As a chill creeps into the air and just a touch of orange dots the leaves lining Comm. Ave., so, too, do the seasons change inside our walls. This fall, we’ve welcomed a cadre of new faculty and staff, each bringing with them a wealth of experience and enriching perspectives. Take a moment to meet some of them here.

Melody Lee, Science Teacher

Ms. Lee completed her B.A. in Biology at Smith College, M.S. in Molecular Biology at NYU, and M.Ed. in School Leadership at Harvard University. Before joining Commonwealth, she spent six years at Harvard-Westlake School, where she taught biology and chemistry and served as Science Department Chair. In addition to teaching, Ms. Lee has coached varsity cross country and track and field, and she has served as a faculty advisor for an AAPI affinity group. Outside of school, she enjoys traveling, visiting museums, trying new restaurants, and playing sports.

Abby Polk, School Counselor

Ms. Polk holds a B.A. in Religion with minors in South Asian Studies and Women and Gender Studies from Carleton College and an M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Dance/Movement Therapy from Lesley University. As part of her graduate studies, she served as a clinical intern at a special-education high school, as well as a nonprofit outpatient mental health organization where she provided farm-based, expressive arts therapies to children and adolescents of diverse backgrounds. She has also taught yoga, dance, swimming, skiing, and snowboarding to children and adolescents. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, climbing, surfing, and hiking with her Australian cattle dog, Gertie.

Shanelle Villegas, Acting Teacher and Theater Director (Sabbatical Hire)

Shanelle Chloe Villegas is a Black, queer, non-binary writer, actor, theatre-maker, arts educator, and scholar. Shanelle most recently completed a Fulbright grant in London, where she further developed her jazz-infused memoir play, X: The Soul Wound Memoir, in collaboration with Talawa Theatre Company. In 2024, Shanelle completed her playwriting residency with The Boston Center for the Arts, and in 2022, she was recognized as one of fifteen artists of color leaving an imprint on Massachusetts in WBUR’S “The Makers.” When Shanelle is not creating their own work, she can be seen performing all around Boston with companies such as The Huntington Theatre Company, SpeakEasy Stage Company, Actors’ Shakespeare Project, and American Repertory Theatre. Shanelle is a member of Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s Resident Artist Company and is a proud inaugural graduate of The Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s B.F.A. Contemporary Theatre program.

Qing Ye, Mandarin Teacher

Qing Ye began her academic journey with a B.A. in Chinese Language and Literature from Beijing Normal University in China. She then obtained her M.A. in Asian Studies at McGill University in Montreal. She finished her Ph.D. in Chinese Language and Literature at the University of Oregon. Ms. Ye has published on Chinese later imperial literature and culture. She also teaches Chinese culture and literature part-time at Tufts University. Besides teaching, her passions are travel, films, and cooking.

Elizabeth Zhou, Science Teacher

Ms. Zhou earned her B.S. in Physics and Computer Science at the University of Southern California, and she earned her M.S. in Applied Physics from California Institute of Technology. She then taught physics and chemistry at Fontbonne Academy, a single-sex school for girls in Boston. Outside of the classroom, she loves doing obstacle-course races, needle felting, and taking care of her plants.

Meet More Commonwealth Teachers