Henry R. Kravis '63 Center for Excellence in Teaching

Sara Deveaux, Director 

Sara Deveaux, a Cincinnati native and Midwesterner at heart, earned a B.A. from Connecticut College and an M.A. in French from Middlebury. After two years at The Gunnery School, Sara returned to Paris to complete a Masters. She then lived and worked at Westminster School where she spent 22 years as a teacher, administrator, coach and dorm parent. Sara currently teaches French 2 and CL French and enjoys guiding her students not only toward a fluency of expression and a love of learning, but also toward a greater understanding of the diverse cultures in the world in which they live. Sara is a co-lead language teacher at Klingenstein Summer Institute, a program for early-career teachers through Teachers College at Columbia University. Sara is currently working as a co-author of a new textbook, EntreCultures, to be published by Wayside. Sara lives in Simsbury, Conn. with her husband Jon, and children, Ellie and Katie (Tufts ’20) and spends her summers in Williamstown, Mass. where she trains for the Pan-Mass Challenge on the hills of Vermont and New York, hikes, reads and explores a variety of cultural endeavors in the Berkshires.

Harrison Shure, Associate Director

Spending his younger years in the U.K. before moving to Charlottesville, Virginia, Harrison Shure earned his B.A. in History at the University of Virginia before coming to the Island in the fall of 2014. Harrison has taught a range of history courses in the H-PRSS department during his time at Loomis, and served as the interim chair during the 2017-18 year. Amongst his other roles on the Island, Harrison lives in Carter Hall with his dog, Bruiser, and is the Head Coach of the Equestrian team. He enjoys experiencing new cultures when traveling abroad, working out, watching sports, and reading.

Rachel Nisselson, Associate Director

Brooklyn born and bred, Rachel Nisselson earned her B.A. in French at Amherst College and her Ph.D. in French literature at Vanderbilt University. She has taught students ranging in age from 8 to 22 in both France and the U.S., and in both day and boarding environments. While at Vanderbilt, Rachel helped train teaching assistants in various disciplines through the university’s Center for Teaching and co-wrote a lesson study that was published in the Journal on Excellence in College Teaching in 2016. Additional publications have appeared in The French Review and Expressions maghrébines. Rachel currently teaches French and Spanish and heads the Modern and Classical Languages department at Loomis. She lives with her husband, Adnan, and children Raphael and Anika, in Taylor Hall. She enjoys leading trips abroad, playing squash and tennis, gardening, reading, and watching films.