Occupation: I am the art teacher for kindergarten through eight grade at St Rose School. I’ve been here for 13 years.

Family: My husband Peter and I will have been married 20 years in May. Our daughter Abbie is 15 years old and our son David is 13 years old.

Pets: We have a black Labrador named Oliver. He’s a rescue from the Newtown Animal Pound. We think he’s about 8 years old. We also have a Siamese cat named Dory, and a painted turtle named Speedy.

How long have you been in Newtown? We have been here since February of 2001. We moved here after my husband got out of the Navy.

What do you like to do in your free time? I love to do my own art work. I love to paint murals, and just finished a recycled glass mural. I love to draw, and do pen and ink. I’m an avid walker — on the beach, on trails, in our neighborhood, wherever I can. I do like to garden and I love to read.

What have you read most recently? I really only have time in the summer to read, when I’m not teaching. Most recently, I read The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I also enjoyed The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.

Do you have a favorite travel destination? My parents live on Block Island, so we go there and spend as much of the summer as we can. It’s just beautiful, and so peaceful where my parents’ cottage is. My in-laws live in Australia. I love that, too. I’ve been twice, for about three weeks each time. It’s a beautiful, beautiful place.

What is the best thing about Newtown? I love the feeling of community and how willing people are to help out. Newtown is the first place, after moving around for many years, that felt like home to us. We’ve had houses, but Newtown is home.

Who has been the greatest influence in your life? I would say my grandmothers. Both of them were artists, and one was an art teacher. They were always so inspiring and were really something special.

Do you have a personal philosophy? Go with the flow. Be flexible, and everything goes a little smoother. And a little bit of kindness is always a good thing.

Do you have a guilty pleasure? Reading on the beach in the summer is one of my favorite things to do.