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PRESCHOOL
Molly McCumber
Pre-Kindergarten
I grew up locally in New York, a graduate from Berlin Central School District. I graduated from Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NH in 2017 with a degree in Child Development and minor in Sociology. I couldn’t be more honored to follow the amazing footsteps of Mrs. A, and to continue on her legacy of practicing love and kindness to everyone around you. Community has always been so important to me. I grew up in a rural town not far from Richmond, and had the most wonderful educational experience in my small town. I’m thrilled to be at Richmond for many reasons, but mostly because community is so important here.
When I’m not teaching, I’m either hanging with my dog, hiking or paddle boarding with my best friend (since we were 5 years old!), riding horses or skiing with my parents, and gardening in the summer with my closest girlfriends.
This will be a great year full of learning and playing, while also having fun discovering the world and getting to know one another - all while practicing love and kindness to all.
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.
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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.
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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.
Jeanne Jones
1st Grade
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.
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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.
Errin, in addition to already being an active member of our community, comes to us having previously taught for seven years in California.
Errin Roney
2nd Grade
Mrs. Krista Harrington is entering her 10th year of teaching. She previously taught fourth grade, and is looking forward to new adventures in third grade! She earned her BA in Psychology from Westfield State University, and her M.Ed from MCLA. Mrs. Harrington is a lifelong Berkshire County resident. She loves the natural beauty of the Berkshires, as well as going to local attractions such as Tanglewood and The Mount. Mrs. Harrington lives with her husband and two daughters. When not teaching, she enjoys cooking, crafts, and spending time with her family. She is so excited to be a part of the RCS Community!
Krista Harrington
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.
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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.
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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
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.
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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!
Lisa Callahan
5th Grade
Teachers 6-8
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.
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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.
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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!
Rachel Kanz
6,7,8 Grade Language Arts
Louise Brogan
6,7,8 Grade Math
Raised in Richmond, Coach Brogan graduated from RCS and went on to earn degrees from Berkshire Community College, Westfield State and Lesley College. She began teaching science at Berkshire Country Day School in 1995 where she also coached soccer, skiing and lacrosse. (And drove the bus!) In 2007 she became a math coach in the Pittsfield Public Schools and in 2016 she started teaching physical education. Coach is mom to Kyle who also graduated from RCS in 2015 and who works at Cornell.
Coach lives in Dalton with her golden retriever Jericho. She enjoys skiing, soccer, anything on the water, hiking and traveling. She is currently the vice president of the Richmond Pond Association and spends summers at her cottage on Richmond Pond and runs a sailing camp on Stockbridge Bowl.
She believes that every child should have opportunities to explore and experience as much as possible and should be supported to become their best self doing what they are passionate about. She strives to help raise kind, compassionate human beings.
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
6,7,8 Grade Science &
Ms. Hilary Smith is entering her 15th year of teaching which includes experience teaching both middle and high school history and most recently, running an academic support center. She was born, raised, and educated in Pittsfield, MA and went on to earn her BA in History, minor in Education, and M.Ed in Education from UMass-Amherst.
When not teaching, Ms. Smith can be found relaxing at home with her partner, TJ, daughter, Bea, dog and cat. She also loves to explore the Berkshires, read (!!!), work out and play soccer, and go thrift shopping!
She is so excited to be a part of the Richmond community and to share her love of history with her students! Looking forward to a great year.
Hilary Smith
6 & 7 Grade History
8 Civics
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