The Hive sat down with one of our new assistant principals, Ms. Cavoneil!

The Hive: First of all, we’re just wondering where you grew up and where you went to high school?

Cavoneil: Sure. So I grew up all over the place and a lot of different states. I went to high school at Dover Sherborn high school in Massachusetts. I was born in New Hampshire, moved to Georgia, and lived there for eight years. But back to Massachusetts, which is where I went to high school. And then from there, I went to college in New Hampshire. I traveled around the world for two years living in 10 different countries, then I moved to Colorado, back to Massachusetts and a long trail of different states.

The Hive: Could you tell us more about traveling around the world?

Cavoneil: Sure. Yeah. So for two years after I finished grad school, I left with a backpack and started out by traveling to New Zealand to do a program called WWOOF. It stands for worldwide workers on organic farms. And basically you live with various people in various farm settings and work on the farm in exchange for food and accommodation. So that was the initial reason for leaving on a trip and then it was just that I wanted to keep traveling and learning more about different cultures and countries. So that turned into two years, and I held various jobs in various countries, and it’s probably the best thing that I’ve ever done. 

The Hive: Do you have a favorite country that you spent time in? 

Cavoneil: That’s such a tough question. I love New Zealand for its mountains and hiking. And I also really loved living in Thailand because it was just so different from anything I’ve ever known. Yeah.

The Hive: At home, do you have any pets?

Cavoneil: I don’t have any pets. 

The Hive: If you were to have a pet? What would you get?

Cavoneil: Golden retriever puppy.

The Hive: What do you like best about your job so far? 

Cavoneil: I think that it’s different every day. There’s different challenges that arise. I get to meet and work with so many different students and teachers. And I really love supporting teachers. 

The Hive: How did you get into the education field? Was it always something you were interested in? 

Cavoneil: Yeah, so I’ve always known I wanted to get into education. I think the consistent driving force is that I believe in the power of young people. I love working with kids. I come from a family of educators, so I’ve always known I wanted to be a teacher. And after teaching for, you know, so many years, I became really interested in school leadership, and that’s what got me into this position. 

The Hive: What did you teach?

Cavoneil: Middle school ELA.

The Hive: If you weren’t working here, what would you be doing? 

Cavoneil: A photographer for National Geographic.

The Hive: That sounds like a dream. So, what are some of your hobbies outside of school?

Cavoneil: I have a lot of hobbies. Mountain biking, hiking, skiing, running, gravel biking. I like Frisbee. I like moving outdoors. 

The Hive: Seems like the right place to be [Vermont]. This one might be a little difficult, but what’s something you would change about? Essex High School if you could? Or is there anything that you see that could be different?

Cavoneil: I’m not sure I’ve been here long enough to identify something that could change. I think something that can always improve is just, you know, I want this to be a place that students and faculty and staff love being at every day. I think you can always build on school culture and I’d love to. With the past couple years being difficult with hybrid and remote I’d love to bring back assemblies and pep rallies, which I know we’re planning. So, just the activities that unite people and that bring the fun.

The Hive: Sounds great. And then our last question for you is why did you take this job?

Cavoneil: I took this job because as I said, I’ve been really interested in school leadership. I really love this district. I really felt a connection to the team of administrators here. And Vermont was, as you know, well, I’ve always wanted to move my family to Vermont, and it was a great opportunity. And yeah, I’m just really grateful to work here. Everyone I’ve met has been so kind.

The Hive: Great! Thank you for your time.