SWS Teachers and Staff
The staff for SWS consists of nine people, some of whom have worked together for decades: a Biology teacher, a Chemistry teacher, three English teachers, a Social Studies teacher, an administrative assistant, a paraprofessional focused on social/emotional support, and a coordinator/counselor.
The staff meets at least once a week to discuss philosophy, goals, course progress, student problems, curriculum and plans for upcoming events. Additional staff meetings take place for long-range planning, staff evaluation and coordination. This helps achieve a close, supportive working relationship and a smoothly functioning school.
The SWS Coordinator/Counselor functions as the administrator and counselor. He carries out policy decisions as directed by SWS Town Meeting. The Coordinator also answers directly to the Head of the main school. The SWS staff works cooperatively to share administration, counseling, and teaching whenever possible.
Dan Bresman, Program Coordinator
Dan joined SWS in 2007 taking over for long time Program Coordinator Ellen Kaplovitz. Dan is responsible for acting as Dean, Counselor, and Curriculum Coordinator for SWS. His passion for SWS comes from a deep love of helping students grow and helping great teachers succeed to their fullest potential. His favorite program tradition is SWS graduation.
Prior to working in SWS, Dan worked in various school roles as a social studies teacher, counselor, special education teacher, and student activities administrator. Outside of school, Dan enjoys spending time with his family and occasional wood working projects.
Beyond just his deep empathy for people, his willingness to help anyone with anything he possible can, Dan is noted for being 6'5".
Dan can be reached at dan_bresman@psbma.org
Ben Berman, English
Ben began teaching at Brookline High School in 2009 as a member of the English department and joined SWS in 2019. Ben teaches two SWS English courses, one mainstream English course, and EPIC, a project based capstone course. Bens work is primarily focused on teaching creative writing courses across all genres. In addition to his course load, he teaches in the Whipple Fellowship throughout the year. His favorite part of teaching in SWS is helping kids find their voice and develop their vision through their writing.
Prior to working at BHS, Ben taught in a number of Boston schools and volunteered with the Peace Corps in Zimbabwe. In addition to his teaching, Ben is an acclaimed writer and father of two young girls.
Among the SWS community, Ben is widely known and respected for his deep sense of compassion, his talent at teaching writing, and the fact that he gets up at 4 AM.
Ben can be reached at benjamin_berman@psbma.org
Keira Flynn-Carson, English
Keira joined SWS in 2004. In addition to her two English courses, she also teaches "Education Seminar," a social studies class that focuses on the history of education and how schools address (or fail to address) identity within the traditional schooling model. Keira has a keen academic interest in courses that center around philosophy, psychology, relationships, and gender. Her favorite part of teaching in SWS is the rich discussions and lounge shows.
Prior to her work in SWS, Keira taught special education with a focus on social-emotional learning. In addition to her work as a teacher, Keira enjoys raising her daughter, playing drums, and crafting.
Keira can most often be found on 4th floor offering baked goods to both students and faculty alike.
Keira can be reached at keira_flynn-carson@psbma.org.
Zac Broken Rope, English
Zac joined SWS in 2019 as the newest (and youngest) addition to the faculty, a title he has since lost to Syndey. In addition to his two SWS English courses, Zac serves as the liason to the Brookline High School Innovation Fund and helps with SWS programmatic planning. In designing his SWS classes, Zac is most interested in exploring topics of race, gender, and sexual orientation. His favorite part of teaching is SWS is the ability to see students grow over the course of multiple years in the program.
In addition to his classroom teaching, Zac enjoys spending time at the beach, traveling, and hanging out with his dog, Willa - a Boston Terrier he rescued from their mutual home state of Nebraska. He ran the 2023 Boston Marathon on behalf of the Brookline Education Foundation and is immensely annoyed that he continues to love running.
Zac can be reached at zachary_brokenrope@psbma.org
Sydney Hou, Social Studies
Sydney began teaching at Brookline High School in 2019 as a member of the Social Studies department and joined SWS in 2023. Sydney teaches 10th grade Modern World History, 11th grade United States History, and SWS Tutorial. In addition to leading the Students of Color Committee in SWS, Sydney also is the coordinator and advisor for the Asian American Pacific Islander Leadership and Affinity Program at BHS.
In addition to her life on the fourth floor, Sydney loves exploring New England towns, discovering new restaurants, and going to farmers markets. She also takes competitive board games very seriously.
Sydney can be reached at sydney_hou@psbma.org
Brad Kozel, Biology
Brad began teaching at Brookline High School in 2007 as a member of the Science department and joined SWS in 2012. Brad teaches two SWS Biology courses, one SWS tutorial, and two mainstream Biology courses. He cares deeply about the intersection of ecology, evolution, and climate change. He also has a keen interest in bioethical considerations and how they manifest in genetic technology. In SWS he enjoys working with an interdisciplinary group of colleagues to support the needs of a unique and diverse group of learners.
Prior to working at BHS, Brad worked at Saugus High School for a number of years. In addition to his teaching, Brad enjoys spending time with his family, working in nature, and long distance running.
Brad is a longstanding advocate for "Plant and Fish Committee" and a well known enemy of "Seafood and Salad Committee."
Brad can be reached at bradley_kozel@psbma.org
Dr. Steve Lantos, Chemistry
After graduating from BHS ('80) and returning to Brookline after college, Steve began teaching at the High School in 1985. SWS Chemistry was created by Steve in 1989 as the first science class in SWS. Steve for years ran the Agenda Committee in SWS. In addition to teaching chemistry, Steve runs the BHS China Exchange Program, coaches our school's squash team, and has served for years on the BHS Legislature and Faculty Council. His daughter Danielle graduated from SWS ('12).
Steve can be found in his beautiful new Science Department room tinkering with chemicals, tweaking experiments, meeting with students, and playing pachinko (Japanese pinball). Steve enjoys melting candles on classroom desks for student birthdays. Beyond school, Steve enjoys reading, distance bicycle riding around New England, i.e. P-Town, Providence, Portland ME, and playing squash.
Steven can be reached at steve_lantos@psbma.org
From student, to teacher, to SWS parent, listen to Steve '80 talk about his lifelong connection to the program below:
Michael Lewis, Honorary SWS Staff
Mike began working at Brookline High School in 2019, immediately joining the SWS team. His focus in SWS is to provide social-emotional support to our students and act as a mentor. He is also one of the most helpful individuals at BHS. You can catch Mike sitting with kids during lunch talking about their favorite Marvel movies, offering a staff person help with moving heavy furniture, counseling a student in distress, or taking a walk around the building with a couple of students to get to know them better.
Prior to working at BHS, Mike worked as a residential counselor in Natick providing support to teenagers in need. When Mike is not running around SWS helping everyone, he enjoys reading comics and eating "flats" (chicken wings) at the Brookline spa.
Mike can be reached at michael_lewis@psbma.org
Chrissy Carruthers, SWS Administrative Assistant
Chrissy began working at Brookline High School in 2013 as the Math and World Language admin assistant. She joined the SWS community in 2014, splitting her time between ACE and SWS. Chrissy is the backbone of SWS. Not only does she take care of all administrative responsibilities such as attendance, community-wide announcements, and planning, she is likely the first person you will interact with when joining SWS. Chrissy can be found in SWS starting at around noon in her office. You will often find a student or two chatting with her while she tries to get her work done.
Prior to working at BHS, Chrissy was a secretary at an IT company in Millis. When Chrissy is not working at her desk in SWS trying to helping everyone, she enjoys going to the beach with her family.
Chrissy can be reached at christine_carruthers@psbma.org