The Riverside School began the 2019-20 school year by welcoming 107 students in Pre K – 8th grade from 16 towns and villages including Albany, Barnet, Danville, East Burke, East Haven, Guildhall, Kirby, Lyndonville, McIndoes Falls, Newark, Peacham, St. Johnsbury, Westmore, West Burke, West Glover and Wheelock. Riverside also welcomed two new members to the faculty.
Sean Fortier is the Physical Education & Wellness Teacher. This new position serves to implement an integrated curriculum for physical and social/emotional well being. He will also develop and lead an integrated after school program featuring subjects in outdoor activities and environmental stewardship.
He previously served as the Program Director for the Meeting Waters YMCA in Bellows Falls, VT, serving over two dozen communities in the Fall Mountain, Brattleboro, Bellows Falls, and Springfield regions. While at Meeting Waters, he was the ASPIRE After School Program Site Director, Director of Day Camp and Environmental Education, and Activity and Group Leader.
During his employment at Meeting Waters YMCA, Fortier also worked with SOAR, Inc., an outdoor and experiential education program utilizing multiple-day expedition style adventures with youth and young adults diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders and/or Learning Disabilities. While at SOAR, he served as the Peru Spanish Immersion Course Director, Field Instructor, Campus Instructor, and Horseback Riding Outdoor Trip Leader. His certifications include Wilderness First Aid, Lifeguard, CPR/First Aid/AED, and Permaculture Design by Helder Valente. He is proficient in Spanish and is a soccer coach. He received his B.A. in Social Science from Keene State College in Keene, NH.
Roy Starling is returning to Riverside as a part-time Latin teacher. He taught Latin at Riverside from 2009-2015 and currently teaches Latin at Lyndon Institute. He is the recipient of the 2017-18 Mike and Cisi Flynn Teacher of the Year Award at LI.
As a major force in the field of Latin instruction, Starling has led students on trips for Latin competitions at Yale, Harvard, Phillips Exeter, NYC, UVM, and in Europe (Italy). He also led a state delegation to Indiana University for the JCL National Latin Convention. His students have received multiple gold, silver, and “Cum Laude” National Latin Exam awards. In 2015, he assisted in the efforts of Latin student Angela Kubicke to develop Vermont’s Latin motto “Stella Quarta Decimal Fulgeat” (May the 14th Star Shine Bright).
He is the President of the Vermont Classical Language Association. While at the VCLA, he wrote and administered the online Classics Quiz Bowl, hosted the annual Green Mountain Certamen, worked with the UVM Classics department to revitalize Latin Day, and organized biannual meetings of high school Latin teachers, graduate students, professors, and presenters.
In addition to teaching Latin, Starling teaches Greek, Spanish, and Biblical Hebrew. He has served as an assistant coach for cross-country and track, boys junior high basketball, and girls varsity basketball. He received a M.A. and a B.A. in Greek and Latin from Florida State University.
“Sean and Roy are a tremendous addition to our school community. Their students are engaged and their commitment to knowing all our families is already clearly evident. We look forward to Roy and his co-teacher, Nathan, engaging students through Latin competitions and workshops and to Sean as he creates a physical education and wellness program that extends into the concept of healthy minds, bodies, and choices,” said Head of School Michelle Ralston.