2026-2027 Teachers and Staff
We are excited to share with you more information about who our teacher’s will be for the upcoming academic year. This talented team is thrilled to be delivering a beautiful hybrid classical education to our 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.
Preschool - 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 dedicate her time to raising and educating their children. She is a mother to three energetic boys and is a parishioner at St. Thomas Aquinas University parish.
Kindergarten - Caroline Golomb
Caroline Golomb is from Virginia Beach, and came to Charlottesville as an undergraduate at the University of Virginia. She began coordinating religious education at St. Thomas Aquinas while earning a Master’s of Teaching in Elementary Education at UVA. Caroline has worked in a variety of preschool and elementary settings, most recently teaching kindergarten in a local public school and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at St. Thomas. After helping in Schola’s staff nursery last year, she is very excited to be back in the kindergarten classroom in such a sweet school environment. Outside of school, Caroline enjoys spending time with her husband and toddler, working on her (many) art projects, baking, and reading.
First Grade - Sara Daniel
Sara Daniel is delighted to join the Schola community this year. Mrs. Daniel served as the grammar school librarian at the Regents School of Charlottesville for the past seven years and takes great joy in sharing a love of good books with children. She welcomes the opportunity to continue in classical education in a faith community that shares Charlotte Mason’s philosophy that “education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.” Mrs. Daniel holds a Bachelor of Arts in French and history from Virginia Tech and was licensed to teach French K-12. A San Diego native, Mrs. Daniel has lived in Charlottesville with her husband, two children, and a varying number of cats since 2008. She and her husband are longtime members of Trinity Presbyterian Church. Mrs. Daniel loves dark roast coffee, browsing for books and antiques, watching British detective shows, and spending time with family and friends, preferably outside on a beautiful day.
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 Grade - Laura Young
Laura Young is a mother of four children, three of whom attend the Schola, and a founding board member of the school. Originally from Tennessee, she now resides with her family in Nelson County, where they enjoy exploring and appreciating the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Passionate about providing a rich Charlotte Mason education through homeschooling, Laura is dedicated to cultivating a love of learning in her students. She has been teaching in and out of a classroom setting for the last ten years and she is delighted to be teaching third grade next year.
Fourth Grade - Julia Duquette
Bio forthcoming.
Fifth Grade - Anna Sisman
Bio forthcoming.
Sixth and Seventh Grades - Alex Mitchell
Alex Mitchell is 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. Alex 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 the Schola after an enriching year as the teacher for the fifth grade class. You may see her two daughters Penelope and Fiona running around the Pre-K and nursery. Alex has a deep love for the classical tradition and for 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 Alex singing in the choir at St. Thomas or participating in local theatre when she gets the chance.
Violin and Piano Instructor - Rachel Yonan
Recognized for her the “directness and depth of her playing” (Gramophone) and “earthy textures” (BBC Music Magazine), RACHEL YONAN enjoys a rich and varied career as recitalist, artistic director, commentator and champion of chamber music. She has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in concert halls across the United States, England, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and China; and recently on NPR and Canadian Public Radio and BBC Radio3. Critics hailed her debut album Kiss on Wood as “haunting, beautiful music, beautifully played and recorded” (Bill Dodd, Native DSD) and bringing “emotional depth” (BBC Music Magazine). Ms. Yonan has been invited to perform at prestigious festivals such as the Marlboro Music Festival, Open Chamber Music Prussia Cove (UK), Festival Mozaic and Taos Music Festival. Yonan has collaborated with Itzhak Perlman, Roberto Díaz, Joseph Silverstein, James Dunham and Robert Levin; and recently joined the Dover and Escher Quartets for chamber concerts. Integrating her interest in music and philosophy, she is Visiting Scholar at Jesus College, University of Cambridge where her scholarship focuses on the role of music in personal formation and flourishing. Rachel is Creative Director of Marinus Ensemble and Concerts (hailed as “perfectly balanced” by the Philadelphia Inquirer), and taught viola performance and chamber music at Duke University.
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.
Office and Operations Manager - Serena Nappi
Mrs. Nappi is native of San Diego, CA and relocated to the Charlottesville area in 2020 following her husband’s military retirement. She holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California and had careers as a licensed social worker and bank assistant manager. She brings over a decade of operations and licensing experience. She and her husband have seven children, four of whom are students of the Schola. In her limited free time, you can find her running the trails in Crozet, reading a book, or visiting a local coffee shop. She and her family are attendees of the Traditional Latin Mass.
Student and Family Communications Liaison - Jessica Haggerty
Mrs. Haggerty holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from Roanoke College. She spent most of her life in Roanoke, VA but moved to Charlottesville in 2020. She is a part-time bookkeeper for a law office and runs preschool book fairs for PaperPie. Jessica has classically educated her children for the past 9 years and is excited to continue doing so in partnership with St. Andre Bessette Schola. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking and spending time with her husband Michael and their four children, Levi, Peter, Elizabeth and Katherine. She also loves getting outside and walking their dog, Daisy. Jessica and her family are parishioners at All Saints Anglican Church. She is excited to connect with other families and support the Schola through this role.