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Health & Fitness

St. John School Hires New Social Studies and Art Teacher as Well as K3 Aide

Ben Dewart will be the new social studies teacher; John Cafferty will be the new art teacher and Marilyn Fissora with be the new K3 Aide


St. John School in the North End today announced that they have hired three new teachers for the 2013-2014 school year. Ben Dewart will be teaching social studies; John Cafferty will be teaching art and Marilyn Fissora will be the K3 class aide.   

Ben Dewart grew up in the Boston area, where he developed a passion for the city's history.  Teaching social studies, he feels fortunate to be connected to the rich history of St. John School and the North End and he is excited to teach at an institution where moral values intersect with a stimulating academic environment.  

At Vassar, Ben double majored in International Studies (History and Political Science) and Russian Language.  Subsequently, he taught in Somerville Public School working primarily with English Language Learners.  In 2012, he received an Ed.M from Harvard Graduate School of Education concentrating on History Education.  He also had the good fortune to study history by traveling and living in the Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

“In the classroom, I engage students' individual learning styles through exciting educational activities. These activities connect history to students' civic and moral awareness, making content relevant to real life.  Students will demonstrate their understanding by describing how societies' have changed both in their ideas and their technology,” said Ben Dewart.  “Students will use new technology, role-playing and the investigation of historical questions to develop their understanding of the world, past and present.”

John Cafferty holds a Master of Arts, Teaching Art Education from Tufts University and a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Cartooning and Illustration from the School of Visual Arts. 

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“I am looking forward to teaching at St. John School and being part of an educational community which encourages respect, dedication to learning, and community spirit. With my fellow teachers support and collaboration, I know we can ensure our students succeed. Art can create a safe space in which students engage in self exploration and build self-confidence,” stated John Cafferty.  “A comprehensive art education programs allow students to develop their thinking skills in a more creative, non-traditional way; it helps them learn to comprehend, analyze, apply, create, and evaluate information in a less competitive and judgmental environment than many in which students find themselves.  I look forward to help students expand their horizons and learn something new about themselves through art.” 

Marilyn Fissora is the K3 aide.  A life-long North End resident, Marilyn most recently was the Program Director at the Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) in the North End for over 22 years.   Marilyn completed her early education courses at Urban College. 

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“I am very excited to welcome Ben Dewart, John Cafferty and Marilyn Fissora to the St. John School faculty," said Karen McLaughlin, Principal of St. John School in the North End.  “We are very fortunate to add these teachers with incredible backgrounds to our teaching staff and we look forward to a great year ahead.”

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