Chat with us, powered by LiveChat

The Winchendon School

The best college prep school for students with significant unrealized potential

College Counseling

Kyle Bellows

Kyle’s teaching journey has taken him from Jordan to NYC with stops in Chicago and DC in between. He is a lifelong student of history and languages and loves movies, books, soccer, and food. When not doing these things, he is usually at the playground or reading stories with his toddler.

Dream globetrotting adventure: If I had a free few years I’d love to go across the expanse of Eurasia on foot and by train.

Go-to comfort food: Taco Salad, made with secret Bellows family recipe that’s been passed down through the generations.

Favorite memory from work: Taking my Arabic Language and Culture ColLab to a Yemeni grocery store and watching the students wow people with their skills.

Most inspiring part of your job: Getting to witness and participate in my students’ personal and intellectual growth.

Keeley Chretien

Keeley has been part of The Winchendon School Community for over 25 years. She and her husband Dan have raised their four children here. She began her career at The Winchendon School in 2011 as a tutor in our Evening Study Program or ESP (which later became the Hatch Program). In 2013 she joined the college counseling office. Keeley loves working with our students as they begin their college search. She finds their excitement and enthusiasm in the process contagious and it energizes her in helping them develop their life stories and organize their priorities as they search for their best-fit college or university.

Fun Fact: Keeley was born on Midway Island. No one knows the exact number of people born there, but it is less than 500.

Favorite Winch event: Mountain Day! It is always a great way to get to know the students in a different environment.

Favorite Place and books on hand: We have spent 21 summers in Wolfeboro and it never fails to be a time to recharge and enjoy our friends and family (hiking, camping, swimming). I go to the library a few times a week, and I tend to get stuck on an author & read all their books. My favorites are usually historical fiction or mystery. This past summer, I read Amor Towle and finished the Inspector Gamache series (Louise Penny). I also enjoy how-to books – whether it is a hobby (like soap making ) or learning to cook a new recipe from the latest cookbooks.

Go-to comfort food: Hands down ice cream (especially Cherry Garcia) – all year long.

Best part about being at Winch: I work with a fun and caring group of people who are always up for a challenge.

Brian Troy

This fisherman, a marathoner, and all round sportsman quickly and easily fit in at Winchendon – perhaps because he grew up on a boarding school campus. With the goal of one day being an Athletic Director, it is no surprise that if he isn’t coaching Brian is a sideline regular at nearly every Winchendon game. He has one Boston Marathon under his belt, and Brian is also shooting to ride in the Pan Mass Challenge. When he isn’t working out, a book isn’t usually far away – some favorite titles include The Great Gatsby, Flawless Execution, and Eleven Seconds.

Favorite Winchendon tradition: Dorm Olympics because I love watching my dorm floor come together as a unit
Song to start the day: “Homegrown” by the Zac Brown Band or “We Built This City by Starship
Which Winchendon class or ColLAB would you most like to take: Mathenomics with Mr. Chretien because I would like to have a better understanding of the stock market
Go to comfort food: Grilled chicken, Rice-a-Roni, and green beans

Mary Lee Harrington

A woman on the move – that describes Mary Lee. Her enthusiasm keeps her moving from the classroom to the college counseling office to the dance floor. You can be sure that if the Winchendon faculty is dancing Mary Lee is leading the pack. With four Winchendon graduates in her family (her children, Jon ’09, James ‘11, Patrick ‘13 and Bridget ‘14) Mary Lee understands and appreciates the way in which the Winch Way impacts a student’s experience

  • Go-to comfort food: It gives me comfort to make my kids’ favorite food – it is Shepherd’s Pie mixed with Campbell’s Tomato Soup. Don’t knock it ‘til you try it!
  • On the bucket list: I’d love to teach in a Spanish-speaking country and learn the language well.  I’d like it to be an area where Salsa and other types of Latin dance are big.
  • Which Winchendon class or ColLAB would you most like to take: I’d love the Philippines ColLAB. They are doing projects to help kindergartners! It’s warm there, and I’ve never been.
  • Heroine: Corny, but my mom.  She is a wonderful example of one who worries only about what is important and an example of how to be selfless and kind to everyone for no reason at all.
logo