2025-2026 Teachers
We are excited to share with you more information about who our teacher’s will be for the 2025-2026 academic year. This talented team is thrilled to be delivering a beautiful hybrid classical education to the Charlottesville community.
Preschool - Julia Loughran
Mrs. Loughran earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Theology from Franciscan University and brings years of hands-on experience working with children. Julia is a mother to a one year old named Eleanor, and she has a deep-rooted passion for early childhood education, having previously taught in a Montessori environment and served as a Registered Behavior Technician. She is thrilled to be at the Schola for a second year, implementing the Montessori method and creating nurturing, child-centered learning spaces that support independence and curiosity. She is a parishioner at St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish.
Kindergarten - Gwen Hess
Miss Hess a passionate elementary educator excited to provide such a great opportunity for students in a Catholic setting. She spent three years as Associate Kindergarten Teacher at First Baptist Preschool before joining The Schola in 2024. She is a parishioner at Holy Comforter Catholic Church.
First Grade - Maddie Riley
Maddie Riley is a dedicated and passionate educator who is looking forward to another year of teaching at the Schola. Mrs. Riley holds a B.S. in Horticultural Sciences with a minor in Entomology from Virginia Tech. Through various leadership and teaching roles during her undergraduate studies Mrs. Riley developed a great sense of pride assisting others in realizing their full potential and seeing them succeed. After 3 years as a Landscape Designer, in 2020 Mrs. Riley and her husband together made the decision for her to stay home and dedicate her time to raising and educating their children.
Mrs. Riley is a mother to two (soon to be three!) energetic boys and is a parishioner at St. Thomas Aquinas University parish. While considering her own children’s futures she realized the importance and need for Catholic education within the Charlottesville area. She is eager to serve the Schola community by fostering a love of learning within her students and by focusing on individual student success. As C.S. Lewis stated, “The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts.”
Second Grade - Jennifer Tafuto
Mrs. Tafuto first came to Charlottesville as an undergraduate at the University of Virginia, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Communication Disorders from the School of Education. She then went on to receive her Master of Science in Elementary Education from Johns Hopkins University. Returning to her home state of Connecticut, Jennifer became a fully certified teacher and has taught elementary grades at both public and private schools for seven years. After leaving the classroom, she was a senior manager on an education team for a non-profit organization, focusing on curriculum review and development. Mrs. Tafuto was thrilled to move back to Charlottesville last summer with her family for her husband's work. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, cooking, traveling, and spending time outdoors with her husband and two children, Layla and Nicholas. They are parishioners at St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish.
Third and Fourth Grades - Courtney Rose Norris
Mrs. Norris holds a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience and Behavior as well as Religion from Mount Holyoke College. She earned her Master’s degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Virginia in 2021. With a strong foundation in both cognitive science and human development, Courtney Rose brings a deep understanding of how students learn and thrive. She has worked in academic support roles at esteemed institutions such as Woodberry Forest School, where she served as Assistant Director of the Academic Development Center. There, she specialized in content remediation and executive functioning coaching for adolescent boys. Most recently, she worked as a Learning Specialist at Ashley Hall, supporting students in building academic confidence and independence. Courtney Rose is excited to begin her journey as a classroom teacher, combining her passion for individualized learning with her love of teaching. She is also embarking on her own homeschool journey with her three children—one of whom will be attending The Schola this year. She is a parishioner at St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish.
Fifth and Sixth Grades - Alex Mitchell
Mrs. Mitchell is a native to Lancaster, Pennsylvania where she spent much of her summers teaching scripture to children at a local Christian retreat center. She earned a Bachelor's in English from Grove City College where she met her husband Ethan, and a Master's in Theatre from Villanova University. She spent several years in the professional theatre world as an actor, director, and teaching artist before serving as an upper school humanities teacher at the Regents School of Charlottesville. She is thrilled to return to her roots as an educator after a hiatus as a stay-at-home-mom to her daughters, Penelope and Fiona. She has a deep love for the classical tradition and in cultivating an appreciation for the True, the Good, and the Beautiful in herself and in her students. She currently spends most of her free time raising her girls, but you may see her singing in the choir at St. Thomas or participating in local theatre when she gets the chance.
Headmistress - Dr. Jocelyn Moore
Dr. Jocelyn Moore was homeschooled using a classical model. She studied Greek and Latin, Medieval Studies, and Philosophy at the Catholic University of America, the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, and Washington University in St. Louis (MA). As a Jefferson Fellow at the University of Virginia, she earned her PhD with a dissertation on Greek tragedy and the family unit, the oikos. For six years she worked with UVA students and faculty in all fields, teaching and developing curriculum for the St. Anselm Institute for Catholic Thought. Supported by a National Fellowship, Jocelyn is finishing an academic book on the house of Athenian tragedy, revealing how this persistent theatrical object, a house, allows audiences and playwrights to explore the most intimate bonds of the family.
Jocelyn shares her love of the Ancient World with her husband Daniel. They are raising four children. Jocelyn enjoys design, gardening, reading, singing, and watercolors. Some favorites are Sts. Augustine of Hippo, Hildegard von Bingen, and Catherine of Siena; and author Sigrid Undset. She is a parishioner at St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish.