Currently viewing the tag: "Sister Brenda Monahan principal"

MSS Teacher of the Year Sparks Joy in Students and Peers

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Sister Brenda Monahan, D.C., principal, is pleased to announce that Sharon Beard was chosen to receive the 2019 Friends of Catholic Education Excellence in Teaching Award for Mother Seton School (MSS). Beard has been an educator for thirty-four years, serving thirty of those years in Catholic education, specifically. For the past five years, Beard has taught fourth and fifth grade at MSS. She was selected as this year’s recipient in recognition of her dedication and willingness to go above and beyond for her students and the school. Most recently, she helped the school to acquire a grant for a Makerspace program, where children are given a variety of digital and “old-school” tools and resources to express their creativity.

Beard holds a Master’s degree in elementary education and has taught grades from pre-K through fifth grade. She also has a degree in music, has served as acting principal, has led accreditation efforts, including serving as chairperson, and was a lead teacher in the Middle States accreditation efforts. She has also served as a mentor to interns and student teachers helping to instill best practices and offering support to new professionals entering the field.

Pictured from left are Bill Milani, president of Friends of Catholic Education Board of Trustees; Sister Joan Corcoran, Mother Seton School mission integration coordinator; Sharon Beard, MSS Teacher of the Year; and Michelle Corr, executive director of FOCE.

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Mother Seton School Welcomes New Faculty

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Mother Seton School announces the addition of four new faculty members to its staff. Amy Rarrick, Cicely Smith, and Erin Taylor have joined the Middle School team, while Julia Conway will be teaching fifth grade.

Rarrick, whose area of concentration includes Language Arts (LA) and 7th-grade Religion, comes to the area from Greencastle, Pennsylvania, where she previously taught in private and public schools in both higher education and middle school. She received her B.A. in Mass Communications from Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire and a Masters in Teaching at Marywood University in Pennsylvania. “I love to teach children because of their zest for life,” Rarrick said. “They are so eager to try new adventures.”
Smith is an Ohio native who worked in Ohio, Michigan, and North Carolina before moving to the area to work for Fort Detrick. She holds a B.A. in Middle Childhood Edcation from Lourdes University and earned a Master in Education Curriculum, LA and Social Studies Instruction, and Assessment. She was previously the Vice-Principal/LA and IB Coordinator at Visitation Academy. “I’m blessed and honored to be here at Mother Seton School,” Smith said. “I love to watch students excited about learning and become engaged in the content.” Smith teaches Literature and Vocabulary, and uses a collaborative approach with Rarrick to seamlessly integrate Language Arts and Literature instruction.

Rounding out the new Middle School faculty is Penn State graduate Erin Taylor. She is teaching the new Middle School math curriculum at MSS, Glencoe, which replaces the previously used Saxon Math program. She is certified in Middle Level Education (grades 4-8) in English and Math, though she says it’s Math that really excites her. “Children are so full of surprises and show so much potential,” Taylor said. “It’s rewarding to watch them grow. They aren’t the same at the end of the year as they were at the beginning.”
Mother Seton School’s current fifth-grade teacher is joined by Julia Conway, who says she has always had an interest in MSS and was delighted when an opening because available. A lifelong Maryland resident from New Windsor, the Towson graduate received a B.S. in Elementary Education and previously worked in Carroll County Public Schools. “What’s great about being here at MSS is that I am able to express my faith and share it with the children,” Ms. Conway said. “I love being a positive role model in a child’s life.”

Sister Brenda Monahan, D.C., principal of Mother Seton School, is grateful for the wonderful additions to the faculty. “Sister Joan (Corcoran) Assistant Principal, and I, are looking forward to working with our newest faculty members, as we discover their gifts and develop a strong academic program to benefit our students.”