Tara Bartlett is a certified school social worker. She first worked as a Student Assistance Counselor at Amity Junior and Senior High through New Hope Manor, and in 1998 was hired as a school social worker for our district. She has worked in all of our elementary schools as well as our middle school. Tara began her career at the Children's Center in Hamden, first as a residential counselor then as the Day Treatment Coordinator. She then took a job at New Hope Manor, a residential drug and alcohol treatment facility for teenage girls. Tara had many roles there, including Senior Counselor and Director of Counseling of residential living and Student Assistance Counselor for Old Lyme High School, Amity Schools, and RSD 17. Tara received her Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies and her Master of Social Work from UCONN. She lives on the shoreline with her husband and two daughters, their cats Samson and Sierra and their dog Fern.
Rebecca Degnan is a certified school counselor. She joined the counseling department at HKMS in the fall of 2013, after ten years as our chorus teacher. Before coming to RSD 17, she worked as a freelance musician and a music teacher at Hamden Middle School. Rebecca obtained her Bachelor of Music from the Hartt School of Music in 2000, with a double major in Music Composition and Music Production and Technology. She was certified in music education through the Alternate Route to Certification program in 2002, and received her Master of Science in School Counseling from Central Connecticut State University in 2012. She lives in Haddam with her husband and two daughters, along with their dog Juno, and continues to teach voice students in her free time. Dayleen Nelson is a certified school psychologist. She was first hired at RSD 17 in 2001 as the school psychologist at Killingworth Elementary School. Currently, she continues in that role at KES in addition to serving as the fifth grade school psychologist at HKMS. Prior to joining our district, she was the school psychologist at Kent Center School (grades K-8) in RSD 1 for six years. Her early employment experiences include tutoring students with dyslexia at the Dunnabeck at Kildonan Summer School in Amenia, NY, and working as a psychiatric aide with the adolescent population at Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan. Dayleen earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Vassar College. She received her Master of Arts and Sixth Year Degree in School Psychology from Fairfield University. She has a teenage son and daughter who keep her very busy where she resides in Cromwell. Alan Fortin is a certified school counselor. He joined the HKMS counseling department in 2006. Previously, he was an outreach worker at Bristol Central High School. Alan obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work from Fitchburg State University in the year 2001, and his Master of Science degree in School Counseling from the College of New Rochelle. As a former collegiate hockey player, Alan enjoys playing all sports, particularly ice hockey and golf. Alan resides in Southington with his wife, two daughters, and his dog Chopper. Heather Pach is a certified school psychologist. She has been a part of the HKMS counseling staff since 2007, when the school first opened to grades 5-8. She came to HKMS after working as a school psychologist for New London Public Schools for six years. Prior to that, she worked as an elementary school teacher in Old Saybrook and West Hartford. Heather obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, Master Science and a Sixth Year Degree in School Psychology from Southern Connecticut State University. Heather lives in Haddam with her husband and two children. Elizabeth Young is a certified school counselor. She has been a part of the HKMS counseling department since 2008. She was originally hired as our first Transition Counselor shortly after the opening of our new 5-8 middle school. Prior to that, she was a school counselor at Guilford High School for seven years. Elizabeth obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and her Master of Science in School Counseling from Southern Connecticut State University. She is certified as a group fitness instructor and a yoga instructor. She lives in Killingworth with her husband and two middle school-aged children. |