Randolph School teachers, staff, and leaders share a commitment to seeing and understanding each child. Drawing on our decades upon decades of teaching experience, we support children to celebrate and use their own strengths as they meet the many wonderful challenges of learning and growing up. Meet the people who work and learn at Randolph School...

DOWNSTAIRS TEACHERS

DIANE BOUJIKIAN

I have been a teacher of the 3, 4, and 5 year old group since 1978. Randolph School is the place where I met my husband Mark, raised our son Noah, and truly learned about teaching. Discovering a child’s passion for learning, noticing what inspires a child, what suits her/his learning style are some of my many delights with the dance of teaching and learning. It is so fascinating and rewarding to share a child's inner world. Observing and documenting children’s work enables me to learn about and guide a person to the challenge that may give them an “A-ha, this is just right for me!” experience.

Sign language is one of my passions. Learning American Sign Language introduced me to the beauty, strengths and complexities of Deaf people. The ability to use movement and multiple senses to learn is vital to my teaching and to a child's learning with his/her whole body. Integrating sign language into the curriculum enhances literacy. Through songs and developing a small ASL vocabulary, our children learn an alternate communication skill.

Some of my favorite times at Randolph are our celebrations. From Harvest Feast to maple sugaring to rocket launch, our wonderful traditions are the times when the energy and enthusiasm of the community is richly celebrated and Randolph feels like home!

EVAN CHADWICK

I have been an itinerant member of the Randolph downstairs for over two decades. I first discovered the wonderful world that young people at Randolph are invited to engage in as a student myself, where I learned lessons and formed friendships that have endured throughout my life. Fifteen years later, I found myself back in  the same block rooms and circles, but this time as an assistant teacher. This serendipitous chance to return to Randolph as a teacher during a break from college became an opportunity for me to fully grasp and articulate my intention to spend my life in education, and I have never looked back.

My passion for, and boundless interest in, natural systems and the living environments that surround us everywhere is a theme that has guided my life alongside my bottomless thirst for education. I have spent time living in the Hudson Highlands and the Berkshires, on the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater and on blue water sailing vessels, in Maine and California in pursuit of these interests. While I appreciate learning and teaching about nearly everything under the sun, it is when beholding a salamander, chasing a butterfly, or tickling a jewel weed seed pod that I am most wholly in my element. (Coincidentally, I spent much of my early education at Randolph catching amphibians and looking for creatures in the creek and not so much time coloring inside the lines.)

Since graduating college I have worked extensively as an outdoor educator, leading groups of kids of all ages and from all socioeconomic backgrounds in cooperative team building and environmental education experiences in the outdoors. I also spent a year living in Japan teaching English to junior high school students. Having recently finished a Master's in teaching and certification in secondary biology education at Bard College, I am very enthusiastic to be at Randolph participating in an intentional learning community.

VALERIE FOSTER-ADAM

I am lucky to be both a Downstairs teacher and the Art and Shop teacher (see below).

UPSTAIRS TEACHERS

ANITA MERANDO

I believe that education is about being a researcher in your own life, learning, reflecting, and making sense of and connections to the world. Since 1983, I have enjoyed teaching children of all ages. My interest in teaching evolved while I was an artist-in-residence in West Coast schools, integrating music and storytelling into the teaching of language arts. As a pre-school teacher, I developed an in-home preschool for four and five year olds, basing the curriculum on exploring the sights and sounds of the Seattle area. After spending twelve years as an extended-day Kindergarten teacher, I received my teaching certification, Pre-Kindergarten through Eighth Grades, from Central Washington University, and my Professional Certification from Antioch University Seattle. I taught Kindergarten and was a Reading Support Specialist in Seattle Public Schools. My experience as a Fellow in the Puget Sound Writing Project, a branch of the National Writing Project, led me to work with the Seattle School District’s Writing Curriculum Design Team. During this time, I also worked with city and county agencies, designing and presenting workshops for early childhood educators on transitioning children to Kindergarten and on developmental reading and writing.  In the summers of 2002-2004, I collaborated with printmaker, Laurie Brown, presenting integrated arts and storytelling workshops for children of all ages.

In 2006, I returned to my hometown, Cold Spring, and began teaching at Randolph School. At Randolph, I found a learning community that shared my view that learning is a life-long endeavor. I have taught humanities and creative writing in the Upper School program and Language Arts and Math in the Upstairs (Elementary) program. During this time, I completed a MAED from Antioch University and in the summer of 2009 I was a Fellow at the Hudson Valley Writing Project. I continue to present workshops for early childhood educators. When I am not teaching, I participate in two writing groups, and sing jazz standards at restaurants in the Hudson Valley. I also teach voice at C-Note Music School in Cortlandt Manor and have a private tutoring and voice practice. Anita's website

DAVID LARSON

I am excited to be a member of the Randolph School community and the K-2nd group.  After years of professional practice, I am impressed by the hard work and careful thought that young learners bring to their studies of language, mathematics, the world, and each other.  It seems that each child creates their own path and own knowledge; in a school environment that is rich in materials, ideas, and opportunities, we can witness children teach themselves and one another to do amazing things.  I am looking forward to working with the Randolph School community of learners, families, friends, and teaching colleagues to make this happen.

After living in many different places (including four overseas assignments) and teaching in many different settings (from Prekindergarten to Elder Hostel), it is very comforting to settle into life in the Hudson Valley.  I have every expectation of gardening, building, writing, reading, cooking, creating, and a whole lot more with the kids at school.

GOLDY SAFIRSTEIN

I started teaching at The Randolph School in 2003 and have taught in both the elementary (Upstairs) and the Upper School (Carriage House) programs. During the summers, I've also worked with some of our Downstairs students. I honestly can't say that I prefer a particular age. All the age groups have wonderful characteristics but through all our age groups I see the happy results when students are truly respected. Our youngest students amaze me with the amount of knowledge they possess and with the insightful questions they ask. Our oldest students serve as a counterpoint to the stereotype of the American teenager, as they move through the years at Randolph they are ever more community minded and responsible. Our middle group, the Upstairs students, combine the best of all worlds – they are enthusiastic about any new adventure and eager to take on increased responsibilities and challenges.

Here are some of the characteristics I seek to encourage in my students: Confidence: knowing you can do what you set out to if you persist. Competence: a willingness to practice until you feel competent. Resilience: the ability to try again in a different way until you accomplish your goal. Interdependence: Knowing you can rely on your community for support and a willingness to suppost other in turn. Stewardship: taking responsibility for your environmnet and things. Curiosity: a willingness to keep asking questions, to find out what you want to know and to find resources. Self-awareness: The ablitiy and willingness to reflect on your own behavior, to know your special talents, to understand your challenges and to find ways to move forward toward your goals. Kindness: to yourself and others. Communication: finding ways to understand what others are trying to tell you and to make yourself understood.

I love teaching and feel particularly lucky to work with the team of teachers at Randolph and to have had the opportunity to "learn the ropes" in the Carriage House with Eric Tomlins. Randolph is more than just a school, it is a community of students, teachers, staff, families and alumni that embraces the individual while always seeking for the common good. My wife Kelly and I have two grown sons, William and Alex, who are Randolph alumni. We live with our canine and feline "family" in Poughkeepsie, including our cat Ari who appeared at Randolph School during the work days in August of 2008 and joined our household soon thereafter. In addition to teaching, I am an artist, amatuer historian, writer, reader, craftsperson, and an insatiably curious life-long learner.

DEBBIE STONE

I have been a teacher for many years, enjoying my work with parents and teachers, with all ages of children, adolescents and adults. I have a tutoring and consulting teacher practice which takes me from my headquarters at High Valley, a center in Clinton Corners, all over Dutchess County and sometimes beyond. I am privileged to spend most days at the Randolph School. Here I focus on a particular student, or work with large and small groups, benefiting enormously from a chance to work with colleagues who share my enthusiasm for an integrated, alternative approach to teaching. This approach demands a great deal from teachers and students alike. Nothing is cut and dried; the challenges of cooperative learning are always demanding. But opportunities for discovery and creativity abound, and the satisfactions are beyond description. The Randolph community seems to provide an ethical groundwork that students and teachers can build on as they interact with the world beyond.

I grew up in Dutchess County and raised my son here. After graduation from Radcliffe College, I studied at Vassar College. A Masters Degree from Bank Street College of Education in New York City and NYS teacher certification in several areas came later, as well as recent course work in play therapy and in the teaching of reading. Besides being an educator, I have done writing, editing and critical reading of fiction and nonfiction books for a number of writers. I sometimes write poems, and I love to read all kinds of things, both to myself and aloud to others.

OFFICE STAFF AND SCHOOL LEADERS

ALISA ALGAVA

Ever since 1977 when I started as a kindergartner at Randolph School, I seem to keep circling back. This time I am lucky to be in an exciting new role as the school's first official director. I have been connected to Randolph School for almost my entire life in a variety of roles – student, college intern, teacher, co-administrator, and board member.  I also have taught and learned in public and charter schools, most recently in Brooklyn, New York. I graduated from Brown in 1996 and completed my Masters degree in 2008 at Bank Street College of Education, a graduate school with a long commitment to progressive education.  In addition to being certified as a “School Building Leader” in New York State, my experiences in Bank Street’s Leadership for Educational Change program have inspired and motivated me to create, guide, and nurture collaborative communities of learning where everyone can contribute their strengths and work on their challenges. Please feel free to contact me at any time with feedback or questions of any kind.  I’m a life-long learner (thanks to Randolph) and I need everyone’s help so I can continue learning and so we can keep making Randolph School better and better for our children.

KAREN SZCZUKA TEICH

I have been an assistant to Katlyn in the Office since 2006. However, my connection with Randolph School began in 2001 when my son entered pre-kindergarten here. As an active parent in the Parent Group and a firm believer in the school's philosophy it was a natural fit for me to come and work here. I support the office, the Director and the teachers in any way I can.  I send out the school's press releases and also compile and send the school's Friday Note which is a weekly on-line magazine that highlights the week's lessons, activities and events and includes scheduling and other important information for the whole school. Before Randolph School, I worked at Archie Comic Publications in Mamaroneck, NY for seven years and later became a stay-at-home mom. I studied Broadcasting, Journalism and Speech at Buffalo State College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts.

KATLYN LERNER

I am the Business Manager and one of the Co-Administrators at The Randolph School. My connection to Randolph began as a student in 1964 when my mother, Lee Tomlins, founded the school with two other teachers. After Randolph I went to high school at The Putney School, a progressive boarding school in Vermont, and then on to Bennington College. I received my BA in English from Columbia University in 1982.

When my son entered Randolph in 1989 I began doing bookkeeping and other part-time work for the school. In 1999 I started full-time at the school, the first non-teacher to join the full-time staff. I do everything from  answering the phone to planning the budget for the next fiscal year; from monitoring the water quality to helping plan the annual giving campaign. My job is to support the mission of Randolph by creating an environment where progressive education can flourish. I try to run the business end of the school grounded in the Randolph philosophy — with trust, compassion, and respect for the individual.

CHRISTINE SIMEK

I am a mother, teacher, writer, and avid poetry fan. I believe that all children possess a deep intelligence and desire to learn, and that by engaging students one by one, their unique voices and visions are able to spring forth and grow. I teach with a mixture of imaginary play, consistent exposure to the Arts, and an exploration of literature (LOTS of literature!) encouraging our students to tap into their own innate sense of who they are both as individuals and as citizens of the larger world. I have taught preschool, kindergarten, and first grade in Boston and New York City, among other places. I recently earned my MFA in writing from Bennington College and am working on a collection of essays (and writing bad poems that I hide under my bed). I am thrilled to be working at The Randolph School!

ART, MUSIC, SPANISH, PHILOSOPHY, AND AFTERSCHOOL TEACHERS

VALERIE FOSTER-ADAM

The art studio is a warm, inviting and safe place for children to explore and make meaning of their world through individual and shared art experiences. I am continually learning from my students – and they never fail to inspire me. My love of teaching started in public schools in Texas. We eventually migrated to the northeast – where I completed my Master’s Degree in Art Education while teaching art in Brooklyn and more recently the Hudson Valley. It is very exciting that we chose to settle down in an area that inspired the Hudson River School of painters. I am honored to be a part of the Randolph community and hope that my love of learning is infectious. I am happily juggling a busy schedule of motherhood, teaching both at Randolph and the School of Visual Arts in NYC, enjoying outdoor endeavors such as snowboarding and kayaking and creating my own artwork. 

GINA SAMARDGE

My journey began as a K-3 music teacher in rural North Central Ohio, having just returned from a year traveling 

in Asia, Africa and Europe. I was exposed to the Orff-Schulwerk approach to teaching music by a respected mentor and immediately fell in love with this holistic approach to music creation and education. While in Ohio, I began an after school 3rd grade African drumming/Orff Ensemble and we took our 22 drums, 15 xylophones, recorders, props and percussion instruments on the road to area schools.

But the distant call of a city that stole my heart when I was a teen was too irresistible and I left for New York City in 2002. While in NYC, I worked as an outreach artist in the public schools, directed the Brooklyn Conservatory Children's Chorus where I produced an annual Choral Festival, and began my own series of sing-a-longs and music and movement classes for children 4 and under and their caregivers in Brooklyn and Manhattan. I developed a summer camp for children 8-14 years old where the children wrote a show based on a theme; creating their characters and story, writing the script, selecting or creating music, lyrics and dances, and building their costumes, props and some set pieces. I also completed my first two levels in Orff-Schulwerk, studying with some of the most prominent educators in the field. I performed as an actress, singer and musician around NYC and abroad every chance I could.

After a serendipitous meeting at a Beacon Sloop Club sing-a-long in January 2010, I found my way to Randolph. What better environment for an arts educator! I look forward to each day at the school, where I have an opportunity to play both teacher and student to the children; to facilitate learning opportunities amongst educators who share my educational ideology; to sing, play, move, improvise, create, connect, ask, integrate and share. When not teaching, I continue to perform and study music, theater and clown, and work as a professional development educator for preschool, music and elementary teachers on integrating music into the classroom and cross-curricular project development. A constant student of the world, I am also an avid hiker, traveler, reader and have begun to explore gardening, cooking, writing and the visual art world.

JANET PERLES 

My experiences teaching and learning, as both a classroom and Spanish teacher, have enriched my life and serve as a constant reminder of my commitment to children and to the world of possibilities that each child represents. I hope to help children become well-rounded, thoughtful people who play an active role in their learning and communities. Students are not in the classroom to passively absorb information, so the elementary classroom can and should be a place where students’ natural curiosity is developed and a community ethic is fostered. I am deeply committed to an anti-bias, inclusive curriculum that welcomes diversity and prepares children to be active citizens. To these ends I emphasize independence together with cooperative and inquiry-based learning in an effort to guide students toward becoming lifelong learners.

DAN FISHERMAN

I am a longtime parent at the Randolph School. I am currently “doing” philosophy with the 5/6/7 and 8/9/10 groups in the Upstairs. I joined the Board of Trustees at Randolph School in 2006. 

KIM MYERS

I am the teacher/coordinator of the Afterschool Program, which is being reinvented this year!

ERIC TOMLINS - In Memoriam