Spruce Mountain Schools: Meet the Staff!

Spruce Mountain Primary School

Farrah Poirier is the art teacher at the primary school. She has a degree in studio art from the University of Maine and went on after graduation in May 2004 to get her teaching license from the Maine State Department of Education. She started teaching art at the primary school in 2004, and has been teaching art there ever since. This is her 16th year teaching art. She is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in curriculum, assessment, and instruction at UMaine. She loves to read, color, cross-stitch, paint, and engage in all things creative. Some things you might not know about Mrs. Poirier is that her favorite color is navy blue and her favorite season is Autumn. She loves the crisp air, colorful leaves, fall decorations, apple picking, pumpkin spice, and celebrating Halloween with her family.

Spruce Mountain Elementary School

Julie Thornton teaches third grade at the elementary school. She has elementary and special education certifications which she received from the University of Maine Farmington and course work through the University of Dayton, Ohio. She began teaching in 1994 at Norridgewock Central Grade School. She has taught in Ohio and Massachusetts and is very happy to be teaching back in her home state where she and her husband returned in 2002. She has two sons, Will and Joel and has been married to her husband Larry for 23 years. She enjoys running, dining out and spending time with her Thornton and Cyr families.

Spruce Mountain Middle School

Rob Taylor received a Bachelor of Science in biology/secondary education from the University of Maine at Farmington and a Master of Education degree from the University of Maine. He has spent his entire career in Maine Regional School Unit 73, teaching secondary math and science, as well as Advanced Placement Environmental Science. He has also served as the district Gifted and Talented Coordinator and recently transferred to a grade seven/eight science position at the middle school. In addition to teaching, he serves as SMMS cross country coach, SMMS LEGO League mentor, SMHS Envirothon advisor, and assists with the high school SMART robotics team. His current school projects include greenhouse and aquaculture systems that provide produce for local pantries, participation in an American Chestnut Foundation restoration project, a drinking water monitoring program, and school renewable energy solar panel and wind turbine projects.

Spruce Mountain High School

Jayne Costa is an English teacher at the high school. She has 29 years experience in Maine public high schools. She received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Northeastern University in Boston and her Masters in instructional leadership from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Providing humane education is her philosophy. Poetry In America, a class she took at Harvard is her favorite class. She is a United States Navy veteran. She enjoys reading, hiking, wilderness camping, world travel and rescue dogs.