Superintendent

Tonya Arnold comes to Vinalhaven with appreciation for the positive aspects of rural small town life and the lure of the ocean.  Her work as the Superintendent for Monhegan Island School inspired her to seek a position at Vinalhaven School.  With 6 years experience in Superintendent/Principal combination roles, nine years teaching, and several years as a school administrator and athletic director, her experiences in education began in Pre-K and spans all levels through high school.  Passions include innovation, social emotional learning, project based learning, and brain science while collaborating with others through her work in education.  On weekends and vacations, she spends as much time as she can with family and friends enjoying outdoor activities or projects.

 Assistant Principal

Bryan Feezor majored in Mathematics Education and University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) and minored in Education. While there, he was part of an Internship program that took undergraduate math majors and placed them in local middle and high school classrooms. As part of this program he spent a semester writing and filming videos for a middle school math program one year and working with high school students the next year. After graduating with a Bachelor degree in Mathematics, he enrolled in the masters program at UCSC in Mathematics Education after being chosen as a Robert Noyce Fellowship Recipient. After sailing aboard the Schooner Heritage for a season around the Penobscot Bay, Bryan heard of Vinalhaven School was in need of a High School Math teacher. Since he started teaching here he has spent many classes working on keeping the students interested by using his own personal interests. Bryan’s math classes are often discussing Scuba diving (of which he is a certified instructor), bicycling, or sailing and how through these topics we can learn about a number of mathematics ideas. Bryan also works with the Skippers class in discussing the changing fisheries and how the students can have an impact in their own front yards. 

Assistant

Principal

Blake Reidy graduated from the University of New England in May of 2016 with a degree in elementary education. As a born islander, Blake always knew that she wanted to return to the island and hopefully teach at the Vinalhaven School. Therefore, she is very enthusiastic and excited to be teaching third grade at our school and hopes to share her passion for learning with all of the students she works with. In her spare time, Blake enjoys walking her dog, hiking, camping, and traveling to new places and meeting new people.

Special

Education

Judy Gove attended the University of Massachusetts where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in History. She obtained her Master’s Degree in Education from University of Maine-Orono. Judy holds an endorsement in Special Education Administration in addition to certifications in social studies and special education. Prior to working as a special education director, she was a middle school special education teacher and co-taught social studies, math and science. During her teaching career, Judy enjoyed creating hands-on and community based learning experiences with students.  In her work as a special education director, Judy collaborated with outside agencies and Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems (EMHS) to provide school-based day treatment programs at elementary, middle and high school levels. She is an advocate for children and endorses a collaborative and team approach to problem solving. Judy has served on the boards of Maine Administrators of Services for Children with Disabilities and Autism Society of Maine. Although no longer working full time in education, Judy is excited at the opportunity to continue to work with children and young people, families and the Vinalhaven School staff and community. She and her husband recently celebrated their 41st anniversary. They have three grown children and seven wonderful grandchildren along with a dog and flock of chickens. She loves helping out with her grand-kids, camping, gardening, biking, reading, arts and crafts, and spending time with family and friends.