Royalmont Academy Staff
Mrs. Veronica Murphy
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Mrs. Amy Taney
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Royalmont Academy's teachers and staff are dedicated to creating a faith-filled environment each and every day. True to our mission, each staff member takes the education and formation of each student to the next level, always in His name. Our team prides itself on working closely with parents and each other to achieve a learning experience second to none. Each feels called to be at Royalmont and to continue to pave the path to the future through our program of Integral Formation. If you feel called to join our team, check out our available positions here.
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Mrs. Boon and her husband, Brian, have four children: Emma (RA grad ’12), Michael (RA grad ’15), Kate (RA grad '16 Grade), and Max (RA 5th Grade). The Boons joined Royalmont Academy in 2004 and Mrs. Boon became the 2nd Grade Formator in 2011. Mrs. Boon is a graduate of Penn State University, graduating with distinction with a B.S. in Elementary Education and a Minor in Business. She has also completed coursework toward a Master’s Degree in Special Education at Duquesne University. Mrs. Boon has taught in Kindergarten through 4th Grade classrooms in both Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. She also home-schooled her daughters when they were in Kindergarten. Mrs. Boon is a Certified Catechist in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, and an Accredited Instructor for the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW). Mrs. Boon serves on Parish Council and is the Baptism Class Coordinator at St. Philip Parish in Morrow, where Mrs. Boon & her family were named the Knights of Columbus Family of the Year for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati 2015. Mrs. Boon’s favorite hobbies include reading a good book, gardening in the summer, walking her neighborhood, and early morning bird watching while drinking coffee on her patio. Her favorite Bible verse is 1 Thes. 5:16-18: “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”
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Miss Bozsik is a part of the Campus Ministry team here at Royalmont Academy. Originally from Akron, Ohio, shecame to Cincinnati in July 2014 after finishing her bachelor’s degree. Her favorite Bible verse is: Matthew 14:28-29 “And Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.”
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Mr. Robert Crawford is from Mt. Healthy, OH. He attended St. Xavier High School and is now a graduate of Xavier University, Class of 2017, where he earned a double major in Classics and Vocal Music, with a minor in Philosophy. He studied the ancient Latin and Greek languages in the Honors Bachelor of Arts Program and also studied Music and Vocal Performance, singing in numerous ensembles, and is currently singing for the St. Peter in Chains Cathedral Choir in downtown Cincinnati, OH. Mr. Crawford enjoys listening to music, singing, watching and reviewing movies, and taking his dog to the dog park. He is recently engaged to be married and is excited to get started as a Formator at Royalmont Academy this fall.
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Mr. Tim Gannatti is a native of West Simsbury, CT and attended the University of Notre Dame, graduating with a BBA from the Mendoza College of Business in 2012. At Notre Dame, Tim spent four years as an assistant in the Admission Office. He also participated in the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) program, which gave him the opportunity to join the Submarine Force after graduation. After graduating from Naval Nuclear Power School in Charleston, SC and the Nuclear Power Training Unit in Saratoga Springs, NY, Tim joined the USS Hampton (SSN 767) in San Diego, CA. While onboard the Hampton, Tim participated in a seven-month Western Pacific deployment and Ice Exercise 2016, which brought him to the North Pole. After leaving the Navy, Tim moved to the Cincinnati area with his wife and is pursuing his High School Social Studies teaching license at Xavier University. He is excited to join the Royalmont community and maintain our beautiful facility. He is also interested in working with high school families on college applications and standardized test preparation, and supporting Royalmont Athletics wherever he can. His favorite Bible Verse is John 20:29: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
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Mrs. Christine Gladden graduated from Xenia High School, Xenia, OH, in 2009 and from the University of Cincinnati in 2013, with a Bachelor’s degree in Education, with a focus on Math and Social Studies. From 2013-2016, she taught a combination of Math and Social Studies at Royalmont Academy to grades 5-10. For the 2016-2017 school year, Mrs. Gladden taught Math at Van Buren Middle School in Kettering and is now back at Royalmont to teach Social Studies. She is extremely excited for the start of all of her classes, especially continuing to serve as the 8th grade Homeroom Formator!
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The Haenni family has been in attendance at Royalmont Academy since 2003. Mrs. Haenni’s experience in retail management and several years as Royalmont Academy Parent Association President led her to her current position as Administrative Assistant. She has been very active in volunteer and apostolic positions while raising her family, including her position as past President of the Catholic girls club at Royalmont called “Challenge.” Mrs. Haenni and her husband, Mark, have two adult sons, both Royalmont grade school graduates, a daughter who is attending Marian University in Indianapolis and a 10th grade son at Royalmont Prep.
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Mrs. Susan Hart brings 16 years of experience in academic settings, working 10 years in the Oak Hills Local School district, 4 years as a preschool teacher for Head Start, and 2 years as an Intervention Specialist. Her degrees include a B.A. in Communications Art from the College of Mt. St. Joseph and a Masters of Special Education from Xavier University with a Reading Endorsement. Having experience working with a blended classroom and differentiating instruction, she feels equipped to teach the 3rd and 4th grade combined class at Royalmont Academy. Her son, Michael, will be entering 9th grade, they live in College Hill and are members of St. Ann's of Groesbeck. Through Compassion International, their family sponsors Emile, a girl from Nicaragua. Mrs. Hart's favorite scripture is Matthew 6:33 – “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you."
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Mrs. Hefferan was born and raised in Mexico City very close to Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica. She attended an all girl Catholic School where she earned her diploma in teaching English as a Second Language. She then received her bachelor's degree in Marketing from ITESM-CEM (a very prestigious university in Mexico). She was blessed to be able to continue teaching while attending college. Mrs. Hefferan has taught several elementary classes and became a teacher trainer teaching subjects like speech, audiovisual aids, and teaching methods. She worked at Unilever as a brand manager until her husband was transferred to Cincinnati, Ohio. Having three daughters, she became a full time stay-at-home mom and a part-time Spanish teacher. She volunteered teaching Spanish at some after school programs at St. Michael's, St. Susanna, and Wyoming. She worked for International Language Plus from 2004 to 2015 as a Spanish teacher and translator. Being at Royalmont Academy is a privilege that allows her to help students learn her native language as well as some aspect of the Latin American countries. Her favorite religious quote comes from Our Lady of Guadalupe: "Am I not here, I, who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need anything more? Let nothing else worry you, disturb you."
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Mrs. Hughes is the first grade formator. She was instrumental in establishing and licensing Royalmont’s Preschool Program in 2000, when the school moved to Mason. Mrs. Hughes is a graduate of the University of Dayton with a B.S. in Education, specializing in Kindergarten, and taught preschool for eleven years in Cincinnati before coming to Royalmont. She was a Girl Scout leader for eleven years and a Sunday School Director at her parish. She and her husband, Tom, have three children. Her favorite Bible verse is 1 John 3:23: “And his commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us.”
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Mrs. Nellie Jung graduated from Miami University with a B.S. in Mathematics and Statistics and a B.S. in Engineering Physics in 1999 and earned a Master of Systems Analysis in 2001. While in graduate school, she taught undergraduate Computer Applications classes and after graduation went into GE Aviation's Information Management Leadership Program. She was with GE for seven years where she managed IT engineering support projects and earned her Six Sigma Black Belt certification. Mrs. Jung served as the Cincinnati Pure Fashion Chair from 2009-2011, and, with her husband, Bill, has been a 40 Days for Life Parish Coordinator since 2008. She and Bill are also facilitators at Ruah Woods working with engaged couples. They have 5 children, three of whom have attended Royalmont. For the past three years, Mrs. Jung has homeschooled their children.
Her favorite bible verse is Matthew 19:14 - "Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." |
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Mrs. Kelczewski is Royalmont’s full and half-day, three and four-year-old program Formator. A graduate of Fitchburg State College in Massachusetts, Mrs. Kelczewski earned a B.S. in Education with a major in Special Education. Her professional experience includes teaching special needs elementary students, multi-handicapped students in a clinical setting, and 5th grade elementary students in Greece. Mrs. Kelczewski joined the faculty in March of 2008. She and her husband have four children. Her favorite Bible verse is Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
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Mrs. Cathy Kilian is the new Intervention Specialist at Royalmont. She graduated from Otterbein College with a Bachelors degree in Education with a Reading endorsement. She graduated from Xavier University with a Masters degree in Special Education. She has several years of experience teaching at the elementary, middle and high school levels, and was an elementary classroom teacher, as well as a Title 1 Reading teacher. She is a 28 year resident of Mason and loves to travel to see her two new grandchildren.
In 2016, she traveled to Italy with her husband and was able to participate in a Mass at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. |
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Mrs. Karen Kinross earned her B.A. in Psychology from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY and an M.A. in School Psychology from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX. She and her husband lived in San Diego for 7 years where she served as the School Psychologist at the Winston School and in the Solana Beach School district located in Del Mar, California. She relocated to Cincinnati and served as the School Psychologist and counselor at the Cincinnati Hebrew Day School and St. Susanna Catholic School. She and her husband Todd have 4 children. She enjoys photography and has photographed area sports teams since 2007. She has photographed Royalmont teams and First Communion classes since 2013. This is Karen's second year as Admissions and Marketing/Communications Director.
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Mrs. Kristin Lieb joined the faculty in the spring of 2008 teaching physical education, Mrs. Lieb became a Kindergarten Formator at the start of the 2008 school year. She graduated in 1992 from Xavier University with a B.S. in Elementary Education and Montessori Education. Mrs. Lieb taught in private elementary and Montessori schools in Illinois and Florida for five years before moving to Cincinnati in 1998. Before coming to Royalmont, she served as a substitute teacher at her parish’s school, St. Susanna. She and her husband, Eric, live in Mason and have three sons: Ryan (University of Cincinnati), Andrew and Benjamin (RA grads 2014) Her favorite Bible verse is Matthew 19:26: “But Jesus looked at them and said to them: ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
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Stay tuned.
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Stay tuned.
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Father Kevin McKenzie is a Catholic priest and a member of the congregation of the Legionaries of Christ. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, he is the third of nine children. He began following God’s call to the priesthood at the age of twelve at Immaculate Conception Apostolic School in New Hampshire.
On December 14th 2013, he was ordained a priest at the Basilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome. He loves writing, reading, ice hockey, helping run boys’ summer camps and weekend retreats, guiding pilgrimages to Italy and Ireland, art history, soccer, running, climbing mountains, hiking, cycling, fishing, story-telling, dark chocolate, photography, cooking, and above all, being a priest. One of his favorite Scripture verses is Ephesians 3: 17-19: “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” |
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Veronica's education experience began by teaching music and art at St. Rita School in Dayton. That soon expanded to teaching religion and earning a Master of Theological Studies. After a successful term as Technology Coordinator, writing grants for technology, equipping labs, and helping teachers find solutions, Murphy was promoted to vice-principal. That position involved maintaining the Catholic identity of St. Rita’s, overseeing the school curriculum, evaluating teachers, implementing the discipline plan, and developing a crisis management plan.
Murphy earned her principal licensure and MS in Educational Administration in 2006 and became principal at St. Rita in 2008. In addition to managing faith formation, academic programs, and budgets, and fostering the professional development of teachers, she also worked with a consolidation taskforce and subcommittees from Precious Blood and St. Rita to merge the schools into Mother Brunner Catholic School. Mother Brunner’s success as a merged school can be attributed to Murphy’s leadership as principal, building teamwork in the school, and preserving the vision developed for the new school by the strategic taskforce. Veronica and her husband, Bruce, are practicing Catholics and members of St. Maximilian Kolbe parish in Liberty Township. They reside in West Chester and Bruce works for AK Steel. They enjoy time with their extended family and recharge with invigorating hikes and contact with Creation. “I know God has great plans to grow this school and I am happy to be part of making this happen.” |
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Mrs. Michelle Pitstick is our Seventh Grade Homeroom Formator. She teaches Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Precalculus to 7th – 12th graders. She, her husband Greg, and their family have been a part of the Royalmont community since 2000. Three of Mrs. Pitstick’s children are 8th grade graduates of our school, all having started at Royalmont when they were three years old. Being very familiar with our upper school and its math program, she heroically jumped in as Guest Formator a few years ago when Mrs. Melanie Wieck became ill and was called home to Our Father in Heaven. Mrs. Pitstick has a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University. After graduating from college, she worked for Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) doing systems consulting for companies such as Kroger, Delta Airlines, Hallmark, LTV Steel, and Chicago Northern Trust. She was inspired to become an engineer by her high school piano teacher, Sr. Mary Ann Miles, at Immaculate Conception Academy in Oldenburg, Indiana. Mrs. Pitstick’s favorite prayer is “God grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”
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Mrs. Puglielli teaches Earth and Space Science, Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry, and Chemistry II (Organic and Biochemistry) in grades 7-12. She holds a Bachelors Degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Biology and Psychology and a Masters Degree from the University of Pittsburgh in Science Education. She also holds a professional teaching license from the state of Ohio. Before coming to Royalmont, Mrs. Puglielli taught Science for 9 years in Pittsburgh at Hopewell Junior High School as well as classes at the Community College of Beaver County. She and her husband have four children all graduates of Royalmont and one in the seventh grade. This is Mrs. Puglielli’s 8th year teaching at Royalmont.
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After attending Catholic grade school and high school in Dayton, Mr. Roalef began studies at the University of Dayton. It was there that he felt the calling to become an educator. He then transferred to Don Bosco College, earning his Bachelor’s degree. He did further studies in education at Wright State University and did graduate studies in Theology at the Pontifical College Josephinum. He began teaching in 1977 and has been an educator ever since, as a teacher, Director of Religious Education, camp director, and youth minister. Mr. Roalef attends Incarnation Parish in Centerville and is a lay member of the Salesians of St. John Bosco. His favorite Bible verse is John 14: 2b-3 “I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
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Mrs. Ryan, a Cincinnati native, graduated from Edgecliff College with a degree in Art and a minor in Theology, History, and Philosophy. She is currently one class away from obtaining a Master’s in Art. Mrs. Ryan has been teaching history, art, and art history for twenty-five years. Before she was called to be a lay teacher, she was a teacher in religious life as a Sister of Mercy. She also studied painting in Florence, Italy. She has extensive experience working with children and has established an amazing art program here at Royalmont. This is her fifth year at Royalmont and we have finally given her an art room with enough storage.
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Mr. Jim Schriml graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelors degree of science in physical education. He has 9 years of experience teaching grades K-8 and is currently the physical education teacher at St. Ann in Hamilton. He resides in West Chester with his wife Rebecca and three boys. He is looking forward to being a part of Royalmont Academy. Mr. Schriml was recently named Outstanding Educator 2018 by Cincy Magazine!
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Dr. Smith graduated with her Ph.D. in English literature from Miami University in 2016, and with a Bachelors in medieval studies from Denison University in 2008. She has done a great deal of work on the use of fables in the Middle Ages, in particular their role in the rise of literature and the book; you can check out some of her work on the topic at https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1-436542100/readership-the-fables-of-the-elegiac-romulus-and and https://www.amazon.com/Elegiac-Romulus-Aesops-Fables-Intermediate/dp/1940997194/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1500007744&sr=8-2&keywords=greta+smith. She has taught for the past ten years at Miami University, and for five at Southern State Community College. She loves to run and ride her bike, and anything else that allows her to enjoy God’s creation. Dr. Smith runs a small family farm where they have chickens, goats, sheep, cows, and horses.
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Mrs. Taney begins her second year as the Dean of Students at Royalmont Aademy. She received her Masters in Educational Leadership/Administration from Framingham State in 2004 and BS is in Early Childhood Education from the University of Cincinnati in 1991.
Amy and her husband, Mike, have been members of St. Susanna parish in Mason since 1995. They reside in Liberty Township with their six children: Allison, Andrea, Madison, Macy, Mekenzie and Michael. Her two youngest children attend Royalmont Academy. The family enjoys attending UC Bearcat games and traveling. Amy takes peace in Psalm 46: "Be still and know that I am God." |
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Beth graduated from Clarkson University in upstate NY in 1997 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Environmental Engineering. She is a Professional Engineer and the owner of Clear Consulting, Inc. serving the water and wastewater industry. Beth was a dual lettered collegiate athlete playing on both the Varsity Women’s Soccer Team and the Varsity Women’s Lacrosse Team at Clarkson. She and her husband Chris have both coached numerous sports over the years at Royalmont. Beth is excited to continue to serve the Royalmont community as the school Athletic Director. Please email Beth with any questions about our Athletic Program bweber@royalmont.org
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Dr. Randall Wolfe serves as an Artist-in-Residence in Music at the University of Dayton and is very happy to have the opportunity to teach music to the students at Royalmont Academy. Conductor of the West Chester Chorale, a summer choir of high school, college, and adult singers, he maintains a private piano and voice studio in Mason and serves as a choral music adjudicator for Music in the Parks at Kings Island. Director of the Cincinnati Boychoir for 22 years, he prepared the choir for performances with orchestras and opera companies, television, radio, and concert tours in 23 states and 11 foreign countries.
Dr. Wolfe received his doctorate from the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati and taught in the public schools for six years. He has played as a service pianist with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra several times and has performed in venues from New York's Carnegie Hall to Washington, D. C.'s Constitution Hall. Dr. Wolfe reminds his students that "the Lord will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17) |
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Mrs. Jessica Zoeller is in her sixth year of teaching after graduating from Norther Kentucky University with a Bachelors in Secondary English Education. Most recently, she worked at The Children’s Home of Cincinnati with 4th and 5th grade students as their case manager. She previously taught in Virginia at Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School and Newport Central Catholic in Kentucky. She and her husband have two daughters, 3 months and 3 years old. Mrs. Zoeller will be the 6th grade homeroom formator and will teach 5th & 6th grade Language Arts, Social Studies and Theology. She is thrilled to be joining the formators at Royalmont Academy and looks forward to becoming part of the Royalmont community as a whole.
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