Meet Our Instructors

MEET OUR INSTRUCTORS

Chef Colin Boisvert  holds a degree in Culinary Arts and Culinary Nutrition from Johnson & Wales University.  He is the Food Service Director for Franklin Public Schools and brings more than 10 years of culinary expertise to the table.  He believes that preparing your own food is the cornerstone of a healthy diet.  He is a chef that brings healthy cooking to the kitchen with classic techniques.

Carol Bouchard holds a degree from Dean College. She has a Group Fitness certification, ACE certification as a personal trainer, Certified Zumba Instructor, Group Power certification, and Schwinn Spin certification as a spin instructor.

Nanci Cahalane is a certified AFAA Personal Trainer and Fitness Counselor with more than 17 years of personal training experience. She was an MIAA Certified Coach and has competed in numerous marathons during her 35 years of running and racing experience.

Megan Chen has been practicing yoga for several years. She enjoys the power of the mind/ body/ breath connection that yoga offers. Megan became certified to teach in 2013, teaching hatha and vinyasa yoga in the viniyoga tradition. She also has training in Ayurveda, pranayama, yoga nidra and infant/ toddler yoga. Fitness and wellness have become an important and cherished part of her life, and she looks forward to the opportunity to share that with others.

Diane Choquette
has been creating various types of art from paintings, 3D arts and crafts for over 25 years. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in painting from Framingham State University. She is also a member of the Franklin Art Association.

Code To The Future is the Leader for Computer Science Immersion. Having been highlighted by the White House for helping start America’s first elementary Computer Science Magnet Schools, Code To The Future provides the premier Solution for Districts and Families.

Ann Donovan is an accomplished artist working in polymer clay. She has created a Regional Guild called New England Polymer Artist Guild. It covers all six states of New England.

Gail Eckberg is a full-time teaching artist. She was born in Boston and grew up in a family of artists where her passion for art materialized at an early age. After receiving a B.S. in Education and Psychology, Gail continued on to receive a Master’s degree from Lesley University in Business Management.

Gisela Flamenco, an experienced instructor, has taught Zumba for years in a variety of settings.

Franklin Fire Department Fire  Safety Education Team  provides a full range of prevention services including code compliance, plans review and public education. 

Franklin Police Community Service Officers.  FPD CSO Officers are all veteran officers that are assigned to the Franklin Public Schools.  They have received various training related to safety and youth issues.

Fungineers  gives access to the building blocks, tools, and mindset for kids interested in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Ray Goulet enjoys the game of volleyball and has students returning year after year for this class.

Ross Irwin, a native of Scotland, grew up playing competitive badminton at a very young age with several club teams in Glasgow, Scotland. He advanced to be  an alternate for the U18 Mixed Doubles National Team. He has continued to play and coach this lifelong sport through his adult life and as a resident of Franklin for the past 24 years. He is excited to see this recent surge of  interest in this exciting Olympic sport.

Sandhya Jain, owner of Sandhya’s Kitchen, shares her passion for making cooking easy, effortless, healthy, and delicious with her students in the various Kids Cooking Classes through the Kids Corner program. In addition, she currently conducts adult education cooking classes at various locations throughout the greater Franklin area.

Minessa Konecky, founder of Direct to Success, is a social media business coach that has trained and empowered thousands of entrepreneurs to be successful in their small businesses. She has developed multiple courses on advanced social media practices, and inspires leaders while speaking at corporate conventions. She has been involved in numerous projects working to bridge the gap between technology, the web, and social media.

Brian LaPlaca is a long-time enthusiast and player/coach for the game of basketball and has students returning year after year for this class.

Danielle LaPlante is an accomplished art instructor at Franklin High School’s Arts Academy..

Mark Lenzi CSW, CSS, CWAS, FWS, IWS, co-owner of Franklin Liquors. Trained by the International Sommelier Guild; Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) and Spirits (CSS) By The Society Of Wine Educators; First in MA to be a California Wine Appellation Specialist (CWAS) by the SF Wine School; French Wine; Scholar And Instructor (FWS) by the French Wine Society; First in USA to hold a Quini Certified Educator (QCE) title; Italian Wine Specialist (IWS) by the North American Sommelier Association. Franklin Liquors is a family-owned business vintage 1978.

Heather Martin is a 200-hr certified yoga teacher through yoga alliance. Heather's journey with yoga first began several years ago when a friend invited her to attend a Vinyasa Flow Class. She felt the benefits immediately and after enduring back surgery, her commitment to her yoga practice deepened. She has been inspired by the knowledge of her teachers, the creativity of her fellow classmates, and the love of her family. After witnessing the benefits of yoga in herself, she felt compelled to share this peace with children and adults. Heather is First Aid, CPR and AED certified.

Stephanie McBride  has been connecting people with lost love ones for over 15 years. The experience is always very personal and unique to each individual.

Mike Masto  is an accomplished sports coach, football enthusiast and physical education teacher for Franklin Public Schools.

Ida Matuskova is the owner/operator of First Buddies Playgroup. She has been knitting for more than 30 years and has previously taught children to knit.

David Moses  is aFinancial Advisor with Statera Financial. At Statera his focus is working with pre-retirees and the retired to help clients turn their investments into income. He is also a member of the Town of Franklin Finance committee.

Derek Pisano has been playing volleyball for over 18 years, both indoor and beach, and has competed in numerous tournaments. Derek created and has led a summer beach volleyball league. His philosophy is to elevate the level of play while keeping the game enjoyable and safe.

Rich Powers  has owned The Henry Studio in Holliston, MA for 19 years and before that Rich had owned his own photography business for 6 years. In addition to the thousands of portraits he has photographed over the years, he has photographed well over 1000 weddings.

Bonnie Puccio  has been a line dance instructor at various locations throughout the Southeastern MA area for 10 years. She is Senior Fitness trained and AFAA certified.

RWL Weightliftings intent is to use weightlifting as a vehicle to create structure in a person’s life, to help develop strong people physically and emotionally.

Pamela Ringrose  is an experienced bilingual teacher who has lived and worked in Florence, Milan, France and Switzerland. She is fluent in Italian, French and basic German. She returns for another semester of teaching both French and Italian. 

Donna Shea is a behaviorist and a pioneer in providing community-based social education programs for elementary-age children. She has developed and directed programs for children at the Peter Pan Center in Massachusetts since 2002. Donna holds a degree in Behavioral Science from Lesley University and is a behavioral consultant to pre-schools, schools, parent groups, and human service agencies.  

Kay Thomas is an AFAA Group Fitness Instructor, CPR/AED certified, AHA NEDITA Pilates instructor, Nautilus instructor. YMCA group fitness instructor. Zumba Gold instructor and retired National Ski Patrol.

Tranquil Souls Yoga Studio. At Tranquil Souls Yoga, they support you as you nurture your mind, body, and spirit. Their hope is that the end result is a new you, free to live in this moment and create happier, joyful experiences for yourself and those around you.  While at Tranquil Souls Yoga, you will feel completely relaxed infused with a warm and peaceful energy.

Patricia Vintinner  is a long-time elementary school teacher and the owner of Claymark Studio Ceramics in Franklin, MA

David Wiech  is a Financial Advisor with Statera Financial. At Statera his focus is working with individuals and families to help them achieve a secure future through good financial strategies.  He is also a member of the Town of Franklin Finance committee.

Ronald Zincone is an award-winning photographer from south county, Rhode Island and a graduate of the New York Institute of Art & Design.  Ronald has been pursuing photography, astronomy and extreme weather since the early 70's and has become southern New England's #1 traveling teacher of photography, astronomy and extreme weather!