Administration
Msgr. Michael J. Hardiman, PASTOR
Favorite subject: History
Favorite book: Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Favorite childhood game: Baseball
Favorite Quote: “Leadership by example.”
Msgr. Hardiman, a child of Irish immigrants, spent 20 years in Diocesan administration, 12 years in the Education Office, 4 years with the Seventh Diocesan Synod, and 4 years at the Immaculate Conception Center. He was Vicar for Education while serving as Pastor of St. Sebastion in Woodside. He is in his 5th year at St. Pat’s.
Romeo Petric, CHAIRMAN – BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Favorite subject: Geography
Favorite book: The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Favorite childhood game: Risk
Favorite Quote: “Don’t worry about the world coming to an end; it’s already tomorrow in Australia!” – Charles Schultz
Kathleen Curatolo, PRINCIPAL
Favorite subject: Reading
Favorite book: The Snowy Day by Ezra Keats- “The first book I read on my own!”
Favorite childhood game: Softball
Favorite Quote: “Ah, but a [wo]man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?” – Robert Browning
Kathleen Curatolo is the former Associate Superintendent for Leadership and Recruitment in the Archdiocese of New York. She is a New York State certified administrator entering her 31st year in education, and her 17th year in leadership. This is her 3rd year at St. Patrick Catholic Academy.
Christine Williams, Executive Assistant
Favorite subject: English
Favorite book: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Favorite childhood game: Scrabble
Favorite Quote: “Wherever life plants you, bloom with grace.”
Laurie Mireau, Bookkeeper
Favorite subject: Math
Favorite book: The Snowy Day by Ezra Keats
Favorite childhood game: Chutes & Ladders
Favorite Quote: “A ship in a harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.” – John A. Shedd
Advancement & Marketing
Phylis Biondo, IT/Marketing
Favorite subject: Math
Favorite book: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Favorite childhood game: Manhunt
Favorite Quote: “Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself.” – Coco Chanel
Patrick Weinberg, Marketing Associate/Admissions
Favorite subject: English
Favorite book: Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll
Favorite childhood game: Kickball
Favorite Quote: “Be who you are, and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind. – Dr. Seuss
Early Childhood
Paula Esposito, NURSERY TEACHER
Favorite subject: Math
Favorite book: The Babysitters Club
Favorite childhood game: Uno
Favorite Quote: “By doing what you love, you inspire and awaken the hearts of others.”
Karen Lally, Nursery Teaching Assistant
Favorite subject: Math
Favorite book: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Favorite childhood game: Monopoly
Favorite Quote: “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis
Janine Riccardi, PRE-KINDERGARTEN TEACHER
Favorite subject: Spelling
Favorite book: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Favorite childhood game: Jacks
Favorite Quote: “You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.” – Bob Marley
Bozenna Drozdz, Pre-Kindergarten Teaching Assistant
Favorite subject: Art
Favorite book: Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz
Favorite childhood game: Checkers
Favorite Quote: “The future starts today, not tomorrow.” – Pope St. John Paul II
Meghan Fitzgerald, KINDERGARTEN TEACHER
Favorite subject: Art
Favorite book: The Christmas Box by Richard Evans
Favorite childhood game: Manhunt
Favorite Quote: “All you need is faith, trust and a little pixie dust.” – Peter Pan
Susan Bergen, Kindergarten Teaching Assistant
Favorite subject: Math
Favorite book: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Favorite childhood game: Tag
Favorite Quote: “Broken crayons still color.”
Elementary Grades
Lindsey Smith, 1st GRADE TEACHER
Favorite subject: Language Arts
Favorite book: Fudge-a-mania by Judy Blume
Favorite childhood game: Sorry
Favorite Quote: “Teachers have three loves: love of learning, love of learners, and the love of bringing the first two loves together.” – Scott Hayden
Antoinette Autovino, 1st Grade Teaching Assistant
Favorite subject: Math
Favorite book: Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
Favorite childhood game: Connect 4
Favorite Quote: “Tell me, and I forget. Teach me, and I remember. Involve me, and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin
Arianna Stella, 2nd GRADE TEACHER
Favorite subject: Math
Favorite book: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Favorite childhood game: Don’t Wake Daddy
Favorite Quote: “Love one another as I have loved you.” – John 13:12
Patricia McGivney, 3rd GRADE TEACHER
Favorite subject: Reading
Favorite book: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Favorite childhood game: Jump rope
Favorite Quote: “People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.” – Abraham Lincoln
Andrea Nordbo, 4th GRADE TEACHER
Favorite subject: Math & Reading
Favorite book: A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snickett
Favorite childhood game: Apples to Apples
Favorite Quote: “The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.” – B.B. King
Peter Goetten, 5th GRADE TEACHER
Favorite subject: Social Studies
Favorite book: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Favorite childhood game: Monopoly
Favorite Quote: “Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom” – George Washington Carver
Middle School
Brendan Moloney, 6th GRADE/MIDDLE SCHOOL ELA TEACHER
Favorite subject: ELA
Favorite book: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Favorite childhood game: Scattergories
Favorite Quote: “When you get, give. When you learn, teach.” – Dr. Maya Angelou
Rosanna Shapiro, 7th GRADE/MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH TEACHER
Favorite subject: Math
Favorite book: Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
Favorite childhood game: Monopoly
Favorite Quote: “What we do in life, echoes in eternity.”
Gina Keenan, 8th GRADE/MIDDLE SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER
Favorite subject: History, Math
Favorite book: Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Favorite childhood game: Dress-up
Favorite Quote: “I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.” – Thomas Jefferson
Bernadette Pecora, SCIENCE/STEM/ENRICHMENT TEACHER
Favorite subject: Science
Favorite book: Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Favorite childhood game: Monopoly
Favorite Quote: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Special Subjects
Pasqua Andriani, ITALIAN TEACHER
Favorite subject: Music & Art
Favorite book: La Sacra Bibbia
Favorite childhood game: Coloring
Favorite Quote: “Be yourself and do the best!”
Gail Buckley, LIBRARY TEACHER
Favorite subject: Math
Favorite book: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Favorite childhood game: Clue
Favorite Quote: “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop
Jocine Geraci, ART TEACHER
Favorite subject: ELA
Favorite book: Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
Favorite childhood game: Space Invaders
Favorite Quote: “He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.” – St. Francis of Assissi
Denise Higgins-Regan, Director – Theatre Club
Favorite subject: Music
Favorite book: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Favorite childhood game: Hopscotch
Favorite Quote: “Always remember the only stupid question is the one you do not ask.”
Claudia Nigro, PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER
Favorite subject: History
Favorite book: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Favorite childhood game: Punch Ball
Favorite Quote: “It’s what you do in the dark that puts you into the light.” – Under Armour
Support Services
Lizabeth Carino, School Counselor
Favorite subject: Math
Favorite book: The Secret of Nimh by Robert C. O’Brien
Favorite childhood game: Uno
Favorite Quote: “You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
Suzanne Corbett, School Nurse
Favorite subject: English
Favorite book: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Favorite childhood game: Operation
Favorite Quote: “Carpe Diem.”