Katherine Stewart, MA, MEd

Katherine Stewart has been learning, teaching, and leading around New England for the past 15 years, and currently serves as Humanities Department Chair at Thurston Middle School in Westwood, MA. She taught high school English for nine years in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts, where she developed a passion for cultivating student voice and a skillset in facilitating student self-directed projects. A founding member of North Smithfield High School’s Senior Project initiative, she went on to help develop the Senior Independent Project Program (SIPP) curriculum at Westwood High School and serve as the SIPP Lead Teacher and Mentorship Coordinator from 2018-2022. Katherine served on Westwood High School’s J-Term Steering Committee, helping to design a school-wide program for interest-driven, immersive learning experiences for students in grades 9-11. While at WHS Katherine served as a leading teacher on the English Department’s freshman and senior teams, designing student-centered, standards-aligned curriculum units at multiple grade levels. She leads an annual professional development course on building a positive classroom culture for educators new to the Westwood Public Schools. In her current role as Humanities Department Chair at Thurston Middle School in Westwood, she leads a team of 15 staff, including Social Studies teachers, ELA teachers, and literacy specialists. At TMS, Katherine has helped to align units to current curriculum standards, adopt the Investigating History program in grades 6 and 7, expand student-centered and culturally responsive teaching practices, and cultivate a positive school culture. Katherine is a graduate of the ACCEPT Collaborative Educator Leadership Institute. As an educational leader, Katherine believes in fostering a culture of curiosity and compassion. 

Katherine has an undergraduate degree in Humanities from Providence College, a masters degree in Secondary English Education from the University of Rhode Island, and a masters degree in Educational Leadership and Management from Fitchburg State University. She holds licensure as an English teacher in grades 5-12, an English Supervisor/Director, and a Principal/ Assistant Principal in grades 5-12. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, daughter, and two cats.