Annika Khurana, News Editor
@akhuranacourant
With the start of a new school year, the high school has welcomed several new teachers, not only to the building but to the community at large. With new perspectives being brought into the school, opportunities for positive changes to be made are opened.
Kevin Devine: M2 Algebra 2, M3 Precalculus, and Business
Before coming to the high school, Kevin Devine taught math and Advanced Placement computer science at Norwalk High School and worked in finance for 13 years prior to teaching. The biggest factor in his decision to teach in New Canaan was the community. “My sister Kelly was a teacher in New Canaan from 2001-2016 when she suddenly passed away. Seeing how the community, students, and staff responded to the tragedy by offering thoughtful tributes, raising funds, and including my family in their remembrances gave me a positive feeling about New Canaan,” he said.
Mr. Devine was a swim coach as a teenager when he discovered that he enjoys working with kids. He feels teaching is a dynamic career and enjoys being able to interact with so many students on any given day. Additionally, Mr. Devine spends his summers as a swim coach at the Stamford Yacht Club and also has three siblings who became teachers.
Over the long term, he hopes to grow into his role in the school and broader community. “I hope to become a more dynamic contributor, evolving curriculum, and course offerings as I progress into my career, while also seeing if there are opportunities outside the classroom to contribute as well, whether through a club or other activity,” he said.
Ruth Bosco: U.S. History and AP Government and Politics
Ruth Bosco joined the high school after teaching in Putnam, Connecticut for the past six years. “It’s as far away as you can get from here and still be in the state. I was our World History teacher there and our department head,” she said. “There were only three people teaching history versus like 15 of us here, so it’s just a really different experience.”
Initially, Ms. Bosco was nervous about coming to the high school but soon realized there was no reason to be. “My department has been really great. The people from outside of the social studies department have been really helpful in answering all of my questions and helping me figure out how to get around the building,” she said. “Now I have one section of the school figured out, so my kids take me on tours when we take mask breaks.”
Outside of school, Ms. Bosco enjoys outdoor activities such as disc golf, kayaking, and hiking. Teaching was her second career after working in the television industry. “I used to work for Comedy Central. I had always really wanted to teach and then somewhere in my junior year of high school, I decided I wanted to go into the TV Industry. I did that for a little while and it was a lot of fun but it just wasn’t my life’s calling,” she said.
Besides aiming to provide great lessons for her students, in the long term Ms. Bosco hopes to contribute to the curriculum in a way that is meaningful and brings a global perspective even to the U.S. classes, creating new opportunities to explore areas of interest that do not necessarily fit right into the curriculum.
Maggie Pennoyer: Ceramics, Digital Photography, Photoshop Design, and Sculpture:
Maggie Pennoyer has always had a special connection to New Canaan, having grown up here and teaching at Saxe before making her way to the high school. “The adults at NCHS inspired me to want to be an artist and teach. They also were there for me during some pretty tough times growing up and so when the opportunity arose to come back and give back, I went for it,” she said.
Besides the differences in the age of the students, longer class periods, and new spaces, Ms. Pennoyer feels that there is a persistent dedication to learning both at Saxe and the high school. “I am honored and privileged to be able to continue to serve and be a part of the New Canaan community,” she said.
Aside from teaching, Ms. Pennoyer is a ceramicist and enjoys gardening. During her time as an NCHS student, she was inducted into the NCHS Athletic Hall of Fame for her achievements on the softball field and even wrote an occasional opinions piece for the Courant.
Ariana Perrino: M3 Algebra 2 and M2 Algebra 1
Previous to coming to the high school, Ariana Perrino taught math at a private school in New York City. “Having the city sort of as your backyard for the school was really amazing and the students there came from all over the world,” she said.
Ms. Perrino’s experience during her interview was what led her to teach in New Canaan. “In my interview, I was able to meet the other members of the department and everyone was just so nice and I could tell that there was this sense of collaboration and positivity,” she said. “The school is very well-rounded, I love how students are all involved in their academics, of course, but are also involved in after-school clubs and sports.”
In the future, Ms. Perrino hopes to get more involved outside of the classroom, either in a sport or club. “I was a swimmer in high school so I would love to get involved with the swim team here,” she said.
Having grown up in Minnesota, the Minnesota Vikings are Ms. Perrino’s football team. She also enjoys going on runs with her dog outside of the classroom.
Ceire Clarke: Special Education
Ceire Clarke is a recent UConn graduate and is currently spending her second year at the high school. Initially, she was a long-term substitute and is very excited to have her own full-time position as a special education teacher this year.
One of the biggest components of Ms. Clarke’s philosophy is being able to form connections with her students. “My whole life I worked with the younger age groups. When working at the high school level, it’s really important that you’re able to make connections with your students,” she said. “I love helping kids reach their goals, especially with special education as it’s a very misunderstood field. I work a lot with kids who either have a specific area of weakness, such as reading, or just something they struggle with, such as attention, organization, or social skills.”
Ms. Clarke chose to teach at the high school because of its support system in the field of special education. “I graduated from UConn in 2019 with an undergrad and my masters in 2020, so coming out of the pandemic, there really weren’t broad opportunities to teach full-time for first-year teachers in our area,” she said. “I took up a long-term substitute position because I knew that New Canaan was a really great district and I wanted to be supported in a field that had a support system. I am so lucky for the coworkers I have, they are so supportive and I’ve learned so much from my first year as a substitute.”
Ms. Clarke is the oldest of four and is a first-generation Irish-American. She grew up Irish dancing and enjoys singing and making playlists. “In my learning center classes, I actually had the kids write down songs that they like and we created a playlist for our class.” Although she doesn’t have one favorite artist in particular, she likes listening to Dua Lipa, Sam Smith, and Fleetwood Mac.
Pedro Quintero: Spanish
Katherine Crump: English
