Georgios Athanassiadis, Science Teacher
A native of Greece, Mr. “A” is a 26-year veteran of teaching and has been a part of Lab School for the last eight years. He is dual-certified in physics and Earth science and loves teaching circular motion and energy in physics because it applies to roller coasters and fun classroom projects. Mr. A has also helped international students who come to BC become acclimated to our culture. His favorite Lab School memories involve spending time bonding with students and colleagues while on the spring field trips. He and his wife, whom he met while in graduate school at UAlbany, have two grown sons who are also scientists: one works in Germany and the other lives and works in the Capital Region. Mr. A loves to cook, travel, work on his photography (slide film), and listen to classical and early music or walk his dog, a miniature schnauzer.
David Lendrum, Lab School Coordinator & Science Teacher
Lab School coordinator David Lendrum has been a teacher for 20+ years. He has been a member of the Lab School for the last nine years. He graduated from UAlbany with a B.S. in Biology. In addition to serving as Lab School coordinator, Mr. Lendrum also serves on the Curriculum Council and the Transcript Committee. His favorite thing to teach is evolution because, as he says, “it is the reason everything else I teach functions as it does.” One of his favorite memories of Lab School was when a visually-impaired student was allowed to cross beyond a barrier and feel the crack of the Liberty Bell during a Lab School trip to Philadelphia. Mr. Lendrum enjoys farming in his spare time and riding anything with two or four wheels. His wife is a teacher in Voorheesville and together they have three children and two dogs and reside in Westerlo, NY.
Katie Leo, Social Studies Teacher
A 13-year veteran, Katie Leo has spent the last four years teaching social studies in the Lab School. She graduated from Siena College with a degree in history and went on to Union College, where she earned a master’s degree in social studies education. Ms. Leo’s favorite topic to teach is the early Cold War in the 1950s because there are unique foreign policy issues and cultural trends that all stem from that period. She is a huge fan of music and loves to garden, travel, and spend time with family. Ms. Leo and her husband, a teacher in the Bethlehem Central School District, have a daughter and a miniature dachshund named Rockette. Ms. Leo’s favorite Lab School memory is visiting Washington, D.C. but she says she also very much enjoys the day-to-day interactions and the spontaneous conversations that take place in her classroom.
Meg Maset, English Teacher
A teacher for the last 20 years, Meg Maset is in her spending her first as a member of the Lab School faculty teaching English 11 and Research 9. Maset is a graduate of Messiah College where she earned a B.A. in English literature, and earned a master’s degree in adolescence education from UAlbany. Ms. Maset’s favorite thing to teach, she says, is anything having to deal with real-world issues. “I love seeing students become passionate about issues that matter and care enough to do something about them.” In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, running, singing and reading. She lives with her husband and her daughter in Albany. They have a greyhound named Fuzzy and a cat named Budz. Her favorite Lab School memory is her first hike up Buck Mountain during the fall retreat.
Andrew Rickert, English Teacher
Andrew Rickert has been a teacher for the last 18 years, and this is his sixth year working in Bethlehem and as part of Lab School. Rickert graduated from UAlbany with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and from The College of Saint Rose where he earned his master’s degree in adolescence education. His favorite book to teach, he says, is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee because of “all the valuable life lessons that can be found in this iconic work of literature.” Mr. Rickert is the head coach of the BC boys cross country team and serves as the coordinator advisor to Mr. Lendrum, helping to plan Lab School events. He also helps coordinate the annual Poetry Out Loud contest at the HS. In his spare time he runs, geocaches, cheers for the Mets, and loves live music. He and his wife, a school psychologist, have three sons and live in Bethlehem. His favorite Lab School memory is seeing Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, for the first time on a trip with students.
Samantha Ryan, Math Teacher
This is the sixth year of teaching for Samantha Ryan, who is excited to be a member of Lab School. She comes to BCSD from The College of Saint Rose where she played volleyball, a sport she loves to coach at the U17 level. Mrs. Ryan’s favorite unit to teach is the circle unit of geometry because as she says, “the proofs pull together all of the skills the students picked up the entire year.” In her spare time, Ms. Ryan loves to spend time with friends and recently tried axe throwing. Her favorite memory of Lab School so far has been the skits students put together at the fall retreat at Camp Chingachgook.
Brian Spina, Math Teacher
Brian Spina is a BCHS grad who has 10 years of teaching experience, six of the last which have been teaching math in the Lab School. He earned his bachelor’s degree from SUNY New Paltz, where he also played soccer. Mr. Spina holds a master’s degree in curriculum development and instructional technology from UAlbany. Outside of the classroom Mr. Spina serves as the assistant coach for the boys varsity soccer team and an advisor for the indoor soccer club, Futsal. He says he loves teaching exponential and logarithmic functions because of all the real-world applications that can be answered using those strategies. Mr. Spina enjoys the outdoors, especially hiking and fishing. His favorite Lab School memory was a visit from a hypnotist during a spring retreat.
Mary White, Science Teacher
With 35+ years of teaching to her credit, Mary White has spent the last several years as part of the Lab School faculty teaching chemistry. She earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a master’s degree in teaching from SUNY Oneonta. She also serves as a member of the BCHS Generation Ready team that is working to ensure a culture and climate that promotes learning for all and is a tech coach who helps her peers with the use of interactive whiteboards in their classrooms. Ms. White’s favorite topic to teach, she says, is solutions and mixtures because it “lends itself well to food science.” It is no surprise that Ms. White has a passion for cooking as well as sewing, and enjoys being a mother of two grown children and grandma to her three grandchildren. Her favorite aspect of Lab School is to listen in to students’ research presentations at the end of each semester.
Alicia Wilson, Social Studies Teacher
Alicia Wilson has been a teacher for the last 15 years and a member of Lab School for five years. She earned her bachelor’s degree in history from Siena College — where she played field hockey — and holds a master’s degree in general education from UAlbany. She says her favorite unit to teach is the Renaissance because of her passion for art. She also says she enjoys teaching her students about the development of the Catholic Church during that time period. Mrs. Wilson has two children with her husband, who is also a BCHS social studies teacher. Her favorite memories of Lab School include the Boston field trip and walking along the Potomac River while in Washington, D.C. and seeing all the cherry blossoms in spring.