World Languages & Music 

Dustin LeVasseur - Music 

Dustin LeVasseur is a music educator and musician who grew up in Northern Maine.  After receiving a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Performance from the University of Southern Maine, Dustin stayed in the southern Maine area as a working musician.  After a short while, Dustin moved to New York City where he became fascinated with music and creativity as it relates to education and lifelong learning.  While in NYC he received a Masters in Music Education from Teachers College, Columbia University.  For seven years Dustin worked as a music specialist at the Calhoun School, where he was able to co-develop an elementary music exposure and creativity course.

Dustin is thrilled to be back in his home state of Maine to continue his work educator as a part of the wonderful Baxter Academy community.  As an educator, he feels that good learning practices are rooted in trust.

Fun Facts about Dustin:  He loves to cycle and his longest ride was from Brooklyn to Portland. He loves to explore cultures through cooking and music.  Dustin is fascinated with turn-of-the-century France.  He plays drums, guitar, bass, sings vocals, and writes music.

Enyue Li - Mandarin Chinese 

Before moving to the United States, Enyue Li earned her master's degree in education and taught for seven years in her hometown, Xi'an, China, where she won numerous awards, including the prestigious National Chinese Teachers' Award for Fundamental Knowledge of Chinese Language/Literature Competition of China. In the Bei-Lin district-wide awards, she was recognized for Excellence in Teaching, Outstanding Coach, and Highest Ranking Class. Since arriving in Maine, she has taught Mandarin for eight years to students ranging in age from five to adult. She anchors the elementary-age program at Portland's CAFAM Chinese School.

Her emphasis is on encouraging lively, colloquial dialogue and introducing students to Chinese culture as they practice reading and writing. Ms. Li is excited to be part of Baxter. She says, "This school is awesome because of the idea of students leading the learning."

She lives in Scarborough with her husband and young son.

Fun facts about Ms. Li: She has done research in Chinese calligraphy and grammar. She plays the piano and is interested in reading, running, and some cooking. Shehas reviewed most books related to China and Mandarin language in Maine's libraries. She was born in the Year of the Snake; in honor of that, you'll see her wearing lucky red all year.

Elisa Cano - Spanish

Elisa Cano is originally from Spain, specifically from Galicia, a region on the northwest where they speak, apart from Spanish, another language called Galician. She grew up there and got her first Master's degree in English Language and Literature in 2003. Then, moved to Barcelona and got a Master's degree in Latin and Greek Language and Literature in 2007. She lived one year in Leamington Spa, in the United Kingdom, working as a Spanish Language Assistant at a Middle and High School. Later, she moved to Mallorca, an island on the Mediterranean Sea, to work as an educator of Latin and Greek, teaching students in 10th, 11th and 12th grades since 2009. From 2013 till 2016 she lived in Louisiana, teaching Spanish in a Middle School through the Visiting Teachers Program. Elise loves traveling, living in new places, eating (but not cooking), spending time with her friends, and learning languages (she speaks Spanish, Galician, Catalan, English, French and Italian; and has studied also German, Chinese and Russian)!