SJA Announces Three New Faculty and Five New Staff
St. Johnsbury Academy announces the addition of three new faculty and five new staff members to start the 2020-2021 school year. Headmaster Dr. Sharon Howell said, ‘This new group of faculty and staff joins us at a time when we’ve needed them to deal with the unexpected right away, and they have jumped right in. We’re thrilled to have these new folks in nearly every area of the school — facilities, athletics, arts, the health center, and academics — and it’s also a continuing tribute to the Academy that alumni and former faculty are returning to the community. We welcome them all gratefully.”
Faculty
Travis Bugbee ‘92 joins the Academy as the new Construction Technology teacher. Travis is also an assistant coach with the varsity football team. Prior to working at SJA, Travis taught in the CTE department at Lyndon Institute.
Patrick Kinsella has been hired as the Mathematics Department chair. Patrick has a B.S. in math education and a M.Ed in educational leadership from the University of Central Florida. He has taught math for 13 years at various schools, most recently at the Perkiomen School for three years where he served as the Mathematics Department chair. Prior to that he taught for nine years at public schools in the Orlando, FL area. Patrick and his wife Laura live in the Green Dorm with their four children.
Ray Walker ‘81 joins the Fine Arts Department as the new acting teacher. Ray has a B.S. degree in music from NYU. Prior to working at SJA, Ray was a voice coach with Singing with Ray and the artistic director for the North Carolina Theatre Conservatory for the Performing Arts. Ray has appeared on Broadway in productions of Les Miserables, Jesus Christ Superstar, Grease!, and Falsettos and in several off-Broadway and regional shows. In concert, Ray has sung all over the world including a concert tour with Academy Award winning composer Marvin Hamlisch and in concert with the Bolshoi Symphony in Moscow.
Staff
Jill Cahoon is the new Health Service Department secretary. Jill graduated from Champlain College with an associate degree in sports business management.
Ben Davis joins the Athletic Department as the assistant athletic director and the varsity boys’ basketball coach. Ben recently served as the men’s basketball director of operations at Dartmouth College and before that, served as the head coach at Mount Ida College in Newton, MA. Ben graduated with dual majors in history and political science from Wheaton College and received his Master of Athletic Administration from Endicott College.
Sean Dean ‘09 joins the staff as a custodian in the Facilities Department.
Cole Jefferson ‘20 joins the Facilities Department as a maintenance technician.
John Lenzini took over as the athletic director following the retirement of David McGinn. John worked at the Academy from 2006 to 2014. During that time, he served as a class dean, an AP Chemistry teacher and the varsity softball coach from 2007-2013. John has a B.A. in Germanic studies from Indiana University and an M.A. in education (chemistry and German) from the University of Michigan. Before returning to SJA, John co-founded Schilling Beer Company in Littleton, NH.
