This month, RA VIEW highlights one of RA’s youngest faculty member, Ms. Emily Pambianchi (also known as Ms. P.). In her first year at RA, Emily was an assistant teacher in Mrs. Morelli’s Preschool Fours’ classroom. Currently, Ms. P. is heading the Lower School Drama program. Born and raised in Ridgefield, Ms. Pambianchi decided to return to her hometown after completing her undergraduate and graduate studies. “I had a couple of job offers in Philadelphia, but decided to come back to Connecticut after being [away] five years.” “I heard there was an opening for an assistant teacher in the Preschool at Ridgefield Academy, so I came up to meet with Tara,” notes Emily. Having known kids that attended RA and working at the summer camp at Landmark during college, Emily confesses,” I had a really good feeling up here.” The preschool position seemed like a possible stepping stone.  “I’ve always loved kids and have always worked in some capacity with them from babysitting at age twelve to working in children’s theatre in college and now to teaching,” adds Ms. Pambianchi. After a few months at RA, Emily was asked to cover the afterschool Drama Club and help with the Middle School theatrical production, Seussical. “It was a big transition for me to go from writing behind the scenes to being out in front giving direction,” admits Ms. P. Following her debut as Assistant Director for the Middle School musical, Tara Simeonidis and Joe Perry offered Emily a position as Lower School Drama Teacher Teacher. “We’ve been talking about establishing a formal drama program in the Lower School for many years to support Ridgefield Academy’s rich tradition of class/grade level performances,” explains Mrs. Simeonidis. “Emily arrived with a background in theatre and we realized that she was the person who could help us start a [drama] program,” she adds.  Emily credits this opportunity to ambition and a “whole bunch of good luck.”