As the Prize Day tent looms on the Circle and teachers begin exam review, the reality of summer becomes tantalizingly close. After we return to the Circle from our well-deserved vacations, many things will be different, from new faces in the Senior section to different dorm arrangements. Next year, we will also miss many familiar faces on campus, since many faculty members are leaving or taking a sabbatical. As we all enjoy the last few weeks of school, make sure to cherish your time with these teachers.

ADAM LAMONT

Mr. Lamont is one of the youngest faculty members, having graduated from Groton in 2012. After attending Bowdoin College, he returned to the Circle this fall to teach Classics. When asked if he could describe Groton in one word, he responded, “home…this is where I grew up and [it] has been such a huge part of my life.”

For Mr. Lamont, this job was not radically different from what he had expected, and he has enjoyed his time on the Circle as a teacher. As he reflected on his time both as a student and a teacher at Groton, Mr. Lamont said, “my time as a student was one where I was doing a million different things and raced between all of those.” Being a teacher, however, has allowed Mr. Lamont to become more of a specialist, focusing specifically on Classics.

After Groton, he will miss “spending time with students the most”, especially the Third Formers in Riley’s Dorm and his Latin 1 Orange block. Mr. Lamont plans to spend the summer teaching in Shanghai and will return to the US afterwards to look for a job outside of teaching. One of his students, Alex Schade ‘20, said, “I have learned a lot from Mr. Lamont and I will miss him next year.”

JOSHUA DUCLOS

New to Groton this year, Mr. Duclos entered the History Department in the midst of Ms. Wallace’s Sabbatical. He taught “World and the West”, coached Boys’ Thirds Soccer in the fall, and coached Track and Field in the spring. He has loved his time on the Circle.

Though he knew of Groton’s reputation and high academic standards before he arrived on campus, Mr. Duclos said he was still taken aback by “how thoughtful and inquisitive the students are.” His favorite parts of Groton have been the casual, impromptu conversations about history and philosophy he has had with many of his students, saying that “those conversations are what education is all about.”

He looks forward to having more of these conversations this summer, when he will work at St. Paul’s School in New Hampshire. In the fall, he plans to write his dissertation and will be guiding mountaineering trips in France and Nepal. Julia Kendall ‘19, his advisee and student, said of class with him this year, “I grew to really enjoy Mr. Duclos’ style of teaching and I have learned a lot throughout the year.”

GENEVIEVE FOWLER

Like Mr. Lamont, Ms. Fowler also graduated from Groton in 2012. After attending Yale University, she returned to the Circle as a physics teacher. She was stunned by the new Schoolhouse, which she said was the biggest superficial change that Groton has underwent during her years away. However, she was more surprised by the existence of the Fab Lab, stating, “my entire role here has been something that didn’t exist at all when I was a student.” Ms. Fowler quickly transformed the space, holding evening activities such as her “Chocolate Workshop.” She has enjoyed working with all students, whether they are Second Formers, with “excitement and young enthusiasm”, or Sixth Formers, who are full of “wisdom and knowledge.” She is proud of what she has accomplished with students this year, and hopes that she has inspired them to take more physics and engineering classes in the future.

Ms. Fowler’s favorite memories include meals in the Dining Hall, specifically the bread in the winter, which she will miss dearly. She has also loved having conversations with people who come into the Fab Lab just to ask questions and learn about the design process. These conversations, Ms. Fowler says, “are the real reasons why I teach.”

Next year, Ms. Fowler will be working on a STEM education-related project in New Haven with a professor at Yale University. She will be creating a make-it-yourself Bluetooth headphone kit, which will not only be  functionable, but also teach its users STEM and engineering throughout the construction process. Ms. Fowler is excited for new projects like these in the future.

PETER FRY

After twelve years on the Circle as an English teacher, Mr. Fry is ready for his sabbatical next year. Although he has been eligible for a sabbatical for two years, Mr. Fry has decided to wait until his daughter Phoebe’s graduation to take a year off. He has decided to spend the year in Montpellier –– a small city in southern France. He has visited Montpellier a couple of times before and has many good friends in the city. Between reading, writing, exploring the area, and doing volunteer work in the community, Mr. Fry said, “I am not worried about being bored!” His son Malcolm will be in seventh grade at a bilingual international school during this time. Mr. Fry hopes to hone his French speaking abilities while there.

Mr. Fry has also been considering developing a new course for Groton during his year off. He is looking to craft a course in Art History, which he majored in at Yale University.

When asked about what he would miss most during his time away, Mr. Fry said, “the Dining Hall.” He added that although the students and teachers are an integral part of his Groton experience, he will miss the convenience of not having to cook and wash the dishes.

SARAH MEYER

Ms. Meyer has been teaching drawing, painting, printmaking, and ceramics for four years, and has been essential to Groton’s Art Department. She has also coached JV soccer and lacrosse. Ms. Meyer grew up at and attended St. Mark’s School, and even taught there for two years before coming to Groton. Given her experience at St. Mark’s, Ms. Meyer was not “caught off guard” by anything at Groton, but she was still surprised by how much she enjoyed being a dorm head, a new role she took on this year.

Ms. Meyer said that she will miss the students the most. Her job here was the first one that she went into “thinking of it in a more permanent way.” She said, “to know that there are students who I won’t get to see carry on and blossom here is sad.” Ms. Meyer will also miss the location; she loves the farmland, especially Joy Lane.

Next year, Ms. Meyer will be moving to Colorado, where she will teach at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School. She will continue to teach visual art, and will also lead wilderness trips, including the kayak/canoe program. Ms. Meyer looks forward to her new adventures, but will definitely miss the Circle when she leaves.

BILL MAGUIRE

Mr. Maguire has many plans for an exciting third sabbatical next year, having taught at Groton since 1985. He has previously served as Groton’s technology coordinator, and has taught numerous math courses during his time as a Groton teacher.

In the fall, he and his wife will be living in Galway City, Ireland. Mr. Maguire will be pursuing his interest in Irish Traditional Music, and also plans to take courses at the National University of Ireland. He and his wife hope to find time to visit new places in the country, and to see their friends in England.

During the winter, they plan to go to Florida to visit friends and family, and even watch Red Sox Spring Training. They will also spend time in their house in Cape Cod. Mr. Maguire looks forward to enjoying time with his family, particularly his two year-old granddaughter, Claire.

Mr. Maguire says, “I’ll miss the students, particularly my classes and the Cross Country and Track teams.”

EILEEN GILES

Ms. Giles has been at Groton for two years, coaching JV soccer, JV basketball, and Varsity lacrosse, as well as affiliating in Meyer’s dorm. Her favorite part of her experience at Groton has been getting to know the students and faculty. She finds it fulfilling to see how her interactions with students overlap on the field, in the classroom, and in the dorm. When asked to describe her Groton experience in one word, Ms. Giles said, “community.” Throughout her time here, she has learned that relationships are “what you make of them.” She said, “I realized that there’s value in every relationship you build here, not just for kids, but also for adults.”

Next year, Ms. Giles is moving to Washington DC to teach Physical education at the National Cathedral School. She will miss the people and the campus.

IAN & MARTHA GRACEY

The Graceys have been at Groton for 10 years  –– with Mr. Gracey as the admissions director and Mrs. Gracey teaching English.

They have planned to spend their sabbatical year in many different places. They will be in Maine for the month of September, and will visit New Jersey in the fall, where their youngest daughter will be a senior in high school. In the early winter, they will be on the West Coast, before travelling to South Africa and Europe. Mr. Gracey also plans to visit some other independent schools to see how their Admissions Office differs from Groton’s.

The Graceys will miss all the little aspects of Groton. Mr. Gracey will especially miss greeting new students as they arrive on the Circle, the fall Dorm Olympics, the Form of 2018’s evolution into prefects, their advisees, big snowstorms, Open Mics, the cuisine of our Dining Hall, the camaraderie of the Varsity Baseball team, and, he adds, “the ever-positive spirit of Ms. Rita Lalli.” Ms. Gracey will miss her English department colleagues, her advisees, the changing view out of her classroom window, teaching Absalom, Absalom!, and sitting in St. John’s Chapel.

ANDY REYES

Dr. Reyes, member of Groton’s Form of 1980 and teacher since 1993, will be taking a sabbatical next year. He will spend his sabbatical year working with Manar al-Athar, an archaeological research group that he has been a part of for thirty years. He will be putting together online photo archives of material that the group has surveyed over the years, mainly materials from the Middle East and Africa. His work focuses mainly on the years from Alexander the Great’s death in 323 BC to the Islamic Conquest in the early seventh century. He will be surveying buildings and writing articles both in the US and abroad.

While he is away, Dr. Reyes will miss the students, because, as he says, they are “the best part about the school.”