Kids on Campus Biographies

Mel Adams (she/her) is a Professor in Keene State’s Human Performance and Movement Science program. Learn more about Dr. Adams.

Hello Everyone! My name is Sophie Bushey and I am looking forward to summer! I am the 1st and 2nd Grade Teacher at the Sarah Porter School in Langdon, NH. I am also a proud Keene State Alumni, graduating in 2020! I look forward to meeting you and embarking on our summer learning experience! See you soon!

Jennifer Carroll is the director of education at the Historical Society of Cheshire County in Keene. She has been working in museums for over 25 years as a curator and events manager. She enjoys helping kids connect to local history.

Melissa Crotto-Young has been a middle school teacher for over 20 years. She has also worked with kids of all ages as a Girl Scout leader and camp counselor. She loves working at the Kids on Campus program because of all the fun and varied activities and great kids that she gets to meet. She lives in the Keene area with her two teenage daughters, husband, dog, two cats, and guinea pig. When not teaching, she enjoys international travel, running, reading, and cooking.

Melanie Fedorowicz has worked in Art Education for almost 20 years, first at Keene High School and currently at Chesterfield School teaching grades K-8. She holds a B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) in Art from UNH and a Master’s of Art Education from UMASS. Melanie enjoys so many things about teaching and creating art and enjoys seeing her students find their individuality, expression, and creativity through different materials and engaging projects. Melanie enjoys painting (especially watercolors and oils), drawing, baking treats with her two daughters, traveling, singing karaoke, dancing, and spending time with family and pets (2 dogs, a house bunny, and chickens).

Elizabeth (Beth) Hansel has an interest in theatre that has been present for most of her life, as a student–through theatre classes, school clubs, and college work, and as an adult–teaching and directing theatre as well as volunteering backstage as a parent. She enjoys working with teens as they discover the joys of working in a collaborative art form and learning aspects of the unique world of live theatre. Theatre provides the opportunity to focus fully on being another person in another place and time; it allows creativity to shine! An English teacher at Keene High School for many years, Beth has worked with the Drama Club and taught two courses in theatre for most of that time. She holds a bachelors in English and Theatre from Kenyon College, and she is certified to teach English, theater, and special education.

Lisa Hix is a Professor in Keene State College’s Sustainable Product Design and Innovation (SPDI) program. Dr. Hix joined Keene State in 2002 after a successful career in manufacturing.

Ian Kaplan is a Keene State College alum and a current 6th grade reading teacher at Keene Middle School. He enjoys reading, creative writing, watercolor painting, knitting, and playing Dungeons & Dragons. Ian has a B.A (Bachelor of Arts). in English Literature and Education, extensive training in educational equity and inclusion, and certification in Safe Space (LGBTQ+ allyship and inclusion).

Hunter Kirschner (he/him) is the Coordinator of LGBTQ+ Student Support in Keene State’s Office of Student Diversity Belonging, and Equity.

Loren Launen is a Biology professor at Keene State College. Over the years, she has won multiple awards including Distinguished Teacher of the Year and Outstanding Women of New Hampshire. Read more about Dr. Launen.

My name is Kristen Lindquist, and I am a 2nd grade teacher in Wilton, NH. I have a Master’s Degree in elementary education and I have been teaching for 20 years. When I am not teaching, I am spending time with my family and 2 dogs. I love hiking, reading, and spending time at the beach. This is my first year as a Kids on Campus Instructor, and I am so excited!

During the school year Andy MacDonald teaches 3rd Grade at Cutler Elementary School. In his free time, he enjoys building things and going camping.

Julian Murphy is a Keene State College alum that is currently teaching science in grades 5-8 at Westmoreland School. Before earning his B.A. in Biology and Education and becoming a teacher, Julian worked as a paraeducator with students in an intensive service program at Brattleboro Union High School for a length of time. He loves board games, nature, honing his wilderness skills, archaeology, and everything science and STEM.

Hi, I’m Paige Pribilla, a Senior film student who specializes in animation. I am very passionate about film, especially animation. I have experience working in both 2D and stop-motion animation on both physical film and digital film. My main specialty is in stop-motion, working on Dragonframe with 2D paper puppets, but I have a fair amount of experience animating in Adobe Animate and After Effects. I hope to not only teach you about animation but about its history and how we can use that knowledge to better our understanding and techniques while animating. I love seeing others’ innovative ideas projected with animation, as it’s a very unique medium that allows for a more creative output. I look forward to meeting everyone, as animation is a medium that is for everyone, no matter the skill level.

Susan Romano has been an instructor with GoSTEM since 2019. Her career as an educator spans 25 years in three local school districts. A Barnard graduate, she currently teaches physics at Keene High School and has been a physics adjunct instructor at Keene State for the past 15 years. Her master’s thesis at Dartmouth focused on the role of autonomy in learning and education.

Amber Sanderson is a social worker for a behavioral program at a local elementary school. In this role, she focuses on the social emotional aspect of learning. She’s looking forward to fun, engaging, play-based camps that support all aspects of young learning.

Sam Sintros currently teaches English Language Learners in the Keene district but has worked with 3rd, 4th and 5th graders primarily during her teaching career. When she’s not busy building LEGO she spends time hiking, biking, drinking coffee, reading books. and thrift-store shopping. Her Kids on Campus classes are always fun, with lots of experimentation!

Brittiny Walker has been the lead teacher and director of the Kids on Campus Nature Adventurers’ Summer Camp since developing the program in 2014. During the school year, Brittiny is a preschool teacher in Keene State’s Child Development Center. With a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and continuing education in Early Childhood Education, Brittiny has more than ten years of experience working with and teaching children. She has a special passion for nature and using natural materials to create, learn, and explore!

Eric Weiss is a teacher, puppet builder, & the owner of Homeslice Puppetry. He specializes in building custom puppets and teaching puppetry classes and workshops to both children and adults alike. Eric has a degree from SUNY Buffalo and has won an award in professional puppet building from BJ Guyer and the Stan Winston School of Character Arts. He was also a teacher and program coordinator with Nature’s Classroom for 15 years. He has been building and teaching puppetry for almost 20 years, is a founding member and President of the Western Massachusetts Puppetry Guild, & is also the Northeast Regional Director for the Puppeteers of America, as well as an active member. The thing that Eric loves the most about puppetry is how it is an art that draws from so many different art forms and inspires boundless amounts of creativity.