St. Philip School

St. Philip School faculty is dedicated to cooperation. The teachers work collaboratively on various school and parish committees. Extra-curricular activities require faculty sponsorship and supervision. Teachers are continually undergoing professional development through in service and graduate level courses.

Teachers meet daily for prayer and report where all can report the events of the day. Weekly memos by the principal outline the upcoming events that are on the monthly calendar as well as new events on the horizon. Teachers meet monthly for faculty meetings to discuss policies and in service. Grade level teacher have coordinating preparation times where they can meet, plan and share ideas.

St. Philip School has a teaching staff of seventeen full time and three part time teachers. The principal is a Sister of Charity. The early childhood program has a fully certified teacher with three teaching assistants, aids and the Kindergarten has two full time teachers. St. Philip School has one full time secretary. The auxiliary staff includes teachers for speech, Title 1 reading, Act 89 math and reading, band, guidance, and physical education from the Y.M.C.A. A school nurse, two representatives for the ESAP team, one from Chartiers Mental Health and one from the Allegheny Intermediate Unit also service St. Philip School.Three maintenance men and one woman housekeeper care for the upkeep of the school.

I am an Elizabeth Ann Seton Sister of Charity from Greensburg, Pa. I grew up in the Mon Valley, Charleroi, Pa, thirty miles south of Pittsburgh on the Monongahela river. I have a BA in education and psychology from Seton Hill College, a counseling degree, a masters degree in education and school administration from Duquesne University, and a masters equivalent in theology from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. My past experience has been in retreat work and spiritual formation as well as in school administration and teaching middle school. I enjoy my ministry as a Sister of Charity and my favorite spot is the beautiful ocean.

I hold a B.A.in Early Childhood/Elementary Ed from Point Park University. I am married with 2 sons and 5 grandchildren. I have been the St. Philip Kindergarten teacher for 18 years. I enjoy meeting kindergarten students and their families. It is fun to watch our children grow!

Hello, St. Philip School! It is great to be back. I taught first grade here for 5 years and then had my 1st son, Michael. I took a few years off and came back to teach half day kindergarten. Then I had my 2nd son, Evan. Now I'm back after a few more years off. I am a graduate of Duquesne University and I am married to a St. Philip alumnus, Rich. I am VERY EXCITED to be teaching here at SPS again!

My name is Mrs. Carol Ann Druga. I am happy to have been a First Grade teacher at St. Philip School for the past 9 years. Before joining St. Philip School staff, I taught at Hopewell School District as a K-3 Learning Support teacher at Kane Elementary School. I graduated from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 1975 with a dual major in Elementary Education and Special Education. I received my Master's Degree from the University of Pittsburgh in Language Communications in 1978. I taught for 6 years at South Park School District upon graduation. At South Park, I taught Third Grade, First Grade, and Fourth Grade.I married Bob Druga in 1979. In 1981 I chose to be a stay at home mom to raise our 2 sons, Robb and Brian. Robb is a University of Pittsburgh Mechanical Engineer graduate and is presently working as a professional mechanical engineer with Loftus Engineering. Robb, Kayla, and our new granddaughter, Emma, reside in Imperial. Brian is a summa cum laude Elementary Education graduate with a minor in Music from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. He is the Computer teacher with the Hillsborough County School System in Tampa, Florida. He is teaching at Philip Shore School which is a performing arts magnet school.

I attended St. Philip School as a student and I am happy to be teaching first grade here. I graduated from Carlow University with my Bachelors in Elementary and Early Childhood Education. I continued my education through Clarion University by earning my Masters in Curriculum and Instruction. I have also worked at the Summer Camp and After School Care for the past ten years. I am also involved in Craft Club and Fitness Club at St. Philip.

It is my privilege to be leading the second grade students to Jesus in the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist. I received my B.S. in Education from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and my M.S. in Education (with a specialty in K-12 Instructional Technology) from Duquesne University. Currently, I hold PA Certifications in the areas of Early Childhood and Elementary Education. In addition, I hold an Instructional Technology Specialist Certification. My husband Tim and I are lifelong residents of Crafton along with our daughters, Grace and Cate. My family has belonged to St. Philip Parish for over 100 years. I look forward to a wonderful year!

My name is Janelle Miller and I am looking forward to teaching another year at St. Philip School. I received my undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and an unofficial minor of psychology at Duquesne University. Currently, I am working on my graduate degree at Gannon University. I am excited to teach the second grade in all subject areas but more importantly about Reconciliation and Communion.I am now the proud mother of a little boy, Kian Christopher born September 15, 2009

My name is Samantha Nucci, and I am greatly looking forward to what awaits us in third grade this year. I am a graduate of Slippery Rock University where I obtained both my bachelor and master's degrees in elementary, early childhood, and special education. The 2009-2010 school year marks my first as a teacher within St. Philip School; however, I have been working in the child care and Summer Camp programs since 2002. St. Philip is a wonderful school that I am happy to be a part of!

My name is Miss Rodgers and I am a graduate of St. Philip School and and now I am teaching third grade. I graduated from Carlow College with a degree in Early Childhood, Elementary Education, and Special Education. I have been working in the afterschool program and the summer camp program for about nine years now.

I am very excited to be teaching 4th Grade at St. Philips this year. I attend school at the University of Pittsburgh where I received my Bachelors and Masters Degree. Currently I am working on a Special Education Certificate. Hail to Pitt

I am excited to be back at SPS for my third year! I teach Science, English, Math, and Religion to fourth graders. I am currently working on my Masters in Special Education at Waynesburg University (which was also where I received my BA in Elementary Education). I am a big sports fan!! Lets go Steelers and Pens!!!

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My name is Robin Sanders and I'm the fifth grade teacher. I graduated from Duquesne University in 2001 with a Master's in Education. I'm very happy to be here and excited about the new year.

I am so happy to be back at SPS for my second year! I am one of the fifth grade teachers here at SPS. I received my Bachelor's degree from Slippery Rock University, where I majored in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education. I am hoping to start working on my masters in the near future.

My name is Nancy Marshall, and I am beginning my second year of teaching at St. Philip School. I completed my undergraduate work in Communications at Mansfield University. My graduate work was through the University of Southern California at San Bernardino and the University of California at Riverside. I taught English as a Second Language to Spanish speakers for 10 years on the West Coast and am now teaching just the opposite - Spanish to English speakers on the East Coast!

My name is Lauren Astwood and I teach sixth grade math, social studies, and English. I graduated fromClarion University. I majored in Elementary Education and minored in Psychology. I am currently working formy Master's Degree, also through Clarion. I attended
Saint Philip and am excited to be back as a teacher.

I have been at Saint Philip School full time since1983. My permanent certification is for grades 6-12. I thoroughly enjoy teaching Middle School. This yearI will teach 7A Religion, 7th grade Pre-Algebra, 7thgrade Life Science, and 8th grade Algebra. I am amember of Saint Margaret Mary Parish in Moon Township.

I am a graduate of Robert Morris College and hold a B.A. in English Literature and an A.A. in Language Arts. I am certified to teach English and Social Studies in Pennsylvania and will be going back to school to get my Masters hopefully next fall. In addition, I am a volunteer firefighter in Dormont, and I help organize the South Hills Memorial Day Parade each year. I have been married for five years to my wife, Jackie, and I have one dog and three cats.

I am a graduate of Central Catholic High School. I received my B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh and hold a Master's Degree from Duquesne University.

I am a 2008 graduate of Gannon University. I have a degree in History/Social Studies with concentration in Secondary Education. I feel very fortunate to be teaching at St. Philip School and am looking forward to the 2009-2010 school year.

I am a veteran of 25 years of teaching - 17 years at St. Philip, 4 years with the Pittsburgh Public Schools,and 4 years with a Community Pre School. I hold a B. S. in Elementary Education and Special Ed from Clarion University and a Masters in Education from the University of Pittsburgh in addition to graduate classes from Chatham College, Penn State , Allegheny Intermediate Unit, and Gateway Center for the Arts I feel my greatest accomplishments include our Art Exhibits, Christmas Programs and the establishment of the St. Philip Theater Department. I have been married for 28 years to Harrison and am the mother of 2 boys, one a graduate of the University of Delaware working for Morgan Stanley in Philadelphia in finance, and the other a graduate of Miami University of Ohio working as the Director of Correspondence for the Lieutenant Governor in the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building. I have been honored with receiving the Diocese of Pittsburgh Golden Apple Award and Who's Who Among Teachers. I am also a member of the Western Pennsylvania Primary Educators Association. It is a great honor and blessing to work for and with the parents, teachers, students, and community of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

I am very proud that my husband and I and all of our 6 children are St. Philip and Bishop Canevin graduates. Our children are also graduates of Duquesne University and Notre Dame with 3 holding Master's degrees. We believe in Catholic Education and are now beginning over again with our three grandsons! I have a B.S. In Elementary Education from Duquesne University and, with assistance from the Heinz Grant, I completed the Instructional Technology Certification Program at Duquesne University and hold a Master's in Instructional Technology from Duquesne in addition to my Level II certification. I also completed my IC3 certification through Bishop Canevin High School. In 2002, I was very honored to receive the Golden Apple Award from the Diocese of Pittsburgh. I love teaching computers and St. Philip is my home.

I hold a BS in Elementary Education and Early Childhood from the University of Pittsburgh. Three of my 4 children attended St. Philip School.. For 6 years, I taught in our 4 year- old program and choreographed and co-directed the St Philip annual Middle School Musical.