Miss Porter’s School

Nelle Andrews joined Miss Porter's in 2018 as an English teacher, Head Field Hockey Coach, and Varsity Assistant Lacrosse Coach. She was appointed Chair of the English department in the spring of 2019 and is now also serving as the Director of Faculty Growth at MPS.  Ms. Andrews earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from Connecticut College (1998), and a Master’s degree in Arts and Liberal Sciences from Wesleyan University (2004).  In 2019, Ms. Andrews earned a 6th year degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Connecticut.  As an experienced educator, Ms. Andrews is particularly passionate about curriculum design, equitable grading practices, and mastery learning principles and she strives to create meaningful learning opportunities that help students grow, especially as writers and analytical thinkers. Ms. Andrews is regularly researching new texts and ideas in order to create more engaging, informed, and inclusive classroom experiences for her students.

Ms. Andrews taught English and coached several sports at Farmington High School for 19 years prior to her tenure at MPS.  Her success as a field hockey coach earned her several “Coach of the Year” accolades from the CT Field Hockey Coaches Association, and she was inducted into the Connecticut Field Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018 for her contributions to the sport as both a player and a coach. 

Ms. Andrews lives on campus with her husband, Todd, and three children - daughter Molly, (MPS ‘22), and sons Spencer and Morgan.  Outside of the classroom, she enjoys reading, running, cooking, doing puzzles, and enjoying time with family at the beach. 

Elizabeth teaches English, coaches swimming, and is the recipient of the 2021-2022 Sarah Porter Award of Excellence in Teaching.  She was Porter’s second Innovative Teaching Fellow during the 2020-2021 academic year, works with Porter’s Leads, and has directed the Global Language and Leadership (GLLI) Summer Institute since 2017. Elizabeth earned her doctorate in educational leadership, and researches mastery-based learning and its implications for educational policy and practice; she also teaches in the Teaching and Learning strand of the University of Pennsylvania’s Independent School Residency Program. One of the many meaningful Porter’s experiences for Elizabeth has been to support the evolution of an English curriculum that is both diverse and inclusive so that all students can see themselves in the texts and assessments with which they engage. She also loves meeting international middle schoolers and supporting them socially and academically when they attend Porter’s. Elizabeth is excited to support an assessment framework for Porter’s students that is both equitable and transparent. 

Her favorite movie is Jaws and she lives on campus with her Irish husband Thomas and their dog, Hooper.