World Language

List of 13 members.

• 

  Dr. Katharine MacCornack 

  Department Chair / US/MS World Languages

  Bio

  Katharine MacCornack graduated from Middlebury College with a double major in French and political science. She earned a master’s degree and doctorate in French studies, both from Brown University, with a specialty in medieval literature and literary theory. She began her career as a professor at the University of New Hampshire and Hofstra University, and has published two books and numerous articles on literature and film. Dr. MacCornack joined Kent Place in 2006, and is the current Chair of the World Languages Department. She teaches French and Spanish, and coaches golf and squash.
• 

  Dr. Lydia M Barovero 

  US Academic Dean / US Spanish

  Bio

  Lydia Barovero earned her doctorate in Spanish American literature with a specialization in 20th century narrative and theater from the Pennsylvania State University. She came to Kent Place in 2010 from Providence College, where she had spent six years teaching Literary Humor, Women Writers, and Introduction to Women’s Studies. At KPS, she teaches the inaugural course in Women’s Studies and is the faculty advisor to GLAM’D (Girls Learn and Make a Difference).
• 

  Ms. Nadine Bernard 

  MS French/Spanish

  Bio

  Nadine Bernard is a native of Haiti and studied English and Spanish in Europe. While in Toulouse, France, she completed a master’s in these two languages. When she came to the United States, she worked for the Cross-Cultural division of Berlitz International in New York City and taught French at the Rockefeller Language Center of Berlitz. She holds her New Jersey Certification from Montclair State University and a master’s degree in French Studies. Ms. Bernard joined the Kent Place Middle School faculty in 2014 and teaches French and Spanish.
• 

  Mrs. Eileen J Bernens 

  US Spanish

  Bio

  Eileen Bernens holds bachelor’s degrees in both Spanish and political science from The Ohio State University and a master’s in Spanish, also at Ohio State. She has taught Spanish at her alma mater and at Denison University, the Boston School of Modern Languages, and Summit Public Schools. Eileen  joined Kent Place School in January 2016 as a substitute teacher and maternity-leave-replacement instructor, then taught at the Oak Knoll School. She has volunteered as a parent ESL teacher for the Brayton School and as a Spanish teacher for the York Street Project, where she helped women complete their foreign-language requirements for their high school diplomas. Eileen is an avid marathon runner, has coached for Girls on the Run, and enjoys traveling to Spanish-speaking countries. 
• 

  Ms. Ana Casas 

  PS/US Spanish

  Bio

  Ana Casas is a graduate of Washington University (St. Louis) where she earned her bachelor’s degree in international and Latin American studies. Before joining the KPS, she worked in schools in both Puerto Rico and the United States as a Spanish and classroom teacher. Ms. Casas began teaching Spanish in the Primary and Middle Schools at Kent Place in 2008, and served as an advisor for sixth grade students outside of the classroom. She also took part in Upper School Service Learning trips to Costa Rica and Perú. Ms. Casas now teaches Spanish in the second through fifth grades.
• 

  Ms. Shirley Chang 

  MS/US Chinese

  Bio

  Shirley Chang has a bachelor’s degree in economics from National Taipei University. She earned a master’s in information systems from Lawrence Technological University, and holds the New Jersey Certificate of Eligibility in teaching Mandarin Chinese. Shirley joined the Kent Place faculty in 2008, when the school embarked on the Chinese-language program, and teaches Chinese in Middle and Upper Schools. Shirley is a member of the Chinese Language Association of Secondary-Elementary Schools and has been the College Board AP Chinese exam reader since 2012.
• 

  Ms. Michelle Clarke 

  MS Spanish

  Bio

  Michelle Clarke was born in Lima, Perú, and came to the United States in 2000. She is a graduate of Universidad Femenina del Sagrado Corazón (Perú) and earned a master’s degree in curriculum and teaching at Columbia University. Ms. Clarke has taught Spanish at private schools in Massachusetts and Connecticut in grades K-8. She came to Kent Place in 2009 and now teaches Spanish in the Middle School. Ms. Clarke is also the seventh grade team leader.
• 

  Ms. Holly M Doyle 

  MS/US Latin/MS History

  Bio

  Holly Doyle has a bachelor’s degree in Latin and English from Tulane University. She volunteered with the Peace Corps as an English teacher in Estonia, and then earned a master’s of teaching in Latin from Vanderbilt University. In 2007, after teaching middle school Latin in Alexandria, VA, Ms. Doyle joined Kent Place, and now teaches Latin and history in the Middle and Upper Schools. She also enjoys actively developing the next generation of women leaders as a co-director of the Girls’ Leadership Institute at Kent Place.
• 

  Ms. Elizabeth Farshtey 

  US Latin

  Bio

  Elizabeth Farshtey has a BA in Latin from Barnard College, Columbia University. She has taught everything from fifth grade to AP Latin in various schools throughout New Jersey and Virginia. She has also been a reader for the AP Latin exam. Elizabeth came to Kent Place in 2006, and teaches Latin in the Upper School, along with a course called Etymologies. She is also an advisor to the sophomore “Getting Ready...” program.
• 

  Mrs. Dora F Gragg 

  PS Spanish / PS Diversity and Inclusion Liaison

  Bio

  Dora Flores Gragg is a native of Monterrey, Mexico, and earned her bachelor’s degree from Universidad Regiomontana. She has taught languages to a range of students, from elementary school to the university level, in Mexico and in the United States. Sra. Gragg joined the Kent Place faculty, in 1998, as a Primary School Spanish teacher. She was instrumental in establishing the partnership between Kent Place and Integración Juvenil in the Dominican Republic. She coordinates the Kaleidoscopes mentorship group in the Primary School and is a member of the Diversity Equity team.
• 

  Mr. Nathan Lutz 

  Interim Primary School Director

  Bio

  Nathan Lutz is the Global Learning Coordinator and teaches French in the Primary School. He joined the Kent Place community in 2013, after teaching at other independent schools in central New Jersey and upstate New York. Mr. Lutz holds a bachelor’s degree in French from Louisiana State University and an master’s in French from Rutgers. An advocate for early world language instruction, he serves as the Foreign Language Educators of New Jersey’s (FLENJ) vice president of programs and social media coordinator. Mr. Lutz is also the president-elect of the National Network for Early Language Learning (NNELL) and a board member of the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (NECTFL). He is a 2007 NYSAFLT Leaders of Tomorrow fellow, a 2012 UPENN STARTALK Excellence in Leadership fellow and a 2014 NECTFL Mead Scholar. Mr. Lutz presents frequently at conferences and has published several books on curriculum for various language programs.
• 

  Ms. Francoise P Moreau 

  US French

  Bio

  Françoise Moreau, a native of the Burgundy region of France, earned an undergraduate degree in French literature and a master’s in fine art, both from La Sorbonne. She has been teaching French at Kent Place since 1987. Ms. Moreau develops the curriculum for her Upper School classes and teaches a literature course called Women’s Voices. She also regularly attends conferences for world language teachers to learn new teaching methods and to share their experiences with colleagues.
• 

  Dr. Elena Neacsu 

  US Spanish

  Bio

  Elena Neacsu is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where she earned her doctorate in Spanish with a concentration in early modern literature. Before joining Kent Place School in 2019, she taught at SUNY at Binghamton; the University of Virginia; the UVA-sponsored Summer Program in Valencia, Spain; and the Brearley School, in New York City. Her teaching and research focus on language and culture, gender studies, visual culture, and the medical humanities with a particular interest in the body as an object of artistic and medical discourse in early modern Spain. Dr. Neacsu teaches Spanish in the Upper School.