Canterbury School Welcomes New Faculty and Staff

Canterbury School welcomes several new faculty and staff members to our 2020-2021 school year. Each joins the Canterbury community with an outstanding background and a commitment to academic excellence. Please introduce yourself to the new faces you see on campus and welcome them.
Middle School

Katie Coverdale - Middle School Mathematics & French Teacher
Katie is joining us from Miami University in Ohio where she completed her Master of Arts in French Literature Studies. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Math and French with French departmental honors from Miami University. Katie also played Division I Volleyball during her time at Miami University. We are thrilled to have her teaching math and French in our Middle School, as well as coaching with our volleyball program in the new school year.

Zachary Deeter - Middle/Upper School Music Teacher
We are pleased to welcome Zachary to our Arts Department this year as a Music Teacher in our Middle and Upper Schools. Zachary has more than 10 years of experience in music education, most recently as the Band and Orchestra Director at Fort Myers High School. He was a Golden Apple Finalist as well as a Lee County Music Teacher of the Year winner. He also performs with The Naples Players on various reed instruments. He earned his Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Furman University. Zachary is excited to join his family on campus this year. Zachary’s wife, Christiana Deeter, is our Upper School Chemistry Teacher. Their son, Isaac, is headed into Pre-K4 this year. 

Mindy Goodrich - Middle/Upper School English Teacher
Mindy comes to us from Carmel Academy in Greenwich, Connecticut where she taught English Language Arts in Middle School. She began her career in education at Hamden Hall Country Day School and also taught in the Greenwich Public School District. Mindy earned her bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from Boston University. She also graduated with honors from Quinnipiac University’s Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program. She is a certified group fitness instructor and enjoys going to cultural events.

Jennifer Idelson - Director of Student Activities Grades 5-12
We are pleased to welcome Jennifer as the Director of Student Activities Grades 5-12. She will also be heading up our school store, The Cougar Cave. Jennifer is a proud Canterbury alumna, Class of 2001. She is also mom to Steele ’23, Darrbe ’32, and Sutton ’35. Jennifer earned her Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction as well as her bachelor’s degree in Resort and Hospitality Management from Florida Gulf Coast University. 

Michael Lynch - Middle School Theatre Teacher
Michael will be joining our Arts Department this year to take the reins of our Middle School Thespians. He comes to us from Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School in Fort Myers with 11 years of experience in theatre education. He was a Golden Apple Finalist as well as a Lee County Drama Teacher of the Year winner. Michael earned degrees in Religious Studies and Psychology from Stetson University. He and his wife have one son, Joey ’35, who will be joining our Pre-K3 classroom this fall. 

Carolina Nieto - Middle School Spanish Teacher
Carolina will be joining our World Languages Department to teach Spanish in our Middle School. She has seven years of experience in the classroom. Most recently, she has been teaching Spanish at Three Oaks Middle School in Lee County. Carolina earned her bachelor’s degree in Social Communication from Universidad de Piura in Peru. She and her husband have three children, Maya ’30, Piero ’27, and Alessandro ’25, who will also be joining the Canterbury family this fall. 

Shannon Orlandini - Middle School Administrative Assistant
Shannon joined the Canterbury family this summer as our new Middle School Administrative Assistant. She earned her degree in Business Management from Schoolcraft College in Michigan. Most recently, Shannon has been utilizing her skills volunteering as President of the Fort Myers Beach Elementary PTO as well as President of the Fort Myers Beach Little League.  In 2019, she was recognized for her efforts, receiving the Lee County School District Adult Volunteer of the Year award. She and her husband have two children, Lucas ’31 and Gabriella ’28, who will be joining us at Canterbury in the fall. 

Bob Pels - Middle School Mathematics Teacher 
Bob will join our Middle School team as a Mathematics Teacher for the new school year. He has a Bachelor of Science in Math and Science Education from the State University of New York, as well as a Master of Science in Geological Oceanography from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. In addition, he completed graduate courses from the University of Hawaii and Harvard University in Math. Bob has taught mathematics in Georgia, Indiana, Oklahoma, California, and Texas. Bob also has an extensive coaching background with more than 30 years of basketball coaching experience in multiple states and programs, and he will be working with Canterbury’s basketball program this year. 

Garrett Rowe - Middle School Science/Social Studies Teacher
We are pleased to welcome Garrett to our Middle School to teach Science as well as Social Studies. His teaching experience includes time at Golden Gate Elementary in Naples as well as Oak Avenue Elementary in California. Garrett earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Princeton University and a Master of Education with GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) Certification from the University of Southern California. Garrett also ran cross country and track & field while at Princeton and won the Gatorade California Runner of the Year award in 2009. He will be working with our cross country and track & field teams this coming year. 


Upper School

Grisell Abad - Upper School Spanish Teacher
Grisell will be joining our World Languages Department to teach Spanish in our Upper School. She has more than 20 years of experience in the world of education, most recently teaching Spanish at The Village School in Naples. She is passionate about second language acquisition, technology, curriculum and instruction, and how they all work together to enhance student learning. Grisell earned her bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Enrique José Varona University in Cuba, and she was also the Valedictorian of her class. 

Jeffrey Carstens - Upper School Science Teacher
Jeffrey comes to us from Oasis High School in Cape Coral, where he taught biology, physics, and environmental science. Prior to that, he taught chemistry and physics at Ida Baker High School in Cape Coral. Jeffrey earned his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Western Governors University. He and his wife have a daughter, Julia ’31, who will be joining our second grade this fall, and another daughter, Holly, who is 14 months old. He was born and raised in Fort Myers and graduated from Cypress Lake High School. Most of the time you will find Jeff outside with his wife and two daughters or riding his bike.

Jane Nordquist - Upper School Mathematics
We are pleased to welcome Jane to Canterbury as a mathematics teacher in our Upper School. Jane has 31 years of experience teaching math at all levels from grades six through twelve. Most recently, she has been working at Ida S. Baker High School in Cape Coral. Jane holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Wartburg College in Iowa. She was also a Lee County Golden Apple Teacher recipient in 2006, a top-five finalist for Lee County Teacher of the Year in 2009 and 2013, as well as Lee County Math Teacher of the Year in 2011.

Mary Smith - Upper School Spanish & World Languages Department Chair
We are pleased to welcome Mary as the World Languages Department Chair and Upper School Spanish Teacher for the new school year. Mary comes to us from St. George’s Independent School in Tennessee where she held various roles including the World Language Department Chair, Lead Spanish Teacher, and Middle School Dean of Students. Mary earned her bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Spanish from the University of Central Arkansas. She has a master’s degree in Teaching from Christian Brothers University as well as a master’s degree in Romance Languages from the University of New Orleans. Mary is also finishing her doctoral degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from East Tennessee State University. 

Richard Wright - Upper School English Teacher
Richard is joining the Canterbury faculty from The Westminster Schools in Atlanta.  He earned his Bachelor of Arts in English from Emory University and his Master of Arts in History from the University of Georgia. He has taken additional graduate and doctoral-level coursework in history and education. Richard will be teaching English to seniors in our Upper School. He enjoys the performing arts and exploring his new city of Fort Myers with his dog Stella. 

Ferenc Zoltan - Upper School History Teacher
Ferenc joins us from Hathaway Brown School, a college prep school in Ohio, where he taught in the Aspire Program.  He earned his bachelor’s degree in History and Education from Denison University in Granville, Ohio, and also played Division III Football including being named to the All-America team. Ferenc was also a Denison Education Fellow and a member of the Kappa Delta Pi honor society.  In addition to his work in the classroom, Ferenc will be helping with our football program.  

Other Faculty & Staff

Kelly Fay - Communications Specialist
Kelly will be joining our Communications Office, working closely with Katie Tanner, our Director of Strategic Communications. Kelly is no stranger to our great school as she is a proud Canterbury alumna from the Class of 2015. Most recently, she worked as an administrative assistant at NeoGenomics Laboratories in Fort Myers. She also has social media and marketing experience from previous positions as well as strong writing skills. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Art and Art History from the College of William & Mary. 

Corinne Green - Athletic Trainer
We are excited to welcome Corinne as our new Athletic Trainer on campus. She recently earned her bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training from Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). She has been working with FGCU’s Division I Baseball program as an athletic training intern. Prior to that, she worked with the Air Force Academy Preparatory School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as well as with several Lee County high schools as an athletic training intern. 

Amanda Jones - Administrative Assistant to the Athletic Director
Amanda joined the Canterbury family during the spring of 2020 to work closely with Frank Turco, our Athletic Director. She came to us from Fort Myers High School, where she spent the past four years in their Athletics Department. She graduated from Cape Coral High School and attended Edison State College. Amanda has two children, Luke ’33 and Michael ’28, that will be joining Canterbury in the fall.

Sarah Kuehner - Director of the Canterbury Fund
Sarah joined our Advancement Office this summer as Director of the Canterbury Fund. She comes to us most recently from Good Wheels, Inc. where she held the position of Grants and Communities Relations Manager. She also has experience in finance and banking as well as several connections with nonprofit organizations throughout the community. She has her associate’s degree from Florida SouthWestern State College. Her daughter, Kristen, will also be joining our eleventh-grade class in the Upper School. 

Jessica Wells - Director of Special Events
We are pleased to welcome Jessica, parent to Caroline ’28 and Julia ’25,  to our Advancement Office as the Director of Special Events. She brings with her extensive experience having served as Vice President of Public Relations and Corporate Communications for women’s fashion retailer Chico’s FAS. Jessica also served as PR director for the Estee Lauder Companies, held account executive positions at LaForce & Stevens and Behrman-Tractenberg, two New York-based public relations agencies. Jessica received her Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Florida. 


New Roles at Canterbury
Several of our current faculty and staff are taking on new and/or additional roles starting in the 2020-2021 school year.

Trent Carter will now be the Upper School Dean of Students. His office is now located on the third floor of the Upper School building.  

Amanda Cross will now be the Administrative Assistant to the Head of the Upper School. Her office is now located on the first floor of the Upper School building.

Katie DeMars is now the Administrative Assistant to Summer Programs. Her office along with the office of Rita Salgado, Director of Summer Programs and Enrichment, is now located in the Upper School Administration Building.

Jessica Ferraro will be moving into the position of Kindergarten Teacher this year. 

Tonia Fisher is now the Administrative Assistant to the Head of the Lower School. Her office is located right next to Nikki Ernst’s office.

Tariq Humes will now be the Middle School Dean of Students. His office is now located in the Cougar Den in the Middle School building. 

Christie Lampitt will be moving into the role of Admission Assistant. She will also be the welcoming face at the front desk of the Lower School building. 

Susan Manzi will be taking on the role of Library Specialist in our Lower School.

Holly Pollard will now be serving as a long-term substitute teacher for kindergarten through sixth grade.

Sally Samuel will be taking on the role of Middle School Learning Specialist. 

 
 
Back