Spruce Mountain Schools: Meet the Staff!

Spruce Mountain Primary School

Shannon Cuthbertson is a second grade teacher at the primary school. She graduated from the University of Maine Farmington in 2003, and got her first teaching job at Jay Middle School as a fifth/sixth grade science teacher. In 2007, she transferred to second grade at Jay and has enjoyed teaching second grade ever since. In 2017, she graduated with her master’s degree in education from Thomas College. She enjoys traveling with her family, baking, and watching her daughter dance and play sports.

Spruce Mountain Elementary School

Michelle Leclair is a fourth grade teacher at the elementary school. She studied to become an elementary teacher at Plymouth State College in New Hampshire. Her first teaching job was a second grade teacher at Lakewood Elementary School in St. Petersburg, Florida. In 2001 she moved back to Maine and started her career in this district. Her father, Ron Pratt, was a boys basketball coach for Regional School Unit 36 and took the team to the state championship in 1989. She feels proud to work in the district where her dad was successful.

Spruce Mountain Middle School

Scott Hartford is a seventh grade math and science teacher. He graduated from UMF with a bachelor’s degree and from the University of New England with a master’s degree. He began teaching at the Jay Middle School in 2001, which later became Spruce Mountain Middle School in 2011. Mr. Hartford enjoys reading, music, and outdoor activities including: hunting, fishing, hiking, and golf. This past summer he went skydiving and whitewater rafting.

Spruce Mountain High School

Jessica Elllingwood-Simpson is a high school math teacher, currently teaching statistics, geometry and senior math. She has been at SMHS since 2013; however, her first experience in the district was as a student teacher under Kellee Fortier working with fifth and sixth graders in 2005. Prior to SMHS she taught at Rangeley Lakes Regional School. She is a graduate of UMF and earned her master’s degree in math Instruction and Curriculum from the University of Phoenix. As well as a teacher, she has been a track coach, cross country running coach, National Honor Society advisor and Upward Bound advocate in the district. She lives in Farmington with her husband Cedric, two children Scout and Wes, two dogs Wallace and Max, and two cats Lucy and Zoey. On nights and weekends she is often chauffeuring her children around to their soccer, basketball, gymnastics, baseball, or skiing practices. One of her favorite hobbies is cross country skiing and alpine skiing with her family at Titcomb, and hopefully Saddleback Mountain in the near future. One of her favorite aspects of teaching is when graduated students come back to her classroom to share their post-SMHS life stories. If you are one of her former students please swing by (after school) to catch up.