Hello, my name is Sister Delia Marie McNeirney.  I am a member of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary from Scranton, Pennsylvania.  I am the current principal of St. Rosalia Academy.  Prior to becoming the principal, I was the computer teacher here for four years.  Before coming to St. Rosalia I taught junior high mathematics at St. John the Baptist School in Plum for eight years.  Prior to that I taught mathematics to grades five to eight in St. Mary’s Avoca, PA and was also an eighth grade teacher.  My first years of teaching were spent in LaPlata, Maryland where I taught seventh grade and mathematics and science in grades six to eight.  I enjoyed teaching at all the schools that I have worked at during my career 

I went to Marywood University in Scranton and received my BA in mathematics, my MA in mathematics education and my administration certification as principal.  I have graduate credits in computer technology from the University of Pittsburgh.

 I enjoy being the principal of St. Rosalia Academy and working with the parents, faculty and mostly the children.  My life is blessed by the presence of so many wonderful people.

 In addition to my ministry as principal, I enjoy reading mysteries, crocheting and in-home walking.  Prayer and my relationship with God is a major part of my life.

 I graduated from California University (though at the time it was California State College) with a degree in Elementary Education.  I received my Instructional II through Duquesne University.

 I spend my leisure time singing in my church choir, reading Stephen King novels, doing New York Times crossword puzzles, solving Sudoku puzzles, bowling on a league, and watching movies.

 I have enjoyed the experiences I have had teaching at St. Rosalia at the various grade levels and have especially loved working with the three and four year olds.

 I have always lived in Pittsburgh and was a Greenfield girl until I attended Edinboro University.  There I received my teaching degree in art education.  I also attended Chatham College where I earned my Elementary Education certificate.  I was employed at Chatham College for two summers teaching in their music and art camp.

 In addition to teaching, I am very involved in my local dance school where I not only tap dance with a group of women, but I frequently design props for our recitals.  My daughter and my husband have both been known to accompany me on stage dancing in our annual show.

 I spent the first eighteen years of my life in New Castle, Pennsylvania.  I left my hometown to continue my education at the University of Pittsburgh.  I graduated with a BS in elementary education.  Since then, I have attended many courses and workshops to stay current on important educational topics.  I consider teaching and learning with my students a great privilege.

 In addition to my love for children, I also have a great love for animals and have rescued many over the years.  My family presently includes three very spoiled Cocker Spaniels.  In my free time I enjoy walking, reading, shopping, traveling, and all things Disney!  I am Vice President of Larry Cervi’s East End Kids, a teen music and dance ensemble.

I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in elementary education and psychology.  I also have a master of education degree from the University of Pittsburgh.  While at the University of Pittsburgh, I chose to focus on the areas of child development and reading achievement.  I am a recipient of the Golden Apple Award for excellence in teaching.  I am a member of our school’s Student Assistance Program and try to be an advocate for children whenever the opportunity arises.  I also have attended many classes, workshops, and courses that keep me abreast of what is currently in education and enrich my classroom curriculum.

In addition to teaching and my love of children, I also love to read, research, walk and spend time with my family.  I can’t imagine life without singing and enjoy using songs, rhythms, and rhymes in the classroom.  I’m also committed to my spiritual growth and am always learning something new.  I have recently become a Reiki II practitioner.  I am a eucharistic minister and lead The Liturgy of the Word for Children at St. Rosalia Parish.

The 2006-2007 school year marks twenty-five years that Mrs. Patricia DiPaolo has been a member of the St. Rosalia Academy faculty.  Presently teaching third grade, Mrs. DiPaolo began her career at St. Rosalia teaching first grade, a position she held for sixteen years.  She then became the fourth grade teacher for the next six years, while the past two years were devoted to teaching various subjects in grades four, five, and six.

Mrs. DiPaolo received both her BA in English and an MA in teaching from the University of Pittsburgh.  She also received her elementary certification from Duquesne University.  Prior to teaching at St. Rosalia, Mrs. DiPaolo taught ninth and tenth grade reading and English at her alma mater, Cambria Heights High School in Patton, PA.

Her dedicated service to St. Rosalia resulted in her receiving the Greenfield Service Award for Education in 1994.  Throughout the years, she has also served as a mentor to several new teachers at St. Rosalia.

Besides spending time with family and friends, Mrs. DiPaolo enjoys attending the summer performances of the CLO, figure skating events, collecting Precious Moments figurines, photography, gardening, and feeding the many squirrels that visit her front porch daily.

I am Mrs. Gloria Sciulli. I have taught in elementary schools since 1970.  I received my BS in education in 1970 from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.  In 1976 I received a masters equivalency degree in elementary science education from Clarion University of Pennsylvania.  In 1996 I completed a masters of education in counseling from Penn State University.

I taught in the Armstrong County School District for thirty-one years, seventeen years in first grade and fourteen years in third grade.  I came to St. Rosalia Academy in 2001 when I relocated to Pittsburgh.  I became certified to teach middle school science and middle school math in 2003.

I am the computer education teacher at St. Rosalia Academy.  I teach computer classes to students in kindergarten through eighth grade.  I also teach the eighth grade pre-algebra class.  As the homeroom teacher for the fourth grade class, I teach reading, math, English, spelling and science.  I enjoy the writing process approach to creative writing and use it with my fourth grade class, as well as my computer classes.  I have also taught special interest classes in bird watching and social dancing.

I feel very blessed to be part of the faculty of St. Rosalia Academy.  The friendliness of the students, the excellence of the curriculum, and the atmosphere of respect throughout the school have made my years here the most enjoyable of my teaching career.

Hi, my name is Susan M. Polito.  I have been teaching at St. Rosalia Academy for the past twenty-two years as the health and physical education teacher.  I also teach a variety of different classes in the junior high and elementary grades.  In the Greenfield community, I served as one of the basketball clinic coaches and instructed swimming at Greenfield Elementary School.

 I am a graduate of Taylor Allderdice High School, Community College of Allegheny County and Slippery Rock University with a degree in teaching health and physical education.  In 1991 I earned my masters in elementary education from Duquesne University.

 I have served as a soccer referee for high school and the USSF Soccer Association for nineteen years.  I am also a certified water safety Instructor for the Red Cross Organization in Allegheny and Washington County and teach science courses part-time at the Carnegie Science Center.

 I have the unique pleasure of working with students in educational and athletic settings.  It has been my pleasure to be a teacher at St. Rosalia Academy because I touch the lives and minds of students both spiritually and physically.

 For eight years, I was assigned to the junior high where I taught 7^th and 8^th grade science.  The rest of my time here at St. Rosalia has been spent teaching primarily math and science on the 5^th and 6^th grade levels.  In recent years I have instructed a self contained classroom which has included spending two years with a combined 5^th/6^th grade class.  While at St. Rosalia I was also employed part-time at PLEA – Parent’s League for Emotional Adjustment, an agency that provides a variety of services to children with autism and behavior disorders and their families.  During my six years with PLEA I was involved with a variety of the programs there including the classroom based summer program.

 At St. Rosalia I have served as the coordinator for the Special Needs Program since its inception ten years ago and as the Student Assistance Program coordinator.  Recently I have co-sponsored two after school activities, the Art Club and the Academic Explorations Club.  I look forward to many more years of service to St. Rosalia Academy.

 I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1974 with degrees in French and secondary education.  I returned to Pitt to acquire certification in elementary education and have also been certified to teach middle school math and social studies.  I am also a recipient of the Golden Apple Award from the Diocese of Pittsburgh for excellence in teaching.

 In addition to teaching, I am an active member of several German singing societies and director of the Pittsburgh Kinderchor.  I am involved in St. Rosalia parish as a youth minister, choir member, cantor and Eucharistic minister.  I also train young lectors for our parish.  My other avocation is cooking, and I share this pleasure with my students in the form of “Café Days” in French class and by offering cooking as an enrichment activity during the year.

 I could not imagine a life without teaching, especially teaching at St. Rosalia.  I have been here for over thirty years and I know we have the best faculty and students anywhere.

 Upon graduation from St. Rosalia, I attended Duquesne University and earned a BA in sociology.  After graduation, I backpacked through Europe for three months.

 My first job after coming back home was at St. Regis School in Oakland.  I began as a secretary then art teacher and finally a 7^th grade language arts teacher.  I went back to Duquesne University for graduate school and earned a masters degree in education.

 In my free time, I enjoy reading, doing crossword puzzles and cooking.

Andrea Seaman was born and raised in Pittsburgh.  Her family was a “typical” southwestern Pennsylvania family.  Her father was a steelworker and mother was a homemaker. 

She attended St. Therese Elementary School in Munhall.  Andrea graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School.  There was never a doubt about her career choice.  She wanted to be a teacher since she was seven.  To achieve that goal, she attended Point Park Collegeand majored in Elementary Education.  Andrea did her graduate work at Duquesne.

Her teaching career began on January 23, 1967.  She has spent almost her entire career in the Diocese of Pittsburgh Schools. 

Ms. Seaman has a variety of interests.  She enjoys traveling, dining out, sports and writing.  Her interests led to broadening her horizons. 

During the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl years, she was asked by a local broadcaster to host an all night sports talk show after the Super Bowl.  Andrea spent all night discussing sports with callers and her students who called in. 

These spirited discussions led her to pursue broadcasting for a possible summer job.  In 1976 she attended the Institute of Broadcasting Arts and got a broadcasting license.  Andrea quickly found out that working in radio might require moving out of the Pittsburgh area. Her first radio job came in the summer of 1977.  She accepted a job in a small town near Nashville, Tennessee.  Although she was trained as a sportscaster, she was hired as a disc jockey – a job she had no experience at.  Andrea was in a new profession in a small southern town that had a serious housing shortage.  The only “house” available had no water or electricity.  She and her brother, who against his better judgment accompanied her, were forced to rent this “dwelling”.  The missteps on her new job, the “housing” and the southern townspeople inspired her to write a book. 

The book, entitled “Thorns on the Mountaintop” published by the Friary Book Society, was released in 1984.  Although Andrea thoroughly enjoyed writing and promoting the book, she had an eye-opening, up-and-down experience with the world of publishing. This entire episode was the most interesting experience of her life! 

The publication of “Thorns” led to an offer from a Connellsville police officer to collaborate on a writing project about a news story that captivated the people of Philadelphia for months.  There were already two books and a movie about this story.  The project took two years.  However, eventually due to legal issues, all projects on this major story had to be abandoned. 

After investing in real estate for many years, in 1993 Andrea attended real estate school and got her license.  From 1993 to 2005 she taught and worked in real estate.  Many of her buyers and sellers were former students.

Andrea is currently teaching at St. Rosalia Academy and enjoys working with young people.