Physics teacher Jacques Duranceau. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)

Jacqueline Butler teaches tenth grade English.

Janet Schenden teaches computer science at Bromfield.

Carrie Normandin teaches second grade.

As Harvard schools re-opened this week, students saw a number of new faces among the faculty. They also found some familiar teachers, aides, and learning assistants in different jobs.

At the Bromfield School, Jacques Duranceau is teaching the senior physics electives as well as some chemistry classes. Jacqueline Butler is the new tenth-grade English teacher. Former substitute Kristin McManus moves into a permanent position for eighth-grade social studies. For seventh graders, Sheila Kish teaches English.

Duranceau comes to Harvard after teaching in the Arlington school system. He described the advanced-placement and honors physics as somewhat more theoretical than the regular physics class, where he foresees taking a more project-based, engineering approach. He said he likes to apply examples from sports, music, automobiles, and ballistics in his physics classes. Juggling and billiards both illustrate laws of physics, he noted.

Duranceau said that students today often have less experience with the mechanics of real-world pulleys, levers, and pendulums than with virtual ones; sometimes they find a new fascination with these age-old machines.

Butler, who previously taught in Townsend, said she enjoys tenth graders because they are ready for more responsibility and independence in their schoolwork. Bromfield's curriculum calls for classical literature in tenth grade, and Butler's students will be reading works by Sophocles and Shakespeare, among others. Later in the year, Butler said, students get to make a guided choice where they can pick "something hot off the presses."

The goal is to help students "see literature as relevant to their own lives," Butler said, "because we want them to keep reading."

At the Hildreth Elementary School, changes in enrollment numbers, departures, and maternity leaves have led to several personnel shifts. Reenie Keith has become the full-time reading specialist and literacy coach. Carrie Normandin now teaches second grade after having been a substitute in the primary grades and serving last year at the school's library and media center.

Normandin says she already knew all the second-graders who are in her class except those who are new to the district. She is excited about the variety of content in the curriculum. In addition to the fundamentals of reading and math, children will learn about topics ranging from Native American societies to local history and soil science. Normandin has an extensive teaching background, including international schools in Costa Rica and the Philippines.

Special education has seen several changes in personnel, from pre-school through the upper grades. At the Hildreth Elementary School, Jamie Bussolari is a new full-time special education teacher, and Amy Bassage and Ruth Schemel are filling new part-time positions.

Michelle Foreman will teach a special education pre-school class. Jennie Renna is a full-time special education teacher at the Bromfield School. Kristy Hartono will work with English-language learners. Amanda Delaney and Marisa Khurano will be learning assistants. (Two other learning-assistant positions at Bromfield and a tutoring position at the elementary school were eliminated.)

With computer technology playing an ever-larger part in education, two new positions were added to school staff this year in that area: Gabby Richard-Harrington will serve as an integration technology consultant for the elementary school, and John Pike will be a technology assistant for the district. At Bromfield, Janet Schenden takes over from Pike as an instructional aide in computer science. At Hildreth, the new library media technology specialist is Mary-Elizabeth Cregan.

Cregan will work with students from kindergarten through fifth grade on everything from story hours and book talks to computer skills. Cregan will also be helping to develop a five-year technology plan for the schools.

Schenden will teach one section of computer programming for high-school students, as well as working with middle-schoolers to develop their skills with online research, word processing, spreadsheet creation, and other computer tools. She hopes to help students understand "what's inside the big mystery box" and get them started programming right away, she said.

Schenden explained that working with her own three children led to her desire to teach. Teaching is a career change for her, as her previous work was in pharmacology research.