WELCOME TO THE SMCS FAMILY
As we bid farewell to familiar faces, we also look forward to welcoming new Faculty members to our community for the upcoming school year. Get to know them a bit in advance by reading their short bios below!
Sarah DiFazio will be one of our new fifth grade teachers (fifth grade will be a bubble class in the fall, with three sections instead of two). Sarah was an instructional assistant at Saint Mary’s during the 2021-22 school year, working with fourth- and fifth-grade students. She’s been happy to teach at Saint Mary’s where she can help her students grow spiritually as well as academically. She’s eager to continue her relationships with students and staff at Saint Mary’s, now as a lead teacher. Sarah received her B.A. from Randolph-Macon College, where she was also a member of the Women’s Lacrosse Team.
Michael Hicks joins our staff as Middle School Language Arts teacher. Mr. Hicks comes to us from Rome, Italy, where he’s been serving as assistant principal and English instructor at an IB, Catholic, pre-K to twelfth-grade international school. He and his wife are both Virginia natives and are moving stateside to be closer to family after teaching internationally for eight years. He looks forward to sharing his experiences abroad as well as his faith with our community at Saint Mary’s. Mr. Hicks received his B.A. and Master of Teaching degrees from the University of Virginia.
Mary Morris will be teaching fifth grade. She comes to us from Blessed Sacrament School in Alexandria, Va., where she has been teaching fifth grade for the past six years. Ms. Morris looks forward to creating a comfortable and welcoming classroom and to collaborating with students, staff and parents to help students reach their full potential. Ms. Morris received her B.A. in English and her Masters in Secondary Education from the University of Mary Washington.
Vicky Oliver will be returning to Saint Mary’s as a Middle School math and science teacher, and will also be helping coordinate schoolwide aspects of digital learning. Ms. Oliver comes to us from Echo Lake Elementary, where she’s taught fourth and fifth grades. Ms. Oliver previously taught at Saint Mary’s from 2012 to 2018. Before her career in teaching, she was a systems engineer developing software. Ms. Oliver is excited to return to Saint Mary’s and looks forward to sharing her knowledge of technology to provide interactive and engaging instruction. She received her B.S. in business management from Virginia Tech, her B.S. in computer science from Arkansas State University, and her post-graduate teacher licensure from Mary Baldwin College.
Dawn Slagle will be Saint Mary’s new Middle School instructional resource teacher. She comes to us from Manchester High School in Chesterfield, where she worked as Success Teacher to at-risk youth. Her faith is important to her and she’s thrilled to have this opportunity to work in a Christ-centered school environment. Ms. Slagle believes in cultivating and sustaining positive relationships with students, staff, parents and the community, and looks forward to being a Monarch. She’s also a personal trainer! Ms. Slagle received a B.A. in elementary education and psychology from Elmira College in Elmira, N.Y.
