educational leadership from Southern New Hampshire University. While a full-time college student, Ryan finished his athletic career playing junior hockey in the EJHL for the Lowell Jr. Lock Monsters. Since college, Ryan has worked at the Salisbury School, Dexter-Southfield Schools, and Avon Old Farms, serving as a teacher, varsity coach, dormitory head, advisor, and clubhead. Ryan is passionate about the holistic approach to education at boarding schools and was excited to join the well-established community of St. Mark's School. Ryan enjoys playing guitar, creating multimedia projects, podcasting, and spending time with his family in his spare time. He and his wife Ryanne (yes, pronounced the same as Ryan) have two daughters, Quinn and Tess, in addition to their dog, Ogie.
Science - Andrew (Andy) Fischer
Mr. Fischer joins St. Mark’s after 15 years of teaching in the California Bay Area. He sees the world through a lens of math and physics and is excited to share that perspective with his students. Outside the classroom, Andy is passionate about jiu-jitsu, rock climbing, and games of all kinds. Andy holds a B.S. from Harvey Mudd College and a MA from Santa Clara University.
Math/Science - Kurt Graham
Mr. Graham joins us as a teacher in the Physics and Math Departments. Before joining St Mark’s in 2021, he worked for 20 years in the financial services industry as a sales executive and key accounts manager for asset managers such as Putnam Investments, Gannett Welsh & Kotler, Lazard Asset Management, and Apex Capital Management/Fiera Capital. His teaching experience includes working in the Science Department at Fay School (2020-2021) and the Science and Mathematics Departments at Avon Old Farms School (1997 to 2000).
Kurt graduated from Skaneateles High School in upstate New York, where he was the captain of the football and lacrosse teams. Before college, he was a postgraduate at Salisbury School, lettering in football, wrestling, and lacrosse. He attended SUNY College at Cortland, earning a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and physics and being the captain of the lacrosse team. Kurt lives off-campus in Sudbury with his wife, Megan, their children, Brayden and Madelyn, and their yellow labrador Dublin. When not spending time with his family, he enjoys playing lacrosse and competing in triathlons and doing CrossFit.
Modern Languages - Emilie Griffin
Ms. Griffin joins the St. Mark’s community in 2021 as a French teacher in the Modern Languages Department. She has spent the past three years living in Treviso, Italy, where she taught English while studying Italian. Prior to that, she worked for five years at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H. as a French teacher and dorm head. Emilie holds a B.A. in art history from Columbia University and an M.A. in French language and culture from Middlebury College. She lived in France for three years and earned her diplôme d’aptitude à l’enseignement du français langue étrangère at the Université de Bordeaux III. In her free time, Emilie enjoys doing yoga, reading, baking, and traveling.
Community Wellness Educator - Lauren Martin
Ms. Martin is a graduate of St. Mark’s Class of 1985. She joined the St. Mark’s faculty in 2020-21 part-time and serves as a resource for all faculty and students, with the main focus on supporting students from underrepresented communities as they understand and address the challenges of identity development at St. Mark’s. Lauren also engages actively in the residential life program, including leadership initiatives, wellness programs, and counseling services in their continued work of supporting students from underrepresented communities. Lauren has worked as a wellness educator at the Winsor School for over 20 years. As part of her work, she helped students and adults alike, cultivate deep listening skills and develop the ability to communicate in a manner that leads to a heightened sense of purpose. Lauren also selects and serves as lead chaperone to a delegation of student participants at the annual NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference and has presented at the NAIS People of Color Conference. Lauren is now full-time at St. Mark’s and lives on campus with her two sons, Cole and Chance, as well as her daughter Summer, and her four-legged daughter, Moose, a mini labradoodle
Director of Experiential Learning - Jillian Nicks
Ms. Nicks joins St. Mark’s as the Director of Experiential Learning and as a French and Humanities and Social Sciences teacher. She hails from the Pacific Northwest, where her career in education began with coaching varsity sports. While pursuing her M.A. in French studies, Jillian was a national strength and conditioning certified personal trainer. In college, Jillian played Division I soccer and studied abroad in Lyon, France, during which time she played for the Olympique Lyonnais women’s soccer team and made lasting friendships. Jillian believes that individuals learn from direct experience with real issues and actively engage in and hold authentic responsibility for their impacts. Jillian also earned a M.Ed. from Vanderbilt Peabody College, where she dedicated her capstone projects to understanding and promoting experiential learning. Around campus you can find Jillian and her partner, Katie, filling every spare moment in motion. They both enjoy running, lifting, backpacking, climbing, skiing, and caring for plants.
Math - Magdelene (Maggie) Pizzo
Ms. Pizzo joins St. Mark's as a math teacher after serving as a L.E.O.S. Prior to coming to St. Mark’s as a faculty member, Maggie also worked as the math specialist at Pine Cobble School in Williamstown, Mass. and as a software engineer at Facebook. Maggie has a B.A. in mathematics and computer science from Dartmouth College, where she was also a two-time ultimate frisbee national college champion. In her free time, she loves reading, baking cookies, and losing tennis matches. Maggie lives on campus, where you can find her jogging down Main Street or carrying banana peels to the compost.
Assistant Director of College Counseling - Lin Yang
Ms. Yang made a long road trip in July 2021 to join the St. Mark's community as an Assistant Director of College Counseling and science teacher. Previously, she served as an Assistant Director of Admission at her alma mater, Harvey Mudd College, where she received her B.S. in applied physics. Her undergraduate experience at Mudd allowed her to intern with the Office of Admission and informed her desire to increase diversity, access, and inclusion within the STEM fields. Lin brings her previous teaching and curriculum development experience from Mudd, Explo at Yale, and AstroCamp to teach physics at St. Mark's. She lives on campus and enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time outside.
All students and faculty are thrilled to have all the excellent new faculty becoming part of the St. Mark’s Community. We genuinely hope they have an incredible time teaching at St. Mark’s. Welcome to the Pride!