Reverend Lambelet by Tatum Spencer ‘26
SSSAS welcomes new faculty member Reverend Lambelet to the community! Rev. Lambelet is from Atlanta, Georgia and served as an associate Rector for children, youth, and young families. “One of the things I liked most about my previous job was that I was really involved in the community,” she told The Voice. “I was often accompanying youth in exploring the wider Atlanta community.” Rev. Lambelet got to engage in various activities and explore new places around the city, and she found it to be very enjoyable during her time in Georgia. She learned a lot from her experiences while also getting the opportunity to delve into new perspectives from her peers, and wants to take her learnings back to the SSSAS community and to discuss them with fellow students and faculty members. Rev. Lambelet thought often about what it means to develop the resources that are needed in order to accompany spiritual paths that people who are often receiving services from nonprofits need. “Before becoming a priest, I worked a lot in the nonprofit world and also as a vegetable farmer, and so my journey into priesthood was more about thinking from my experience in nonprofit work, like seeing how many people were burnt out by accompanying folks who are living sort of hard lives in various kinds of ways.”
Ms. Watts by Rose Breckinridge ’26
Ms. Watts is a new English teacher at the Upper School this year. Coming from Honolulu, where she taught English for 9th and 10th graders at an all girls school, Ms. Watts is very excited to be a part of the saints community. When asked about her favorite aspects of the community here, she replied by saying “Everyone is super nice and warm and takes the caring community very seriously. I also like the balanced episocal identity with a modern perspective.” Ever since her childhood, Ms. Watts has alway wanted to be a teacher, as she “really loved school and learning and wanted to stay in that environment.” In addition, she considered becoming a journalist, which stemmed from her love for writing, and liked the idea of being a cowgirl with a laidback lifestyle. Outside of teaching, Ms. Watts enjoys a variety of activities, primarily outdoors, such as hiking, running, swimming, and going on boats. She also has a cat, Frances, whom she named “so I could use one of the names I had in mind for a daughter” because she has two sons.
Ms. Etherington by Charlotte Secrist ’27
Ms. Etherington is a new learning support specialist in the academic center. She is very excited about her new role and when asked about what she is enjoying about her time here so far, she responded “The contact I have with the students here. My previous role was very much strategic, so lots more paperwork, [so] I’m really enjoying being back in the classroom.” Before coming to St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes, her previous position was at the British International School in Georgetown. Ms. Etherington has a background in dance but has always been interested in how movement and teaching can intersect for a better learning experience. As well as her dance background, Ms. Etherington has always wanted to be a teacher. She always looked up to her instructors while in school, and now that she is a teacher, she finds joy in helping students become confident in their own abilities. As well as a teacher, Ms. Etherington is also the lead singer in a cover band. When asked about her favorite songs to sing, she said “I love singing Zombie by the Cranberries. That always goes down well, some of The Killers ones as well, some of the country ones too. We’ve got a real eclectic mix of stuff.”
Ms. Bailey by Jackson Sipple-Asher ’27
Ms. Bailey is a new math teacher this school year. She is an alumni of Saint Stephens Saint Agnes, and always enjoyed her math classes with Ms. Daily and Mrs. Geiger. Before rejoining St Stephen’s and St Agnes, she worked from home as a Sophomore Engineer for three years. Talking about her previous job she said: “I liked parts of it, I think I really missed getting to see people in person.” Ms. Bailey felt that working at home came with an unfulfilling lack of community, which was the main reason why she wanted to change her career. The strong sense of community at Saint Stephens Saint Agnes made her interested in returning as a math teacher; “The biggest thing that I’ve been enjoying and that really drew me to making a career switch was the opportunity to get to form a greater community for myself in my worklife”When asked for a fun fact about herself, Ms. Bailey shared her “go-to” story about when she played basketball in eighth grade. During a game against Sidwell Friends, Ms. Bailey said that she had to set a pick against Malia Obama, which she described as “terrifying,” and which she purposefully messed up to not get into trouble. “I just kind of stood by her and prayed that she would stay in place because I was terrified that someone might jump at me,” she said about the game.
Mr. Perez by Olivia Grace Cushman ’26
The SSSAS science department welcomed Mr. Perez to the team this fall. He is teaching 10th and 11th grade, and super excited for the year. He recently moved here from Massachusetts, where he worked and lived at a 9th-12th grade boarding school. Though the transition to our school has definitely been an adjustment, he has liked getting to know his new students along with our welcoming faculty. He is also planning on coaching our ice hockey team this winter. In college he took religious study, and would be interested in possibly teaching a religion class at SSSAS in the future. Although it seems like Mr. Perez was destined to be a teacher, when asked if he always felt that way he smiled and said “I don’t think I always knew I wanted to be a teacher…my mom and my sister will tell you it was inevitable.” Moms just do know everything!
Ms. Brundidge by Ava Lyubinsky ’28
SSSAS is delighted to have a new welcoming face greet us in the front offices in the mornings. “Mrs. Brundidge, the great” used to work at Arlington Public school in Arlington Virginia before she switched to coming here. She’s loved her experience with this school so far, specifically the fact that “the school is such a close tight knit community” and of course our brand new addition! Mrs. Brundidge didn’t always want to be in this profession. She used to want to become a lawyer. However she realized that it was easier to be working in the school system because it would be easier to be with her kids, and it went along with her kids schedules. She loved that she could “be at home and at school at the same times as my kids”. A fun fact about Mrs. Brundidge is that she has 12 grandchildren. Make sure to say Hi to her in the mornings!
Mr. Kuwana by Jordon Dixon ’25
St Stephen’s and St Agnes is thrilled to welcome Mr. Kuwana, the newest member of the history department at the Upper School. Born In Tokyo, Mr. Kuwana grew up in Japan until the age of 6 before moving to the US. He spent the rest of his childhood years living in New England, where he attended Brown University. Though he has spent much of his life in New England, Mr. Kuwana is excited to experience the unique history and culture of the DMV region, where he looks forward to exploring its rich historical landscape. “As someone really interested in history and memory, being surrounded by so many important monuments is something I’m really excited about.” Before joining SSSAS, Mr. Kuwana was a teacher at Deerfield Academy, a boarding school in Massachusetts, and has recently worked as a research assistant in Tokyo. Reflecting on his transition to SSSAS, he expressed his enthusiasm for joining the community: “Being a part of both the ninth and tenth grade teaching teams has been really good. The collaborative environment here has made everything smooth and welcoming.” While history wasn’t the first subject he was interested in, Mr. Kuwana’s passion for the subject blossomed during his time in college. Teaching has always been a natural fit for Mr. Kuwana, who finds joy in the intellectual curiosity of high school students. When asked if there was an “aha” moment that confirmed his desire to teach, Mr. Kuwana pointed to his own experiences as a student. “There were moments in my high school classrooms where I felt really at home and comfortable. That environment was so impactful to me, and looking back, I realized I wanted to create those same kinds of spaces for my own students.”
Coach Hendi by Lucy Perkins ‘26
Coach Seb Hendi has a new role this year, joining the Athletic Department as an Assistant Athletic Director. He grew up in Alexandria where he went to TC Williams High School, now Alexandria City High School, but he always had friends at SSSAS. Although he was born in Ottawa Canada, Coach Seb grew up moving between Canada, the US, and Argentina a lot. His parents were from Argentina and he says that out of all three places, Argentina is his favorite. Before working at SSSAS, Coach Seb coached club soccer at ASA. He also worked part time at Lululemon and played soccer semi professionally. His favorite job before he came to SSSAS was being a model for Adidas. His modeling poster is still in the United store. Last year, Coach Hendi played several roles at St. Stephen’s including being a full time substitute teacher, the lunch coordinator, and the girl’s soccer coach. Additionally, he coached some faculty workout classes. While he enjoyed his job last year, Coach Seb describes his job this year as, “ So much more fun! I just work in sports which is great. I interact with the kids more, which is great.” He also enjoys ordering all the equipment, working with Nike, and getting to focus on a broader array of sports. His second favorite sport to be involved in is the boys basketball team. To him the experience with the boys is very different, however it is still fun. Coach Seb said, “ I get to be directly involved with all the sports, not just soccer, which I think is a lot of fun.”
