Friday Feature: New faces of Thayer

To get to know our new faculty and staff a little better, we asked them to answer a few general questions about themselves. 

Today, we learn more about:

• Upper School English Faculty Caroline Kautsire
• Middle School 6th Grade Faculty Suzanne Noone
• Middle School 6th Grade Faculty Andrea Keohane
• Assistant Head of School for Student Engagement and Well-being Jed Wartman P '30. 

Meet Caroline Kautsire 

In order, what’s your favorite food, favorite book, and favorite movie? 

I love spicy Indian food like rice and goat curry.
My favorite book is Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. 
My favorite movie is Bend it Like Beckham.

If you could invite one historical figure to dinner, who would it be? 

I would invite William Shakespeare.

What’s the best advice you ever received? 

It’s advice that encourages self-discovery and finding ways to transcend my ego. The advice was communicated to me in the form of a poem by Rumi: “Be melting snow. Wash yourself of yourself.”

What do you know now that you wished you’d known in high school?

When facing adversity, I wish I knew that what felt painful and awkward, what felt like the end of the world, was just part of growth. 

What’s your idea of the perfect day?

A day where I show up as my full self — unapologetically. A day where I reach a healthy balance of exercising mind, body, and spirit.

Meet Suzanne Noone 

In order, what’s your favorite food, favorite book, and favorite movie? 

Chicken Piccata, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and The Parent Trap.

If you could invite one historical figure to dinner, who would it be? 

Maya Angelou. 

What’s the best advice you ever received?

Don't focus on what you can’t do; focus on all that you can do.

What do you know now that you wished you’d known in middle school? 

I wish I knew how cool it is to be kind.

What’s your idea of the perfect day? 

My perfect day is sleeping in late, going to the beach, going out to dinner, and getting an ice cream cone for dessert.

Meet Andrea Keohane 

In order, what’s your favorite food, favorite book, and favorite movie? 

Food - I love comfort food, so sometimes a good tasting burger with all the trimmings AND must have MAYO!
Book - The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Movie - A Room with a View

If you could invite one historical figure to dinner, who would it be? 

Sophie Scholl, German political activist. She was a German student and an anti-Nazi activist within the Weise Rose (White Rose), a nonviolent resistance group in Nazi Germany.

What’s the best advice you ever received? 

My father inspires me a lot. He reminds me to keep my head up, to stand tall and proud, and to never give up. I often visualize those words, and that’s enough to keep me going sometimes.

What do you know now that you wished you’d known in middle school? 

I wish I would have known what it meant to advocate for myself. I wish someone could have told me, “This is your education, and you are in control of it. You can steer it, shape it, and make it work for you.” 

What’s your idea of the perfect day? 

A perfect day is the feeling when something has gone really well. It’s when things click, students smile, and there’s an energy in the classroom where everyone feels they can contribute, belong, and laugh. It’s when my students leave the classroom and I feel on cloud nine because that class was really great.

I also love a good chai latte (the spice has to be just right) … that can make any day pretty perfect!

Meet Jed Wartman P '30

In order, what’s your favorite food, favorite book, and favorite movie? 

Carrot cake, The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay, and Footloose (the original).

If you could invite one historical figure to dinner, who would it be? 

Abraham Lincoln.

What’s the best advice you ever received? 

Showing up is more than just being in the room.

What do you know now that you wished you’d known in high school? 

Asking questions and being curious is a product of intelligence, not a reason for insecurity. Try new things and explore possibility.

What’s your idea of the perfect day? 

It’s a sun-shining, blue-sky day in Maine spent outside on the water with my family, and maybe the dogs, too. Somewhere in there is a good cup of coffee, a captivating book, mellow music, and lots and lots of love and laughter.