Academic Faculty

“I appreciate the continuous support, advice, and faith SSHS teachers provided all four years,”  writes Princess Francois ’07, now a graduate with honors from Columbia University. “They keep on teaching you until you get it,” wrote another student in a recent survey. The faculty of St. Saviour have proved these statements true time and again: the faculty are known for staying after school hours or giving up prep periods to work with students. When a member of the Class of ’11 had taken every math class currently offered at the school, Dena Coduri gathered the materials to put together a college-level math class that would only contain one student. Retired English teacher Sister Joan Dineen missed working with students so much that she currently volunteers to come in as a tutor.

Faculty members also volunteer their time outside of the classroom to bring enrichment experiences to the students. Math teacher Regina Belletierre donates an entire Saturday to enter our students into the Moody’s Mega Math Challenge, which asks students to find a solution to an applied-math problem, and Nancy Labrada every year brings a team of the school’s best creative problem-solvers to the Linguistic Olympics at Columbia University, where students compete to solve increasingly difficult brain-teasers and puzzles.

Not only are the faculty caring and committed, but they are also highly qualified, bringing a wealth of learning and real-world experiences into their classrooms. Gary Kozak, the economics teacher, worked on Wall Street for several years, while Dr. Michele Lane, the chair of the language department, was born in France and lived there for many years. A majority of our faculty have advanced degrees, either in their subject area or in educational pedagogy.