Science Department Faculty
Ms. Becky Cohen has been working at Drury since 2005. She graduated from MCLA in 2004 with a B.A. in Biology, concentrating in Genetics and Chemistry, and is beginning a Master's degree program at MCLA in the Spring of 2008. Ms. Cohen is the advisor to Drury SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) and S.A.S.S.Y. (Students Against Secondhand Smoking in Youth), a member of Drury School Safety Team, Bullying Prevention Team and handbook committee, and is the 2007-2008 Social Secretary of NATA. Ms. Cohen lives locally with her fiancée and son, Noah.
Mrs. Jackie DeGiorgis has been a teacher with NAPS since 1993, and has been teaching at Drury since 1994. She currently teaches Biology, Zoology, and Anatomy and Physiology. She is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts where she earned a B.S. in Biology with a concentration in Animal Science and Physiology. She earned her Masters of Education Degree at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. Mrs. DeGiorgis is a founding member of Mill City Productions, a community theater group based in North Adams, and is a member of the Executive Board of Main Street Stage. She brings her love of performing and the theater to Drury where she acts as the faculty advisor and liason for the Drury Drama Team. Mrs. DeGiorgis is also a member of the school's Alternative Education Committee.
Mr. Kevin Hartmann is new to Drury this year. He was formally trained as a research biochemist at the University of Notre Dame, and has been actively engaged in science education as aclassroom teacher at the University and High School level for over twenty years.During his career in education Mr. Hartmann has served on the State of Connecticut Governor's Council on Teacher Assessment and the State of Connecticut's Research Group on Teacher Assessment. In 2006 the U.S. Government recognized his efforts in education,appointing him an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow.
As one of 13 educators selected from across the nation, Mr. Hartmann spent a year in Washington D.C. as a consultant in education policy for the U.S. Government. In this role he served on the Presidential Academic Competitiveness Council's K-12 Working Group, the Education Committee Evaluation Subgroup of the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the Office of the President of the United States, the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists, and NASA's International Space Station National Laboratory Concept Development Team. Mr. Hartmann has presented the results of his work in this area at the National Science Teacher's Association regional conference in Hartford in 2005. He has also served as a brain based learning consultant for several Connecticut public schools and the Connecticut Teacher's Collaborative.
Mr. Jude Koamaya
Mr. Steve Lewitt
Ms. Beth Lyden-Fortier
Ms. Tracy Melito (aka “TheMelit”) began teaching at Drury High School in the fall of 1995. She is highly qualified in Biology 9-12 and Earth Science 9-12. Currently she is teaching a course in Environmental Earth Science for ninth graders. She holds a Masters Degree in Secondary Education (from UMASS Amherst) and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Molecular Biology (from North Adams State College) with minors in Psychology and English Communication.
TheMelit serves on the School Safety Management Team, the Bullying Prevention Committee, and The Teachers Using Technology Team (TUTT).
Her classroom mission is to provide a safe and respectful learning environment so all students can achieve their best possible academic success and her course has been designed to encourage her student’s thoughtful consideration of modern day environmental issues as well as developing their scientific skills and critically thinking.
Team Leader Chris Wondoloski has been teaching in the North Adams Public School district since 1973. He is currently the Science Department Team Leader at Drury High School. He has a B.S. in Zoology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Masters + 33 in Administration from North Adams State College (MCLA).
