The Penn-Trafford School District is pleased to announce the hiring of five new teachers at the June 13, 2022 board meeting. All of the new hires have worked in temporary positions for PT and will begin their permanent placements in August. They include:
Gianna Castaldo will be a third-grade teacher at Harrison Park Elementary School. Gianna attended Duquesne University where she majored in early childhood education. She has worked for PT as a Student Learning Assistant at Sunrise Elementary for one year.
Randy Cochenour will join the Penn Middle School staff as a math teacher. He has worked in the district for two years at both Penn Middle School and the high school where his roles included Graduate Fellow, Student Learning Assistant, and Long-Term Sub. Randy earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from St. Vincent College (in education and curriculum development).
Jessica Hartner will be a special education teacher at Level Green Elementary School. She spent two years at Penn-Trafford as both a Graduate Fellow and Student Learning Assistant. Jessica attended St. Vincent College where she earned a Bachelors’s degree in early childhood education (minor in disability studies) and a Master’s degree in special education. (Jessica and Randy, both new hires, are engaged to be married this summer.)
Julie Kessler will be a fourth-grade teacher at McCullough Elementary School. She worked at PT for two years as a Student Learning Assistant. Before that, she taught first-grade at Moon Area School District for five years and then three years at The ARK Preschool. Julie holds a Bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Westminster College and a Master’s degree in reading instruction (reading specialist certification) from Duquesne University.
Erica Mull will join the Level Green Elementary team as a reading specialist. She worked at Penn-Trafford for three years as a Student Learning Assistant. Erica attended Penn State University to earn a Bachelor’s degree in elementary education and then earned her Master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh in reading (with reading specialist certification).
