Faculty & Staff Directory

Valentin joined the faculty at Marvelwood after earning his Law Degree from Romania, having discovered that he was drawn to teaching rather than practicing law. After two years of working in the Strategies Department, Valentin pursued graduate studies at the University of Connecticut, and earned an M.A. in International Studies. He returned to Marvelwood in 2009, and currently he is the Chair of the History Department. During summers, Valentin teaches at the Leysin American School in Switzerland.

Besides teaching History and Political Science courses Valentin also enjoys coaching the Marvelwood Varsity Soccer and Basketball teams, as well as being a Model UN Advisor. In 2016, Valentin was awarded the Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching to study for four months in India. In 2017, Valentin received a National Endowment for the Humanities Grant to participate in the Philosophers of Education: Major Thinkers from the Enlightenment to the Present Seminar at Boston University. In 2019, he received another National Endowment for the Humanities Grant to participate in a summer institute on Thomas Jefferson; The Private and Public Worlds of Monticello and University of Virginia at the University of Virginia.

Valentin is the proud father of Irine ‘25 and Bella ’19, who is currently enjoying her freshman year at the University of Denver. Valentin is a board member with the United Nations Association of the Northwestern Connecticut Chapter. His interests include: soccer, travel, reading, politics, and foreign languages. Valentin speaks French, Romanian, Russian, and some German.

Ben Eskind is a recent graduate from the Bard College Master’s in Teaching program with a certification to teach English Language Arts, grades 7 - 12. He earned his Bachelors of Arts from Bard College in 2010, majoring in political studies—his final project explored the relationship between American jazz music, democracy and citizenship. He later earned his Master’s in Science from the University of Rochester, in community mental health counseling.

He is an intellectually curious person with an abiding belief in student-centered learning and the value of a liberal arts and sciences education. Prior to teaching, Ben worked as a community-based mental health counselor in Rochester, New York, providing counseling services to youth and families. After graduating from Bard as an undergraduate in 2010, Ben began his career in sustainable farming—eventually founding his own small-scale organic farm in the Finger Lakes region of New York.

Ben is teaching courses in English and American Literature at Marvelwood, and will also be teaching in the Strategies Department and the Connections Program. He will also be coaching Varsity Cross-Country.

Outside of his teaching and coaching roles, Ben is an appreciator of the arts, an avid cook and bread baker, and enjoys hiking, biking, and spending time with family and friends.

Blythe worked in publishing for five years after graduating from Trinity College, but soon determined that teaching was her goal. With a Masters degree in hand, she joined the Marvelwood faculty in 1990. Twenty-eight years later, after having created an iconic Honors English 12 class, being named Female Faculty Member of the Year four times, and serving in most of the School's administrative positions, she was appointed Interim Head of School in 2018 and was officially named Marvelwood’s seventh Head of School in June, 2019. She is especially proud of the School's fiercely dedicated and infinitely talented faculty, and remains energized and enthusiastic about her responsibilities and the challenges inherent in school leadership.

Blythe has been grateful for the opportunity to work alongside her husband Mike, a fixture in Marvelwood's Mathematics department. She and Mike agree that their longtime dedication to Marvelwood is a testament to the fact that they feel that the School represents who they are as people. The Everetts live on campus, where they raised their two children: Sam ‘14, a graduate of Western Connecticut State University, and Maggie ‘16, who was her class’s valedictorian and went on to graduate summa cum laude from Roger Williams University. The family cherishes the natural surroundings of their Skiff Mountain home.

Mike never planned to be a teacher...especially a math teacher. He struggled through math in high school, but discovered a passion for it in college at Clark University and at the University of Connecticut. After several years working in the publishing business, he met his wife, Blythe, at a food cart on a corner in Philadelphia. When she quit her job to pursue a teaching career, he threw caution to the wind and followed her to Marvelwood. The School has been their home ever since.

Mike completed his Master's degree in Secondary Education at the University of New Haven before starting his Marvelwood career as a Strategies teacher. He soon moved into teaching math and was the Department Chair for over ten years. He considers his passion and his strength to be working with students who struggle to learn math, helping them break down the barriers to success. Mike coaches Varsity Soccer, and has assisted with the baseball and wrestling teams. In the summer months, his passion for teaching carries over into his gardening. He has strong opinions that the spectacular Skiff Mountain sunsets can best be appreciated from the seat of a John Deere lawn mower!

Heni came to Marvelwood in 2007. Besides being the Mathematics Department Chair at Marvelwood, Heni enjoys teaching AP Statistics, Statistics, AP Economics, Honors Precalculus and regular Precalculus. She loves the diversity at Marvelwood and the values of being part of the Marvelwood family. Her teaching practice has focused on individual growth and building students’ confidence in the subjects she teaches. She regularly holds supplementary extra help outside the class sessions with struggling students and integrates new teaching techniques and ideas to help students learn math and econ. Prior to teaching at Marvelwood, she taught economics and statistics at the college level in Indonesia for 6 years; she also worked for a few different companies in the US for several years.

Heni earned a BA in Economics from Gadjah Mada University in Indonesia and an MBA with a concentration in Finance from Xavier University in Ohio. She resides in Kent with her husband Ryan and her second son Maxwell. Her oldest son, Samuel, graduated from Marvelwood in 2020. She enjoys gardening, cooking, and cheering on her sons in their activities.

Joshua is a French teacher for The Marvelwood School. Joshua studied French at the University of Rochester (U of R) in Rochester, NY. As a student at the U of R, Joshua received high honors in French for a thesis he wrote about Victor Hugo’s “Les Miserables.”

In addition to French, Joshua teaches 'The American Legal System'. Having received a law degree from Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI, he enjoys sharing his appreciation for the law with his students.

Joshua is also the head coach of Marvelwood’s Boys Varsity Tennis team and assists the Boys JV Basketball team.

An avid and accomplished saxophone player, He is a regular performer at Marvelwood’s “Music on the Mountain” concert series as well as the Music Department’s concerts.

Marie Gold is the chair of the ESL Department at Marvelwood School and serves as the Dean of Faculty. This is fitting considering English is her own second language, so she fully understands the challenges many students face when confronting a new language. Marie was born and raised in Sweden where she graduated from Kalmar University studying education. After graduation, she decided to move to the United States for a year to work and study English. However, while in the states, her life took an unexpected turn when she fell in love. In 1996, Marie and her husband decided to move to the United States full time

Becoming an educator was always a childhood dream of Marie’s, and she is happy to report that after thirty+ years of teaching, she still loves what she does. Marie regards teaching as the most rewarding job there is, and she has taught students at a variety of levels, from elementary school to university. Marie has been at the Marvelwood since 2004, where she teaches English as a Second Language and ESL US History. Marie enjoys the diversity at Marvelwood and feels privileged to be working with so many students from all around the world.

Marie and her husband live in the small town of Cornwall. They are enjoying the luxury of a quiet home as their two adult daughters are now off on their own. In her free time, Marie enjoys reading, traveling, and hiking. Every year, Marie looks forward to summers in Sweden, where she spends time with her relatives and childhood friends.

Betty has been with the Marvelwood School since 1997 after retiring from a banking career. She has one daughter who has 2 sons and four grown step-children. She is the proud grandmother of a Marvelwood graduate from the Class of 2021. Betty lives in Kent with her husband, John, and their two boxers.

Andrew joined the Marvelwood family as the Outdoor Educational Coordinator in 2021. Andrew graduated from Norwich University / The Military College of Vermont in May 2021 with a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Policy & Management and was awarded the rank of Cadet First Lieutenant with the title of Regimental LEAP / Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer-In-Charge for the Cadet Regiment.

Andrew’s love for the outdoors started at the age of 5 when he first joined the Scouting movement in his hometown. From there, Andrew joined Troop 25 in Manchester, CT and participated in two one-week expeditions on the Appalachian Trail and the Connecticut River in 2014 and 2015 before earning the rank of Eagle Scout. In 2016, Andrew attended the Leadville Outward Bound School in Leadville, Colorado to participate in his first mountaineering leadership course. Most recently in Summer 2021 before joining the Marvelwood family, Andrew served as a Crew Leader for the Northwoods Conservation Corps in Errol, New Hampshire at Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge working alongside the Department of the Interior and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in conservation efforts including trail maintenance and habitat restoration.

Andrew lived in Manchester, CT before moving to the Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, CT in 2020 with his family and their furry companion, Lily. Andrew currently resides here at the Marvelwood campus in the Sterling dorm as a Dorm Parent and will be overseeing the Outdoor Adventure (OA) Programs in the Fall and Spring Trimesters.

“My hope is to educate and inspire students to engage themselves in outdoor activities that can lead them to becoming environmental pioneers among their peers and properly ensure the next generation to be the ‘boots on the ground’ in the climate change and environmental movement. With the knowledge, experience, and contacts I have amongst conservation organizations and government agencies, I encourage students to reach out of their comfort zone to get engaged in activities such as conservation corps work. Not only did I gain friendships that will last lifetimes, but the connections we made during our time on the trail opened our eyes to new and exciting possibilities for our future.”

Brian Hunt serves as the School’s Safety Coordinator Consultant, bringing 10 years of private school safety and security experience to Marvelwood. In addition to a Bachelor of Science in Emergency Management and Public Safety Leadership, Brian holds OSHA certification in General Industry and Construction, is an authorized OSHA outreach trainer in General Industry, and an instructor with the American Heart Association (CPR/AED, First Aid, Bloodborne Pathogens). He has several FEMA certifications including incident response and school safety, National Incident Management System (NIMS), and Incident Command System (ICS), and is a certified ALICE instructor (active shooter/violent intruder). A certified EMT and firefighter, Brian has been an active volunteer with local fire and ambulance departments for the past 13 years, and served as the Emergency Management Director for the Town of Kent for five years.