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Lyceum Kennedy French American School

Meet our Leadership Team

Dear All,

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Lyceum Kennedy French American School! With two campuses serving our population of preschool – 12th grade students, our school provides a welcoming, multicultural environment for young learners to grow academically, linguistically and socially, all while making new friends and memories along the way. 

At Lyceum Kennedy French American School, we pride ourselves on getting to know each student individually and helping them thrive across all of our bilingual programs. Our teachers are carefully selected to ensure their expertise and values align with our mission to provide a bilingual, well-rounded education that meets the needs of each learner and facilitates them to reach their full potential. 

On behalf of the entire Lyceum Kennedy community, I welcome you to our school. We can't wait to see you on campus soon! 

Kind regards,

Pierre-Ludovic Perrot, Head of School

Mr. Pierre-Ludovic Perrot

Head of School

 

  • Mr. Perrot has 18 years of experience in French education, which includes 2 years in Australia and 14 years in French American schools in the US.  

  • Prior to joining Lyceum Kennedy, Mr. Perrot helped scale the Silicon Valley French American School during his six years as Head of School, and previously led a large K-12th grade international school in Dallas.  

  • Mr. Perrot's passion for education stems from a belief that providing a bilingual curriculum in a multicultural learning environment leads to the most enriched learning experiences for our future generation. 

Head of School Welcome Video

Ms. Christine Grunfelder

Lower School Director

 

  • Ms. Grunfelder has been with Lyceum Kennedy for over 20 years as a teacher and an administrator. She is passionate about bilingual education and providing students with the best education possible.

  • A permanently certified New York State teacher in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education and Special Education, Ms. Grunfelder also holds a Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education and School Building Administration.

Mr. Laurent Debenay

Lower School French Program Director

 

  • Mr. Debenay has been a teacher for 19 years and a lower school director in the French National Education system since 2005. He has worked in Grenoble, La Reunion, the USA and Australia. In addition to his positions as a teacher and lower school director, he has also served as a pedagogical advisor and has taught in specialized classes for children with disabilities.

  • He grew up in Senegal and Mali before studying in France, where he completed his master's degree in Elementary Education to become a school teacher and then obtained his diploma in Special Education. After having already worked at Lyceum Kennedy until 2019, he was excited to return to New York in August 2021 to lead the lower school French program and work with our families and staff.

Ms. Diane Duhesme

Upper School Director

 

  • With a commitment to education and passion for foreign languages, Ms. Duhesme has worked in education since 2000. She started her career as a Spanish teacher (including two years working at Lycée Français de New York) and then transitioned in 2008 into leadership roles in middle and high school settings. She holds a secondary school management diploma and certification issued by the French Ministry of Education.

  • Ms. Duhesme moved from France to North America in 2016, and has worked at the Lycée International of Los Angeles, the Lycée Français in Toronto, Canada, and the Lycée Français in New Orleans before starting her role here at Lyceum Kennedy.

Ms. Shimrit Gerstein

Senior Director of Admissions & Strategic Engagement

 
  • Ms. Gerstein has more than 8 years of experience in admissions, marketing and events. Prior to joining Lyceum Kennedy, she worked for a Montessori chain of schools located across the U.S., Asia and Europe, where she oversaw admissions for 18 schools in the Northeast. Ms. Gerstein also has experience teaching 4th grade.
     
  • She is currently in the final stages of completing her master's degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Data Analytics at Lehigh University. Ms. Gerstein also graduated with a Management degree from Ben Gurion University in Israel.