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. 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.

At Marvelwood Since: 2009
Athletics/After-School Activity Assignment: Boys' Varsity Soccer, Boys' Varsity basketball

At Marvelwood Since: 2020

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.

At Marvelwood Since: 2021
Athletics/After-School Activity Assignment: Connections Program, Cross Country

Maggie Everett is a Marvelwood Alumna from the class of 2016, where she graduated as the co-valedictorian of her class. In her time at Marvelwood, Maggie tried to engage with as much academic, athletic, and extracurricular material and experiences as possible. She completed and won a year-long Scientific Research project with UConn (along with now-colleague Laurie Doss) about documenting aviary communities in local Land Trusts, competed in Varsity sports, and found her love of theater.

Maggie attended Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, where she was the President of the student theater group for two years. She completed a three year technical internship, in which she learned and practiced skills such as lighting, sound design, set design, set creation, costume design and construction, and stage management. She graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Performing Arts, right into the “Year of Covid.” Maggie was fortunate enough to be offered a teaching internship back home at the Marvelwood School, and spent the year mentoring in the classroom under her fellow faculty.

Maggie is ecstatic to now be in the College Counseling office, where she plans to explore traditional and non-traditional paths with each of her students as she prepares them for life beyond Marvelwood. In Sterling Dorm, along with Co-Head Steve Malinowski, she looks forward to creating safe and healthy spaces on campus.

At Marvelwood Since: 2020

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.

Joined Marvelwood in: 1990

At Marvelwood Since: 2020

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.

At Marvelwood Since: 2007

Rebekah Galusha joined the Marvelwood Staff in summer of 2022 as the Junior Associate for Advancement and Marketing. Rebekah is a 2022 graduate of Saint Anselm college in Manchester, NH with a BA in Communications, and a 2018 graduate of Housatonic Valley in Falls Village. She loves living in Litchfield county and is excited to be living here again.

Rebekah is passionate about promoting education opportunities for future generations and giving the best experience a student can have at school. During her time in college she gained experience in development leadership through Saint Anselm’s equal opportunity gender and sexuality alliance to fundraise for and organize recreational and educational activities for the campus community. She also worked several years in sales while finishing her college career. While she enjoyed sales, Rebekah knew she wanted to use her skills in education to assist in giving students positive experiences with school and learning.

Rebekah works in the Sundt house with the Admissions and Advancement departments. She lives in the area with her husband, John.

At Marvelwood Since: 2022

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.

At Marvelwood Since: 1997

Andrew (AJ) Helmin became a member of the Marvelwood family in 2021 as the Outdoor Educational Coordinator. Originally from Manchester, CT, Andrew has been all things outdoors since the age of six when he joined the scouting movement. He has participated in various expeditions, both personal and professional including mountaineering expeditions in Colorado and river canoe excursions in New Hampshire and Vermont. Andrew attended Norwich University / Military College of Vermont as a Cadet within the cadet regiment, holding the title as the Leadership, Equity, Advocacy, Protection and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Officer for both Cadets and Civilian students, including developing a Coast Guard Auxiliary Program for aspiring Coast Guardsmen and women.

After receiving his Bachelors in Environmental Science, Andrew attended the Northwoods Stewardship Center located in Island Pond, VT as a Youth Conservation Corps Crew Leader for the Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge where he worked alongside the Department of the Interior (DOI), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and New Hampshire Fish & Game Department in projects such as building/maintaining floating common loon nests, watershed monitoring, and public land management/trail maintenance. After his temporary season with Northwoods, Andrew came to Marvelwood.

Andrew is passionate about the outdoors and engaging those from a wide variety of backgrounds and differences. He believes that everyone should have equal access to the outdoors and to let everyone know that all who wander aren’t always lost!

Andrew currently resides on campus as a dorm parent in Sterling dorm with his four legged trail and camping partner, Jackson.

At Marvelwood Since: 2021
Athletics/After-School Activity Assignment: Outdoor Adventures, Frontier Challenge, Canoeing

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.

At Marvelwood Since: 2020