Allison Henle

Allison earned a double-major in Physics and Applied Mathematics at Yale University and served as a teaching assistant for five years while working towards a Ph.D. in Experimental Physics at Dartmouth College. In 2002, she attended the Klingenstein Summer Institute and in 2019 became a College Board Reader for the Advanced Placement Statistics exam.

Allison taught for seven years at Mercersburg Academy before arriving at Suffield as a member of the math department in 2006. Allison teaches AP Calculus, AP Statistics, and Linear Algebra, coaches volleyball and tennis, and is a dorm associate. She lives off campus with her husband Fred and their two sons Miles ’21 and Theo ’23. She is an avid reader and a Hugo voter who also enjoys knitting, baking, and cheering for the Red Sox.

Where were you born?
Clinton, NY 

What do you love about where you are from?
I don’t know, we moved away when I was 11…  

If someone was traveling to where you are from for 24 hours, what would you recommend? What would you tell them to do/ where would you tell them to go?
Go tour Hamilton College, take a stroll in Root Glen, and then eat at The Horned Dorset (sorry, I don’t remember anything else…) 

What do you love about where you live now?
I love being able to walk to the center of town and I love how friendly everyone is. I love watching the sunset from Bell Hill. I love having Hartford and Springfield within easy driving distance, including 2 great Asian grocery stores and several amazing Asian restaurants. 

What is your favorite thing about day to day life at Suffield Academy?
It’s constantly varying, yet the expectations remain very consistent. And I really enjoy interacting with my students and colleagues.  

What is the first thing you do every morning when you get to work?
I plug in my laptop, make myself a mug of tea, and ask everyone in the office how things are going. 

Who is your favorite artist?
Either Thomas Canty or Kinoko Y. Craft  

Who do you live on campus with?
My husband Fred, and our sons Miles and Theo.

How do you think your pet would describe you?
My last dog would have described me as a complete softy who spoiled him rotten and said the dumbest things to him in a loving tone of voice. 

Which of your roles at Suffield Academy do you relish the most?
I can’t choose! I love being an advisor, but I get a huge kick out of teaching math and being the “resident math girl nerd,” and I’m also really growing into my new role as co-advisor of the AAP/I affinity group. 

What is the favorite thing in your closet?
I have a black, bat-winged, boiled wool jacket that I utterly adore. It’s the coziest thing but somehow also manages to be water-repellent. 

What is something you believe one can never over-invest in?
People. 

What is/are your prized possession(s)?
I have three signed prints by Sarah Clemens (from her Magnus and Loki series) 

What is your favorite song of all time?
“Rhiannon” by Fleetwood Mac.

If you could have dinner with one person, alive or dead, who would you dine with?
Pierre de Fermat, so I could ask him how he planned to prove Fermat’s Last Theorem. (He died before completing the proof.)

Who is your role model?/ Inspiration?
My mother and my grandmothers. Brilliant, feisty women who got things done. 

If you could ask anyone for advice, who would you ask? (alive or dead)
Senator Elizabeth Warren. 

What is your favorite movie?
Mad Max: Fury Road

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
I would go to Shanghai, China. My mother’s family is from there and I have never seen it but would love to. 

What is your favorite food?
Potstickers.