Center for Teaching & Learning

Jennifer Keegan has been with CTL since 2006, when her four children joined the school and she started as a helping teacher. In 2020, Jenn stepped into a new role as the Grade 1-2 teacher. This year, she is excited to move to teach kindergarten. Jenn has always enjoyed teaching the reading and writing programs in grades K-4, along with instruction in cooking and math. She is a skilled chef and runs Kneaded Provisions in South Bristol in the summer.

Corbin Lichtinger and his family recently moved to Wiscasset from Portland, Oregon, where taught first grade or a 1-2 class for the past seven years. Corbin has a BA in Political Science and Environmental Studies from Allegheny College and his Master of Arts in Teaching from Lewis and Clark College. His interests include gardening and healthy food in schools.

Jill Cotta, CTL’s teacher of grades 3 and 4 since 2002, is a 1997 graduate of Middlebury College. She earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Maine at Orono in 2000; prior to obtaining her Masters, she team-taught a combined third and fourth grade class for two years at Weybridge Elementary School in Vermont. She also taught third grade at the Great Salt Bay School in Damariscotta. Jill has conducted teacher workshops about writing and reading in the intermediate grades at seminars across the U.S.

Angela Lathem-Ballard is CTL’s teacher of 5-6 Humanities and also as the school’s Arts Specialist, teaching K-8 Visual Art and 5-8 Drama. Angela has taught kindergarten and every grade from 3 through 8 in her 18 years of experience in the classroom, but she loves 5-6 the best. She attended the University of Illinois for her BFA in Theater and she holds a Masters of Arts in Education, Curriculum, and Instruction from Bradley University, also in Illinois, her home state. Before becoming a teacher, she spent several years working in outreach education and as a Y.E.S. facilitator at Walt Disney World. She has studied at The Globe Theatre in London, and been a Fellow with the San Diego Area Writing Project. People here at CTL first met Angela in 2012, when she traveled to Maine to take part in our intern program, learning from Nancie and Glenn. Angela loves teaching Shakespeare through performance. She has taught at La Jolla Country Day, San Diego Cooperative Charter, and The Children’s Primary School prior to CTL. In addition, Angela has served as a social-services volunteer in Ghana, Peru, Russia, and China. 

Glenn Powers teaches grades 5-6 mathematics as well as grades 5-8 science and physical education. He taught humanities, math, and technology for ten years in Williamsville, New York, as well as East Harlem, Brooklyn, Queens, and at the Baccalaureate School for Global Education in Astoria, before coming to CTL in 2005. He earned a Masters in English Education from Columbia University Teachers College and a B.A. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He has presented at the National Council of Teachers of English Convention, and he consults with schools about writing and reading workshop methods and science instruction. He is a consultant with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and the Maine STEM Partnership and founding editor of the Maine Student Science Journal, as well as a curriculum developer for the Maine Environmental Education Association. Glenn has written many science grants for the school; previous projects have been funded by National Resources Council of Maine, Project Learning Tree, SeaWorld, Samsung, Toshiba, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and Captain Planet.

Stacey Adams specializes in writing, reading and social studies instruction and has taught students in grades 5-8; she has 14 years of experience in the classroom. She attended Berkeley for her undergraduate degrees in philosophy and French and then went on to Columbia, earning her masters from Teachers College in 2008. Before leading CTL’s 7-8 class in humanities, Stacey held a variety of roles at KIPP: Summit Academy in Oakland, CA. She was named Teacher of the Year there in 2017. She served as Assistant Principal and Interim Principal in addition to teaching. At CTL, she works as a part-time administrator in addition to her classroom roles. 

Kaity Newell is CTL’s music teacher for grades K-4. She earned a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Wales, Swansea, where she also pursued informal studies in folk music of the British Isles, travelling to Ireland, Shetland, and Brittany. She moved to Maine in 1979 and has been CTL’s music teacher for 27 years. Kaity is cofounder of Maine Fiddle Camp, Maine Country Dance Fiddle Workshop, The Ladybugs folk music group with Sharon Pyne, and Seacoast Community Orchestra, and is on the faculty of New England Suzuki Institute. She founded the strings program at Great Salt Bay Community School in Damariscotta, and teaches there currently.

Haley Barnes joined CTL in 2021 as a helping teacher. She has spent over ten years working with children in different roles. She spent time as a preschool teacher, Behavioral Health Professional (BHP), and many years as a nanny. She graduated from nearby Morse High School, and moved on to Suffolk University in Boston. She returned to Maine, became a mother, and finished her degree. She graduated from Walden University, Summa Cum Laude, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Studies with a focus in Child Development. Haley believes that each domain of health must be nurtured in children. Social-emotional development in addition to cognitive development are foci that she enjoys supporting for CTL's students.

Cate Molloy enjoys being a helping teacher at CTL and working as the Aftercare Program Director. Cate is a graduate of the University of Vermont with a degree in elementary education. She spent many years teaching kindergarten and first grade and most recently working in a library. Her enthusiasm for being a part of the CTL community is based in the lovely way that what she has loved about both worlds combine at CTL. She lives in Hallowell and, when not trying to see every sturgeon that might swim by on the Kennebec, can be found swimming laps, taking walks, hitting up her local library for books, and trying to return them on time.

Kennedy Hathaway joined CTL as a helping teacher in 2024. She is a graduate of Husson University with a degree in elementary education and a focus in science. During college, Kennedy interned at the Challenger Learning Center where she worked alongside NASA scientists, engineers, astronauts, and teachers. In her free time she likes to spend time with her family, chase her tortoises around, read, write, garden, bake, craft, and explore. This is Kennedy’s first year teaching, and she is excited to jump in and learn!