Board Membership

Karen Popken is an Elementary 1 lead teacher. She is committed  to hands-on experiential learning, environmental education, and stewardship of the Merrimack River Valley Watershed. Karen brought the Blanding’s Turtle head start program to RVCS in cooperation with the Parker River Clean Water Association, which teaches children about the direct impact they can have on ecological preservation. Karen began teaching in the New York City traditional school system as a middle school science and language arts teacher.  Although as a child she was a Montessori elementary student, Karen rediscovered Montessori education when she and her son began their Montessori journey at Cambridge Montessori School. There she transitioned from traditional education to a heuristic Montessori approach. Karen has a M.Ed in Montessori Education from Endicott College and two Montessori teaching credentials: Ages Three to Six, and Six to Nine. Debbie Collins is her assistant. Karen is a Newburyport Parks Commissioner and serves on the Community Preservation Committee. She lives in Newburyport and enjoys sailing with her husband Ian and son Jeff.