Teaching at La Jolla Country Day School

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Faculty and Staff Directory

The La Jolla Country Day School faculty, administration and staff are strong, diverse and talented individuals who have been drawn together for a common purpose. Ours is a vibrant community with an exciting charge—to create a stronger, better place where our children and those of future generations can grow to become excellent individuals, citizens and adventurers of the world.

Below is a list of the administration, staff and faculty. To locate a member, click on the drop-down menus below to search by division, department or last name. Faculty and staff bios are also available below.

Faculty/Staff Directory

Department

Grade

Last Name

Ciara Rafferty

Educator, MS Art

(858) 453-3440 x316
Joe Rowling

Educator, MS Strings and Orchestra

(858) 453-3440 x266

Bio

“I inspire greatness for a better world through music. I motivate students to strive for excellence and inspire them to recognize their greatness individually and collectively.”

Joe Rowling believes that music education is important for the sake of music. As the Middle School orchestra director at La Jolla Country Day School, Mr. Rowling’s role is to teach students perseverance, dedication, teamwork, beauty and creativity through playing a string instrument. Students in Mr. Rowling’s classes hopefully leave with a lifelong love and appreciation of music.

Mr. Rowling was born in San Diego. He began studying piano and violin at age 7, and later the viola. Growing up, Mr. Rowling was a member of several school and youth orchestras around San Diego County. After “messing around” on the piano one day, he gained an interest in composing. This led to him entering and winning a few young composer competitions.

Mr. Rowling continued his education at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, where he studied music education. He graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s of music. While studying in Los Angeles, Mr. Rowling participated in USC’s Outreach program, where he taught free after-school music classes to local elementary schools that did not have music programs of their own.

Mr. Rowling started at LJCDS in 2007. Besides teaching, Mr. Rowling is currently principal violist of the Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra, does quartet and duet gigs with colleague Joan Diener, and works as a real estate agent for his family’s company. When Mr. Rowling has free time, he enjoys seeing friends and family, traveling, and playing disc golf.
Jamilah Ryan

Educator, MS Math Grade 8

(858) 453-3440 x226

Bio

“I inspire greatness by helping to develop students to reason and think mathematically and make connections between the quantitative aspects of math and their real-world applications. I see my classroom as a space where students feel safe to take risks, deeply explore mathematical concepts, ask questions and create strategies and solutions that make sense to them.”

A life-long learner, Jamilah Ryan appreciates the field of education as a dynamic one that must constantly evolve as the needs of the students change. She developed her love of mathematics through the instruction of the content and authentic hands-on engagement with her students. Her leadership and instructional style encourage open inquiry, honest and timely feedback, along with opportunities for reflection. As a Middle School math educator and the department chair, her goal is to support the vertical articulation of the math curriculum and instruction in Grades 5-8.

Ms. Ryan started her educational career as a middle school math and science teacher in New York City. During her time working with the New York City Department of Education, she served as a student advisor to her school’s chapter of the National Junior Honor Society and the robotics team, collaborated with other schools to write curriculum and turn-key professional development, and analyzed assessments and school data as a member of the data inquiry team. After eight years of being a classroom teacher, Ms. Ryan took on a position as a math instructional facilitator. Most recently, she was a school administrator at a charter school in Los Angeles, working in the role of assistant principal, then principal.

Faculty and Staff Directory

Faculty/Staff Directory

La Jolla Country Day School

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