Grade 6

Mrs. Catherine Gustavsen ~ Language Arts

Catherine Gustavsen began teaching at Mendham Township Middle School in 1998 and currently teaches 6th and 7th grade Language Arts. She received her B.A. in English from Rutgers College and earned separate Master’s degrees in Special Education, the Art of Teaching, and Literacy. She is also a certified reading specialist. She hopes to continue to share her love of reading by hosting a book club after school. Mrs. Gustavsen enjoys going to the beach, discussing books with her students, cheering for the New York Giants, and supporting MTMS students in their extracurricular and sporting events.

Mrs. Elizabeth Hollman ~ Spanish

Mrs. Elizabeth Hollman is a native Spanish speaker and is excited to join MTMS. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish with minors in English & Ethnic Studies and her Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Bloomsburg University. Throughout Mrs. Hollman’s teaching career, she has taught grades K-12. When not teaching, she enjoys reading, photography and spending time with her family.

Mrs. Tara Horutz ~ Language Arts

Tara Horutz received her B.A. in English from Montclair State University and earned her Post Baccalaureate Teacher Certification and Master of Arts degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Caldwell College. She has been teaching Language Arts since 2003. She is always looking for creative ways to bring a joy for learning into her classroom. Before her teaching career, she worked in television as a producer and story editor for Lucky Duck Productions. When she is not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her family at the beach.

Ms. Fotini Kavalos ~ Mathematics

Ms. Kavalos graduated from Montclair State University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics Education. She has been a high school math teacher for the last four years. Ms. Kavalos is almost always referenced as Ms. K and is eager to begin teaching 6th grade math. She is very passionate about mathematics and believes that every student will learn something new each day. Ms. K builds a very strong rapport with her students to learn what they are passionate about and to relate it back to mathematics. Ms. K speaks fluent Greek and enjoys field hockey and snowboarding.

~ World Language

Ms. Lauren Procanik ~ History

Ms. Procanik graduated from Providence College with a degree in Elementary/Special Education and a minor in English. Language Arts and History have always been her favorite subjects,  which makes her very happy to be able to share her passion with her students.
Outside of school, she loves to spend time with family, go on runs with friends and cheer for her favorite college basketball teams. 

Ms. Alaina Commarato ~ Science

Ms. Commarato graduated from Seton Hall University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and returned to Seton Hall to earn her Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standings in Secondary Science.  In her spare time, she loves to garden, read, and spend time with her many nieces and nephews.