Directory

Vinh La joined the technology department in 2011 as the help desk/applications support technician. He has extensive experience as a troubleshooter for both hardware and software issues on a variety of equipment and software packages. Previous positions include serving as an IT technician at Bank of America and Best Buy.

Sophie Lane has a BA in studio art and French from Wellesley College and an MA in art education from Maryland Institute College of Art. Before joining Rivers, Sophie taught at Miss Hall’s School, where she served as department chair and visual arts teacher. Sophie teaches both analog and digital photography in the Upper School. She also advises ninth graders and serves as the portfolio program advisor.

Ben Leeming came to Rivers in 1996 as a sabbatical fill-in and never left. He teaches world history, art history, and a number of electives. He held the William F. Gallagher Teaching Chair from 2004-2008 and chaired the history department from 2004-2012. Ben has also served as technical director for dozens of Upper School plays and musicals at Rivers. He graduated from Tufts University in 1993 with a BA in the history of art and architecture, completed an ALM with a concentration in history at Harvard University in 2005, and earned a PhD in anthropology from the State University of New York, Albany, in 2017.

Coach Lindsey joined the Rivers varsity football program in 2019 as an assistant coach and was named head coach in 2020. Previously, Lindsey spent two years at Framingham High as the assistant defensive coordinator, where he assisted Framingham High in winning the Bay State Title against their Thanksgiving Day rival Natick at Fenway Park during the 2018 season. Lindsey also coaches the Mass Elite Football team, which draws some of the best middle school players in the region and is associated with Football University (FBU). Lindsey led the Mass Elite 8th grade team to a 4th place finish in the country last year. In addition, he has also served as the head coach for Rivers’ Middle School baseball for the last four years.

Jennifer comes to Rivers with extensive experience working as part of a multi-disciplinary team to support student learning across educational and social-emotional domains. She has spent the last 20+ years at The Manville School in Boston in a variety of roles, including special education teacher, clinical intern/part-time clinician, and in educational leadership. In her leadership role, Jen coordinated educational programming for middle school students, developed curriculum, collaborated with teachers, families, and students, and supported teacher development. Jen received a B.A. in Sociology from Franklin and Marshall College, an M.A.T. in English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and an M.S.W. from Boston College. Outside of work,  Jen enjoys hiking, spending time with her dogs, and traveling with her husband and two teenage children.

As assistant head of school for special projects, Jim Long serves in an advisory role to the head of school, as an admissions interviewer, and as an alumni relations liaison, drawing on his 30-plus years of working with Rivers students. Jim is also a junior varsity basketball coach and does course counseling for Grade 9. Jim has held a number of positions during his tenure, including dean of students for the Upper School, head of Middle School, acting head of school, and varsity basketball coach. He graduated from Bowdoin College with a B.A. in history and government and later received an MEd from Harvard University.

Chris Love teaches Middle School art and coaches Middle School soccer. He has a BA in studio art from the University of Maryland at College Park and an MAT in teaching in art education from Tufts University. Before coming to Rivers, Chris taught art at Shady Hill School in Cambridge. He has coached soccer at both the collegiate and secondary levels.

Carol Lyons comes to Rivers with over 20 years of payroll and benefits management experience. After earning a B.A. in psychology from the University of Maine Farmington, Carol spent much of her career helping nonprofit organizations with their human resources functions, including Cambridge Cares About AIDS and, more recently, as financial/HR manager and then director of operations and human resources at YWCA Cambridge.

As director of college counseling, David Lyons oversees all facets of that office, including counseling students and parents in the college search process, course selection for seniors, and working with faculty, staff, administration, and trustees. Dave also serves as the school’s liaison to the NCAA eligibility center. He is a frequent presenter at professional conferences as well as to executive groups on topics such as developing strategies for their children’s college process, tackling the common application, and athletic recruiting. A Rivers graduate, he was inspired by his experience here to pursue a career in education. He has a BA from Hamilton College, where he previously served as assistant dean of admissions.