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Staff & Faculty

Meet Our Team
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La scuola faculty

The Heart of a School

At La Scuola, we believe that faculty is the heart of a school. Our teachers and administrators bring not only technical expertise and impressive credentials, but a demonstrated caring and compassion for our students. In addition to helping the students discover knowledge, our faculty instills a love of learning that inspires them daily and stays with them well after graduation.

Our Teachers

Like our student body, our faculty includes American and international members. They are native speakers of the main language in which they teach and they are skilled in guiding students to learn in two languages. Those who received their educational training in Italy must also hold the appropriate credentials required by the Ministero dell’Istruzione, Universita’ e Ricerca (MIUR), and are required to have verbal and written fluency in the English language. Teachers who received their educational training in the United States are required to have at least a Bachelor’s degree in the subject area, as well as pedagogical training. Several members of the faculty hold terminal degrees from both European and American universities.

Preschool & Elementary Teachers

Francesca Vicchio

Elementary School Coordinator Italian, History and Geography Teacher

MA Universita’ degli Studi di Messina

 

Maria Alaimo Cinquemani

Preschool and Kindergarten Coordinator | Italian Teacher

BA Favara, Agrigento

 

Alyssa King

Elementary School: English, Science, and Social Studies

MA Hunter College, NY

 

Riccardo Catalano

Elementary and Middle School: Technology

MA Università di Genova Savona

 

Francesca Lanza

Preschool and Elementary: English and Italian

BA CUNY Hunter College

 

Elena Sartor

Elementary School: Movement and Physical Education

MA Teachers College, Columbia University

 

Antonia Di Maggio

Elementary: Italian

Diploma Istituto Magistrale

 

Laura Rottino

Preschool: English

MA Hunter College

 

José Rubiera

Elementary, Middle and High School: Physical Education

BA. Long Island University

 

Daniel Bellissimo

Elementary, Middle and High School: Italian as a New Language

MA Università per stranieri Perugia

 

Giovanna Gambino

PreSchool: Italian

Diploma Scuola dell’Infanzia

Chelsea Warlick

Elementary School: Art

MA School of Visual Arts

Chiara Senatore

Elementary School: French

BA Università Cattolica, Milano

Emanuela Costa

Elementary School: Italian, History, and Geography

MA University of Genoa, MA University of Perugia

Graziella Troia

Preschool and Elementary: Italian as a New Language

MA Università degli Studi di Palermo

Ryan Cleary

Elementary School: English

MA Hunter College

Jun Gao

Preschool, Middle and High School: Art History and Design

Ed.D, MFA, MA, BFA Teachers College at Columbia University

Massimo Zordan

All divisions: Theater

“Accademia d’arte drammatica ” di Palmi Calabro

Middle & High School Teachers

Anthony Martire, PhD

Middle and High School Coordinator, English teacher

PhD University of California Berkeley

 

Beatrice Paladini, PhD

High School: Math and Physics, IBDP Coordinator

Ph.D Trinity College Dublin

 

Daniel Bellissimo

Elementary, Middle and High School: Italian as a New Language

MA Università per stranieri Perugia

 

Andrea Minardi, PhD

High School: Biology, Chemistry, and Earth Science

PhD – Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

 

Alba Lombardini

Middle School: History and Geography teacher

BA Universitá degli Studi di Milano

 

Jose M. Pietri-Coimbre

Middle School: Music

MA Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College, CUNY

 

Chiara Berra

High School: Latin

BA San Raffaele

 

José Rubiera

Elementary, Middle and High School: Physical Education

BA. Long Island University

 

Flora Ghezzo, PhD

High School: Italian language and literature

PhD Rutgers University

 

Vanessa Williams, PhD

Middle and High School: English and Civics

PhD, Fordham University, JD, University of St. Thomas, Master of Divinity, Bethel University

Cristiana Grassi

Middle and High School: Italian language and literature

MA University of Trento

Emanuele Pezzani

High School: Latin

BA Università di Pisa

Francesco D’Anna, PhD

High School: Math and Physics

MA Università degli Studi di Palermo

John Powers

Middle School: Math

BA New York University

Jun Gao, PhD

Preschool, Middle and High School: Art History and Design

Ed.D, MFA, MA, BFA Teachers College at Columbia University

Massimo Zordan

All divisions: Theater

“Accademia d’arte drammatica ” di Palmi Calabro

Yann Gaboriau

Upper School French Teacher

MA French Literature 
University of Cincinnati 

Richard Walsh

Middle and High School: Social Studies

MA Adelphi University

Victor Santos, PhD

Middle School: Science

PhD, St. John’s University

Beatrice Innocenti

High school History and Philosophy

MA University of Bologna

A Word

From Our Head of School

As the only preK-12 Italian/English school in North America, La Scuola is unique in what it offers to families wishing to cultivate life-long learners in an atmosphere of friendship and inclusion. More than an Italian school, La Scuola prides itself on being an international community that is accessible to all, endowed with an abiding respect for the great principles of Renaissance genius. Students will continually benefit from the vastness of ideas, imagination, and innovation that Italy has exchanged with the world; and they first encountered it here, in New York City.

– Michael Prater

Head of School Ad Interim

La Scuola d’Italia significa scoprire ogni giorno la bellezza di due culture che si incontrano e si uniscono. Grazie ai nostri insegnanti che la rendono unica e speciale ogni giorno, ai ragazzi che ne sono l’anima e che crescono in un ambiente sicuro e confortevole dove i loro bisogni sono al primo posto. Attraversare la nostra porta rossa mi riempie di orgoglio e gioia ogni giorno come genitore e dirigente. Venite a trovarci, vi aspettiamo!

– Stefania Stipo

Chief Operating Officer, Deputy Head ad Interim, Genitore 

Administration 

Head of School, ad interim

Michael Haley Prater

MA Teachers College at Columbia University

 

Chief Operating Officer Deputy Head, ad interim

Stefania Stipo

MA in Foreign Languages and Literatures, La Sapienza, Roma

 

Director of Business and Operations

Paola Serrone

Bachelor Business Administration, Baruch College

Director of Admissions

Nilda Inghirami

Marymount Manhattan College

School Counselor

Federica Gagliano

MA Universita degli studi di Firenze

Facility Services

Ismael Ruiz

 

Facility Services

Nikimo Belfon

 

Trustees

La Scuola is governed by an independent Board of Trustees comprised of educators, parents, alumni, and leaders representing a variety of industries.

Executive Committee

Chairman

Massimo F. D’Angelo, Esq.

Partner, Akerman, LLP

Vice Chair

Diego Rodino di Miglione

Executive Director, Cushman & Wakefield

Treasurer

Joe Morandi

Corporate Retirement Director Vice President, Morgan Stanley

Secretary

Carmen Stefano MBA

Head, Payor Access
Pharmacosmos Therapeutics, Inc

Director of Academic Development

Lucia Carbone

Curator of Roman Coins, American Numismatic Society 

Members

Marco Bianchi

Executive Director, CME Group

Alfredo Maria De Falco

Head of Corporate and Individual Solutions, Unicredit SpA

Matteo Dolci

Chief Operating Officer WP USA

Maria Raminez Fiorini

President and CEO,
Maria Fiorini Ramirez, Inc

Valentino Gallo

Partner, Javalyn Partners LLC

Alesssandro Zamperdri

Real Estate Developer

Gian Maria Magrini

Portfolio Manager, Bardin Hill Investment Partners

Pasquale Levato

Executive Vice President of Human Resources EssilorLuxottica North America

Francesca Verga, MD

Surgery Center Michele Verga, MD, PC

Alfonso Cerullo

President of LensCrafters and For Eyes at EssilorLuxottica Group

Silvia Poggi

Strategy Consultant, The Foundation for Photo/Art in Hospitals

Angelo Macri

Chief Operating Officer at Kiton

Nationalities Represented

year Established

Student-to- Faculty Ratio

after-school programs

Connect With Us

Location: 12 E 96th St, New York, NY 10128

Telephone: (212) 369-3290

Email: admissions@lascuoladitalia.org