Maine DOE Welcomes 2024/2025 Teacher Leader Fellows

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) has welcomed its 2024/25 Teacher Leader Fellows. The new class of six extraordinary educators are from across the state and bring expertise in civics, personal finance, integrated arts, and multilingual learning, specifically with newcomers, as well as multilingual learners with disabilities

Please help us welcome Breanna Bellefontaine-Krupski from Scarborough High School, Joshua Chard the 2024 Maine Teacher of the Year, Samantha Drost from Caribou High School, Rebecca Carey from RSU 3, Jenny Lunt from South Portland Middle School, and Melissa Frans from Portland Public Schools!

The civics, art, and/or personal finance Teacher Leader Fellows will provide educators across Maine with integrated resources and materials, host professional learning opportunities, and maintain webpages with rich and informative content. To receive weekly communications and monthly professional learning around civics, art, and/or personal finance, click here (Select a subscription to - "Integrate THIS - 2024/25 Teacher Leader Fellows Newsletter")

Also, be on the lookout for curated resources and materials, integrated professional learning opportunities, and facilitated responsive communities of practice, all designed for educators working with elementary and secondary newcomers and multilingual learners with disabilities, PreK-12. Visit the Maine DOE Multilingual Learner website to learn more!

For more information about this or other innovative teaching and learning programs at the Maine Department of Education, contact, Beth Lambert, Chief Teaching and Learning Officer, at [email protected].

Meet the 2024/25 Teacher Leader Fellows

Breanna Bellefontaine-Krupski

Breanna Bellefontaine-Krupski
Maine DOE Civics Teacher Leader Fellow
Scarborough High School Civics teacher

"I am ecstatic to be in this new position at the Office of Teaching and Learning to share some of my favorite civic resources with fellow Maine government teachers, professional development opportunities, and potential community connections. Let's support Maine teachers in ways to engage and integrate robust civic educational resources and opportunities into their classrooms," said Breanna Bellefontaine-Krupski, Civics Teacher Leader Fellow.

Breanna Bellefontaine-Krupski, or Mrs.B-K as students call her, is the 24/25 Civics Teacher Leader at the Maine Department of Education's Office of Teaching and Learning. Civic education is her passion, and she has had the privilege of doing it for the last 14 years! Breanna is a lifelong Mainer and lives in Southern Maine with her lovely family. She teaches at Scarborough High School and has worked at two rural schools in Maine. In recent years, she has served as part of a Maine Teacher Leader Cohort in 2019, earned National Board Certification in Social Studies, and worked with several civic organizations to expand her ability to deliver a positive educational experience to her students. Breanna is also a 2022-24 Constitutional Fellow with the National Constitution Center, a member of their Teacher Advisory Board, and an ambassador for Retro Report Education. Breanna is thrilled to be in this new position at the Office of Teaching and Learning to share her favorite civic resources with fellow Maine government teachers, professional development opportunities, and potential community connections. Let's support Maine teachers in ways to engage and integrate robust civic educational resources and opportunities into their classrooms!

Questions or thoughts on Maine Civic's resources? Email Breanna and get the conversation started! [email protected]

Joshua Chard

Joshua Chard
Maine DOE Arts Integration Teacher Leader Fellow
Teacher at East End Community School, Drama Director at Deering High School in Portland, 2024 Maine Teacher of the Year

"My approach to designing and implementing curriculum for young learners always starts through a culturally responsive lens. I believe in the power of joyful relationships, which are at the heart of everything I do in my classroom. Arts Integration encourages students to become more engaged and creative, making connections that stick with them," said Joshua Chard, Maine DOE Arts Integration Teacher Leader Fellow.

Joshua Chard, the 2024 Maine Teacher of the Year, is a second-and third-grade looping teacher at East End Community School and the winter and spring drama director at Deering High School in Portland. He is excited to serve as the Teacher Leadership Fellow for Arts Integration through the Maine Department of Education. Chard is deeply inspired by the honor of lifting and celebrating his diverse learners.

Chard holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in theater from the University of Southern Maine, a Master of Science degree in Education with a K-6 Literacy focus from the University of New England, and a certificate in K-6 Standards-Based Mathematics from the American College of Education. He is also certified as a K-12 teacher of English to speakers of other languages.

Chard is proud to teach at two of the most culturally diverse schools north of Boston. During his 33-year career, he has been an educational technician, has taught fourth and fifth grade, and has been a mathematics instructional coach. He has passionately dedicated his entire career to working in high-needs urban schools and is excited to have a platform to share the fantastic work there. Chard is genuinely enthusiastic about the possibilities of arts integration in our classrooms. Blending music, drama, dance and movement, and visual arts with core subjects brings learning to life in vibrant ways. According to Chard, "Arts Integration encourages students to become more engaged and creative, making connections that stick with them."

Outside of school, Chard is an actor and director who participates in local theater. He also loves exploring Maine's beaches and lighthouses with his husband and their grandsons.

Questions or thoughts on Maine Arts Integration resources? Email Joshua! Let's get the conversation started! [email protected]

Samantha Drost

Samantha Drost
Maine DOE Personal Finance Teacher Leader Fellow
Caribou High School Consumer Economics Teacher

" Join me this year in exploring free resources, free professional development, and fun lessons for all ages as we embark on this money adventure together! Let's inspire the next generation of savvy savers," says Samantha Drost, Personal Finance Teacher Leader Fellow.

Samantha Drost, is the new Personal Finance Teacher Leader Fellow for the Maine Department of Education's Office of Teaching and Learning. She is excited to bring you a dynamic approach to financial education. As the 2019-20 Maine Jump$tart Teacher of the Year, she is passionate about making personal finance both engaging and accessible. Samantha loves creating a lively space in her classroom at Caribou High School, where students don't just learn-they play through gamification! With the help of her favorite resource, Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF), she has transformed traditional lessons into real-life experiences. Whether it's budgeting, investing, or understanding credit, students get hands-on practice in a safe and fun environment, learning to make smart financial choices every day.

Samantha's personal finance teaching journey began in 2018 at a Next Gen Personal Finance FinCamp and Jump$tart National Educator Training, where she found her "family" of personal finance teachers. She hopes to inspire you like those events inspired her by bringing hands-on, real-world practice to your classroom. al Finance resources? Email Samantha! Let's get the conversation started! [email protected]

Rebecca Carey

Rebecca Carey
Maine DOE Multilingual Learner (ML) Teacher Leader Fellow: Elementary Newcomer
ESOL Teacher/Coordinator, RSU 3

"I am enthusiastic about this opportunity to support educators throughout our state as a Maine DOE Teacher Leader Fellow in the ESOL and Multilingual Learning Office. I am honored to work with the other talented and deeply knowledgeable Teacher Leader Fellows as we collaborate to offer timely, meaningful, and supportive professional learning and resources. My passion lies in honoring student assets and meaningfully supporting the rights of students and their families. I truly look forward to this work together," said Rebecca Cary, Multilingual Learner Teacher Leader Fellow.

Rebecca Carey has 25 years of experience working with multilingual learners in Maine. She has worked as a PreK-12 ESOL Teacher, ESOL Coordinator, Freelance ESOL Consultant, and as a Maine DOE ESOL Consultant. Currently, Rebecca serves as the Maine Virtual Teams Facilitator for the ExcEL Leadership Academy and as the ESOL Lead Teacher and ESOL Coordinator in RSU 3. She is excited to work collaboratively to support students and families and to build systems and structures that support family engagement, cultural attunement, equity, and student success. Rebecca is honored to be serving Maine educators and our multilingual students, as well as collaborating with amazing colleagues through the Teacher Leader Fellows role.

Questions or thoughts about supporting newcomers at the elementary level? Email Rebecca! Let's get the conversation started! [email protected]

Jenny Lunt

Jenny Lunt
Maine DOE Multilingual Learner (ML) Teacher Leader Fellow: Secondary Newcomer
ESOL Teacher, South Portland Middle School

"I'm so excited to be part of this new type of support for working with multilingual students and families. It is an honor to help respond to the shifts popping up in schools around the state. As an educator, my passion is finding new ways to be culturally and linguistically responsive and asset-focused. As a student advocate, I've been lucky to be part of the journeys of many students - from newly arrived students to multilingual students who are now serving on school boards in their communities. In this new TLF role, I'm excited to share my own learning that has come from years of facing challenges and collecting wisdom from colleagues, students, and families. I'm also thrilled to be able to do this work to serve folks in Maine - a place I adore and feel grateful to be," said Jenny Lunt, Multilingual Learner Teacher Leader Fellow.

Jenny has been an ESOL teacher in the Portland area for more than 15 years and has taught 5th through 12th grades. She is currently working as a 7th and 8th grade ESOL teacher at South Portland Middle School. Jenny earned a Bachelor of Arts from Barnard College in Political Science and a Master's Degree in Teaching from University of Southern Maine as a recipient of the Maine Education Association's Scholarship Program for Teacher Preparation Programs. She is passionate about supporting an asset-based approach for all MLs and engagement with families.

Questions or thoughts about supporting newcomers at the secondary level? Email Jenny! Let's get the conversation started! [email protected]

Melissa Frans

Melissa Frans
Maine DOE Multilingual Learner (ML) Teacher Leader Fellow: Multilingual Learners with Disabilities
Special Education Multilingual Coordinator, Portland Public Schools

"I am excited to support educational professionals across Maine who are working with multilingual learners with disabilities. Navigating the intersection of multilingualism, multiculturalism, and disability can be complex and benefits from a team of people learning and working together. I look forward to collaborating and expanding our professional capacity through understanding the legal rights of our students and how to holistically support their instructional needs with a focus on a strengths-based approach," said Melissa Frans, Multilingual Learner Teacher Leader Fellow.

Melissa Frans works in the Portland Public Schools as the Special Education Multilingual Coordinator. Her role focuses on implementing systems and structures to support dual-identified multilingual students with disabilities through guidance and collaboration with educators and families. She has her Certificate of Advanced Study in TESOL, Masters in Special Education and is certified to teach in those subject areas as well as general elementary education. She has worked in public education for two decades as an ESOL teacher and special education ed tech and has worked in Portland for eighteen of those years. She serves on the MEA Committee of Human and Civil Rights and Social Justice and is passionate about disability justice and equitable learning opportunities for multilingual and multicultural students. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and spending time outdoors with her family, working in her garden, and walking in the woods with her dog.

Questions or thoughts about supporting multilingual learners with disabilities? Email Melissa! Let's get the conversation started! [email protected]

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