The GAA Team
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
We're thrilled to introduce our vibrant education team, a dynamic group dedicated to the arts and passionate about fostering creativity and learning. With our commitment to innovative education and a love for artistic expression, we're excited to inspire and empower the next generation of creative minds.
Amy Valentine
Executive Director
Amy founded Gorham Arts Alliance in 2011. Her passion is to enrich and inspire children and adults through the Arts and Sciences. She has taught as a Reading Specialist in grades K-8 in the Clinton, Skowhegan and Bonny Eagle School Districts. Amy is founder of the Gorham Arts Alliance, (a 501c3 non-profit organization) that has grown and evolved since its creation in 2011. In 2014, she created the Community Arts Center located at 34 School St., Gorham and in 2021 created a second center The Arts and Nature Center at Tannery Brook located at 10 Wentworth Dr., Gorham. She loves working with children, spending time with her family, being outdoors, fishing remote streams, hiking in the western mountains and is an avid birdwatcher. Education University of Maine at Farmington Bachelor of Science: Special Education K-8 Minor in Elementary Education and Psychology
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Christina Thibault
Assistant Director
Program Developer
Christina joined the Gorham Arts Alliance in 2017 after managing a Before and After School Program at a K-6 school for nearly 10 years. While there, she learned and shared the importance of offering children and their families safe, inclusive and enriching out-of-school experiences. She has carried that knowledge along with her to the Gorham Arts Alliance Arts and Nature Center where she is able to teach students of all ages and abilities. She is passionate about Art and Science and provides her students with opportunities to grow and develop skills as creative problem solvers, independent thinkers and creators. Christina and her two children live in the area with their good dog Liza, two cats (Millie and Rocko), a prolific population of guppies and, by her kids' count, 58 plants. She is an avid fiber artist and enjoys making her artwork with alternative fibers and other repurposed materials. EDUCATION: Maine College of Art & Design Bachelor of Fine Arts: Sculpture University of Southern Maine Bachelor of Fine Arts: Studio Arts and Art Education
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Early Childhood Education Staff
Preschool Teacher
Ginger Fowler
Ginger joined the Gorham Arts Alliance in the fall of 2021. She has been working with preschoolers for more than 20 years. She started at the Community Action Head Start in Amherst Massachusetts in 2002. She now holds a Director II, Lead Teacher and Infant/Toddler Teacher certificate. She also is an active participant in the Life is Good, Playmaker Program. She loves teaching children with hands-on art and science activities, and helping them learn about their world. In her spare time, Ginger enjoys exploring the marshes, beaches and forests of New England on her spare time. She loves making art as well, creating collages using acrylic paint and multimedia materials or taking photographs of the wonders of nature. EDUCATION University of New England
PreK Teacher
Missy Willey
Missy joined the Gorham Arts Alliance in 2018. She has over 18 years of experience working with children of all ages. She enjoys creating a space where all children feel welcome, loved and accepted within the school community. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, going to yoga, hiking and going to the beach. EDUCATION Keene State College Bachelor of Science: Elementary Education Bachelor of Arts: Communication Teacher Certification: 081 (Pre-Kindergarten)
TK Teacher
Assistant Director
Samantha Rockwell
Samantha has been with the Gorham Arts Alliance in 2015. She started off as a part time assistant teacher and after earning her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education become the Transitional Kindergarten Teacher. She loves to teach children through hands-on activities/projects and to incorporate nature into learning. In her spare time she enjoys baking, reading, and playing with her cat and dog! EDUCATION University of Maine at Farmington Bachelor of Science: Early Childhood Education
Assistant Teacher
Beth Hollander
Beth joined the Gorham Arts Alliance in 2022, after moving to Maine from Massachusetts. She has worked in a child care setting for the last five years and prior to that, she was a stay at home mom raising her son while nannying children for other families. She loves children’s energy and their desire to learn. Beth is currently working towards my Ed Tech 2 Certification. In her spare time, Beth likes to hike, relax at the beach and shop.
Assistant Teacher
Liliane Rwanika
Liliane is originally from the Republic Democratic of Congo. Although she has been working with children since 2017, she joined the Gorham Arts Alliance in 2023 working in the preschool. She has experience working with infants, toddlers and preschoolers. She has a great love for children and enjoys doing crafts and arts activities, but especially sharing her culture with our community at the arts center. Lili speaks five languages, her native language being French. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her 2 boys, cooking and dancing. Education Bachelor in Business Economics Law
Arts & Nature Center Staff
K1 Afterschool Coordinator
Music Teacher
Melody Hasbrouck
Melody holds a Bachelor’s in Music Education from the University of Southern Maine Osher School of Music. Raised in a musical family, Melody studied piano for several years before picking up the flute in 7th grade. Over the years, she has sung in choirs, performed in musicals, and played in bands and orchestras, as well as taught private flute lessons. Since 2017, Melody has been teaching music in Maine schools as a certified music educator. She currently teaches music at Greater Portland Christian School in addition to teaching music for the Community Arts Preschool & TK classes, where she has been since 2018. Melody is the coordinator and lead teacher for the K-1 wing of the afterschool program. Melody likes to teach music through full-body experiences, encouraging singing and moving to music through playful activities as well as expressive ones. In addition to music, she enjoys dabbling in many other arts and nature activities both in and out of the classroom. She especially enjoys knitting, gardening, listening to books, and watching birds in her spare time and has been known to teach everything from embroidery and cooking to folk dance and nature exploration. Melody lives in Gorham with a collection of instruments and a small forest of houseplants. Education University of Southern Maine Bachelor of Music: Music Education
Ceramic Studio Manager
Adult Ed Teacher
Daisy Hutt
Daisy joined the Gorham Arts Alliance in 2022 as an ceramics teacher, then took on the role of Ceramic Studio Manager as the pottery program began to expand. Daisy is from rural Vermont and moved to Portland in 2018 to attend Maine College of Art. Since graduating, she has been teaching pottery to all age groups and hosting community outreach clay and painting classes at memory care homes, senior living centers and most recently created a ceramics program within the women's center at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham. MCC. Daisy’s goal for the pottery studio is for it to be an accessible and welcoming center for building community around clay. In her free time, she is working on creating and establishing her own pottery work and practice, and loves any excuse to be outdoors. Education Maine College of Art and Design Bachelor of Fine Arts: Ceramics
Ceramic Studio Teacher
Mackenzie
Mackenzie is a new member of the Gorham Arts Alliance community, joining in early 2024. A recent graduate of the College of the Atlantic, she specialized in pottery and marine sciences. Her passion for the ocean and its creatures is reflected in her pottery, through which she advocates for marine conservation. Kenzie has started her own art practice selling small batch pottery. She utilizes that passion in her teaching to excite people of all ages about creating with clay. A lifelong resident of Maine, Kenzie lives locally with her dog, Tulsi, who often joins her in her studio as a very watchful critic. Education College of the Atlantic: Bachelor of Human Ecology
Eco Arts Teacher
Adult Ed Teacher
Sophie Roblin
Sophie joined the Gorham Arts Alliance in 2020. She heads up our outdoor education and environmental science programs. She has worked with children in a variety of settings, including as an environmental educator with at-risk youth in Wisconsin, and Senior Youth Crew Leader with the Montana Conservation Corps in Montana. Prior to joining the Gorham Arts team she was a program coordinator a the 4-H Camp and Learning Center at Bryan Pond. As an artist she adds whimsy for her painting of animals in their natural environment. She lives on a small sheep farm and in her spare time loves to run, paint and hike. Education Maryland Institute College of Art Bachelor of Fine Arts: Painting
Eco Arts Teacher​
Nicole Valentine
Spending her childhood on the beaches of Cape Cod and Old Orchard Beach, Nicole developed a deep love for the ocean and a fascination with ecological relationships. She has since pursued a career in environmental science, with special interests in birding, sustainability, music in nature, and citizen science. She loves helping kids of all ages understand and appreciate animals, from the tiniest mosquito to the iconic Maine moose. In the classroom, she uses her background in art to create new and engaging ways for students to interact with environmental topics. When she’s not teaching, she enjoys traveling to new places that challenge her, and always looks forward to coming home to her family in Old Orchard Beach. She can also be found learning new languages, practicing piano, hiking, or playing soccer. Education University of New England major: environmental studies, minor: animal behavior
Adult Ed Teacher
Jude Valentine
Jude joined the Gorham Arts Alliance in 2020 primarily teaching adult education classes in watercolor painting and printmaking, and most recently started teaching in the afterschool program. Jude completed her BFA at the Maine College of Art and MFA in Visual Art from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She has received numerous awards for her work including a Jerome Foundation Fellowship and an Individual Grant Award from the Council of Creative Arts, Cornell University. She has been an artist in residence at many schools and is listed on the Maine Arts Commission’s Arts Education and Creative Aging rosters as an experienced teaching artist. Artist residencies were awarded from the Vermont Studio Center; Stephen Pace House; as visiting printmaker at St. Michael's Printshop, Newfoundland; resident fellow at the Heliker-LaHotan Foundation; the Joseph Fiore Art Center at Rolling Acres Farm / Maine Farmland Trust, and Monhegan Artists' Residency program. She was also an invited participant at the international EMMA Collaboration in Saskatoon in 2018. Her career has included work in arts administration, museum education and college teaching—most recently as an Associate Professor, part-time in the Art Department of USM. She completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2017 and has 300 hours of advanced training that inform her teaching using mindfulness practices. Educaiton Maine College of Art-Bachelor of Fine Art Vermont College of FIne Arts-Master of Fine Art
Performing Arts Center Staff
Director of Theater Programming & Production
Diane Hancock
Diane joined the Gorham Arts Alliance in 2022. Diane is a long-time resident of Maine. She has been involved in theater since she was a child but took an interest in directing and music directing as a young adult. She has since been part of the production team of more than 30 children's shows. Her love of music and theater and her experience with children has allowed her to hone her craft as a director and teacher over the past 30 years. She has five children of her own, so spends her free time on the sidelines of games, activities and performances. Education University of Maine in Orono Bachelor of Music Education Masters of Early Childhood Education and Leadership
Theater Arts Instructor
Tech Manager​
Madyson Halpin
Joining Gorham Arts Alliance in late 2023, Madyson works as both a theatre and film educator in the aftercare program at Wentworth. Originally from the shores of Long Beach Island, New Jersey, she made the move to Portland to embark on her post-grad journey! Madyson's love for theatre took root in 2012 at Surflight Theatre as a performer, but she has since taken an interest in directing & stage management! Recently, she added degrees in Theatre and Film to her accomplishments. Beyond the stage and screen, she enjoys playing the drums, cooking, and enjoying movie nights with her cat, Ash! Education Wagner College Bachelor of Arts: Theatre Studies Minor: Early Childhood Education & Film.
Theater Arts Instructor
Julia Halderman
Julia joined Gorham Arts Alliance in 2023. They have an educational background in adult musical theater performance, production design, and directing. Julia was raised in Maine, having participated in theater here from a young age. Julia has found a passion for teaching children – their open mindedness, attention to the little things, and overflowing level of enthusiasm for the art of theater produces such beautiful and unique storytelling! In their free time, you’ll find Julia in the outdoors, supporting local theater, and spending time with family and friends. Education St. Thomas University Bachelor of Arts: Musical Theatre + Native Studies
Theater Arts Instructor
Music Director
Devon Pauline
Devon Pauline is a certified music educator from Newport, Rhode Island. Devon has a B.S. in Music Education (PreK-12) from Wagner College in New York City. He has had the privilege of working in children’s theater for about 6 years starting with Newport Children’s Theatre based in Middletown, RI. In 2022, he had the privilege of being on the pioneering team for The Junior Players, a thriving and growing children’s theater program based out of Hampstead, Maryland. From this experience he has worn many hats, both on and off the stage, but finds the most joy getting to make music with young artists. When Devon isn’t singing, he can often be found playing the piano or strumming his Ukulele.