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NOTABLE FACULTY
MEET OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
Pat Barry Linda Corcoran Lori Fitzgibbon Oliver Forsythe Shannon Hurley
Emily Seelaus Edward Thompson Rachel Yu Georgia Zaiser
We are pleased to announce a modification to our School Leadership Team and introduce key personnel and their new roles that took effect on July 1.
Pat Barry Interim Director of Lower School
Through her nearly 30-year career, Pat held various leadership roles at independent, Montessori, and Catholic schools—having served as a Head of School at both The Montessori Children’s Academy and Hoboken Montessori School. She was instrumental in increasing enrollment at The Green Vale School as Director of Admissions and during her tenure as Director of Lower School Admissions and Financial Aid at Oak Knoll School.
Linda Corcoran, P ‘21 Director of Engagement and Philanthropy
Linda has been with Far Hills for 12 years and is in her third year in this role. Linda is strategically leading Far Hills’ Capital Campaign, as well as all events and fundraising efforts on behalf of the school.
Lori Fitzgibbon Chief Financial Officer
Lori has been with Far Hills for four years. Lori has led the recent renovations in the Upper School, and the remodel of the brand new science labs. Lori remains committed to maintaining financial responsibility, human resource management for faculty/staff, and managing the school's budget. Lori has been instrumental in keeping our community safe, healthy, and in-person throughout this last school year.
Oliver Forsythe Director of Technology
Following Cathy Varga’s retirement, Oliver stepped into the role of Director of Technology at the beginning of July. With over ten years of experience and direct mentorship from Cathy, Oliver is ready and prepared to take on this new opportunity.
Shannon Hurley Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications
Shannon was formerly the Digital Marketing Specialist at Far Hills and will return to our community as the Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications. She steps into the role with nearly two decades of professional experience in the marketing and communications industry—a year of which was spent at Far Hills Country Day School.
Emily Seelaus Director of Upper School
Emily Seelaus steps into the role of Director of the Upper School with nearly twentyfive years of experience in middle school education. Emily will manage all aspects of daily Upper School life.
Edward Thompson, P ‘32 Director of Operations and Secondary School Placement
In this newly defined position, Ed will create and maintain critical connections between campus operations, strategic initiatives, and the impending transition to “a state of normalcy” as it relates to operations and programming. Ed will continue his role as Director of Secondary School Placement.
Rachel Yu, P ‘22, ‘25 Director of Admission
Rachel is entering her seventh year as our Director of Admission and her twelfth year as a member of the Far Hills community. Rachel tirelessly works to admit new students and welcome them—and their families—into our community.
Georgia Zaiser, P ‘12, ‘16 Head of School
Georgia has been a part of the Far Hills community for over 25 years. Under her leadership, Far Hills increased enrollment by nearly 10%, successfully launched a new verbal identity that inspired a fresh creative platform, and exceeded the Annual Fund goal by $61,000.
NOTABLE FACULTY
Far Hills Hosts Two Mind, Brain, and Education Conferences for New Jersey Schools
In partnership with The New Jersey Association of Independent Schools and the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning, Peter McBride coordinated and facilitated two regional conferences inviting local schools to learn about translating academic research on learning and the brain to classroom practice. Special thanks to faculty presenters: Christina Sopko, Maria Saba, Sue Miller, Maedean Kramer, Roseanne Panico, Kathryn Brower, Amy Burns, Hope Svendsen, and Dan Kramer.
School Leadership Team
The School Leadership Team attended various yearly conferences, including NJAIS Trustee Day, The Enrollment Management Associations Annual Conference, and The National Business Officers Association’s Annual Meeting.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Christina Sopko attended almost 40 trainings centered around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, including NJAIS’s annual People of Color Conference, Pollyanna Inc’s Anti-Racism Series, Glasgow Group’s Diversity Practitioners Institute, and Far Brook’s Widening the Lens Conference. Christina is also a member of the DEI Collaborative, a group of DEI Coordinators from all over the United States. In addition, the entire faculty engaged with the Glasgow Group, a consortium of consultants dedicated to providing tools, skills, and experiences to schools. Many faculty members participated in the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Subscription Series that included 11 seminars on various topics relevant to schools today.
Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning
Far Hills continued its partnership with the CTTL and participated in their seasonal webinars. Shout out to the Summer 2020 Webinar attendees: Natalie Sturgeon, Maria Saba, Jen Wagar, Christina Sopko, and Peter McBride. Likewise to the Winter Webinar participants: Emily Seelaus, Nikki Todaro, Rosario Bernabeu, Maria Saba, and Christina Sopko.
New Jersey Association of Independent Schools
Institute for Female Leaders
Kelsey Meisenbacher attended a six-part series focused on empowering women at all stages of their professional journey and promoting professional growth for aspiring school leaders.
Innovating Instruction Conference
Julie Blanco, Sue Miller, Lynne Douglas, and Krissy Coombs attended a two-day experience dedicated to taking best practices in teaching and applying them to a blended learning context. The group gleaned curricular tools and instructional methods to apply to their teaching practices.
Amy Burns Published Author
In September, Amy Burns’ book titled Using Technology with Elementary Music Approaches was published. Congratulations Amy! In addition, Amy spoke at virtual events hosted by The New Jersey Music Educators Association, Technology for Music Education, and Texas Music Education Association’s National Conference.
Orton-Gillingham Training
Kelsey Meisenbacher and Lynne Douglas completed Orton-Gillingham Training at the Intermediate level through the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education.
Practical Week of Language Teaching
Rosario Bernabeu and Maria Saba joined a global conference at which more than 40 language teachers shared teaching strategies and methods proven effective in the Spanish classroom. Rosario and Maria were also selected to present at a conference that was sponsored by a prestigious university in Spain. The title of their presentation is “How to Implement Project-Based Learning in the World Language Class.”
National Art Education Foundation
Roseanne Panico and Kathryn Brower attended a National convention attended by over 4,500 visual arts and design educators.
Rosario Bernabeu
Amy Burns
Peter McBride
Maria Saba
Christina Sopko
Far Hills Country Day School
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MILESTONES
2021 marked 50 years since the Class of 1971 graduation and 25 years since the Class of 1996 graduation. Congratulations!
Class of 1971 Class of 1996
