We are thrilled to welcome 13 new members of our faculty and staff! Each new member of the CRS community brings deep experience and a lifelong love of learning.
Our new faculty and staff:
Monica Chrambach
Grade 6 Math and Science Teacher
Monica joins Charles River School from Shady Hill School in Cambridge, Mass., where she taught since 1994. Most recently, she taught science in grades 5-8 and served as an instructional coach to the middle school faculty. She has also taught eighth-grade math and lower school science and tutored students with learning challenges. Prior to working at Shady Hill, she was a high school science and math teacher for learning disabled students at the Forman School and King & Low-Heywood Thomas School in Connecticut. Monica is particularly interested in curriculum design, affective education and meeting the needs of diverse learners.
Sarah Fishman
Grade 4 Co-Teacher
Before coming to CRS, Sarah served as the Lead Remote Learning Teacher for Early Kindergarten through Grade 4 and an Assistant Teacher for Grades 3 & 4 at the Laguna Blanca School in Santa Barbara, California. In this role, she planned and taught remote students, while tailoring the curriculum in math, reading, social studies, and science to her students’ individual needs. Sarah provided support and connection to families while their child was learning at home. She also provided diversity, equity, and inclusive instruction in third and fourth grades, and aided teachers in the integration of this material. Prior to those roles, Sarah was the Lead Teacher for Grades 3 and 4 at Mackintosh Academy in Denver, Colorado. There, she crafted math lessons, taught writing skills, and developed lessons for each six-week unit of thematic inquiry.
Binu Gopinathan
EDP Teacher, Enrichment Activities Teacher
Binu is a passionate educator who firmly believes in developing and encouraging creativity and engineering skills in kids for innovation and invention. She has worked for both public and private afterschool learning centers for children that specializes in nationwide math and creative writing/reading programs for preschool students through middle school. Recently she was working as the afterschool teacher for Norwood Schools Department of Early Education and Care Funded Program teaching Math and Reading to kids from 5 to 14 years of age, before joining CRS. Binu has a Bachelor’s degree in English language and literature. She resides in Norwood MA with her family.
Dorothy Gregoire
PreK/K Co-Teacher
We are happy to welcome Dorothy back to our PreKindergarten/Kindergarten classroom. Dorothy is an experienced early childhood educator and administrator, who served as the assistant director at The Goddard School in Dedham before joining us as the PreK/K assistant teacher last year. At The Goddard School, she oversaw enrollment, staffing, and curriculum, and served as a liaison to parents. Prior to that role, Dorothy worked at the Next Generation Children’s Center in Walpole. She started as a classroom teacher, developing and implementing weekly lesson plans to promote social, cognitive, physical, and emotional growth. Dorothy also served as the Center’s program manager and assisted teachers with maintaining a productive classroom environment, establishing curriculum, reviewing assessments, and organizing events.
Dorothy attended Concordia University of Portland and has a Master’s Degree in Education with a minor in Curriculum & Instruction. She recently earned an Education Specialist Degree in Instructional Leadership from William Carey University.
Lindsey Grossman
Grades 1/2 Literacy Teacher
In addition to joining CRS as a part-time literacy teacher this year, Lindsey has her own tutoring business. Previously, she taught at Mary McDowell Friends School, a school for children with language-based learning disabilities. Prior to that, Lindsey was a classroom teacher in a public elementary classroom in Manhattan. Lindsey discovered her passion for tutoring when working with students individually, building upon their strengths and working through their learning challenges.
Lindsey has a Master’s in Special Education and General Education from the Bank Street Graduate School of Education and an undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California. Her experiences in literacy and math, as well as executive functioning, combined with her intensive training in Orton-Gillingham and Wilson Fundations, enhance learning for all children.
Tara Jennings
Grades 7 and 8 Science Teacher and PreK-Grade 8 Science Coordinator
Tara has taught science at a number of schools since 2001, and most recently served as the Science Department Chair at Dana Hall School. During her time Dana Hall, Tara taught courses in physical and life sciences for students in grades 9-12, served as an advisor, and as a member of the Admissions Committee and the Senior Projects Committee. Tara also taught science at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Boston, The Pennington School in New Jersey, and The Winchendon School. Throughout her career in education, she has also been a coach, middle school advisor, dorm parent, and faculty mentor, and served on a number of faculty- and student-focused committees.
Chris MacDonald
Grade 6 Humanities Teacher
Chris joins Charles River School from Pollard Middle School in Needham, Mass., where he served as a literacy support teacher and instructional coach. In these roles, he developed an individualized curriculum for each reading and writing student and collaborated with math, science, social studies, and English teachers to develop new curricula, projects, activities, and refine existing classroom practices. Previously, he was an Eighth-Grade English and Reading Teacher and an Eighth-Grade U.S. History and Civics Teacher at Jonas Clarke Middle School in Lexington, Mass. Chris was named Teacher of the Year in 2015 while serving as the English Department Chair, Seventh- and Eighth-Grade English and Reading Teacher, Teacher Mentor, Data Coach, and Webmaster at the Hillsboro Elementary/Middle School in Franklin, Tenn.
Cricket Marobella
EDP Teacher
Cricket (they/them) is a 2021 graduate of MassArt, leaving school with a passion for all kinds of crafts and artistic disciplines. Cricket co-headed the textiles department in 2022 for one of our CRS Summer Programs, Charles River Creative Arts Program, putting together several runway shows and helping campers achieve their fashion dreams. Their favorite thing to do is help kids’ natural talents bloom and see their self-confidence grow.
Rosa Elena Rivera
PreK-Grade 2 Spanish Music Teacher
Rosa Elena combines her love of language and music and brings high energy to her teaching. Over the course of her career, she has taught at many schools and programs, including Joyful Music, Mystic Valley Music Together, Music Together Belmont, River of Song, Music and Movement of Newton, and in the Cambridge and Somerville public school systems. She has used the Canta y Baila Conmigo curriculum for many years and also has extensive experience as a voice instructor, dance and movement teacher, and program director. Rosa Elena is a talented opera singer with a long list of solo recitals, performances, and musical productions to her name.
Sammy Robertson
School Counselor
Sammy most recently served as the Lower School Counselor at Capitol Hill Day School in Washington, D.C. In addition to day-to-day support of PreK to fourth-grade students, she led psychoeducational counseling groups on topics like social skills acquisition, coping with worry and anxiety, and impulse control. Sammy also led the LGBTQ+ Student Union to support questioning or identifying students in grades 4-8 and was a member of the Admissions Committee to help support student and family needs throughout the admissions process. Previously, Sammy was the School Counseling Intern at The MacArthur School in Waltham, Mass. She received a BA in history and education from Colby College. Sammy earned her E.d.M in Prevention, Science, and Practice as well as a Certificate of Advanced Study Candidate in School Counseling from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Hannah Sokol
Associate Director of Admissions
Hannah is overjoyed to be rejoining the CRS community in a new role. She joined the admissions team in September and has loved being back on campus. Prior to joining the admissions team, she was the school counselor at CRS for two years. Hannah has worked at McLean Hospital, The Island School, the Achieve Program at Noble and Greenough School, and The Home for Little Wanderers in a variety of counseling and admissions roles. Hannah completed her master’s degree in Social Work at Salem State University and earned her bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Hamilton College. Hannah is passionate about mindfulness practices and believes that CRS is a special place that truly focuses on the joy of learning for all community members. When she is not on campus, Hannah can be found enjoying walks with her golden retriever and her family.
Amy Walsh
Assistant Director of Development
Amy joined CRS in March of 2022. Previously, she served as the Development Specialist for Girls on the Run Greater Boston, where she applied for grants and managed the fundraising gala which helped expand programming throughout diverse communities in Greater Boston. She also ran the Boston Marathon to raise funds for Girls on the Run programming, which helps to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum that creatively integrates running! Prior to that, Amy worked in the Development Office at Dexter Southfield School as a Major Gifts Associate and also has experience managing grants at Boston Children’s Hospital and the University of California, San Francisco. Amy earned her BA in Political Science at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania where she played on the lacrosse team.
Sarah Wong
Grades 1/2 Co-Teacher
Before joining the CRS PreK/K classroom last spring, Sarah was a first-grade lead teacher at Schofield Elementary School, where she developed a curriculum in math, science, reading, writing, and phonics. She previously worked as the middle school pilot program intern at Open Circle, conducting research on the SEL needs of middle school students. Outside of CRS, Sarah works as a dance instructor for both kids and adults at Do Dance Ballet & Fitness. She loves to incorporate physical movement and creativity into traditional classroom settings. Sarah earned a B.A. in Geosciences and a Teacher Certification Program for Elementary Education from Wellesley College. She recently completed the Learning and Teaching Master’s Program at Harvard Graduate School of Education, earning her M.A. this May.