Teachers

8th Grade

Joseph Casey
Green Team

Joe Casey teaches Grade 8 Civics for the Green Team. He has been teaching in Bedford since 1995. Mr. Casey is a graduate of Clark University in Worcester with a B.A. in History and earned his M.A.T. from Boston College. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Mr. Casey serves as the Team Leader for the Green Team and organizes and directs the annual 8th grade trip to Washington D.C. Mr. Casey has also served in various capacities on the football and track staffs at Bedford High and JGMS and currently is the head boys' basketball coach at North Reading High School, his alma mater. He resides in Melrose with his wife and three children.

Contact Joe Casey


Michael Grassi
Silver Team

Mike Grassi teaches 8th grade Civics for the silver team.  This is his first year at JGMS.  Last year he taught US History I and US History II at Bedford High School.  Prior to joining the Bedford school community, he taught for three years at the Forman School, a co-ed boarding school for students with learning differences. Mr. Grassi is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth where he received his B.A. in History and his Master’s in Teaching as well. He currently lives in his hometown of Reading.

Contact Mike Grassi


7th Grade

Kasie Costopulos
Purple Team

Kasie Costopulos currently teaches Social Studies on the 7th grade Purple Team.  She graduated from Bridgewater State University in 2018 where she double majored in history and secondary education. During college, she studied abroad in Florence, Italy where she experienced history firsthand. Prior to joining the Bedford High School faculty in 2019, she completed her student teaching at Burlington High School and worked as a learning center teacher at Arlington High school. At Bedford High School, she taught 9th grade U.S. History I and 10th grade Modern World History.  She currently lives in Somerville and is pursuing her Masters in history.  

 

Contact Kasie Costopulos


Matthew McGonagle
Navy Team

Matthew McGonagle teaches Social Studies on the 7th grade Navy team. He began teaching at JGMS in 2009. He received his B.A. in History from Stonehill College and his M.Ed. from Framingham State University. While at Stonehill College, as part of its World and European history programs, Matthew traveled to Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany to study the Holocaust. In addition to teaching at JGMS, Matthew also served as Camp Director for the Marine Biological Laboratory’s Children’s Program in Woods Hole. He currently lives in the Boston area and spends most of his summers on Cape Cod.

Contact Matt McGonagle


Stephanie Busa
Ms. Busa is on leave for the 2022-2023 school year.

Stephanie Callahan teaches 7th grade Civilizations on the Purple Team and started at JGMS in 2016.  She also works part-time as an Administrative Assistant to the Bedford Integrated Preschool.  Stephanie received her B.A. in History from Providence College in 2011 and continued on to receive her M.A. in History from Providence College in 2014, where she wrote a thesis on the contemporary Albanian-American community of the Greater Boston area.  After graduation Stephanie began her career teaching as a Prospect Fellow at Prospect Hill Academy Charter School in Somerville, MA, where she co-taught in both English and social studies classrooms for two years.  Currently, Stephanie is working towards her Ed. M. in Curriculum and Teaching at Boston University.  When she is not working within the Bedford Public Schools, Stephanie enjoys to read, travel, and spend time with her family.


6th Grade

Paula Bakerian
Orange Team

Paula Bakerian currently teaches World Geography on the Orange Team. She has been teaching middle school students since 1998. Ms. Bakerian earned her B.S. in Sociology from Plymouth State College and her M.Ed. in Special Education from Framingham State College. She began her career in Denver, Colorado as a classroom and special education teacher teaching students English as a second language, reading, math, organizational skills and social studies. During that time, Paula organized many fundraisers and an annual trip to NYC for her students. She also coached girls' basketball, offered additional tutoring services, and was head of the after school Career Club at the middle school. Before coming to Bedford in 2002, Paula was an inclusion specialist in the Cambridge Public School System. In addition to teaching social studies at JGMS, Ms. Bakerian has taught 6th grade reading, U.S. history, Ancient Civilizations and English.

Contact Paula Bakerian


Marie Mallott
Yellow Team

Marie Mallott currently teaches World Geography on the Yellow Team. In 1988 she joined the faculty at JGMS as the sixth grade special education liaison. Upon returning from maternity leave in 2000, she joined the Blue Team as a reading, English and social studies teacher. Prior to coming to Bedford, Miss Mallott worked for three years as a middle school special education instructor in a multi-grade classroom in Bay City, Michigan. She earned her M.Ed. from Boston College and her B.S. in Education with dual certification in Elementary and Special Education from the State University of New York at Geneseo. During her time at JGMS., Miss Mallott has served in various capacities as the Yearbook advisor, the Middle School Spring Musical choreographer and a Washington trip chaperone. A native of Buffalo, New York, she currently resides in Beverly, MA with her husband and their three children.

Contact Marie Mallott