Faculty & Staff

Our staff at TES brings so much experience and energy to our students every day.  Learn more about 'who's who' at TES.  Families can reach their child(ren)'s teachers through the email addresses listed below.

Randy Lichtenwalner, Principal (rlichtenwalner@windhamcentral.org)


Robin Patnode, Administrative Assistant (rpatnode@windhamcentral.org)

Bethany Barton, 3rd Grade Teacher (bbarton@windhamcentral.org)

I graduated from the University of Vermont with my teaching degree and was fortunate to land a classroom position right out of college at Castleton Elementary School. After working there for 2 years, I took a teaching position at Townshend Elementary School. I have been teaching for 25 years and am currently the 3rd grade teacher. I love my job and am happy to go to work each morning because I enjoy my students' enthusiasm for learning. It's a pleasure to work with these children because I learn something new every day.

Beth Beattie, Special Ed Para (bbeattie@windhamcentral.org)

Deidre Beattie, Special Ed Para (dbeattie@windhamcentral.org)

Brynn Casamassa, AST Teacher (bcasamassa@windhamcentral.org)

I have taught Kindergarten, among other grades, for 7 years.  I currently have Early Childhood and Elementary Certifications.  I have wanted to be a teacher since I was in Kindergarten.  I love helping students learn something new and watching their eyes light up when they get it!  I also love that every kid I have taught, has also taught me and how they help me see things in different ways.  

William Cummings, Custodian (wcummings@windhamcentral.org)

Samantha Hackett, Pre-K Paraeducator (shackett@windhamcentral.org)

Katie Hazelton, Kindergarten Teacher (khazelton@windhamcentral.org)

I live in Jamaica with my husband and three children. Both my husband and I, as well as our kids have gone to elementary schools in our district and to Leland & Gray. I ran a home childcare for 10 years and then started at TES in 2019 in the PreK-4 room. I love hanging with this amazing age-group every day! When I’m not at school I enjoy camping with my family in our motor home.

Kris Jerz, 5th Grade Teacher (kjerz@windhamcentral.org)

From a young age I always knew that teaching would be my career path. I attended Elms College in Ma. where I received my Bachelors in Science degree with a minor in math and continued my education at Antioch in Keene, NH  in order to receive my Masters in Education degree.  It has been my pleasure to work at Townshend Elementary School for the past 19 years, the last five with the AMAZING FIFTH grade!

Rebecca Kerr, Music (rkerr@windhamcentral.org)

Abbey Larson, Nurse (alarson@windhamcentral.org)

I began working for WCSU 3 years ago. I now work at Townshend and Jamaica Village School. I have been a pediatric nurse for almost 13 years. I always knew that I wanted to be a nurse and specialize in pediatrics.  I love what I do! I grew up in Vermont, I am married and have a 10 year old son. We love sports, being outdoors and weekend adventures. 

Bre Madison, Home-School Liaison (bgunnmadison@windhamcentral.org)

Kimberley McCormack, Speech (kmccormack@windhamcentral.org)

Anna Mefford, Occupational Therapist (amefford@windhamcentral.org)

Jess Mowrey, Food Services (jmowrey@windhamcentral.org)

Liz O'Neill, Pre-K Teacher (loneill@windhamcentral.org)

I graduated from UVM and have been a teacher of various grades for five years now, in both New Jersey and Vermont. I have a special education degree along with an early childhood education degree. I believe all students should receive an equal opportunity in an inclusive and welcoming environment, which will allow each child to grow and develop into the best person they can be. Townshend is such a welcoming and caring community and I feel very lucky to be a part of the teaching staff. Watching young children learn and grow brings me joy daily. 

Edna Ortiz, 1st Grade Teacher (eortiz@windhamcentral.org)

Hello lovely Townshend families!  My name is Edna Ortiz, Ms. Edna, to the students, and I am one of the newest members of the TES community.  I moved to West Townshend around this time last year and could not be happier.  I lived in Brattleboro before this and before that I lived in central Mass. for most of my life.  Many people ask me why I moved to Vermont, even not knowing anyone in the state, and I just smile and tell them it was my destiny.  I came up for a visit many years ago and told myself that I would one day move up here and never look back...and that is what happened.  I was extremely fortunate to have landed a couple of great jobs in the education field up here in VT and am currently enrolled in the Elementary Education Masters program at Western Governors University.  I truly love my job as a 1st grade teacher and am crossing my fingers to be here for many years to come!  

Sheila Overman, Academic Support Teacher (soverman@windhamcentral.org)

Suzanne Paugh, Art Teacher (spaugh@windhamcentral.org)

I have been an art educator for 15 years and still enjoy all the mess and creative energy that comes with the job!  I enjoy teaching students about artists from all time periods and have recently been energized about integrating more contemporary artists that may be less well known, but create work that is pertinent to what is happening in the world right now.  I aspire to infuse as much CHOICE as I can into my art curriculum so students can truly find their individual artistic voice and become confident and creative in all parts of their lives.

Megan Richardson, 2nd Grade Teacher (mrichardson@windhamcentral.org)

I am Megan Richardson and I live right here in Townshend with my husband and two sons.  This is my 22nd year of teaching at Townshend Elementary school where I also attended as an elementary student many years ago.  I went on to graduate from Leland and Gray Union High School and continued my education to receive my Bachelors Degree in Education from The University of Vermont.  I later studied to earn my Masters Degree in Education at Southern New Hampshire University.  I am currently teaching second grade, but have also taught first, third, fourth, and fifth grade over my years at Townshend Elementary School.  My love for teaching continues everyday when I see the lightbulbs go off in students' minds when they learn something new and when I get to see their smiling faces enter my classroom each day.

Honour Solari, 4th Grade Teacher (hsolari@windhamcentral.org)

I graduated from the University of Vermont in 2020 with a degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Special Education. Being a teacher has always been a dream of mine. Growing up with younger brothers, I was constantly supporting them with their school work and looking for ways to help them. This is when my passion for teaching really started. Watching students, or siblings, grasp concepts for the first time and watching their confidence in themselves grow is such a gift. I am currently in my third year of teaching and have loved every second of being a part of TES community.

Delaney Sheperd, Occupational Therapist (dsheperd@windhamcentral.org)

Susan Shuck, Special Educator (sshuck@windhamcentral.org)

Lori Staib, Special Ed Paraeducator (lstaib@windhamcentral.org)

Geoff Stent, Physical Therapist (gstent@windhamcentral.org)

Carla West, Physical Education Teacher (cwest@windhamcentral.org)

I am the P.E. teacher for the whole WCSU.  Since I was 8, I knew that movement made me feel great! I also knew I liked working with elementary age children.  I started out in Early Education and switched to Physical Education.  I have a B.S. in Health Sciences with a licensure to teach P.E.  I feel like I have the greatest job, because most children in elementary school love to move their bodies and enjoy P.E. class!!

Jamie Dansereau, Afterschool & Summer Program Director (jdansereau@windhamcentral.org)