Faculty Staff Bios
Karen Stark
Department:
Student Success (Director)
Education:
MA in Curriculum & Technology Integration- University of Phoenix
BS in Special Education, Elementary Education & Early Childhood – Daemen University
VT Professional Educator License (Level II) in Special Education (Grades K- age 21) & Elementary Education(K-6)
Courses taught: Oversees the Boarding Guided Studies program, the Learning Center & all study halls
I’ve been teaching at St. Johnsbury Academy since 2009. I enjoy art, photography, and spending time with my family. I am passionate about getting to know students as individuals and helping them recognize the strengths they bring to their learning. I love helping students discover how they learn best, build confidence in themselves, and find pathways that allow them to feel successful. I believe relationships are at the heart of education, and that students thrive when they feel seen, heard, valued, and understood. My goal is to empower students to understand their own learning needs, find their voice, and feel confident advocating for the support they need to reach their goals.
“Every child has a different learning style and pace. Each child
is unique, not only capable of learning, but also capable of succeeding.”
-Robert John Meehan
Jenny Land Mackenzie
Department:
English (Literature and Creative Writing)
Education:
BA, Dartmouth College
MPhil, Victorian Literature, University of Oxford
MLitt, Creative Writing, University of St. Andrews
Bio:
I live with my husband, also a teacher at SJA, and daughters in Craftsbury, where we enjoy the incredible offerings of skiing, rowing, and hiking.
I love teaching poetry, and my favorite moment in teaching happens when the whole class forgets to look at the clock because we’re having too much fun with poems.
Matthew O’Brien
Department:
Guidance and Resident Life
Education:
BA Sociology, University of New Hampshire
MS Psychology, Southern New Hampshire University
Bio:
I live on campus in the Green Dorm with my wife, Audrey, and two children, Charlie and Benny. I love the work I get to do with students in the guidance world. Evaluating, discussing, and dreaming about future possibilities lights me up!
Elia Desjardins
Department:
Academics, Science (Chemistry, Physics, Engineering)
Education:
BA Physics, Earlham College
MS Physics, Indiana University
MS/PhD Communication & Rhetoric, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Bio:
I love St. Johnsbury and the NEK for the strong community built on innovation, arts & culture, and the outdoors. As a scientist, musician, gardener, and mom, it’s the perfect place for my family to learn and grow. My favorite thing about my work at the Academy is supporting students in meaningful learning experiences and helping them build toward the future with optimism and confidence.
“And then, on top of the second long rise, he met the moon.” (Wallace Stegner, “The Traveler”)