Schools

New staff, concession stand at O’Connell

Special To The Catholic Herald

A new concession stand, sponsored by the athletics boosters, will open this fall at Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington.

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Bishop O’Connell in Arlington welcomes a number of new staff members to kick off the 2016-17 year, as well as the construction of a new concession stand near the athletic fields.

Margaret Carroll (religion) comes to O’Connell with a degree from Mount St. Mary’s University in Theology, with an emphasis on youth ministry. She is a graduate of Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax, and has missionary, camp counseling and youth ministry experience.

Allison Espisito (expanded services) is a former peer mentor in the Options Program at Paul VI. She earned a master’s degree in special education from George Mason University and has taught in Fairfax County public schools.

John Gennaro (math) brings his background as a medical research scientist and technical manager to the math classroom. He earned a master’s in medical biophysics and computing from the University of Utah College of Medicine.

Laura Juarez (Spanish) has a degree in industrial engineering from Monterrey Institute of Technology in Mexico and a foreign language teaching certificate from the University of Virginia. She has taught Spanish at St. Joseph School in Herndon for more than 10 years, and is active in local and international service programs.

Jennifer Kirschbaum (French) studied French and English at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and earned a master’s at Indiana University. Previously working in international technical writing and communications, she recently completed a career switching program and has been a French classroom substitute in Arlington County public schools.

Kathleen McDermott (English) recently graduated from the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg with a degree in English and a minor in German. She taught in Stafford County and Loudoun County public schools. She also served as a public speaking coach and music choreographer at Potomac Falls High School and a youth group volunteer at Our Lady of Hope in Potomac Falls.

Christine McGowan (science) has a bachelor’s in biology with a minor in chemistry from Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, N.J. She previously served as the science department head for a new prep school in North Carolina, where she taught biology, astronomy and physical science, and facilitated the credit recovery program for at-risk students. McGowan is also the head coach for the Knights rowing team.

James Shirey (social studies) returns to his alma mater with a bachelor’s in government from Harvard University and experience as a classroom teacher in social studies and music. He is also a talented musician.

Greg Silm (math) has been teaching high school math in Ohio and Arizona. A graduate of Hillsdale College in Michigan, he has a degree in mathematics with a minor in physical education. Silm also will serve as an assistant coach for the Knights football program.

Colleen Swaim (English) has taught English, theology and speech in Catholic high schools in Kentucky. She also served as a member of the Covington Diocesan Youth Commission, planning and implementing youth ministry events and education. Swaim holds a bachelor’s in English from Catholic University and a master’s in education from Xavier University.

Kenneth Tuite (Latin/social studies) is a former adjunct faculty member in the classics department at the University of Maryland, College Park. He has a bachelor’s in history from the University of California at Berkeley, a master’s in ancient history from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and a doctorate in classics from the University of Texas at Austin.

John Whittaker (social studies) has a bachelor’s in political science and a master’s in theology from the University of Notre Dame. For the past two years, he has taught at a Catholic high school and an alternative high school for at-risk students in South Bend, Ind.

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