Meet Our New Faculty & Staff

Our new faculty and staff members draw from as far away as New Hampshire, Florida and Barcelona, and from as near as right down the street. Please join us in welcoming them to Hackley.
Our new faculty and staff members draw from as far away as New Hampshire, Florida and Barcelona, and from as near as right down the street. Please join us in welcoming them to Hackley.

Maribeth Bischof
, now in her eighth year at Hackley School, has taken on the new role of an Assistant Teacher in second grade. For the past two years, Maribeth has supported the Lower School Director as the Administrative Assistant. Prior to her Lower School assignments, Maribeth was the Assistant Registrar. Maribeth is currently matriculating at Bank Street College in the Literacy and Childhood Education Masters Program. This year, she is excited to apply in the classroom the literacy practices she has learned thus far. Maribeth received her BBA from Hofstra University. She resides in Tarrytown with her husband, Robert and their three children, Robert, Jacqueline and Matthew. On a personal note, Maribeth enjoys being a “Mom,” cycling, running, tennis and gardening.

Jackson Blossom has joined the Hackley community as our new Upper School Librarian. Jack has an extensive background in teaching and school library work. He earned a BA in Social Science from Sarah Lawrence College and, one year later, received his Master of Arts degree in Teaching History and Social Studies from Brown University. Jack taught history, ESL, and English to middle and high school students at schools in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. He then returned to library school to earn his Master of Library and Information Studies from the University of Rhode Island. Jack has run three high school libraries in his career, most recently serving as librarian at Woodlands Middle and High School in Hartsdale, NY. The son of two classical musicians, Jack grew up around the country. He knows Hackley very well through his two sisters; Megan was a member of Hackley’s Class of 2002, and Hannah graduated in 2003. In fact, Jack just returned from a short visit with Hannah in Copenhagen. He loves jazz and loud guitars, and has of late been discovering poetry, at 41. Jack and his wife of 17 years, Barbara, now live in Ridgefield, CT.

Carolyn Burke fills a role new to Hackley – that of drama intern. Carolyn works primarily in the Upper School, but also teaches one section of seventh and eighth grade drama. Her experience includes teaching ninth grade drama and English at the Edward R Murrow High School in Brooklyn, third grade drama at Grace Church School in Manhattan, voice and speech at Harlem School of the Arts, and serving as a teaching artist at Opening Act New York and PURElements: An Evolution in Dance. As part of her repertoire Carolyn has a particular knack for Southern, West-Indian, and Texan Dialects and is skilled in stage combat. Her own education began at LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and continued first at Syracuse University, where she graduated with a B.F.A. in Acting and then at NYU, where she earned a M.A. in Educational Theatre.

John Chen is Hackley’s newest EE Ford Fellow. He teaches History 9 and works in Hackley’s Admissions Office. A graduate of Dartmouth College with an undergraduate degree in Government, John possesses an impressive knowledge of history and politics. He is also a talented linguist who speaks Spanish, Chinese, Taiwanese and English. This summer, John kept himself quite busy with professional development, attending the Collegiate School Teaching Institute and a workshop run by the Association of Independent School Admissions Professionals.

Eleanor Friedman joins the Library Department as Librarian and Archivist. A graduate of the University at Albany, Eleanor earned both a B.A. in Art History and a M.S.I.S. in Library and Information Services. She has worked in the library at Vassar College and served as Head Librarian at The Field School in Washington, D.C. She moved to Chappaqua a few years ago with her husband and three young sons. Eleanor currently serves as a Trustee of the Chappaqua Public Library, a position to which she was elected in May 2010. Eleanor began her work on Hackley School Archives this summer and has already made great progress. During the school year, she will be a mainstay in Sternberg Library, working closely with students and teachers.

Rebecca Garfield joins us as a Spanish teacher in grades five, six, and seven. Rebecca brings to Hackley a variety of teaching experiences, ranging from fulfilling a Middle School leave replacement in Spanish at the Fay School in Boston to teaching high school Spanish at Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire, to teaching English to elementary school children and University professors in various settings in Chile. In addition to her passion for Spanish language and the cultures in which Spanish is spoken, Rebecca is an avid runner and sailor. She’s also a newlywed, having gotten married just this past June. Rebecca holds a BA in Spanish with a minor in African Studies from Mount Holyoke College and a M.A. in International Relations from Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals.

Jason Gilley joins the Science Department to teach AP Chemistry and Chemistry. A native of Florida, Jason earned his undergraduate degree from Florida State University where he majored in Biochemistry and took courses in secondary science and math education. Jason brings fourteen years of science teaching experience to Hackley. His most recent teaching experience was at Cypress Creek High School in Orlando, FL where he taught most of the school’s upper level chemistry classes, including courses affiliated with both Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs. Though chemistry is Jason’s area of passion and great expertise, he is also a remarkably versatile educator, having also taught Physics, Biology, Zoology, Environmental Science and Ecology. Jason is looking forward to his relocation to the northeast and our four seasons, after many years in the Sunshine State.

Neil Jaggernauth ’06 has joined the Alumni Office as Alumni Affairs Associate, reporting to Haleh Tavakol Wolfe ’84. As a boarder at Hackley, Neil was an integral part of the boarding community, playing an active role as a leader in his senior year. Neil served as an ambassador and participated in Community Service. He ran cross-country and track and played baseball. During his four years on the Hilltop, Neil was a member of the Dial, and he served as editor during his senior year. Since graduating from Hackley, Neil has been a Class Rep, helping his classmates and Hackley stay connected. Following Hackley, Neil attended Quinnipiac University, where he received a B.S. in Information Systems Management. Neil, a baseball devotee, was student manager for the Quinnipiac baseball team from 2007-10, assistant to the equipment manager at Quinnipiac, and a game day intern with the Brooklyn Cyclones during the summer of 2009. In the past year, Neil worked as Head Equipment Manager for the University of Alabama Men’s Baseball Team, where he is known for his diligence, organization skills, and calm demeanor. We are thrilled to welcome Neil back to his alma mater.

Katlin Jones ’07 has returned to the Hilltop this fall as a member of the Lower School Faculty. After graduating from Hackley, she attended Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island. While at Salve she was a member of the Special Olympics volunteer team, the dean’s list, and completed Salve’s pioneer full- year student teaching program. In May she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in elementary and special education. She’s excited to return to her alma mater as a Lower School Assistant Teacher in the second grade and will begin work on her Masters degree in Elementary Education in 2012.

Trevor Ogden has joined the Hackley faculty as a seventh and eighth grade English teacher. He has spent this past year teaching English to eighth and ninth graders, coaching varsity lacrosse and JV hockey, and serving as a dorm parent at The Rectory School in Pomfret, CT. Previously he spent two years teaching English as a Second Language in Santiago, Chile, after beginning his career teaching Language Arts to fifth through eighth graders at Whitby School in Greenwich. We were thrilled to receive a glowing recommendation from none other than Nicole Butterfield, one of our seventh and tenth grade English teachers, who had worked with Trevor at Whitby. In addition to his experience in the classroom and on the field, Trevor brings passions for cooking, woodworking, and sustainability and impressively helped students at the Rectory reduce their energy use in February by 2%. He holds a B.S. in Sociology from Wheaton College.

Mary Piscina received her BS from SUNY@Geneseo in Education and her Master's Degree in Special Education from Columbia University Teacher's College. Following her graduation from Columbia, Mary taught for 5 years at P.S. 176x in their Bronx Autistic Program. Prior to joining the Hackley faculty full time, Mary volunteered in Hackley’s Lower School, working with the literacy teacher in grades K-2 and teaching grade 4 test taking, organizational skills and time management skills . A longtime resident of Pelham Manor, Mary is the mother of four children, three of whom are members of the Hackley community—Joseph (2004), Allie (2010), and Juliana (2013). Mary was deeply involved in the fundraising efforts to construct the Pelham Public Library and subsequently served as President of the Board, overseeing community outreach, programming, budgeting and governmental relations. Currently, Mary is on the board of Preston High School, an all girls’ school in the Bronx. Mary is an avid cycler and completed the 2008 PanMass Challenge with her husband. In her free time, Mary enjoys cooking, reading, and traveling.

Patricia Ann Pyne joined Hackley’s administration staff in June 2011. She brings with her over a decade of experience in administration and office management. Prior to joining Hackley, she served as Administrator Assistant to the Director of Special Education in the Tarrytown School District. During this time she volunteered and served as President of the Clerical Unit for the Tarrytown School District from 2007-2011. Patricia resides in Rockland County with her husband and daughter. She enjoys spending time entertaining family and friends. Patti avidly crochets and has donated different items to various local community events and fundraisers. Patti looks forward to establishing new relationships with the Hackley Lower School community.

Lauren Rigby is our new orchestra teacher. A Westchester County native currently living in NYC, Lauren is an active freelance performer and member of Silhouette Quartet / Bianchi Musica. She has been a ‘cello teacher at Great Neck Music Conservatory for the past several years. In addition to the ‘cello, Lauren has also studied piano (18 years) and flute (9 years). When Lauren offered a demonstration lesson as part of the hiring process, a fifth grader remarked, “She cares about how we sound as a group, but really, she wants to make each of us a better musician.” A more favorable impression could not have been formed! Lauren did her undergraduate work in Violoncello Performance at Boston University, and holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Music Performance from New York University.

David Sykes comes to Hackley’s History Department by way of Barcelona, Spain. From 2007 to 2011, David taught economics and history, and also served as Social Studies Chair, at the American School of Barcelona. Prior to his time overseas, David taught history and economics at several high schools in New York City as part of the New York City Teaching Fellows Program. David earned his BA in International Studies, with minors in Political Science and Economics, from Kenyon College and his M.Ed. in Social Studies from City College of New York. This year, David will teach Economics and History 9, coach tennis and basketball, and work on the boarding corridor as a Boarding Associate. We look forward to David’s many and varied contributions in the coming school year.

Aaron Washington comes to Hackley as our new Assistant Director of Admissions. In addition, he will also coach in the Upper School and serve as an advisor in the Middle School. Most recently, Aaron held a similar position at The Episcopal Academy outside of Philadelphia where he served as an Admission Associate, seventh and eighth grade English teacher, Middle School advisor, and coach for football, basketball, and track. Aaron describes himself not only as a “big sports fan” but an outdoor enthusiast, looking for any opportunity to hike, fish, canoe or kayak. Aaron holds a B.A. in Labor Studies and Employment Relations from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
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