Kathryn (Katie) Powers joined the Dana Hall community this year as a new science teacher. She teaches two sections of General Chemistry and two sections of Current Topics in Science this year. Despite Ms. Powers’s short time as a part of Dana Hall, she is already popular with students and teachers. 

Ms. Powers studied Biology at Washington University in St. Louis, and she has always loved learning about the processes of life. She attended Cushing Academy and later taught there, saying that her past teachers led her to the decision to become a teacher: “I owe a lot to the teachers who challenged and cared for me throughout high school. If they hadn’t taken the time to know who I was and who I wanted to become, I would have missed out on a lot of learning.” 

John McShane, fellow science teacher, said, “Ms. Powers has such a good read on students right now, and although [she] is new, will contribute to this community in such a positive way and I’m really excited to see how this year goes.” Siena Esposito ‘25 agrees, saying, “she’s a great teacher; she makes sure everybody gets their voice heard and everybody gets to share…. She also meets with me often, and she’s really funny; she knows how to crack a joke.” 

Ms. Powers joined Dana Hall during the new classroom building project. She is learning new things about the community daily, and she remarks, “Construction probably allows colleagues and students to work a little more closely on a more regular basis, which seems to me like a unique opportunity. The bonus is a new classroom building.” 

Along with teaching classes, Ms. Powers enjoys her time with her advisees and has enjoyed getting to watch them grow throughout their high school years at previous schools. One of Ms. Powers’s advisees, Brooklynn Phillips ‘25, said, “I feel comfortable telling her anything, about missing assignments or anything else, and I don’t feel judged.” 

Outside of school, Ms. Powers enjoys working on carpentry and fixing furniture. She gained this knowledge from her grandfather, with whom she often worked on projects. Ms. Powers would love to be able to pass on this knowledge to students one day in a class or a club.