New Faculty Are "Rectory Ready" For the School Year

Just like their students, teachers experience a blend of excitement and anticipation before the first day of school. Even for seasoned educators, the educational landscape is constantly evolving—especially for those joining the Rectory School faculty or stepping into the world of junior boarding schools for the first time. New faculty spent their first week on campus immersing themselves in the traditions of the Wolf Pack, ensuring they are fully "Rectory Ready" for the upcoming year.

Rectory School is excited to welcome an exceptional cohort of educators across academics, including mathematics, computer science, learning services, and elementary education:

• Jennifer Duncan joins the middle school math team, bringing decades of experience from middle and upper schools where she led math departments and coordinated community service, enrichment, and summer programs.
• Samer Jabor will teach computer science. Drawing on a rich background in game design, web development, and virtual/augmented reality, he looks forward to expanding technical opportunities at Rectory. Having taught robotics and 3D printing during Summer@Rectory, Samer is already an active member of the school community.
• Dominique Arsenault joins the Learning Center as an English language teacher. Her background includes private dyslexia tutoring, literacy intervention in public schools, and teaching roles in Montessori settings. 

   

• Michael Seal joins the elementary school to teach fourth grade. After serving as a school principal across multiple institutions in Connecticut and California, Michael is excited to return to classroom instruction.
• Carmin Macario joined the faculty for the new faculty orientation week since she was hired mid-year. The community is thrilled to welcome her to the residential life staff, where she will reside in Out of Bounds Dormitory. 

In addition to the new teaching staff, several administrative members joined over the summer: Danielle Marrow-Rivera as Associate Director of Admissions, and Megan Dickie as Constituent Engagement Coordinator in Alumni & Development. Danielle worked in the Admissions Office at a local High School while also planning and implementing student wellness programs. Megan also comes to Rectory with previous experience as Development and Communications Coordinator, she also holds a master’s in arts administration and cultural entrepreneurship. Carmin Macario also joined them last week as a mid-year hire for the World Language Department. 

Embracing Rectory's Philosophy

Orientation is a critical step in onboarding new faculty, grounding them in community values and expectations. Educators learn how deeply relationships and student engagement are integrated into the curriculum. Beyond teaching, faculty in a junior boarding environment wear many hats—acting as coaches, dorm parents, learning specialists, and club leaders. Orientation week provides time to explore available resources, review academic philosophy, and navigate practical logistics, from managing mail to utilizing Blackbaud. 

The Faculty Mentor Program

New teachers experience Rectory’s collaborative environment firsthand through the Faculty Mentor Program. After some feedback during end of year reflections, the mentor program was born two years ago by ninth-grade English teacher Alysia Labonte-Campbell as a program that offers continuous support to ease the transition to independent school.. During orientation, Alysia modeled student-centric engagement by walking new teachers through her own classroom routines—a core component of Rectory’s curriculum.

In Room 206, students can expect structural consistency: daily assignments visible on the board, established seating charts, and designated routines for retrieving daily journals and folders. While some teachers begin class with a mindful moment, others use a warm-up question to spark conversation and build connections. For incoming math teacher Jennifer Duncan, seeing these strategies in action helped spark ideas for her own classroom structure and materials.

Prioritizing Health & Wellness

Student safety, mental health, and emotional well-being remain a major focus in modern education. A significant part of orientation week highlighted how Rectory supports students through Counseling and the Health and Wellness Center. Wellness support continues to expand, driven by the Student Health & Wellness Committee and the addition of Douglas Henry as a school counselor. Douglas brings over 10 years of experience guiding students’ academic, behavioral, and social-emotional development.

Faculty summer reading also reflected this commitment, with Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation being a widely discussed selection among staff. Rectory operates on the principle that students must feel safe in order to learn, making wellness a foundation of the school's mission.

Looking Ahead

After three months of summer preparation, faculty and staff are ready to welcome more than 250 students back to campus, including nearly 100 new members of the Wolf Pack. As final touches are placed on classrooms and grounds, the energy across campus promises an extraordinary school year ahead.