Our faculty members foster immersive experiences that connect students with the history, culture, economy, and environment of their local communities, facilitating learning that transcends the four walls of a traditional classroom.
Our educators adeptly blend academic theory with real-world practice, creating an educational experience that’s simultaneously rigorous and relevant. By engaging students in their local communities, they cultivate a deep sense of place, nurturing not just educated individuals, but also conscientious local stewards.
MARLIE RENY - Art Teacher
Marlie Reny grew up in Midcoast Maine, immersed in the rhythms of a fishing and farming family. From an early age, she developed a love for the outdoors and earned her Maine guide’s sea kayaking license at just 19, spending summers exploring the coastline. After graduating with a degree in Sociology from the University of Vermont, Marlie’s desire to travel led her to teaching. She taught in Thailand and then in Mexico, where she completed her Masters in Education with a concentration in International Teaching from Framingham University.
In 2016, Marlie and her husband found themselves settling just outside Seattle in the Pacific Northwest, surrounded by stunning mountains, mossy forests, and the untamed ocean, which deepened her connection to the natural world. While there, she worked in various project-based learning schools, ultimately finding her place at The Little School, a progressive, place-based elementary program that quickly became a second home. Now, Marlie has excitedly returned to Maine, ready to embrace the charm of her roots while sharing her love for gardening, fiber arts, and the ocean with her 5-year-old daughter, who is quickly discovering the joys of Maine’s snowy winters.
With 15 years of experience, Marlie’s passion for fostering meaningful, hands-on learning experiences drives her commitment to connecting students with their environment and community. She is thrilled to bring her diverse background and enthusiasm for learning to Brightfield, where she looks forward to helping students discover the world around them and find their own path.
Brook Heston - Grades 5/6 Teacher
Those early experiences inspired a journey centered on environmental education and place-based learning. Over the years, Brook has worked for a variety of organizations including Billings Farm & Museum, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, and Pineland Farms. Her passion for teaching brought Brook into the classroom, where she taught fifth grade at New Canaan Country School in Connecticut. From there, she made her way up the coast to Maine, teaching human ecology and history to high school students at Chewonki’s Maine Coast Semester program in Wiscasset. As a lifelong learner herself, Brook is continually inspired to explore new ideas, deepen her knowledge, and grow alongside the students and communities she works with.
EMILY BELL-HOERTH - Music Teacher
Emily Bell-Hoerth is deeply rooted in the Midcoast-Maine community, and has taught in outdoor and place-based education for 10 years. Her background in natural sciences, farming, and backcountry trip leading have brought her all over the state, and helped her forge a deep love of the natural world. In her role as a founding faculty member of Chewonki’s Elementary and Middle School, Emily worked as a teaching assistant, lead classroom teacher, and music teacher for grades 3-8. Her work as the Director of Chewonki’s Camp for Girls allowed her to share her love of community, outdoor living, and making music together with children from all around the world.
For the past four years, Emily has been working as an artist, farmer, and creative. Through painting, fiber arts, natural dyeing, and dried floral artwork, Emily is passionate about using her hands to express her love of and connection to the natural world. She also has a wealth of musical experience, primarily in voice work, ranging from musical theater, to classical, to acappella, to folk. Emily is so excited to be able to work with students at Brightfield in the arts this year, helping to deepen their connection to place through musical and artistic expression and learning.
When Emily is not growing flowers, painting, or making music, she is taking long hikes with her dog, knitting for loved ones, and taking care of her small homestead in Wiscasset with her husband!
Lindsay Frantz - Support Teacher
MEGAN PHILLIPS - Grades 3/4 Teacher
Before moving to Maine, Megan was a 3rd and 4th grade classroom teacher in a public school in South Carolina, led multi-element backcountry trips in the Tetons, and managed educational, farm-based intersections at Calypso Farm and Ecology Center in Ester, Alaska. A native of the South, Megan studied elementary education at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina and earned her graduate degree in Environmental Education from the Audubon Expedition Institute, a traveling, experiential program. When not farming and teaching, Megan spends time at her off-the-grid camp in Bridgton and is an avid nordic skier, open water swimmer, fiber artist, and rescuer of abandoned, antique quilts. Megan is humbled and ecstatic to be a founding educator at Brightfield, to hold the longitudinal and holistic educational experience of the third and fourth grade community, and to foster connections within and outside the classroom.
KATIE MATHEWS - Grades 7/8 Teacher
Emily Pistell - Director of Community Engagement
MICHAELA OBERKFELL - Science & Math Teacher
Michaela went to Colby College where she majored in Biology with a concentration in Biochemistry and a particular interest in field biology, including Vertebrate Natural History, Ecology, Taxonomy of Flowering Plants, Ornithology, and Woody Plants. While at Colby, she did research on the Belgrade lakes analyzing water quality, led a Colby Outdoor Orientation Trip (COOT) for college first years, and designed her own independent study on Acer rubrum (Red Maple) leaf morphology and pigmentation. After college, Michaela worked as a naturalist at Echo Hill Outdoor School in Maryland with students from 1st to 12th grade where she taught an appreciation of the natural world using place-based experiential learning on the Chesapeake Bay. Since returning to Maine, she has been a long-term substitute in a 3rd-grade class at Benton Elementary School, a Biology Lab Instructor at Colby College, and, for the last two years, taught math and science at multiple grade levels at Chewonki Elementary & Middle School. Michaela’s favorite part of teaching is helping students realize what they are capable of and encouraging them. In her spare time, she can be found pressing plants for nature specimens, making jewelry or art with leaves, exploring Maine’s coast with her fiancée, or caring for her dog, cat, hedgehogs, snakes, and other assorted animals. Michaela is joining Brightfield because she believes in its mission and is excited to be a part of a community that cares.
Emma Gavelis - Kindergarten Teacher
Emma Gavelis is the new kindergarten teacher at Brightfield School, bringing with her a global perspective and a deep passion for early childhood education. Raised in British Columbia, Emma has lived in five different countries, most recently moving to Maine from France four years ago. Her diverse life experiences have shaped her thoughtful, open-minded approach to teaching and her appreciation for the many ways children learn and grow. Emma lives on a small farmstead in Pemaquid with her husband, their 8-year-old son, and a lively collection of animals—including two cats, two chickens, and four ducks. Her life at home reflects her love of the natural world, which carries seamlessly into her classroom. An avid gardener, sewer, forager, and paddle boarder, Emma finds joy in the rhythms of nature and the outdoors. She especially loves exploring tide pools, an activity that inspires her teaching and sparks curiosity in her students. Emma is passionate about helping young children connect with the natural world, encouraging exploration, observation, and hands-on discovery. In the classroom, she is dedicated to meeting each child where they are developmentally, creating a nurturing environment where every student feels supported and inspired to learn. Emma believes that fostering curiosity and a sense of wonder in the early years lays the foundation for lifelong learning, and she is committed to guiding her students as they begin to understand the world around them.
ANGELINA SIMMONS - Grades 1/2 Teacher
Angelina’s early experiences in crisis intervention and grief support work became a catalyst for her dedication to social-emotional learning and restorative practices in schools. Holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication from the University of Southern Maine, she brings over 20 years of experience in education, complimented by her certifications as a CPR/First Aid instructor, Gatekeeper trainer, and skilled restorative practices mediator.
As a founding faculty member at Harpswell Coastal Academy (HCA), Angelina thrived amidst the distinctive challenges and opportunities involved in establishing and maintaining an educational institution. Over the course of her decade-long tenure, she held pivotal roles as a Health Educator, Student Support Team Leader, and played a crucial role in fostering a culture of community and social justice as the Restorative Practices Coordinator.
MAE CORWIN – After School Coordinator
Mae Corwin grew up on the Southern shore of Long Island where she and her family spent most of their days on the water. At sixteen, her family moved to Wiscasset, Maine and traded their skiff for a sailboat and sandy shores for rocky ones. After graduating from Southern Maine College with a major in Applied Science, Mae moved back to NYC where she underwent extensive training practicing and teaching movement, dance and yoga, eventually traveling to India to continue her studies and volunteer at a child rescue NGO in Goa.
Mae is the co-owner of a studio in Brunswick, Maine that hosts movement classes for all ages. She is a LMT focusing on perinatal and pediatric care and leads wellness-focused wilderness retreats and yoga teacher trainings. Mae lives in Bath, Maine with her two sons Marlow (Brightfield Grade 3) Rowan (Brightfield Grade 1) partner Kevin and cat Marshmallow. Mae’s favorite pastime is jumping in the car with a Maine Gazetteer, choosing a backroad and taking a few days or weeks to backpack or canoe Maine’s vast and wild backcountry with her family. Mae is excited to bring her years of experience in program coordination and enthusiasm for the outdoors to Brightfield’s Afterschool Program.
MEL CHRISTENSEN FLETCHER
Mel is a passionate educator and school leader who arrives at Brightfield School with a deep commitment and reverence for place-based learning experiences.
She recently attended Harvard Graduate School of Education where she earned her Masters in Educational Leadership. At Harvard, she explored many dimensions of school leadership and focused her time as a Principal Fellow working on differentiated learning strategies for students in grades K-8 and teacher professional development.
Before that, Mel was a science teacher and Head of School at Harpswell Coastal Academy, where she led her team in creating and delivering place-based curriculum using the Expeditionary Learning model.
Throughout high school, college, and her early teaching career she worked as a camp counselor, teacher, and board member at Cathance River Education Alliance in Topsham, an organization long-committed to providing place-based learning experiences for students and adults in surrounding Merrymeeting Bay.
Education
- University of Maine at Farmington – Bachelor’s of Science – Secondary Education, Earth & Space Science
- Harvard Graduate School of Education – Masters in Education Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship
MEL CHRISTENSEN FLETCHER – Head of School
Mel is a passionate educator and school leader who arrives at Brightfield School with a deep commitment and reverence for place-based learning experiences…
ANGELINA SIMMONS – Grades 1/2 Teacher
Growing up near Oven’s Mouth Preserve in Boothbay, Angelina developed a profound love of nature while exploring the wooded areas…
MEGAN PHILLIPS – Grades 3/4 Teacher
Megan Phillips has been deeply rooted in Midcoast Maine for sixteen years, living and working at Chewonki in Wiscasset…
BROOK HESTON – Grades 5/6 Teacher
Growing up in Vermont, Brook was surrounded by countless opportunities to explore and learn about the natural environment…
KATIE MATHEWS – Grades 7/8 Teacher
As a West Coast native, from an early age Katie loved exploring the Sierra Nevadas and wading in the Sacramento River tributaries…
MICHAELA OBERKFELL – Science & Math Teacher
Michaela went to Colby College where she majored in Biology with a concentration in Biochemistry and a particular interest in field biology…
EMMA GAVELIS – Kindergarten Teacher
Emma Gavelis is the new kindergarten teacher at Brightfield School, bringing with her a global perspective and a deep passion for early childhood education…
EMILY BELL-HOERTH – Music Teacher
Emily Bell-Hoerth is deeply rooted in the Midcoast-Maine community, and has taught in outdoor and place-based education for 10 years…
MARLIE RENY – Art Teacher
Marlie Reny grew up in Midcoast Maine, immersed in the rhythms of a fishing and farming family…
LINDSAY FRANTZ – Support Teacher
My name is Lindsay, and I am excited to be a part of the Brightfield staff as a teaching assistant to Megan in the 3/4 class…
MAE CORWIN – After School Coordinator
Mae Corwin grew up on the Southern shore of Long Island where she and her family spent most of their days on the water…
EMILY PISTELL – Director of Community Engagement
Emily is joining the Brightfield team after a decade spent in the field as an experiential classroom educator and as an outdoor expedition instructor…
