There are many new staff members leading classes and programs throughout the halls of Haven this fall. We set out to learn a little more about six of them. Look for more new teacher profiles in November.
Mr. Rene Duffault, Health & Physical Education
Mat Mataac ’28, Matthew Ramirez ’26
Mr. Rene Duffault is no stranger to WSSD.
While studying at West Chester University, he completed his student teaching at Nether Providence Elementary School and Strath Haven Middle School.
“I did five years there in the Health and Physical Education program,” Duffault said. “I spent last school year in and out of the two schools.”
In his youth, he became closer with his teachers since his parents worked a lot during his childhood education, influencing his career in teaching.
“My teachers kind of ended up being like my parents at school,” Duffault said. “Realizing how much impact some of my teachers had on me in a very positive way made me want to turn around and do that for students who maybe had the same circumstances.”
Duffault’s energetic personality also influences his active teaching style.
“I don’t like to sit down when I’m in health class, I like to move around,” he said. “I like to influence and challenge them, so I’m moving with them.”
Since Duffault’s experience at the middle school involved a period schedule, the high school’s block schedule has been a big adjustment for him.
“Transitioning to an 80-minute block period was probably the biggest challenge, because it feels like sometimes I’m doing two lessons in one because of the amount of time we have,” he said.
Looking to the future, Duffault expresses his desire to connect with his students through the sports they play.
“I get a lot of students who play sports in some of my classes, and they’re always trying to play me in basketball,” he said. “Playing basketball with them in Phys Ed, and hearing that their season’s starting soon, it makes me really want to get involved and coach and just be able to be there and support them.”
Ms. Megan Gress, Learning Support
Rowan Brown ’29
New special education teacher Ms. Megan Gress became an educator for more than one reason.
“I’ve always wanted to be a teacher,” Gress said. “I want to help people with different ways of thinking than I have.”
When looking for jobs, Haven stood out to her as a school that could provide stability. Having gone to Penncrest High School in Media, she was familiar with some of the opportunities that Haven provides.
“I knew that Strath Haven was just a really great school, and I knew that a lot of teachers stay here for their entire career, so that’s something that I was really looking for,” Gress said.
In her free time, Gress enjoys staying active in many different ways. In addition to fitness, she also enjoys spending time with her family and friends.
“I played [lacrosse] in college, so I just got out of playing a recreational sport. I also like to run and work out my free time,” Gress said. “I’m really close to my family. I like to be with them and also see my friends from college.”
By the second week of school, Gress was already feeling accepted into the Haven community.
“Everyone was super nice — I was actually really surprised at how welcoming everyone was and how helpful they all were,” Gress said.
Despite the positive start, she is still adjusting to her role at Haven. Gress completed her student-teaching at an elementary school while in college, so working with high school students is fairly new to her.
“This is a big shift from having kindergarteners and second graders to having twelfth graders,” Gress said.
Every day there is one specific thing that she looks forward to.
“Just being around students and other staff, and interacting with others is probably my favorite part of the day,” Gress said.
Gress hopes to make progress with her students during her time at Haven.
“I hope to create good relationships with my students so that they can feel like my office or wherever I am is a space that they are comfortable in,” Gress said.
Mr. Daniel Kahn, Chemistry
Charlie Grueser ’28
Mr. Daniel Kahn, a new chemistry teacher joining Haven from Motivation High School in southwest Philadelphia, first heard positive things about the school from his neighbors.
From his first visit, Kahn has appreciated Haven’s kind staff and student community.
“After my first interview, I was just really impressed with the school. People seemed really friendly,” Kahn said.
Joining a new department at a new school, Kahn was interested to begin working with new people. Although already charmed by the student body and his initial welcome to the school, his fellow staff members would be critical to the beginning of his time at Haven.
“The head of my department was great and supportive, and then the head of the school was great and supportive. So I was like, seems like a really awesome place to work,” Kahn said.
Kahn’s only complaint has been the difficult and traffic-filled commute — including both the drive on the Blue Route and the journey up the stairs to his fourth-floor classroom. However, he says it’s worth it for the student community he gets to be a part of.
“I really like the students in all my classes,” Kahn said. “They’re awesome.”
Starting at a new school can be difficult, and Kahn is still getting settled in with the flow of Haven’s schedule and policies.
“I’m excited to get past all that learning all the ropes, and just getting into feeling comfortable teaching,” Kahn said.
Kahn understands that there is a lot of curiosity surrounding new teachers. Sharing some things students might not guess about him, Kahn revealed an interest in music, and a popular fantasy tabletop game.
“I like to sing and play music. I’m also a big Dungeons and Dragons player,” Kahn said.
Excited for the rest of the year, Kahn predicts that he will be fully accustomed to the new school environment, thanks to Haven’s welcoming students and staff.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” Kahn said.
Ms. Dani Lyons, School Counselor
Josselyn Dixon ’29
After working at Harriton High School for the past two years, school counselor Ms. Dani Lyons transferred to Strath Haven.
The Temple alum is the counselor responsible for students in grades 10-12 with the last names R-Z. So far, she’s been mostly focused on meeting students, but during the school year she will also be meeting with teachers, parents, and even writing college recommendation letters.
“The focus is always on the students, but it just kind of depends on which way I’m doing it,” Lyons said.
While she’s only been at Haven a short time, she’s already received a positive impression.
“I love that it’s a smaller community than I’m used to,” Lyons said. “At my last high school, three middle schools were coming into one. I like that it’s more close knit, and everyone’s been so nice.”
Right out of school, Lyons worked in sales. When she realized it wasn’t the right fit, she briefly considered being a teacher, but ultimately settled on being a counselor.“I really get to know my students beyond just academics,” Lyons said. “I can know about the other things that you’re passionate about and that you’re good at. I really like that. I get to know you, rather than in a large group. I’m able to build deeper relationships.”
It seems that she has done her best to learn more about her students’ passions so far, as she has learned about the many clubs and activities in Haven, even going to the Haven-Upper Darby football game.
“If I’m your counselor, please come and see me so I can meet new people,” Lyons said.
Ms. Taylor Rose, Special Education
Elizabeth Boland ’29
Originally an occupational therapist at Strath Haven High School and Strath Haven Middle School, Ms. Taylor Rose returns after getting a degree in special education.
“I went back to get more specific in special ed, because of the stuff that I wanted to do,” Rose said. “I did an online special education degree at [Eastern University].”
After getting her degree, Rose worked at Elwyn Davidson School for a year. She gave the school a try because it was a private school, which she thought she would like more. However, she likes the environment in public schools better.
“[Being at a public school] was a lot more collaborative. [I] got to work in different settings that I didn’t have in the other school, because there weren’t really general education classes,” Rose said.
Rose notes that there are more people to manage at Haven, giving it a different feel from Elwyn Davidson. However, she likes that she can work with more people.
“I’m glad to be back and being able to talk with a bunch of different teachers about the students and how they’re doing,” Rose said.
Rose reflects on the difficulties of it being her first time being in a special education role.
“It’s like starting almost from the beginning again,” Rose said. “I’m learning a lot about my organization and the way that I want to run things, so it’s taking a little while to just get used to it.”
Despite the challenges of starting a new role, Rose finds some parts going better than expected.
“I get to do a third block Learning Center, and my group of students are really fun,” Rose said. “I feel like we already kind of know each other pretty well, which I wasn’t expecting.”
Mr. Gavin Stewart, School Counselor
Adrian Gonzalez-Diaz ’29
For Mr. Gavin Stewart, connecting with the students individually is his main priority as the ninth grade student counselor at Haven.
After graduating from West Chester University, interning at Wallingford Elementary School (WES), and spending last school year as a long-term substitute at Haven, Stewart has returned as a full-time counselor this year.
He is looking forward to “meeting the new ninth grade class, getting to know them and watching them acclimate and change over the year to the high school environment.”
Stewart insists that establishing a close relationship with the students on an everyday basis is essential to counseling.
“I like to be with the students. If I could be with students 100% of the day, I would do that. It’s the best part of the job. That’s why I’m doing it.,” Stewart said.
To achieve this, Stewart strikes up conversations with everybody and is planning on meeting with every ninth grader individually.
Stewart believes that working closely with students is not only important, but essential to involve the whole community.
“This is a school of kind, curious, and well-intentioned staff, students, and families. I’ve seen how they look out for each other in pretty selfless ways, which is cool,” Stewart said.
As for the future, Stewart’s main goal is to keep developing ways to connect and support newly arrived ninth graders. To achieve that, he is launching a new initiative: a Freshman Academy to help integrate freshmen students into the high school.
“I will be in every ninth grade English classroom six different times, engaging and trying to get to know all of the students,” Stewart said.
CORRECTION: In our print edition, we incorrectly listed the name of Ms. Lyons’s previously school. We have corrected this online.
