Teacher Spotlight: Getting to Know Ms. Hill

Last year, SNA welcomed a new 3rd/4th grade teacher, Ms. Narissa Hill, to the teaching staff, and she has quickly become a valued member of the school community. She graduated from the University of Scranton in 2024 where she earned a degree in Early and Primary Education. Ms. Hill is originally from New Hampshire, and she already had a connection to SNA because she attended Camp Lovewell when she was younger. 

Before joining SNA, Ms. Hill worked briefly at a preschool in Hollis, which was her first teaching job out of college. During college, however, she gained lots of experience working with children. She served as a teacher’s aid as part of her degree program, and she also worked as a tutor, both of which helped her to prepare for her career in education.

Although, teaching was not Ms. Hill’s first plan. When she was younger, she wanted  to become a pediatric nurse. By her senior year of high school, however, she realized that this was not the path she wanted to take and soon after, she landed on teaching. At first, she thought she wanted to teach kindergarten or first grade, but after being placed in a 3rd grade room for her student-teaching program, she realized upper elementary was what she was most interested in. 

Outside of the classroom Ms. Hill enjoys crafting, junk journaling, coloring, attending concerts and festivals, and seeing live theater. After participating in theater in high school and directing two musicals in college, she now co-runs the SNA Drama Club with Ms. Coakley. 

She says one of her favorite parts of working at SNA is the strong sense of community and support among the staff and the larger community, as well as the freedom she has as a teacher to help her students learn in the best way possible. “I love that we have the opportunity to choose what’s best for our students. You know, just because it’s right for my students doesn't mean it’s right for someone else's, and that’s not an issue. It is appreciated that we all teach differently,” she said in an interview after being asked about her favorite part of teaching here.  Ms. Hill has become an important part of the SNA community, and she helps make the school community a better place.