Celebrating Faculty: Milestones + Departures

Join us in celebrating the faculty and staff members who have dedicated years of service to GUS, as well as those who will be departing the community this year. We are especially grateful to Science Teacher Emilie Cushing, who celebrates 25 years at GUS, and Social Studies Teacher Christine Draper, who retires after 27 years of inspiring and educating generations of students.

Faculty Milestones:

25 years

10 years

**Emily Rabinowitz-Buchanan**
Director of Lower School

5 Years

Departing Faculty:

Whitney Buckley, Director of Marketing + Communications

Whitney graduates this year with the Class of 2026 and is headed to high school! While we are sad to see her go, we are excited for her as she begins this next chapter at Pingree School. During her 7+ years at GUS, Whitney has made a lasting impact on the school community through her leadership of marketing, communications, and institutional storytelling. Whitney joined GUS during a period of significant transition and quickly became a trusted partner in helping the school navigate change, strengthen community connections, and share its story with clarity and purpose. Over the years, she has guided communications through a global pandemic, led the redesign of the school's website, helped shape our new mission, vision, and values, and played a key role in elevating the school's brand and visibility. Through her thoughtful storytelling and deep commitment to the GUS community, Whitney has helped capture and celebrate the experiences that make this school so special. We are deeply grateful for her many contributions and wish her every success in the years ahead.

Rosie Cuney, Pre-K Support Teacher

From the very beginning of the year, Rosie brought a sense of joy, curiosity, and enthusiasm to the classroom. She quickly built meaningful relationships with the Robins, whose affection for her was evident in the many ways they described her: kind, silly, a wonderful storyteller, and someone who was always willing to play, explore, and discover alongside them. Whether searching for bugs and salamanders or sharing a laugh, Rosie approached each day with warmth and genuine care for her students. As she continues her education at Lesley University through a scholarship opportunity, we are excited for all that lies ahead. We are grateful for the positive impact she has had on our youngest learners and wish her every success as she continues her journey toward becoming an educator.

Christine Draper, Social Studies Teacher

For twenty-seven years, Chris Draper has helped generations of GUS students understand not only history, geography, and culture, but themselves and their place in the world. Through ancient civilizations, creation myths, human rights, special places, artifacts, maps, essays, projects, and questions that asked students to look both outward and inward, Chris has shaped some of the most meaningful and enduring parts of the GUS experience. Her classroom has been a place of deep thinking, careful skill-building, thoughtful structure, and genuine respect for each learner. Students know they are supported, challenged, and prepared to do meaningful work; because of that, they thrive. Chris has also been a steady and trusted voice for colleagues, a thoughtful questioner, a lifelong learner, a keeper of institutional wisdom, and someone whose care for GUS has helped define the “GUS way” in both principle and practice. Her work has strengthened our curriculum, our culture, and our understanding of what it means to teach with purpose. We are deeply grateful for her wisdom, her steadiness, her generosity, and the lasting legacy she leaves at GUS.

Emily Rabinowitz-Buchanan, Director of Lower School, Assistant Head of School for Student + Community Life

After 10 years as a parent, Pre-K Director, and, most recently, Director of Lower School and Assistant Head of School for Student + Community Life, Emily Rabinowitz-Buchanan will be leaving GUS at the end of the school year. During her time at GUS, Emily has worn many hats — from supporting admissions in her early years and leading the design and launch of our highly successful pre-K program to her work advocating for DEIJ initiatives and championing the student as center to the learning experience. We are deeply grateful for the care and dedication she has brought to her work and to our community, and we wish her well in her next chapter! As a GUS parent, we are glad that she will still be part of the GUS community on a regular basis.

Grace Trefry, Grade 3 Support Teacher

Over the past year, Grace has built meaningful connections with students through her patience, care, and thoughtful support, while continuing to grow as an educator and find her voice in the classroom. She has contributed in countless ways behind the scenes, helping to organize trips and create memorable experiences for third grade students. We are grateful for her dedication and the positive impact she has had on our community. As she begins the next chapter of her career, we wish her every success and look forward to seeing all that she will accomplish in the years ahead.

Tamara Villalva, Spanish Teacher

We are also deeply grateful for Tamara and the many ways she has contributed to GUS. We are so glad she returned to this community, bringing with her a deep commitment to students, colleagues, and the school as a whole. Tamara has built strong relationships with students across grades, both in the classroom and through coaching, and her steady, calm presence helps students feel known, supported, and connected. She brings Spanish to life through immersive, creative, and collaborative learning experiences, always mindful that students are at different stages of language acquisition. She has also been an important advocate for the Spanish program, helping generate ideas and excitement around scope and sequence work, departmental collaboration, and professional growth. Tamara’s care for GUS is clear in the way she shows up: as a teacher, coach, colleague, team player, and thoughtful voice for what students and teachers need. We are grateful for her passion, her integrity, and all she has given to this community.

Gretchen ForsythJune 15, 2026June Tartan