We are excited to introduce to you our five new Upper School faculty members. Each of them are great additions to the community, and we can’t wait to see great contributions they bring this year!
Ms. Traill, English Department Chair
Ms. Traill grew up in rural Maryland and went to The Bryn Mawr School, an all girls school in Baltimore. She taught at Idyllwild Arts Academy, an arts boarding school in Southern California. Most recently, she taught at Wyoming Seminary in Wilkes-Barre,Pennsylvania, where she worked for the last fourteen years.
For a long time, Ms. Traill has been interested in girls’ education. “I am incredibly grateful for what girls’ education has done for me, and I wanted to go back to that.” Because her parents were both teachers, Ms. Traill states, “[Teaching] is in my blood.” At Agnes Irwin, Ms. Traill was attracted to the students’ engagement and the school’s goals to “do great things.” Additionally, Ms. Traill’s middle name is Agnes, so it was meant to be.
Ms. Traill reflects that her love for English, “was kind of always there.” She is interested in theatre and visual arts, and at one point thought she would become a theatre major. According to her, “When it came time to choose a major, I looked at all of my classes, and almost [every] elective was an English class. My brain was steering me towards English without me knowing it.”
This year, Ms. Traill looks forward to getting to know an entirely new population. “I haven’t been new anywhere for a while. [Staying in one place] is a comfortable place to be, but it can become too comfortable.” She looks forward to trying and learning new things and meeting new people.
In her free time, Ms. Traill enjoys sewing and art. She has been involved with community theatre for a large part of her life, and she would love to get back to that activity. Ms. Traill has a daughter, Beatrix, in Pre-K at AIS. Her biggest advice for students is “Be creative always. No matter what you’re doing, creativity is the answer.” Finally, Ms. Traill comments, “If you want to suck up to me, I always accept chocolate. And, I really really hate raccoons.”
Miss Johns, English Teacher
After teaching in New York City and Philadelphia for four years, Miss Johns is currently teaching 9th grade English and two senior electives. One of her electives, Imprisonment in Literature, discusses the roots of mass incarceration in the U.S., through literature that spotlights figures who are important to the issue as well as current events. She also teaches Creative Nonfiction, which focuses on reading and writing memoir.
Miss Johns loves to watch students connect with literature, so she centers her classes around discussion to hear their ideas and observe how books impact them. She was inspired to study teaching by her own high school experience. Gr
owing up, she sometimes “didn’t like school,” and she “wanted to change that for future generations.” In college, after Miss Johns volunteered at SHARE (Students Helping Adolescents Reach Excellence), she felt more committed to teaching.
In her spare time, Miss Johns rescues and fosters stray animals. She especially loves cats and takes care of many fostered and adopted cats in her home. Miss Johns also spends time writing children’s books that champion diversity. In 2018, she published a book called Nailed It, which tells the story of a young boy who likes to paint his nails. Miss Johns graduated college with a masters in writing, and is currently studying to get her PhD in English.
Even if you are not taking her class, Miss Johns would still love to support any student and welcomes everyone into her classroom. She wants the girls at AIS to know that her door is open “even when it’s closed.”
Mr. Greenberg, History Department Chair
Mr. Greenberg grew up in Mt. Airy, a neighborhood in West Philadelphia.
He has lived in many other places, but he moved back to Mt. Airy about four years ago. Mr. Greenberg taught at Moorestown Friends School in South Jersey for the last eleven years. In addition, he has worked in schools in Portland, Oregon and Washington D.C.
Mr. Greenberg tried to have an office job and hated it. He was drawn to the energy of schools, and he appreciates that no two days in school are the same, something that is not as true of an office job. Mr. Greenberg is a political science major, but political science is not something that is frequently taught in high schools. He finds history to be “a part of the social sciences, and [he] love[s] to think about how the past informs the present and future.” Above all, he has a clear love for learning. His favorite part of teaching is when students are able to take control of their learning and show leadership in the classroom. “I love when students become involved in what they’re doing and they forget I’m there.”
Mr. Greenberg comments that the energy of the History Department members drew him to Agnes Irwin, and their attitudes made him excited to work with them. In addition, he loves the mission of the school and he eagerly took the opportunity to, “support a place where girls are given the tools to do their best and make a difference in the world.”
The main takeaway Mr. Greenberg has received through his years teaching is, “everyone, no matter what age, is still developing. Even when you have a student in 9th [grade], they’re going to be different in another year…everyone is always changing.”
In his freetime, Mr. Greenberg enjoys hiking in the woods with his five year old dog, Hudson, who is a Blue Heeler. He loves to travel, cook and eat. Mr. Greenberg expresses he has “heard great things about AIS/EA Day,” and he looks forward to experiencing it this year. He also is excited for SSPs and getting to know everyone at AIS.
Mr. Greenberg asserts, “Teachers are on your side, never be afraid to ask for help. We’re here to support you.” He also dictates, “It’s been wonderful to get to know people here. It’s been a welcoming school community, and I’m excited for the rest of the year!”
Dr. Kidd, History Teacher
Dr. Kidd grew up in Chesterfield County, in the suburbs of Richmond, Virginia. His father was a history buff who was interested in genealogy and family history. Dr. Kidd did not share this fascination, but always had old documents around his house which cultivated his curiosity for history. In middle school, he began to study Spanish where he found his love for Latin American history.
Dr. Kidd lived in Brazil for about eighteen months. He states Brazil is, “almost like a second home and a place
where [he] really established roots outside of the U.S.” After he finished the qualifying exams for his doctorate, he returned to the U.S. in 2018. Dr. Kidd taught at James Madison University for two years while doing his masters. Next, he worked at Duke University while he completed his PHD. There, he taught undergraduates for seven years.
Dr. Kidd has wanted to be a teacher since elementary school. He comments his “many great teachers and [their] level of investment in their students’ lives was inspiring… They saw something in me I didn’t realize myself,” and he wants to do this with his students. Kidd believes teaching is a “noble profession” which is “highly underappreciated in society.”
Dr. Kidd found the AIS community very “striking and attractive.” Dr. Kidd mentions he has “a lot of background working with English and languages to approach large-scale societal problems through different lenses.” Because of this, the school’s emphasis on interdisciplinary projects is something that appealed. Dr. Kidd expresses he first viewed Agnes Irwin as a “mini college. The autonomy the girls have is something that wasn’t part of my high school experience.” Another element that stood out to him was that there are no hall passes. He found the schedule, which includes both free periods and time for extracurriculars, “unusual, but ingenious.”
Throughout his years as a teacher, Dr. Kidd has realized that everyone processes information in different ways. “What one person finds significant, others may not, and as teachers, we must leave openings for everyone to examine.” Dr. Kidd works to implement all types of learning styles into his teachings and he feels the act of taking these differences into consideration “decenters [him]self.”
Dr. Kidd’s favorite part about AIS is “the energy students bring, regardless of their outside commitments.” He says the students have a “good sense of humor,” and he has received “plenty of support and positive reinforcement from other faculty members which makes [his] job a lot more enjoyable.”
Dr. Kidd stresses, “Be a self advocate… If you want something unexplained, ask. If you don’t understand something, ask.” He acknowledges this skill does not come easily, but it is an important skill to start practicing, especially in highschool.
This year, Dr. Kidd is excited to learn more about AIS/EA day, the hallway competition, Mayfair, and other student traditions. In his f
ree time, he enjoys collecting vinyl records. While he admits his collection isn’t large, he feels “with all of the technology [he]use[s] in [his] everyday life, it is nice to be low-tech with music.” Finally, Dr. Kidd is a coffee fanatic, and he “does a pretty good job of making his own cold brew.”
Miss Zadroga, History Teacher
Going back to school can be stressful for students, but Miss Zadroga provides the perfect amount of fun. While she is serious and passionate about history, she loves to incorporate music and games into her classroom.
When she isn’t teaching, Miss Zadroga loves to read and listen to true crime podcasts. She also values time outside and has hiked and traveled throughout
the U.S. and Europe. She especially loved visiting the island of Malta for its desert landscape and rich history.
Miss Zadroga is a leader both in and out of the classroom. She is mod
erator for The Lamp, Agnes Irwin’s yearbook. In college, she also helped start a fresh crate program with a community outreach organization (CCSJ). The program brought fresh produce to local corner stores near her college campus, which helped discount food prices and reduce waste. Even though Miss Zadroga started the program in college, it is still running today.
At Agnes Irwin, Miss Zadroga is “happy to be a listening ear” and wants people to feel comfortable talking to her about anything. She encourages her students to take time each day to reflect on themselves and do what they enjoy. Miss Zadroga is eager to get to know more students as the year progresses!
