RCDS Welcomes New Faculty and Staff

The Rumson Country Day School is thrilled to welcome new additions to its impressive faculty and staff. Please take a moment to learn a little bit about the newest members of the RCDS community, and be sure to give them a warm Gator welcome when you see them at school!

Rosemary Murphy Bell joins the Early Childhood Center as a Nursery Teacher. She holds a B.A. in psychology from Temple University and an M.A. in education from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Rosemary launched her teaching career abroad at the International School of the Sacred Heart in Tokyo. A lifelong learner herself, she continued her education in London before returning home to the states where she has taught for over 10 years. Rosemary is passionate about guiding children during their early developmental stages and enjoys watching them reach milestones, whether it’s as simple as mastering scissors or the thrill of learning to read. She incorporates singing and dancing into her instruction to bring elements of fun into the classroom. An avid reader, Rosemary appreciates a good WWII era novel and the occasional beach read by Elin Hilderbrand. She enjoys spending time with her husband and three children, playing tennis, riding her bike, and practicing yoga.
 

We are pleased to welcome Carly Conley back to RCDS as a Beginners Teacher. A graduate of Keane University, Carly double majored in Elementary Education and Psychology. She previously taught at RCDS for five years before becoming a proud mother of two. Committed to an adaptive teaching style that differentiates instruction for each individual learner, Carly is excited to return to RCDS and get to know each of her students on a personal level. She is an animal lover and enjoys bike rides and the beach.

 

Sarah Fichtner joins RCDS as the School Counselor, a new role at the School. Sarah earned her B.A. from the University of Maryland, where she played division one soccer and completed her M.A. at Kean University. A Licensed Associate Counselor, National Certified Counselor, Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning, and Disaster Response Crisis Counselor, Sarah is passionate about normalizing mental health and helping families navigate their children's social-emotional development. Inspired by sports psychologists and counselors that changed her life, she hopes to make the same impact on those that she counsels and aims to help others identify social, mental, and emotional balance. In her free time, Sarah continues to play soccer for a co-ed team in Wall. She enjoys horseback riding, running, and spending time with her bernese mountain dog named Bo.

Marcie Forsyth joins RCDS’s Department of Mathematics as a 5^th and 8^th grade Math Teacher. She holds a B.A. from Lynchburg College and a standard teaching certificate from the state of NJ. Prior to her independent school career, Marcie worked on Wall Street as a broker. She loves tying her past experience into the classroom and incorporating real-life scenarios to make math compelling for her students. She is eager to get to know each student and learn their many perspectives of problem-solving. In her free time, Marcie enjoys tennis, hiking, and taking snowboarding trips with her husband and two children. She has three cats named Smokey, Sugar Magnolia, and Jetty.

After serving as a long-term Assistant Pre-K substitute at RCDS, we are pleased to welcome Deanna Garfinkel as an Assistant Nursery Teacher in the Early Childhood Center. Deanna holds a B.A. from Pace University and has worked with young children for over 10 years as a nanny. Guiding children through key developmental stages of their lives and witnessing the outcomes in the process inspires Deanna each day. She engages her students with hands-on educational activities to make learning fun. When she is not in the classroom, Deanna can be found in her kitchen baking and cooking.
 

Nicholas Marron joins the RCDS maintenance team after working for Trader Joe’s Grocery Store for over ten years. Attracted by organizations that value relationships and a friendly atmosphere, Nicholas is eager to join the RCDS family. A Monmouth County native and self-described homebody, he enjoys relaxing at home with friends and the occasional day on the golf course.



 

Megan Peter joins the Art Department as a Lower and Upper School Art Teacher. She holds a B.A. from Columbia University where she studied Fine Art, Art History, and Elementary Education. She earned her M.A. from New York University. Most recently, Megan served as the Art Teacher at two of her alma maters – Holy Cross Academy and Red Bank Catholic High School. Megan loves incorporating different media in the classroom. She specializes in pencil portraits and thrives off the magic of capturing expressions and the personal essence of her subjects. Megan is eager to participate in the same signature traditions that her husband, Damian experienced as an RCDS Class of ‘91 alumnus. Outside of the classroom, she can be found cheering on her two children at sporting events, baking, and practicing photography.