PRESCHOOL
Deb Alibozek
Mrs. Debra Alibozek, aka (to everyone) Mrs. A., is one of our Kindergarten teachers. She graduated with a BS in Education from Skidmore College in May of 1990 and earned her MASPED from Lesley College in 1993. She received her Reading Recovery Certificate in 2007.
Mrs. A. has been working at Richmond School since 1990, teaching 5th grade for 6 years, 2nd grade for 9 years, 1st grade for 3 years, Reading Recovery for 4 years, 5th/6th grade for 2 yrs, SPED for 2 yrs, kindergarten for 4 yrs. She has a son, Austin, an electrical engineer for the Navy at the General Dynamics site in Pittsfield, MA , who came through Richmond School. She loves teaching and enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, shopping, crafting, walking, biking, working out, golfing, reading, and just chilling on the beach.
Pre-Kindergarten
TEACHERS K-5
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Michelle Smith
Kindergarten
Mrs. Michelle Smith began teaching at RCS in 2003. She first taught Kindergarten for 9 years and then spent a year in Special Education. She has been the Preschool teacher for the past 7 years and this year she has moved back to Kindergarten. Prior to teaching at Richmond, she taught Preschool for 5 years at Cheshire Elementary School. She also worked for Hillcrest Educational Centers (Lenox Center campus), with a variety of age groups.
Michelle holds a B.S. in Elementary Education, with an art minor, from North Adams State College (now MCLA), and M.Ed. with a SPED concentration, also through MCLA. She is certified in Early Childhood--with and without special needs PK-3.
Mrs. Smith believes that the early years are important learning years, and aspires to build a strong foundation in students for future school success. Her program focuses on the whole child, addressing all developmental areas. “STEAM” (Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math) is an important part of the curriculum, along with social and motor skills. Children in the program enjoy a variety of fun experiments, projects, and games that give them the opportunity to learn in a playful environment.
Michelle lives in Richmond with her husband, Eric, and has three sons: Brett, Evan, and Blake. She also has two dogs, Bella.and Titus. Michelle’s hobbies include jewelry making, amateur photography, arts and crafts, and spending time with her friends and family.
Mrs. Jones has been teaching in education for over 20 years. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts in May of 2010 with a Bachelor’s of Art Degree and a teacher’s licensure to teach elementary education, grades 1-6, in Massachusetts. In June of 2012 she was proud to complete her Master’s in Elementary Education from American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts. She brings enthusiasm for learning into the classroom. The reading and writing curriculum are a strong focus of her instruction, yet she values the scaffolding of all the arts within all curriculum areas. Her classroom environment encourages one of family where children can feel safe, happy and secure to express their creative genius.
Mrs. Jones grew up and attended schools in Pittsfield where she still enjoys a wonderful life with her husband Greg, son Bobby, and her loyal dog, Lola. She enjoys spending time with family and friends. Reading, hiking, skiing and summering in Vermont are among her many personal pleasures.
Jeanne Jones
1st Grade
Mrs. Gregory is our second grade teacher. She is thrilled to be a part of this amazing school community. Miss Padilla graduated from Salem State University with a BS in Elementary Education in 2015. She is now working on her Masters in Elementary Education at MCLA. She is passionate about teaching and dedicated to her students happiness and success. Her top priority is to build an environment where all students feel safe and supported.
Miss Padilla grew up in central Massachusetts but has made the Berkshires her home. She enjoys walks in the woods, exploring the Berkshires, trying new recipes, and spending time with her friends and family.
Julia Gregory
2nd Grade
Glance inside Beth Smith’s classroom and you’ll know it’s the home of a bookworm. Hundreds of books spill from the bins in her classroom library while others sit in piles near her desk waiting to be added. One of Mrs. Smith’s hobbies is scouring independent bookstores near and far for just the right books to satisfy and delight her curious third grade readers. In fact, it’s not uncommon to find her dragging heavy bags through airports filled with new books for her students.
Mrs. Smith received her B.A. in English from Gettysburg College and a M.A. in Reading from MCLA. She has taught at Richmond School for 16 years, mostly in third grade. Prior to teaching, she was a writer and publicist in Boston and Miami.
When her nose isn’t stuck in a book, Mrs. Smith can be found enjoying the culture and beauty of the Berkshires with her friends and family.
Beth Smith
3rd Grade
A native of Berkshire County, Mrs. Romano currently resides in Lenox Dale, MA with her husband Alan and Maltese dog named Bailey. For 23 years she taught third grade at a private school in Stockbridge, MA, and is now thrilled to be a member of the Richmond School Community.
Mrs. Romano is a passionate educator who enjoys identifying individual's learning styles and developing strategies to help her students meet their personal and academic goals. She refers to her classroom as a "No Panic Zone", and takes pride in creating an environment that encourages students to express themselves and take risks without fear of criticism or failure.
Her educational background includes a B.S. (Elementary Education) from Elmira College, a M.S in Education (Special Education) from The College of St. Rose, and an SEI Endorsement from the Reading Institute in Williamstown, MA.
Gill Romano
4th Grade
Lisa Callahan
5th Grade
Mrs. Callahan joined Richmond Consolidated School in 2009. She teaches 5th grade, and LOVES IT!. Mrs. Callahan comes to Richmond after spending numerous years raising her two teenagers, Molly and Christian. She attended Russell Sage College in Troy, New York where she was a Sage Circle Honor Society member. She loves to read in her spare time and loves to help children learn the craft of writing, and create a strong appreciation for reading.
Fifth grade is a turning point in education, where the child moves from very concrete concepts to the introduction of more abstract thoughts and ideas. Fifth grade is super fun! We learn very specific skills of writing an essay, opinion piece, compare and contrast, and persuasive writing. In math, we take on fractions, and learn how to add, subtract, multiply and divide them. We also start in-depth geometry and algebraic thinking. Mrs. Callahan has spent her spare time learning how to teach number sense properly to children of all ages. She loves math and loves logical puzzles and games.
On a fun note, Mrs. Callahan loves to share silly stories about her children and their adventures, as well as tell you about the life and times of Teddy, Stella, and Lucy, her three dogs……they are very goofy!
Rachel Kanz
6, 7 & 8th Grade Language Arts &
Grade 7 History
Rachel Kanz is currently teaching ELA 6, 7, 8, and Ancient History 7. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary English Education for the State University of New York College at Buffalo and a Masters of Arts in Humanities from California State University at Dominguez Hills. Her graduate focus of study was Environmental Studies/Nature Literature.
In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Ms. Kanz has lead the Knitting Club, the Game Club, Student Council, Coordinated School Dances and planned the grades 7/8 trip- just not all at once! This year her focus will be creating a community of readers.
When not in the classroom during the school year, Mrs. Kanz can be found right here in Richmond, reading and cooking, or on a mountain skiing or hiking. She is currently restoring an ocean racer, and looks forward to continuing her East Coast sailing!
Roger Kohler is the Math teacher for the Middle School at RCS. He holds a B.A. in Studio Art from California State University, Fullerton and a M.Ed. in Mathematics from Westfield State University. He loves teaching and is excited to be at Richmond Consolidated School. When not at RCS, Mr. Kohler spends time with his 2 kids and shreds the local trails on his mountain bike. He is very active in the town of Sandisfield as Chairman of the Planning Board and Member of the Board of Health and many other town committees.
Roger Kohler
6, 7 & 8th Grade Math & G8 Civics
Heather Ostrander teaches science and STEM here at RCS. She has a Master's Degree and has been teaching for more than 15 years. She likes cooking, getting outdoors, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Heather Ostrander
6, 7 & 8the Grade Science &
6 History