Meet the New Penn Boarding School Teaching Fellows

Four new Penn Boarding School Teaching Residency (BSTR) Fellows will join the Lawrenceville faculty this fall. Welcome to:

Ashley Cleary is a fellow in the History Department. Cleary received her bachelor’s in history, with a concentration in English from Bates College. A recruited rower at the University of Michigan and a member of the Bates crew team, Cleary has coached young rowers at the Albany Rowing Center, serving as director of a summer “learn to row” program. In addition, Cleary spent last year working as the teacher liaison to a National Public Radio-partnered listening skills platform called “Listenwise,” that creates curriculum around public radio stories to promote literacy in Boston-area public schools. Cleary will do duty in the Carter House, will help with the Big Red Farm this fall, and assist on the crew team this spring.

Summar Ellis is a fellow in the Math Department. Ellis received her bachelor’s of science in mathematics, with a minor in education, from Spelman College. While at Spelman, Ellis served as a tutor in the Mathematics Laboratory and volunteered for Trees Atlanta, which works to improve green spaces on the Atlanta Belt Line and West End community. She presented at a number of undergraduate research symposiums on mathematical and education-focused topics, including a presentation at the Mathematics Science Research Institute at U.C. Berkeley in the summer of 2019. In 2018, she took first place in Oral Presentation at the Spelman College Research Day for her work on “Meta-Learning Abroad: African American Study Abroad Students in Italy.” Ellis will do duty in the McClellan House, and will help with both junior varsity field hockey and the Big Red Farm in the spring.

Katie Livingston is a fellow in the Science Department. Livingston received her bachelor's in environmental studies, with a minor in biological science, from Wellesley College, where she was a member of the Wellesley varsity rowing team for four years. Her team won the NCAA Division III National Championship in 2016, and she was a four-time NCAA medalist. Livingston has spent the past year as a member of Americorps in City Year, Boston, serving as a teaching assistant in high school math, physics, and environmental science classes. She has also worked in the Northfield Mount Hermon summer school, where she co-taught courses in field biology and marine biology, oversaw a middle school girls’ dorm, and coached swimming. Livingston will do duty in the Carter House, and will help with the swimming and crew teams.

Nick Martin is a fellow in the English Department. Martin received his bachelor’s from Colby College, where he double-majored in English and education. While at Colby, Martin served as a community advisor/resident advisor for three years in three different student dorms and was part of a team responsible for programming, supervision, and crisis intervention. Martin served as a teaching assistant for several summers at the New York State Institute for Young Writers at Skidmore College, and took on the role of Head Resident during his last summer there. A high school basketball player, Martin will do duty in the Dickinson House, help with Second Form boys’ basketball team, and coach the Cleve House in the spring.

The BSTR students are part of an innovative, two-year fellowship program between the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education and the Lawrenceville School, Deerfield Academy, Hotchkiss School, Loomis Chaffee School, Milton Academy, Miss Porter’s School, Northfield Mount Hermon, St. Paul’s School, and the Taft School.

These novice teachers, who work under the direction of an experienced faculty mentor, are completing the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education’s master’s program in teaching and learning. Those serving at Lawrenceville join the faculty for two years as teachers, as well as coaches or assistants in the School’s Community Service Program. Each Fellow receives a House assignment, where he or she learns about (and becomes an important part of) Lawrenceville's dynamic residential life curriculum. In addition to their Lawrenceville duties, the Fellows are learning - and bringing back to campus – the most current research on best educational practices through their studies at Penn.

For additional information, please contact Lisa M. Gillard Hanson, director of Public Relations, at lgillard@lawrenceville.org.