RCDS: Welcome New Faculty, Staff, and Administrators

Administration

Lynette Gioffre
Director of Development and Alumni Affairs
Ms. Gioffre comes to RCDS from Fordham University, where she has served as the Director of Development for Athletics the past eight years.

Administration

What We Did Over the Summer

Once again, the Rye Country Day campus was a busy place over the summer with a variety of programs, as well as three major renovation projects. As usual, the School held its two-week Mini-Camp (activities) and June Camp (sports) programs, and its one-week Digital Wave professional development workshops in early June. A six-week Summer School session followed with accelerated course offerings in math, as well as review courses in math and English, several RCDS required courses, such as Art and Music Survey, and Health, and Driver’s Education. On a different part of the campus, Rye Country Day hosted ACTION, its academic enrichment program for 75 middle-school students from several public schools in Westchester and the Bronx. Rye Country Day also made its facilities available to a number of community groups this summer. The Port Chester Council for the Arts youth theater program returned to stage numerous performances of three different productions in the Dunn Performing Art Center in July; New York City-based Prep for Prep held its annual summer outing involving 150 students; and for the tenth consecutive summer, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Westchester enjoyed a fun-filled day of games, food, and activities for 400 mentors, children, family members, and volunteers. In addition, Rye Recreation conducted a one-week soccer camp on the RCDS athletic fields; Play Smart Academy held its one-week sports program; and various non-profit groups, including the Rye Y, used school facilities for staff orientation and training. As for construction this summer, Rye Country Day has been a hub of activity involving $2.9 million in renovations to the Klingenstein Library, two Dining Rooms, and the Upper School Art Room. All three projects are on schedule for completion by the opening faculty/staff meetings the last week of August. Faculty and staff were busy pursuing a variety of professional development activities this summer including technology and math programs, Advanced Placement workshops, summer graduate studies, curriculum development for individual courses, even a service-learning course in Cambodia.

Lynette Gioffre
Director of Development and Alumni Affairs
Ms. Gioffre comes to RCDS from Fordham University, where she has served as the Director of Development for Athletics the past eight years.

Ann Sullivan
Interim Associate Head of School
Ms. Sullivan, former Head at School of the Holy Child and more recently Interim Head of School at Lincoln School  in Rhode Island, joined the RCDS administration this summer. She will be responsible for overseeing faculty hiring, evaluation, and professional development.

Upper School

Emily Bennett
Math
Ms. Bennett joins the Upper School Math Department from West Nottingham Academy in Maryland, where she taught AP Statistics, AP Calculus, and Algebra 2, and served as a varsity lacrosse coach, assistant athletic director, and dorm parent.  

John Charpie
Math/Science
Dr. Charpie comes to RCDS from Southern Connecticut State University, where he was a professor of physics and math.  In addition, he has worked as a teacher at the Greenwich Education Group, where he has tutored AP Calculus, AP Physics, and AP Statistics.  

Zach Dore
Stagecraft
Mr. Dore will be a part-time member of the Drama Department as a set builder and upper-school stagecraft teacher. He has extensive theater experience as a technical director and master carpenter for various Westchester public schools, as well as the Port Chester Council for the Arts Summer Youth Theater Program.

Dion Reid
College Counselor
For the past nine years, Mr. Reid has held various positions at The Young Women’s Leadership Network, serving as Director of College Counseling and overseeing its College Bound Initiative programs.

Charaun Wills
Science
Ms. Wills returns to RCDS after two years at Georgetown Day School, where she served as a lower-school science teacher.  She was previously an upper-school teaching fellow in the RCDS Science Department.

Middle School

Joanne Ciuccio
Computer Science
Ms. Ciuccio joins the RCDS Computer Department from the Allen-Stevenson School in New York City, where she held a similar position.

Ryan Cook
Science
Mr. Cook comes to RCDS from the French-American School of Rhode Island, where he taught middle-school math and science.

Kamara Lewis
Teaching Fellow – Humanities
While earning her undergraduate degree at SUNY Purchase, Ms. Lewis has served as a tutor at New Rochelle High School, WestHab Community Center, and the Don Bosco Community Center.

Corey Rubel
Drama
Since 2010, Mr. Rubel has served as the Theater Director at Saint Matthias School, Program Director at the Villagers Theater, and a teaching artist at the George Street Playhouse, the Broadway Artists Alliance, and the Paper Mill Playhouse.

Lower School

Fiona DeVeaux
Assistant Teacher
Ms. DeVeaux is a recent graduate of Manhattanville College, with a Bachelor of Arts degree, and a double major in Early Childhood Education and Psychology.

Sara Nathanson
Assistant Teacher
Ms. Nathanson is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan, from which she received a Bachelor of Arts in Education.

Zoe Oppenheimer
Assistant Teacher
Ms. Oppenheimer recently graduated from Brandeis University with a Bachelor of Arts in Education Studies, and minors in Elementary Teacher Education, Hebrew Language and Literature, and Near Eastern and Judaic Studies.