Blind Elementary/Middle School
BEMS NEWS
assistant principal
Ellen Fertsch
Ellen Ferstch began her career as a classroom teacher in New Jersey, working in elementary, middle and high schools. During her 10-year tenure in the Northeast, she led an initiative with the Hispanic Family Center to create and maintain programming, outreach, and services among the school, the center, and the community. In 2016, Ferstch joined FSDB as a teacher in the blind middle school (now BEMS). She was named FSDB Blind Middle School Teacher of the Year for the 2020-21 school year. The same year, she was appointed assistant principal for BEMS, where she oversees academic education for blind/visually-impaired students.
Master of Arts, Educational Leadership, Rowan University
Bachelor of Arts, English, Rutgers University
Empowering families and their children is crucial to their success.
Middle School Teachers
Barbara Kirkpatrick
ESE
Wendy Pinkston
Mathematics
Ana Tutak
P.E. Teacher
Edith Stein
Social Studies
BEMS Specialists & Support Personnel
Cheryl Burgess
Administrative Assistant
April Wallace
Braille Specialist (Elem)
Mike Zuaro
Educational Diagnostician
Zakiyyah Nation
Instructional Assistant
Tara Ragone-Dougherty
Instructional Assistant
Joy Carriger
Librarian
Cristina Sapp
O&M Teacher
Laura Pamer
School Counselor
Jacquelyn Gehrsitz
Associate Teacher
Leah Belger
Braille Specialist (Middle)
Amy Hendricks
IEP Coordinator
Keesha Patterson
Instructional Assistant
Heather Roberts
Instructional Assistant
Mark Largent
Math Specialist
Silke Douglas
Psychologist
Mary Hanson
Speech Language Pathologist
Sydney Kabrich
Associate Teacher
Fernanade Fortun
Coord. of Behavior Support
Kathy Almand
Instructional Assistant
Tiana Patterson
Instructional Assistant
Mary Lorraine Yetter
Instructional Assistant