Welcome, New Faculty & Staff
We are pleased to welcome our new colleagues to the Hackley Community!
Jen Battista (1st Grade Assistant Teacher) completed her Master’s in Education from Southern New Hampshire University. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University. Jen has worked as a substitute teacher in many of our local public schools. Prior to her decision to become an educator, Jen worked in marketing for companies such as Vail Resorts and Crocs, among others. Jen will work in 1R this year with Susan Reynolds.
Christina Clemente joined the Admissions Office this summer as Assistant Director of Admissions. Christina comes to Hackley from Brooklyn Friends, where she spent 5 years in their admissions office, most recently as an Associate Director of Enrollment Management, in which role she focused on Middle and Upper School applicants. In addition to strengthening the school’s relationship with outreach organizations such as TEAK, Oliver Scholars and A Better Chance, Christina also did important work to standardize and improve the school’s tours and their student ambassador program. Prior to her work at Brooklyn Friends, Christina spent several years in community outreach with the Fresh Air Fund. A cum laude graduate of Amherst College, Christina received her Masters in Educational Psychology from Hunter College in May 2016. Please join us in welcoming Christina to the Hilltop community!
Lisa de Castro (3rd Grade Assistant Teacher) will be working alongside Sue Harmon in 3H. Lisa is known to many of us in the Lower School, as she has worked at Hackley as a substitute teacher. Lisa has work experience at Pear Tree Point School in second grade, as well as the Bedford Central School District. Lisa earned her Bachelor of Arts from Eastern Michigan University and holds her Master’s degree from Manhattanville College. We look forward to having Lisa join us as a full time member of our faculty.
Isabelle Dionisius joined Hackley this fall as a leave replacement in the US Computer Science department. She and her family recently moved to the United States from Germany. Educated in Germany, Isabelle earned the equivalent of both a US Bachelors and Masters in Business Administration from the Free University of Berlin, a second Masters majoring in education and computer science from Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, and subsequently earned a teaching certificate in both Economics and Computer Science. She has taught courses in economics and computer science to grades 11 – 13 for eight years at the Max-Eyth-School in Dreiech, Germany. Her computer science responsibilities included coursework in robotics, Android application development, object oriented programming with Lazarus (Turbo Pascal), database development, webpage development with HTML and CSS, as well as coursework in using the MS Office package. We are very excited to have Isabelle join our team!
Shane Gilbert joins our 6th grade history team. A graduate of Davidson College, Mr. Gilbert earned his degree in Political Science and American Studies. He most recently worked as a speech and debate coach at Albuquerque Academy and then as a research assistant for the Department of Political Science at Davidson University. Mr. Gilbert will teach one section of History 6, one section of History 10, and will work with Mr. Steve Fitzpatrick to build our debate program in the Upper School.
Rebecca Hall joined Hackley’s College Counseling Department in late October 2015. Rebecca came to Hackley from Columbia University, where she was Associate Director of Admissions. In this role, she read undergraduate applications for Columbia College and the Fu Foundation School for Engineering and Applied Science. At Columbia, she was part of the Admissions Leadership Team, managing other members of the admissions office staff, overseeing the work of the work-study students and leading new staff training programs. She also served as Director of the Alumni Representative Committee, planning and organizing the activities for alumni conducting admissions interviews for Columbia. She also played a key role in Columbia’s communications and marketing efforts, overseeing recruitment and yield communications to prospective and admitted students and managing the content of Columbia’s Undergraduate Admissions website. Rebecca also brings strong independent school experience to her work at Hackley. For five years, Rebecca worked at Buckley School, a K-12 independent school in Sherman Oaks, CA, in the roles of Assistant Director of Admissions and then Middle and Upper School Director of Student Activities. Before working at Buckley, Rebecca earned a BA from Emory University and an MA from Teachers College, Columbia University. We are pleased to welcome Rebecca to her first full year at Hackley.
Kaitlyn Jaskow (1st Grade Assistant Teacher) comes to us from the Pocantico School District, where she worked in a Pre-Kindergarten, as well as being a regular substitute in grades Pre-K through Eighth grade and for Physical Education classes. Having graduated with her Bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Cortland, she then went on to get her MSEd in literacy, birth through grade six, from Saint Thomas Aquinas College. Kaitlyn will be working in 1M with Rachel Mwakitawa.
Kate Netto joins us in the US Science Department. A veteran chemistry and biology teacher, she joins us from School of the Holy Child, where she has been for the last 17 years. In addition to teaching, Kate has filled many roles including Science Department Chair, Class Dean, faculty mentor, and student advisor. Kate is excited to be joining the Hackley community and will be teaching Chemistry and Accelerated Chemistry this year.
Emma Olsen joins our seventh grade science team this year. A former middle school teacher at the Village Community School (VCS) in New York City, Emma brings to Hackley School a passion for teaching science to middle school students. At VCS she authored curriculum, led after-school nature clubs, and developed a weeklong marine science camp for middle school students. A graduate of Earlham College, Ms. Olsen brings to Hackley expertise in applied ecology and biology – including ornithology.
Josh Samuel (3rd Grade Lead Teacher) has been teaching for fourteen years, most recently at Leman Manhattan Preparatory School in New York City, where he taught in the fourth grade since 2008. Prior to Leman, Josh worked as an Assistant Teacher at Eldorado Elementary School in Chestnut Ridge, NY. Josh comes to us with his Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from St. Thomas Aquinas and a Master of Science in Education, with a focus on Literacy, from Hunter College. Josh will be trading a long commute with a much shorter one, so that he can enjoy more time with his two year old daughter and wife in their Westchester home. We are very pleased to have him bring his expertise to our school.
Andrew Scecina (4th Grade Assistant Teacher) began his career as a lead teacher in the public school system, and is now turning his sights to private school. He has Lead taught such subjects as Math, writing, grammar and spelling, as well as working in an inclusion classroom. Andrew earned his B.A. from the City University of New York and his Master’s in Elementary Education from Mount Saint Mary College. Most recently, he obtained a Literacy Extension Certificate from Mercy College. In addition to his passion for teaching, Andrew is a professional musician, playing guitar and drums, as well as being a vocalist.
Danielle Schmitt joined the library team as Middle and Upper School Library Assistant midway through last fall. Already known at Hackley as a parent and a longtime book fair volunteer, Danielle came to us most recently from Books on the Common in Ridgefield, CT. Danielle’s original career path was in photography--she earned her BFA in photography from the Rochester Institute of Technology, and worked at the Journal News as a photo editor for almost 20 years.
Steele Sternberg joins the Upper School history department to teach freshman and sophomores. Steele earned his BA in history and philosophy at Columbia University, and was awarded The Milch Prize, an award to the student who, in the estimation of teachers and classmates, has “done the most to enhance the reputation of Columbia College.” After graduating from Columbia, Steele taught at Hotchkiss while completing his MSEd at The University of Pennsylvania. During his time at U Penn, he served as an Online Teaching Fellow mentor. Steele spent last year teaching at Greenhill School in Dallas, TX and is happy to be back in the Northeast to begin the year at Hackley.
Sarah Tusch joins the Performing Arts department as Administrative Assistant in our Music Institute programs. A violinist herself, who performs locally and gives private lessons in the Hudson Valley, Sarah brings a deep appreciation for music to her work and will be picking up some teaching of violin students as well. She holds a BA from SUNY New Paltz in Communication Disorders, and a Master of Music degree in Violin Performance from SUNY Purchase, where she studied under the tutelage of Carmit Zori. . Currently, as a violinist, she is a member of the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Dorian String Quartet, and is a personnel substitute for the Hudson Valley Philharmonic.
Liesel Vink joined the Hackley community midway through the 2015-16 academic year as Hackley’s archivist, a part-time position. As archivist, Liesel will assume the responsibility for evaluating, maintaining, and organizing important artifacts from our school’s history, continuing to grow the depth and breadth of our archives, and sharing these resources and treasures with departments, faculty and alumni. Liesel earned her BFA from the School of Visual Arts, and her MS in Library and Information Science with Advanced Certification in Archiving from Pratt Institute in NY. Her advanced studies included work as a graduate assistant for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Before coming to Hackley, Liesel spent time as a freelance photography archivist, served as a Digital Asset Manager for Milk Studios, and a Digital Archivist for Trunk Archive and the Steven Meisel Studio.
Amanda White (3rd Grade Assistant Teacher) recently obtained her Master’s degree from Lesley College in Cambridge, Mass, while teaching full time at the Buckingham Browne and Nichols School. She has her B.S. in Business Administration from Fordham University. After spending time in the business sector, Amanda is eager to put her skills to use in an elementary school and we welcome her warmly.
And last but not least, Michael Wirtz joins Hackley as our 12th Headmaster! Read more about Mike here.
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Christina Clemente joined the Admissions Office this summer as Assistant Director of Admissions. Christina comes to Hackley from Brooklyn Friends, where she spent 5 years in their admissions office, most recently as an Associate Director of Enrollment Management, in which role she focused on Middle and Upper School applicants. In addition to strengthening the school’s relationship with outreach organizations such as TEAK, Oliver Scholars and A Better Chance, Christina also did important work to standardize and improve the school’s tours and their student ambassador program. Prior to her work at Brooklyn Friends, Christina spent several years in community outreach with the Fresh Air Fund. A cum laude graduate of Amherst College, Christina received her Masters in Educational Psychology from Hunter College in May 2016. Please join us in welcoming Christina to the Hilltop community!
Lisa de Castro (3rd Grade Assistant Teacher) will be working alongside Sue Harmon in 3H. Lisa is known to many of us in the Lower School, as she has worked at Hackley as a substitute teacher. Lisa has work experience at Pear Tree Point School in second grade, as well as the Bedford Central School District. Lisa earned her Bachelor of Arts from Eastern Michigan University and holds her Master’s degree from Manhattanville College. We look forward to having Lisa join us as a full time member of our faculty.
Isabelle Dionisius joined Hackley this fall as a leave replacement in the US Computer Science department. She and her family recently moved to the United States from Germany. Educated in Germany, Isabelle earned the equivalent of both a US Bachelors and Masters in Business Administration from the Free University of Berlin, a second Masters majoring in education and computer science from Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, and subsequently earned a teaching certificate in both Economics and Computer Science. She has taught courses in economics and computer science to grades 11 – 13 for eight years at the Max-Eyth-School in Dreiech, Germany. Her computer science responsibilities included coursework in robotics, Android application development, object oriented programming with Lazarus (Turbo Pascal), database development, webpage development with HTML and CSS, as well as coursework in using the MS Office package. We are very excited to have Isabelle join our team!
Shane Gilbert joins our 6th grade history team. A graduate of Davidson College, Mr. Gilbert earned his degree in Political Science and American Studies. He most recently worked as a speech and debate coach at Albuquerque Academy and then as a research assistant for the Department of Political Science at Davidson University. Mr. Gilbert will teach one section of History 6, one section of History 10, and will work with Mr. Steve Fitzpatrick to build our debate program in the Upper School.
Rebecca Hall joined Hackley’s College Counseling Department in late October 2015. Rebecca came to Hackley from Columbia University, where she was Associate Director of Admissions. In this role, she read undergraduate applications for Columbia College and the Fu Foundation School for Engineering and Applied Science. At Columbia, she was part of the Admissions Leadership Team, managing other members of the admissions office staff, overseeing the work of the work-study students and leading new staff training programs. She also served as Director of the Alumni Representative Committee, planning and organizing the activities for alumni conducting admissions interviews for Columbia. She also played a key role in Columbia’s communications and marketing efforts, overseeing recruitment and yield communications to prospective and admitted students and managing the content of Columbia’s Undergraduate Admissions website. Rebecca also brings strong independent school experience to her work at Hackley. For five years, Rebecca worked at Buckley School, a K-12 independent school in Sherman Oaks, CA, in the roles of Assistant Director of Admissions and then Middle and Upper School Director of Student Activities. Before working at Buckley, Rebecca earned a BA from Emory University and an MA from Teachers College, Columbia University. We are pleased to welcome Rebecca to her first full year at Hackley.
Kaitlyn Jaskow (1st Grade Assistant Teacher) comes to us from the Pocantico School District, where she worked in a Pre-Kindergarten, as well as being a regular substitute in grades Pre-K through Eighth grade and for Physical Education classes. Having graduated with her Bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Cortland, she then went on to get her MSEd in literacy, birth through grade six, from Saint Thomas Aquinas College. Kaitlyn will be working in 1M with Rachel Mwakitawa.
Kate Netto joins us in the US Science Department. A veteran chemistry and biology teacher, she joins us from School of the Holy Child, where she has been for the last 17 years. In addition to teaching, Kate has filled many roles including Science Department Chair, Class Dean, faculty mentor, and student advisor. Kate is excited to be joining the Hackley community and will be teaching Chemistry and Accelerated Chemistry this year.
Emma Olsen joins our seventh grade science team this year. A former middle school teacher at the Village Community School (VCS) in New York City, Emma brings to Hackley School a passion for teaching science to middle school students. At VCS she authored curriculum, led after-school nature clubs, and developed a weeklong marine science camp for middle school students. A graduate of Earlham College, Ms. Olsen brings to Hackley expertise in applied ecology and biology – including ornithology.
Josh Samuel (3rd Grade Lead Teacher) has been teaching for fourteen years, most recently at Leman Manhattan Preparatory School in New York City, where he taught in the fourth grade since 2008. Prior to Leman, Josh worked as an Assistant Teacher at Eldorado Elementary School in Chestnut Ridge, NY. Josh comes to us with his Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from St. Thomas Aquinas and a Master of Science in Education, with a focus on Literacy, from Hunter College. Josh will be trading a long commute with a much shorter one, so that he can enjoy more time with his two year old daughter and wife in their Westchester home. We are very pleased to have him bring his expertise to our school.
Andrew Scecina (4th Grade Assistant Teacher) began his career as a lead teacher in the public school system, and is now turning his sights to private school. He has Lead taught such subjects as Math, writing, grammar and spelling, as well as working in an inclusion classroom. Andrew earned his B.A. from the City University of New York and his Master’s in Elementary Education from Mount Saint Mary College. Most recently, he obtained a Literacy Extension Certificate from Mercy College. In addition to his passion for teaching, Andrew is a professional musician, playing guitar and drums, as well as being a vocalist.
Danielle Schmitt joined the library team as Middle and Upper School Library Assistant midway through last fall. Already known at Hackley as a parent and a longtime book fair volunteer, Danielle came to us most recently from Books on the Common in Ridgefield, CT. Danielle’s original career path was in photography--she earned her BFA in photography from the Rochester Institute of Technology, and worked at the Journal News as a photo editor for almost 20 years.
Steele Sternberg joins the Upper School history department to teach freshman and sophomores. Steele earned his BA in history and philosophy at Columbia University, and was awarded The Milch Prize, an award to the student who, in the estimation of teachers and classmates, has “done the most to enhance the reputation of Columbia College.” After graduating from Columbia, Steele taught at Hotchkiss while completing his MSEd at The University of Pennsylvania. During his time at U Penn, he served as an Online Teaching Fellow mentor. Steele spent last year teaching at Greenhill School in Dallas, TX and is happy to be back in the Northeast to begin the year at Hackley.
Sarah Tusch joins the Performing Arts department as Administrative Assistant in our Music Institute programs. A violinist herself, who performs locally and gives private lessons in the Hudson Valley, Sarah brings a deep appreciation for music to her work and will be picking up some teaching of violin students as well. She holds a BA from SUNY New Paltz in Communication Disorders, and a Master of Music degree in Violin Performance from SUNY Purchase, where she studied under the tutelage of Carmit Zori. . Currently, as a violinist, she is a member of the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Dorian String Quartet, and is a personnel substitute for the Hudson Valley Philharmonic.
Liesel Vink joined the Hackley community midway through the 2015-16 academic year as Hackley’s archivist, a part-time position. As archivist, Liesel will assume the responsibility for evaluating, maintaining, and organizing important artifacts from our school’s history, continuing to grow the depth and breadth of our archives, and sharing these resources and treasures with departments, faculty and alumni. Liesel earned her BFA from the School of Visual Arts, and her MS in Library and Information Science with Advanced Certification in Archiving from Pratt Institute in NY. Her advanced studies included work as a graduate assistant for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Before coming to Hackley, Liesel spent time as a freelance photography archivist, served as a Digital Asset Manager for Milk Studios, and a Digital Archivist for Trunk Archive and the Steven Meisel Studio.
Amanda White (3rd Grade Assistant Teacher) recently obtained her Master’s degree from Lesley College in Cambridge, Mass, while teaching full time at the Buckingham Browne and Nichols School. She has her B.S. in Business Administration from Fordham University. After spending time in the business sector, Amanda is eager to put her skills to use in an elementary school and we welcome her warmly.
And last but not least, Michael Wirtz joins Hackley as our 12th Headmaster! Read more about Mike here.
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