The Ethel Walker School
The Academic Center for Excellence serves as a resource for all students who wish to enhance their academic performance through improved time management, organizational skills, study skills, and test-taking strategies.
The academic support coordinator works collaboratively with students, parents, advisors, faculty members, and administrators to support students who need academic coaching or those who have mild to moderate documented learning differences which affect academic performance. The ACE is located in the Constance Lavino Bell ’48 Library.
ACE empowers students to become confident, capable, and independent learners. Through personalized support, meaningful relationships, and research-informed strategies, we help each student develop the skills, self-awareness, and self-advocacy needed to thrive at Walker’s, in college, and beyond.
Grounded in research on girls’ education, the Academic Center for Excellence knows that students learn best when they experience belonging, build meaningful relationships with trusted adults, engage in authentic challenge, and are empowered to reflect on and direct their own learning. These experiences cultivate confidence, resilience, and agency, qualities that prepare students not only for academic success, but also for lifelong learning.
Embodying the Walker’s Capabilities Approach, the Academic Center for Excellence serves all learners through opportunities for academic growth and challenge, as well as personalized support through the Student Access and Support Program. We foster curiosity, confidence, and academic excellence while equipping students with the executive functioning, metacognitive, and self-advocacy skills needed to navigate academic challenges, persevere through setbacks, and become increasingly independent learners.
The Academic Center for Excellence benefits students who are ready to:
For more information, contact Director of Student Access and Support Mary Beth Conley at mconley@ethelwalker.org or +1-860-408-4283.
Collaborative Learning Groups (CLG):
Fee-Based Program
One-on-One Support:
Fee-Based Program
Multi-Lingual Learner Support (MLL):
For students exploring passions beyond our traditional curriculum, we provide opportunities for advanced growth and self- directed learning:
Students are enrolled in the Student Access and Support Program based on:
We encourage parents who think their child’s needs align with our SASP offerings to reach out during the admission process for a discussion with our Academic Team. The Director of Student Access and Support, the Admission Team, and the Dean of Curriculum and Academics review student files to determine SASP enrollment.
On average, the SASP supports 30% of the student body at any given time over the course of the school year.
Students with Qualifying Documentation Receive:
Mary Beth Conley
Director of Student Access and Support
Mary Beth joined The Ethel Walker School in the fall of 2007. During this time she has taught Psychology, AP Psychology, and Advanced Psychology and has also partnered with the school counselor to teach the Wellness section of the 9th Grade Seminar. Since the fall of 2011, Mary Beth has served as the Director of Academic Support which has enabled her to combine her background in counseling psychology with her understanding of brain-based learning strategies.
Read Full Profile
Hannah Reid
Registrar, Learning Specialist
Hannah joined the Walker’s community in 2023 as the school registrar. She is familiar with the boarding school world, having worked at both Northfield Mount Hermon and the Fay School, and also as a graduate of nearby Suffield Academy. Hannah began her career working in the admissions office at NMH before returning to school at Harvard where she earned an Ed.M in Mind, Brain, and Education. After graduate school, Hannah worked as a learning specialist at Fay and returned to NMH several years later as an academic coach. Since relocating back to Connecticut in 2019, Hannah has tutored students at Westminster in addition to teaching a group of remote 5th graders at Renbrook during the pandemic. Hannah lives in Simsbury with her husband, three sons, and a plethora of pets.
Kristen Myshrall
Director of Counseling and Wellness
Kristen is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in working with adolescents and their families. She obtained her M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Central Connecticut State University and has advanced training in TFCBT (Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), IFS (Internal Family Systems), and DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy). Before joining Walker’s, Kristen worked in as a clinician in an outpatient clinic, as well as in a middle and high school. She transitioned to residential life as a therapist, and then a clinical director, of a therapeutic group home for adolescent females. Additionally, she has experience working with people experiencing homelessness and young adults with severe and persistent mental illness. Kristen is passionate about working with adolescents who have experienced trauma, are experiencing school related stress, LGBTQIA+ related issues/concerns, family difficulties, anxiety, depression, complex mental illness, suicidal ideation, those involved in DMST (Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking), and those engaging in injurious behaviors. Prior to becoming a therapist, Kristen received a B.S. in Marine Science from Eckerd College, M.S. in Geology from the University of Kansas, and a Ph.D. in Geoscience from UConn. She was a professor of Geoscience at UConn and conducted research across the global, which led to multiple publications and presentations. A desire to work more in depth with students led to a change in careers. Kristen is thrilled to return to an academic setting to provide mental health support to students.
Read Full Profile
Megan Mulhern
Dean of Curriculum and Academics
Megan Mulhern is an experienced English teacher previously holding faculty positions at Westminster School, YK Pao School in Shanghai, China, The Lawrenceville School, and The Emma Willard School. Since joining Walker’s in 2019, she has held the positions of English Faculty, English Department Chair, and Dorm Head. In her current role, Megan oversees our academic program and curriculum. With a focus on student growth and girls’ education, she provides support and guidance to students as they navigate their courses at Walker’s. She also teaches English and serves as an advisor.
Megan holds a B.A. in Literatures and Cultures in English and Education Studies from Brown University and an M.A. from Middlebury’s Breadloaf School of English.
Read Full Profile
Randall Shō Northrop
Executive Director of the Capabilities Approach
Randall Shō Northrop serves as History Department Chair and Executive Director of the Capabilities Approach. He holds an MSt in Global and Imperial History from the University of Oxford, where he focused on cultural, intellectual, and transnational history. Before joining Walker’s, Randall taught Global History and Social Sciences at Beaver Country Day School in Brookline, Massachusetts. At Beaver, he also served as grade dean for 9th and 10th grades. At Walker’s, Randall leads the integration of the Capabilities Approach across the curriculum, ensuring that every student’s learning experience nurtures leadership, innovation, and a commitment to social impact. In the History Department, he works to create inquiry-driven courses that center girls’ voices, connect past and present, and empower students to understand — and shape — the world around them. He has taught a variety of courses at Walker’s, including Advanced Microeconomics, Advanced Macroeconomics, Global History, Media and Society, Inequalities in the United States, U.S. History, etc. Randall serves as the faculty advisor for the Model UN club, the Asian Student Collective, and coaches cross country. He lives on campus with his wife, Julie Relyea, and their daughter, Adeline.
Read Full ProfileWalker’s now offers Early Decision for
Middle School applicants, allowing girls
to spend the winter and spring of their
applying year doing what matters most:
enjoying themselves, finishing out their
current school year well, and mentally
preparing for the transition ahead.
