Welcome, New Groton Faculty!

Groton School extends a warm welcome to our new faculty members, who bring both experience and fresh perspective to departments ranging from counseling and art to history and English.

Lyne Saddlie Joseph joins the Counseling and Psychological Services Department full-time, after serving as a clinical psychology intern at Groton while finishing her doctorate at William James College. The addition to Groton’s team of counselors supports a core focus of the school’s strategic framework—to enhance student well-being and social-emotional development. Dr. Joseph holds a master’s in mental health counseling from Suffolk University and a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Connecticut. She has completed internships at residential programs and community-based settings, primarily focused on work with adolescents and young adults.

Also new to the Circle is Director of College Counseling Peter Newcomb, formerly the senior associate director of admission at Brown University. After thirteen years at Brown, Mr. Newcomb brings keen insider perspective from the college point of view, along with an understanding of the classroom—early in his career, he taught at the high school and community college level, and also taught English in Japan for three years. Mr. Newcomb knows Groton well and understands both the strength of the school's curriculum and its commitment to inclusion. He began working at Groton in June.

Working alongside Mr. Newcomb is Bridget Moore, the new associate director of college counseling. She recently was interim director of graduate admission and undergraduate associate director of admission, director of international admission and prospect management at Tufts University. Ms. Moore’s experience also includes stints at Connecticut College and Hamilton College, her alma mater. Ms. Moore and Mr. Newcomb join longtime Associate Director of College Counseling Mark Machan.

Midori Ishizuka joins Groton’s history department after four years at Phillips Academy Andover, where she taught a wide array of classes in history and economics, coached an undefeated girls tennis Varsity B team, co-advised the Asian Society, was assistant coach for girls squash, and led a boys dorm. Ms. Ishizuka takes special interest in incorporating film and music into her classes; at Groton she will teach Modern Global History and U.S. History, while also coaching girls varsity squash and leading a dorm. 

Peter Benedict takes over ​Groton's woodshop after the retirement of ​longtime Groton ​teacher Doug Brown. Mr. Benedict owned a custom furniture business for more than twenty years, specializing in eighteenth-century American furniture. He has a degree in sociology and environmental studies from Whitman College and studied the art of furniture-making at the North Bennet Street School in Boston. 

Jing Xu will teach Chinese 3 and 4 this year, replacing a teacher who is on sabbatical. Dedicated to interactive learning, she has more than a decade of experience teaching Chinese and firmly believes that every student can succeed in acquiring a new world language. Ms. Xu has a bachelor's degree in education from Nanjing Normal University in China and a MBA from Tampa College in Florida. 

Paul Ryan became the director of major gifts in Groton’s Department of Development and Alumni Affairs in June. Previously, he was a regional director and a major gifts officer at Boston College and Brown University, and associate director of annual giving at Connecticut College and Hamilton College, his alma mater. He holds a master’s from Syracuse University. At Groton, he is working with alumni and families to support the school’s mission, people, and programs. 

Also joining the faculty are three teaching fellows, who work under the supervision of experienced faculty members. 

Matt Phillips, who recently earned a B.A. in English and Classics at Georgetown University, will teach English. In college, he directed plays, acted, and contributed to the student newspaper and literary magazine. His writing has ​also ​appeared in Humanities and Philadelphia magazines. His areas of interest include modern and contemporary poetry, the medieval period, disability studies, and ancient Greek drama. 

Fellow Christian Papadellis will teach Fourth Form English, serve as assistant coach for cross country and crew, and help with the school musical. He earned a master’s in English and American literature at Boston University and a bachelor’s in English Literature at Colby College, where he rowed and sang with an a cappella group. Mr. Papadellis joins Groton’s faculty after working in publishing and journalism in New York and Boston. 
 
Groton’s history fellow Dylan Madden studied history and specialized in the medieval Mediterranean at Pitzer College and ran on Pomona-Pitzer’s track team. He also worked as a bike mechanic and has led a cross-country bicycle trip and hiked Kilimanjaro with high school students. He will teach Modern Global History at Groton.

To all of Groton’s new faculty—welcome to the Circle!