Faculty 2007 / 2008 School Year
Royal Palm's Faculty Statistics:
All of Royal Palm's teachers hold a Bachelor's Degree
33% of Royal Palm's teachers hold a Master's Degree
17% of Royal Palm's teachers are working towards a Master's Degree
6% of Royal Palm's teachers hold or are working towards a Doctorate
Pre-K3A – Ms. Mary Dunigan
Miss Dunigan received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Education from Emmanuel College in Boston, Mass. She received her Masters of Education degree in guidance/counseling from the University of Massachusetts at Boston. Her experience includes being an English teacher in Chelmsford, Mass. In addition she was a guidance counselor for all levels in Graton, Mass. and Arlington, Mass. She currently is certified in English and counseling from Pre-K to grade 12. This will be Miss Dunigan’s third year as a Pre-K teacher at Royal Palm Academy..
Pre-K3A Aide – Mr. Jamie Dockweiler
Mr. Dockweiler is returning for this third year as Teacher Aide in Pre-K3. He holds a B. S. in Sports Management from Kennesaw State University in Georgia. Mr. Dockweiler has been the Varsity Basketball coach for Naples High School over the last two years.
Pre-K3B – Mrs. Chrissy Theriault
This will be Mrs. Theriault’s 8th year at Royal Palm Academy. For her first three years she taught Kindergarten until the birth of her first son. She then moved to pre-school and is returning for her fifth year teaching in our Pre-K program. Mrs. Theriault graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Alabama where she earned a triple major in Early Childhood Development, Elementary Education K through 6th, and Special Education.
Pre-K3B Aide/Music teacher – Miss Brittany Allen
Miss Allen is new to Royal Palm Academy as a teacher aide and is a recent graduate of Ave Maria University with a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts focusing mainly in Theology & Philosophy. At Ave Maria she was involved in both the Ave Maria Choir and chamber choir, and this past summer had the opportunity to study Gregorian Chant in Solesmes, France. Before Ave Maria, Miss Allen took music classes at the University of Miami and in High School. Due to her student directing she was awarded both a Silver Knight award as well as a departmental award in Music. Last year, Miss Allen worked in our After Care program and she helped direct our Royal Palm Academy summer camp.
Pre-K3C – Mrs. Shannon Sedio
Mrs. Sedio has taught for 8 years in Pre-K and 1st Grade and is returning for her 5th year at Royal Palm Academy. She received her B. S. in Education from Fredonia State University of New York and holds a dual teaching certification in both N. Y. and Florida. Mrs. Sedio was awarded and nationally recognized for 3 consecutive years in “Who’s Who Among American Teachers.” In her free time she is kept very busy with her 2 ½ yr old twins.
Pre-K4A/ Preschool Academic Coordinator – Miss. Amanda Camisa
This will be Ms. Camisa’s fourth year at RPA. She graduated with honors from Ohio University. Last tear she received her Masters in Early Childhood Education, graduating with high honors from Florida Gulf Coast University.
Pre-K4A Aide – Mrs. Jaree O’Connor
This is Mrs. O’Connor’s second year at Royal Palm Academy as a Pre-K 4 teacher aide. Mrs. O’Connor was a substitute at Royal Palm Academy before coming on board full time in our Pre-K program.
Pre-K4B– Mrs. Antoinette Devin
Mrs. Devin is returning for her third year with RPA. She received her Bachelors Degree in Social Science and is certified to teach Primary Education in the State of Florida. Prior to moving to Florida, Mrs. Devin spent 3 years teaching High School Reading in an alternative school in Brooklyn, New York. She also spent 4 years teaching at Riker’s Island Correctional Institute administering G.E.D. classes and the G.E.D. exams. In addition to teaching, Mrs. Devin spent 10 years volunteering in her daughter’s school holding various positions in PTA, including President.
Pre-K4B Aide – Miss Katie Huber
This is Miss Huber’s first year as an Aide with Royal Palm Academy. She has just graduated from Ave Maria University with a B. A. in Literature. Miss Huber assisted in our After-Care program at Royal Palm Academy while attending college. She also assisted in organizing Royal Palm Academy first summer camp program.
Pre-K4C - Mrs. Nina Martinez
Mrs. Martinez is returning to Royal Palm Academy for her second year. She received her B.S. degree from the University of South Florida and was the Director of Religious Education and a religious educator at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Sioux Falls, South Dakota from 1996-2005. Mrs. Martinez was also a Spanish teacher for St. Margaret School from 2002-2004. Last year she taught Spanish, which she is certified in, to our Pre-K 3 students and was an Aide in both Pre-K and Kindergarten. This year she will be teaching one of the Pre-K 4 classes.
Pre-K4C Aide – Ms. Babett Moser
This is Ms. Moser first year at Royal Palm Academy. She began her studies at Eszterhazy College in Eger, Hungary and holds a B.A. in Literature and Hungarian Language Arts. She also has an Associates degree in Early Childhood Education. Before coming to Royal Palm Academy, she taught Pre-K4 for three years and is now with our Pre-K program as an Aide.
Kindergarten-A – Mrs. Erin Brady
Mrs. Brady is returning for her third year as Kindergarten teacher and will also take on the role of Reading Coordinator for grades K-2nd. She received her B.S. in Elementary Education from Fredonia State University in New York. She also received her Masters Degree in Literacy from Canisius in New York. Mrs. Brady was married over the summer.
Kindergarten-B – Miss Crystal Pare
Miss. Pare is a graduate of Franciscan University with a B.S. in Elementary Education and is currently working towards her Master’s in reading at Florida Gulf Coast University. This is her second year as one of our Kindergarten teachers. Before coming to Royal Palm Academy, Miss Pare taught Pre-School in Maine.
1st Grade – Mrs. Delia Quevedo
This is Mrs. Quevedo’s first year at Royal Palm Academy. She received a Master of Science degree in Elementary Education from Florida International University. Mrs. Quevedo is from Miami and has spent the last 10 years teaching in Epiphany School. She begins her 15th year of teaching in Catholic education.
2nd Grade – Mrs. Elaine Buscemi
Mrs. Buscemi will be returning for her sixth year as our 2nd grade teacher. Mrs. Buscemi received her B.A. in Elementary Education from Fairleigh Dickinson University and an M.A. in Special Education from William Paterson University. She was named “Special Ed Teacher of the Year” in New Jersey for the year 2000. Mrs. Buscemi began her teaching career in the Catholic Elementary School she attended as a child.
3rd Grade – Ms. Renee DiSerafino
Ms. Renee DiSerafino graduated from Gwynedd-Mercy College in Pennsylvania with a B.S. in Elementary Education and is currently working towards her M.A. She begins her 27th year of teaching in Catholic education. Ms. DiSerafino was the first teacher hired at RPA when it was established in 1997, so this will be her 10th year with us, continuing as our 3rd grade teacher.
4th Grade – Mr. Matthew Zeik
This will be Mr. Zeik’s second year as our 4th Grade Teacher. He has earned a B.A. in Philosophy from the Universita Pontificia Regina Apostolorum, Rome, Italy (Queen of the Apostles Pontifical University), New York branch in 1999, and a B.A. in Liberal Arts and Classical Humanities from the Legion of Christ College of Humanities, Cheshire, CT in 1997. In addition, in December he will be receiving a M.A. in Educational Administration from Saint Louis University, St. Louis and a MAT (Teaching-Philosophy of Education) from Lindenwood University, St. Charles, MO. Prior to joining RPA, Mr. Zeik was Dean of Students at the Irish Institute of Monterrey for 3 years, Spanish teacher at Incarnate Word Academy in St. Louis, English and Latin teacher at Missouri Military Academy, Mexico, MO. He has coached soccer and wrestling at the high school level.
5th Grade – Ms. Kathryn Grimes
Mrs. Grimes is returning for the third year as our 5th grade teacher. She has over 26 years teaching experience, mostly recently having spent 15 years at Community School. Mrs. Grimes brings her love of Math and Science as well as her experiences teaching literature to our 5th grade class. She is a member of MENSA which requires an IQ in the top 2% of the nation.
Middle School Literature & Language Arts – Mrs. Jennifer Wojcik
Mrs. Wojcik earned her B.S. in Secondary Education-Language Arts, Graduating Magna Cum Laude, and a Masters degree in English, graduating Summa Cum Laude from the University of Alabama. While working on her masters, Mrs. Wojcik was a graduate teacher at UA, teaching composition and American Literature. During those two years, she was nominated for excellence in teaching by a graduate student and selected to train 800 new graduate teachers. After completing her masters, Mrs. Wojcik moved back to Naples and taught literature at St. John Neumann for one year before returning to the college level to teach composition, business writing and American Literature at Florida Gulf Coast University for the past 9 years. Although, this is Mrs. Wojcik’s 1st year as a teacher at Royal Palm Academy, her connection with the school has been long. Her mother, Pat Bolser and sister, Christine Theriault, have worked here for 8 years and Mrs. Wojcik has two boys at Royal Palm Academy – Grant in Kindergarten and Pierce in the Pre-K 3 program. Mrs. Wojcik also served as the K4J coordinator at Royal Palm Academy last year.
Middle School History / Study Skills / Religion – Ms. Luann Jones
This will be Ms. Jones second year at Royal Palm Academy. She graduated from the University of South Florida with a B. A. in Social Science Secondary Education. Miss Jones volunteered with Regnum Christi at Immaculate Conception Academy in Wakefield, R. I. for two years. Before coming to Royal Palm Academy, Miss Jones worked in the Public School system and for the Y.M.C.A. in Tampa as a Site director for after school programs. Last year Miss Jones coordinated our K4J Assemblies and coached soccer for Royal Palm.
Middle School Math – Ms. Lisa Gorda 2007 Golden Halo Award Winner!
This is Miss. Gorda’s second year at RPA. She graduated from Kean University with a B.A. in Mathematics and has 22 years of experience in teaching math. Before working here at Royal Palm Academy, she taught 5 years at St. John Neumann High School where she was head of the Math Department. Prior to moving to Florida, Miss Gorda worked at Union Catholic High School in New Jersey. She then transferred to Seton Hall Prep School for 12 years. Miss Gorda moderates our Scholar Bowl, Royal Palm Academy Math Team, Florida Math Team and Continental Math League.
Media Specialist & After-School Activities Coordinator – Miss Veronica Wilkins This is Miss Wilkins’ first year at Royal Palm Academy. She comes to us from California. Miss Wilkins attended Cornell University and holds a B.A. in Archaeology and History.
Art – Ms. Linda Glaser
Ms. Glaser graduated from Glassboro State College (now Rowen University) in 1967 with a B.A. in Fine Art and Education, and a minor in Science. She also attended Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana working toward a M.A. in Reading and Speech. Ms. Glaser has been in education for 40 years and most of those years were spent in Catholic Education in New Jersey, Indiana and Florida. She is Florida certified in Art Education grades K-12.
Spanish – Ms. Ana Ozores
Miss Ozores is returning for her ninth year as Spanish teacher for grades 3-8. A native of Havana Cuba, Miss Ozores attended Catholic elementary and secondary schools in Miami, later graduating with a B.A. in Political Science and minor in International Relations from Florida International University. Miss Ozores received her Masters Degree from Ave Maria University in Exceptional Student Education. She is associated with the Florida Foreign Language Association and she has her Florida Certification in Spanish. Prior to joining Royal Palm Academy, Miss Ozores was employed by Collier County Public Schools in the E.S.O.L. Program.
Spanish – Miss Ibiza Rodriguez
Miss. Rodriguez is returning for her third year as our Pre-K4 – 2nd Grade Spanish teacher. She is a graduate of Inter American University of Puerto Rico where she received her Bachelors Degree in Education and MBA. She came to us from the most prestigious Charter School in Washington D.C. where she taught Spanish in Pre-K - 8th Grade for 7 years. She also served as the Bilingual Outreach coordinator. Miss Rodriguez is also holds a Florida Certification in Spanish.
Spanish – Mrs. Rosemary Friedman
This is Mrs. Friedmann first year teaching Spanish to our PreK-3 program. Mrs. Freidmann has volunteered in our lunch program and has also helped in K4J and other various events at Royal Palm Academy. She is always willing and ready to help. Mrs. Friedmann has a grand-daughter in our first grade class.
Latin & Science – Ms. Susan Venegas
Physical Education – Mr. Glen Trinder
This is Mr. Trinder’s second year teaching Physical Education at Royal Palm Academy. Mr. Trinder graduated from State University New York at Cortland with a B.S. in Physical Education. He played varsity baseball, basketball and football, and was team captain for all three sports. Mr. Trinder runs all our school sports teams, clubs and events as well as being a coach for volleyball, soccer and basketball.
Computer/IT – Mrs. Michelle Bell
Administrative Team
Executive Director and Principal – Mr. Thomas L. Huckins
Mr. Huckins received his laureate in Philosophy from the Gregorian Pontifical University in Rome, Italy. He has worked in Catholic school administration for the last 10 years, including five years as Principal. He has been involved with a number of our sister Legion of Christ schools all over the world for more than 20 years.
Director of Admissions – Mrs. Nicole Mihelich
Mrs. Mihelich holds a Masters in Education and Curriculum Instruction from Virginia Tech and brings 16 years of experience in all facets of retail banking and sales.
Director of Development & Events – Mrs. Theresa Feller
Mrs. Feller joined the Royal Palm Academy Administration in February of this year. Born in Ohio, she has lived in Naples for the past 5 years. Mrs. Feller has been in fundraising for the past fifteen years. Prior to joining us, she was with the American Heart Association for 10 years. Royal Palm Academy is pleased to have her organize our Annual Fund Drive, “The King’s Ball” and the Royal Palm Academy Golf Classic; all of which your help is welcomed.
Dean of Students/ Academic Coordinator grades 4-8 - Mr. Scott Baier
Mr. Baier begins his 6th year at RPA and holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice, a minor in Sociology as well as an M.A. in Human Relations. Prior to beginning his teaching career, Mr. Baier served our country as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army Intelligence Corp. Mr. Baier will be working with both teachers and students to help the students reach their full potential.
Dean of students/ Academic Coordinator grades K-3 -Mrs. Estela Zeik
Mrs. Zeik has a Master of Arts in Educational Administration from the University of Francisco de Victoria in Spain and a Master of Arts in Educational Administration from the University of Monterey Mexico. She has most recently served as Dean of Studies Primary School Institute Irlandes de Monterey Mexico.