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Our Faculty & Staff

Mrs. Denise O’Connell

Interim Head of School

Mrs. O’Connell earned a B.S. in Elementary Education with a minor in psychology from West Chester University. She and her husband Bill have two grown sons and seven grandchildren. In her free time, Denise enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, and going on long walks.

Denise O’Connell has a long history of commitment to Catholic education.  She taught for 29 years in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia before finding her way to Regina Coeli Academy. Denise has taught grades 1 and 2 at RCA and thoroughly enjoyed bringing the love of Our Lord to her students in a classical curriculum.

Mrs. Nicole Gibboni

Director of Institutional Advancement

Nicole Gibboni has been working with non-profit organizations since 2014. She has worked to provide administrative and fundraising support for The Pro-Life Union of Southeastern Pennsylvania and Guiding Star Ministries as their Business Operations Manager. Nicole credits her time at The Pro-Life Union for giving her an understanding of the importance of being mission-driven. She went on to work as a non-profit consultant for numerous Catholic organizations over the years, including Friends of St. Matthew, The National Centre for Padre Pio, The Culture Project, and Cradle of Hope.

Most recently, Nicole has held the position of Director of Fundraising and Enrollment at our sister school, Regina Luminis Academy, in Berwyn, Pa.

For over 15 years, Nicole has volunteered at Regina Coeli Academy as a Homeroom Parent, as a Parent Association Officer, and as the Drama Coordinator.

Miss Erin Noonan

Office Manager

Miss Noonan earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Health Services from Saint Joseph’s University. After graduating Miss Noonan completed a year of service at Maggie’s Place in Cleveland, Ohio. She worked as a Children and Family Case Manger in Willow Grove. She also worked as a residential staff member at Guiding Star Ministries in Philadelphia.

Miss Noonan has a great passion for her faith and is involved with her parish and the Sisters of Life.

Mrs. Ann Post

Dean of Students

Mrs. Ann Post earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Saint Joseph’s University. She taught at Ancillae Assumpta Academy in Wyncote for 5 years, teaching 7th grade and 8th grade.  After starting her own family, Mrs. Post chose to homeschool her four children for 13 years.  Mrs. Post became a substitute teacher when her youngest son attended Regina Coeli Academy in 2018. On the weekends and spare time, she loves spending time exploring nature and the outdoors with her husband and family.

Mrs. Cindy Cornely

Montessori Directress

Mrs. Cornely is so happy to have been working at Regina Coeli Academy since 2013. Upon starting her job here, she attended a Montessori Assistant Training Program at Chestnut Hill College. In the five years before joining the RCA family, she served as a Teaching Assistant in St David’s Pre-K program in Willow Grove, PA.

Cindy has also received her Montessori Diploma for ages 3-6 from the North American Montessori Center.

Cindy and her husband Steve are the parents of three grown children. During her children’s formative years, Mrs. Cornely held countless volunteer and leadership positions at their school and parish, St David’s, ranging from organizing fundraisers and social events to supervising lunch duty. Mrs. Cornely brings all of this, her faith, and a mother’s heart to her work.

Mrs. Kristie Kasbar

Montessori Directress

Kristie and her family are active parishioners at Immaculate Conception Parish in Jenkintown. She is very excited that God has led her on a very windy path to Regina Coeli Academy (RCA) and earning a certification in Montessori education. She has a Masters in Occupational Therapy which is compatible with the sensorial based Montessori approach that leads children to be intrinsically motivated, independent learners. Prior to working at RCA, Kristie volunteered as a homeroom parent and lunch duty parent.  She continues to volunteer at school functions through the Parents’ Association.

As a mother of three children who attend Regina Coeli Academy, she has observed how they have benefitted from the mission and educational approach of the school.  She believes in the mission of Regina Coeli Academy to form children in the Catholic faith, consistent with the Magisterium of the Church and is grateful for the opportunity to help foster the individual growth of the students, while guiding them to be a valued part of their community.

Mrs. Theresa George

Catechesis of the Good Shepard

Leaving behind a 30-year career in the medical field, Theresa believes that God has led her to use her time and talents as a Catechist in the Good Shepherd Program at Regina Coeli Academy. Theresa received her Level I and Level II certification in CGS through the National Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. She also completed her certification as a Montessori Assistant. As a Benedictine Oblate, she is pleased to bring this simplicity of faith and love of Lectio Divina, listening to God’s Word, to the children through her work in the atrium, a place where she can help them “fall in love with God”. Theresa is a lifelong resident of Philadelphia and resides there with her husband Chris and family. Delighted to have discovered Regina Coeli Academy through her passion for classical education, Theresa enrolled her youngest child, who is now an RCA graduate, after having homeschooled her in the classical tradition for many years.  

Mrs. Lucia Gormley

Montessori Assistant

Mrs. Gormley has worked as an Assistant Preschool Teacher at Our Mother of Consolation for years.  She was thrilled to join Regina Coeli Academy’s Faculty when her daughter began attending the school.

Mrs.Gormley has a deep faith, and a special devotion to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and Saint Pio of Pietrelcina.

 

Ms. Patricia Forcina

Montessori Assistant

Trish Forcina has been a lifelong resident of Philadelphia and attended Cardinal Dougherty High School. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Speech, Language, and Hearing and a Master’s degree in Audiology from Temple University. She worked in healthcare, as a clinical audiologist, for 30 years. Upon retirement from Audiology she decided to fulfill a lifelong ambition to work with young children in an educational setting.  She is extremely happy to have joined RCA as a Montessori Assistant.

Trish has a love of travel and spending time at the shore.  In her spare time she enjoys the arts,reading, and learning to play the guitar.

Mrs. Tara Baer

1st Grade Homeroom

Mrs. Tara Baer earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education from West Chester University. She taught at St. David’s in Willow Grove for 6 years, teaching 4th grade, 3rd grade, and Kindergarten. For the past 11 years, she has been working as the Operations Director at The Goddard School in Horsham. She has three children ages 13, 10, and 3.  On the weekends and spare time, she loves spending time with her big extended family as well as watching her son’s ice hockey games and her daughters’ dance competitions and recitals.

Mrs. Nicole Brown

2nd Grade Homeroom

Mrs. Nicole Brown earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary/ Special Education from DeSales University.  After graduating, Nicole taught 3rd grade at Christ the King in Philadelphia for 3 years.  For the past 11 years, she has been working at the Goddard School of Horsham as the pre-school teacher and kindergarten substitute.  Nicole has two children and enjoys spending her free time watching them on the baseball field or spending time with her family.  She is excited to be a part of the Regina Coeli family.

Mrs. Barbara Glenn

3rd Grade Homeroom

Mrs. Barbara Glenn has been at Regina Coeli Academy since 2017. She has twenty years of experience teaching first, second, and third grade with the School District of Philadelphia. Mrs. Glenn also taught 2 ½ years with preschoolers and a year in 2nd grade at a private Christian school. She has her BA in Early Childhood Education from Holy Family University. Mrs. Glenn is an active member of Holy Martyrs Church in Oreland where she is a lector and her husband, David, is a Eucharistic minister. They have 2 grown daughters and 1 grown son and have been married for 26 years. Every year, she looks forward to helping your children grow with Christ as well as academically being the best they can be!

Mrs. Sarah Dickerson

3rd and 4th Grade Assistant

A young adult convert to the faith, Sarah Dickerson views coming into full communion with the Catholic Church during her undergraduate years at DeSales University as the decisive step of her life. Enamored of Christian anthropology and God’s plan for marriage and human flourishing, she went on for a graduate degree in theology at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, where she met her husband, Adam. The couple has seven children, and are among the founding crew of Martin Saints Classical High School. Sarah has taught literature and theology on the secondary and post secondary level. She did a decade long stint of Theology of the Body based Archdiocesan marriage preparation presentations, and is certified in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd levels I & II. She has assisted in RCA’s Montessori Children’s House and served as a roving substitute. Throughout her years at the Academy she has served on the development committee, as a lunch mom, past Parents’ Association President, and most recently as Interim Co-Chair of the Academy’s Board of Directors. As her growing brood is aging out of the Academy she is eager to settle into the classroom rhythm once again. Sarah has a tremendous devotion the Child Jesus. Though her favorite pastime is mirthful tomfoolery, she also enjoys early morning unscheduled chats with her family, reading classic literature, writing, cooking, volleyball, basketball, traveling, shucking clams, and hunting for crayfish.

Mr. Ryan Crawford

5th Grade Homeroom, 5th-8th Religion, 5th & 6th History and Writing

Mr. Crawford is overjoyed to be a part of the faculty at Regina Coeli Academy, whole-heartedly delighted to become a part of such a beautiful school. He comes to the Philadelphia area as a lifelong Pennsylvania resident, growing up in Hershey and attending Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.

At Duquesne, Mr. Crawford studied theology and was actively involved in Campus Ministry and the Knights of Columbus. During his graduate school years, he was a volunteer in the Holy Family Institute Service Corps where he taught theology at Nazareth Prep, an independent urban Catholic high school. He also worked as campus minister and his greatest privilege was sharing the joy and glory of the Catholic faith with teenagers, some coming from difficult experiences. Mr. Crawford is excited to turn the page in his life to cultivating faith and reason amongst a devoted Catholic community like RCA in the subjects of history, writing, and mathematics.

Mr. Crawford is the youngest of five with four older sisters and a growing number (10) of nieces and nephews every year. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and family are his pillars. He enjoys reading, the outdoors, and a competitive pick-up basketball game.

Miss Leslie Melecio

6th Grade Homeroom, 5-8 Math, 5 and 6 English

Miss Melecio is a graduate of Temple University. She has a wide range of experience teaching and tutoring students in grades 1 through 12. She has been a PREP teacher at her parish and has worked as a high school camp engineering instructor at Drexel University. Recently, Miss Melecio has been filling in as a substitute at Regina Coeli. Miss Melecio has a beautiful faith life and a passion for Regina Coeli’s mission. Miss Melecio has seen first-hand the importance and fruits of a Catholic Classical education, as she watched her younger brother and sister flourish at RCA over the past two years.

 

Miss Valerie Hart

7th grade Homeroom, 1st - 8th Science, 7th & 8th Math

Miss Valerie Hart grew up in Glenside, PA where she attended St. Luke the Evangelist School, and St. Basil Academy. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. She served as an Americorps member at Great Oaks Charter School while obtaining her Master of Arts in Teaching from New York University. She taught English, Literature, Religion, Robotics, Musical Theater, and 3D Printing for the past two years in Pensacola, Florida. 

Mr. Michael Nevadomski

8th Grade Homeroom, 7th & 8th English, History, Writing

Mr. Nevadomski is a native of Guam and grew up in South Florida. He graduated with honors in 2009 from Middlebury College, Vermont, where he majored in English and American Literatures and Arabic. He spent several years in Egypt as an English teacher, tour guide, and stringer for several international publications during the “Arab Spring,” and worked later as an editor and a ghostwriter in Washington, DC. In his spare time, he writes on archdiocesan events and ephemera for CatholicPhilly, dabbles in French cookery, restores ecclesiastical furniture, and tends his vegetable garden. 

Mr. Al Zimmerman

1st-8th Grade Latin, 5th & 6th Grade Classics

Mr. Albert Zimmerman is a graduate of St. Joseph’s Prep, LaSalle College (B.A. Classical Studies) and Villanova University (M.A. Classical Studies).

Mr. Zimmerman spent nearly 40 years as an administrator and teacher at St. Joseph’s Prep.  He holds on to the Jesuit philosophy of education, which includes recognizing the dignity of each individual in your care and understanding that you have the responsibility to make sure that each feels loved and challenged every day.

Mrs. Grete Ingalls

K-8th Grade Music

Grete Ingalls, MM, CAGO

Mrs. Ingalls is originally from Peru where she studied piano at the National Conservatory and performed professionally before attending Berklee College of Music. She earned her bachelor of Music in Contemporary Writing and Production from Berklee College of Music. She holds masters degrees in Composition from SUNY College at Fredonia and Organ Performance from Houghton College. She is also a Colleague of the American Guild of Organists (CAGO). Mrs. Ingalls is currently Music Director at Holy Cross Church in Springfield, PA and has more than 20 years experience working with choirs of all ages and serving as organist. She has taught music at Christian schools, here in the States as well as in Peru. She is married and has two young daughters.

Ms. Theresa Keefe

K-8th Grade Art Teacher
Ms. Theresa Keefe grew up in Bear, DE and attended the University of Delaware where she received her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts. In just 3 years at UD, she was able to double major in Fine Arts and Art History, obtain a Degree in Distinction in Art History, and received a minor in Religious Studies.
While teaching at Regina Coeli Academy, Theresa Keefe also part-time teaches Kindergarten 3 – 8th grade at a nearby elementary school. Her approach to teaching art emphasizes the history and process of the techniques and artists that the students are learning about. She believes that all students need to be given the opportunity to be confident in creativity. Ms. Keefe hopes that all students obtain a love for art and art history and continue their drawing and painting outside of the classroom. With the new addition of homework, art history trivia, and art projects coordinating to what they are learning about in history class, Ms. Keefe hopes that the students are excited to learn about all aspects of classical art.
In her free time, Ms. Keefe loves painting, drawing, playing volleyball, and rock climbing. The rest of her free time is spent taking care of her new 7-month-old kitten named Oliver. Ms. Keefe is also the youngest of 10 children in her family, has 11 nieces and nephews, and is excited to be a new aunt to a baby boy in March!
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