News

Welcome to Those in New Roles

By: Annie Hasselgren
The Country School enthusiastically welcomes two new faces to our faculty: Kitty Davis, Lower School Head, and Scott Valens, P.E. teacher. We also congratulate Country School parents Pam Andrews, Parents’ Association president for 2016-2018, and Justin Nonemaker, Board of Trustees President. 
Many of our parents and students have already had the pleasure of meeting Kitty Davis during the search, at the library coffee hour in April, or in Easton locales in recent weeks. Kitty was most recently Assistant Head of the Lower School for Early Childhood Education at Roland Park Country School, a 700+ student girls day school and co-ed pre-school in Baltimore. 
 
Kitty filled many roles at Roland Park, including Kindergarten teacher and Head of the Early Childhood Division for infants through first graders. She developed and implemented new school programs for Pre-K, pre-school, and infants, and has played integral roles in admissions; curriculum and program development; faculty selection, mentoring, and supervision; parent communication; regulatory and safety compliance; and financial management. She has also been a key member of their AIMS accreditation steering committee and found time to teach developmental psychology in the Upper School. 
 
Kitty earned her bachelor’s degree from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland and is close to completing her master’s there as well. She has had specialized training in everything from Orton-Gillingham to Minds Attuned, from Responsive Classroom to Reggio Emilia. Kitty’s has two sons, Jack O’Connell, 23, and Danny O’Connell, 20. Kitty enjoys reading, hiking, cooking, traveling, and all things to do with the Eastern Shore. Her parents live in St. Michaels.
 
Scott Valens comes to us from Jefferson Central School District in Jefferson, NY, where he was a health teacher for grades 7-12 and a P.E. teacher for grades K-12. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from SUNY Cortland, where he was also captain of his club basketball team. Scott has been the head coach for teams in baseball, basketball, softball, strength, and swimming; has been a summer camp director; has directed yoga; and has assisted in chess, outdoor education, student government, and other disciplines. 
 
Scott’s many glowing references cite him as being incredibly dedicated to the children he teaches and having worked tirelessly to improve their physical education experience. “I have been an athletic director and 4-sport coach since 1989 and can’t remember a time in which our program benefitted so greatly due to one person,” said a previous supervisor.
 
Scott grew up in Cornwall on Hudson, NY, where he played a variety of sports, later settling on basketball as his sport of focus. He enjoys exercising and playing a variety of recreational sports in his free time, and loves cooking and traveling abroad with his wife, Nina. They recently returned from a trip to Russia and have many other fascinating destinations on their bucket list.
 
Pam Andrews has three children at The Country School and will succeed Jennifer Runz as CSPA President beginning this school year and through June 2018. Pam knows TCS inside and out and exudes positivity about the school and the experience her family has had here. Tucker will enter 8th grade this year, Avery will begin 5th, and Kate will be in 3rd.
 
Pam has served as Vice-President and Volunteer Coordinator for the CSPA Board, co-chair of Grandparents & Special Friends Day and the Holiday Breakfast, and has been a room parent. Pam graduated magna cum laude from the University of Richmond with a B.S. in Business Administration.
 
She met her husband, Charlie, in Jackson, WY, where they lived before settling back in her hometown of Easton. She was the branch administrator at Ferris Baker Watts, an investment services firm in Easton for 5 years. In 2011, she joined Charlie in the family business, Paul Ewing's Contractor Supply. Paul Ewing's provides landscaping, masonry, general contractor materials, and excavation services to contractors and homeowners. Charlie and Pam reside in Easton with Tucker ’17, Avery ’20, and Kate ’22, and their growing puppy, Daisy. 
 
“I’m excited to be a part of such a successful, well-run organization like the CSPA,” says Pam. “One thing that makes the Country School such a unique place is the involvement of our parents. They demonstrate a commitment to volunteerism and service on so many levels. It’s awesome to be a part of.”
  
Pam is also past president of Christ Church Day School, where all 3 of her children attended. In her free time, Pam enjoys running, skiing, traveling, reading, cooking, and…organizing! 
 
Justin Nonemaker will head the Board of Trustees as president. Justin and his wife Chesley are Country School parents: Camilla, 7, will enter second grade this year; Sage, 5, will begin Kindergarten; and James, 3, attends pre-school at St. Mark’s.
 
Justin is co-founding partner of ShoreGate Partners in Easton, a privately held real estate company that invests and manages a real estate portfolio for close family and friends with a wide range of holdings, including commercial, multi-family, timber, and farmland properties located throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Prior to founding ShoreGate Partners, Justin was a Managing Director of the New York and Mid-Atlantic region for Meritage Properties, a private equity firm focused on commercial real estate investment. He was responsible for the asset management of more than 1.4 million square feet of office space spread over seven assets located in the New York City metropolitan area and greater Washington, DC. Prior to joining Meritage in December of 2005, Justin spent nearly four years with Goldman Sachs & Co. in downtown Manhattan, working within the Equities Division. Justin graduated from Colgate University in 2002 with concentrations in Economics and Spanish. 
 
He and Chesley met in Manhattan in 2005, married in 2008, and moved to Easton in June of 2013 from Potomac, MD. Justin grew up in Hanover, PA, and enjoys tennis and golf. 
Back

Recent News

List of 5 news stories.

News Archive
© 2017 The Country School. All Rights Reserved.
The Country School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, gender, nationality, ethnic origin, or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational, admission, and employment policies, or its financial aid, athletic, and other school administered programs.
716 Goldsborough Street, Easton, MD 21601 • 410.822.1935