Our middle school team of teachers work collaboratively to deliver rigorous instruction to all the students. Students are educated in the doctrines and beliefs of our Catholic Faith. Teachers begin and end class with a prayer on a daily basis.
Meet our Middle School teachers:
Humanities & STEAM Teacher
Mr. James Hamilton
Originally from: Hamilton, New Jersey
Bones broken as a kid: 6
Education: Harvard University – AB in Linguistics with Related Field in Japanese Linguistics
Average Number of Books read each year for the last 3 years: 112
Teaching at Saint Leo the Great: 2019 – present
Positions held: Substitute Teacher, Middle School Science Proctor, After School Care, STEAM Teacher, and Middle School Religion Teacher
Favorite Saint: St. Paul Miki
Mr. Hamilton is excited to continue to mold young minds at Saint Leo the Great Catholic School. He has held a variety of positions but is excited to be teaching 7th and 8th Grade Religion and 5th through 8th Grade STEAM classes. Getting to teach about the saints, the story of salvation history in the Bible, and how to live out one’s faith in today’s world is his dream come true! And giving kids the opportunity to exercise their imaginations, coding skills, and building ability is icing on the cake. While he likes to have fun in his class, he also understands that learning about the Catholic faith and striving to become a saint is serious business.
The driving Bible verse for him is “This is eternal life, that they know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” – John 17:3. At the end of the day, Mr. Hamilton just wants everyone to know Jesus and to have eternal life. But, when he isn’t bringing students to Eucharistic Adoration, going to Mass, or keeping the hallways safe, Mr. Hamilton likes to play board games, read (sci-fi and mysteries are his top genres right now), cook, and help other young adults grow in their faith and build community.
Wednesdays are Eucharistic Adoration days! We have an abbreviated lesson on those days, and then head to the chapel to join the parish in quiet adoration before the blessed sacrament, ending with the Divine Praises.
8th Graders and 7th Graders use the Spirit of Truth Curriculum from Sophia Institute for Teachers which incorporates classical elements like Scripture Memorization, Picture Studies, and Class Discussions. They also complete a weekly homework based on the Gospel passage for the upcoming Sunday Mass, so that they are prepared to listen and respond. The 7th Grade curriculum focuses on the Gospels and the person of Jesus Christ, and the 8th grade curriculum focuses on the Church, as well as preparation for Confirmation.
STEAM class involves a variety of projects and opportunities. 6th Grade includes a unit on coding. We do experiments and build challenges that complement the Science curriculum and utilize the Engineering Design Process. Classes also use the STEAM Maker cart that allows kids to create hydraulics, launchers, and rubber band racers.
Curriculum: Please reference the Diocese of Harrisburg website for more information on our curriculum.
Mathematics Teacher
Mr. Corey Paluga
Hometown: Williamsburg, Virginia
Education: M.Ed. in Educational Leadership – Lynchburg College; B.S. in Mathematics – Lynchburg College
Teaching at St. Leo the Great: 2025 – present
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
Proverbs 27:17
Mr. Paluga teaches middle school math after spending 17 years as a college coach, administrator, and college consultant. While he originally planned to teach secondary math and coach middle/high school baseball, his career path led him into college athletics, with coaching stops at Lynchburg College, Stevens Institute of Technology, Elmira College, and Eastern University.
Mr. Paluga brings the same energy and enthusiasm from coaching into the classroom and is passionate about helping students see math as both accessible and meaningful. He especially enjoys sharing his love of problem-solving with middle school students and helping them build confidence in their mathematical thinking. Mr. Paluga is married to first grade teacher Bridget Paluga, and together they have three sons.
Humanities & Latin Teacher
Mr. Matt Hummer
Email: [email protected]
Hometown: Lancaster, PA
Education:
Loyola University in Maryland—B.A. English Literature
Villanova University—M.A. Classics (Latin)
West Chester University—Teacher Certification (English, Latin)
The University of the South, Sewanee—M.F.A. Creative Writing (Nonfiction)
Favorite Saints:
Many saints touch our lives. For me, Mary, Mother of God, St. Francis, St. Therese of Lisieux, Pope St. John Paul the Great, St. Jerome, St. Augustine, and others stand out.
Another, who is important to me and is on the path to canonization, is Servant of God, Fr. Walter Ciszek, S.J. He is a Pennsylvania native and is buried in Wernersville, PA.
Quote by Fr. Ciszek:
“Everything that enters our life is shrouded in a certain mystery…When we are young, we don’t halt to consider seriously all that is human and divine within us…But then life, that master-teacher, opens its many doors to us and questions arise: What way to follow? Should I marry? What profession should I choose? However, these are not the most important questions…What does matter is understanding that I must choose, not what direction to take, but who I shall become. That is what we call ‘choosing a vocation’. It involves a response from within our very being, which is, in fact, an expression of what we were from the beginning”.
Triple Novena: Extraordinary Experiences, Powerful Prayer
Interests and Hobbies:
I love watching sports, especially soccer (il calcio, in Italy—go Roma!). I’m also a big fan of Villanova, Philly sports teams, and PSU. I learned how to play baseball, basketball, and soccer at St. Leo (1988 graduate). As the Romans say: mens sana in corpore sano (healthy mind in a healthy body).
I enjoy outside activities such as hikes and walks, gardening and raising bonsai, grilling, drawing landscapes, and sports.
Teaching Background:
I have taught English, Creative Writing, Composition, Latin, and History at middle school, high school, and college levels. I teach Latin and Classical History at Alvernia University as an adjunct. I’m also in a Ph.D. program in Composition and Applied Linguistics at I.U.P.
Science Teacher
Mrs. Jackie Werts
Hometown: Beaver, PA. I moved to Lancaster in 1999 and have been here ever since.
Education: Millersville University – Masters of Early Childhood & Elementary Education August 2024.
Millersville University -Post-Baccalaureate Early Childhood Education Certification, December 2020.
Certifications: Pennsylvania Pre K- 4 Teacher Certification Level II; Flipgrid Certified Education Level 1; Google Certified Education Level 1; Seesaw Education Ambassador
Teaching at Saint Leo
the Great: 2018 – present.
Favorite Saint: Saint Agnes
Hi! I’m Mrs. Werts. I have been teaching at Saint Leo’s since 2018. It’s always a day full of learning and activity in our 3rd grade classroom. In third grade, we learn all about the Saints with monthly Saint studies as well as memorizing scripture as we practice our cursive handwriting. We will explore the timeline of the Middle Ages in history. We also become multiplication fact masters, and learn how to manage money with our classroom economy. We start each day with our #goodvibes word of the week, which is focused on a different social emotional topic each week, and tied to a scripture verse.
I believe that the most effective teaching practices are rooted in developing a safe, happy, loving and faith filled learning environment for all students. My goal is to nurture my students’ character, creativity, communication, collaboration and critical thinking skills through a faith filled education, collaborative learning environment and meaningful technology integration.
When I’m not in my classroom, I enjoy spending time at home with my husband, two children and two dogs. I love spending my summers at the beach, reading and watching my children play sports.
Curriculum: Please reference the Diocese of Harrisburg website for more information on our curriculum.
Humanities & Music Teacher
Mrs. Emily Paterson
My name is Mrs. Emily Paterson. I have been teaching at Saint Leo the Great since 2018. I teach K-8 music. I am also the director of our school musical, Christmas concert, and our school Mass choir.
I graduated Elizabethtown College with my Bachelor’s degree in Music Education in 2017. I am currently working on my Masters degree in Choral Conducting at Messiah University. I believe that no person ever stops learning. I strive to learn something new every day and I strive to incorporate new ideas and discussions in my classroom.
I am recently engaged and my fiancé and I are always busy with wedding planning! In my free time, I love to listen to music, watch classic movies, play games, look at vintage cars, and spend time with my family. A fun fact about me is that I have a twin sister who is also a music teacher!
Teaching is my passion! I strive to provide my students with opportunities to learn more and to be exposed to various kinds of music. I also make it a goal to guide my students on their faith journey and to deepen their relationship with God. I am always excited to teach, learn, and explore the faith and music with my students!
In my music classes I strive to provide the students with various insights and thoughts on how they can take the subject and apply it to their daily life. One of my goals is to include all genres of music! Here are some activities we do in music class:
- Listening to various pieces of music (from before the 17th century to our modern day!)
- Discussions on what a piece of music makes us think about
- Movement activities (cultural dances, etc.)
- Playing musical instruments
- Learning about musical history, decades, genres, and more!
In my religion class, I always encourage my students to ask questions. Discussions are always a big part of the classroom as I want students to learn from each other as well. Here are some activities that we do in religion class:
- Daily Saint of the Day (video, discussion, and questions)
- Real world application of religious subjects (sacraments, prayer, relationship with God)
- Study of religious text (The Bible, the Catechism)
- Daily prayer
- Scripture reflections
- Classroom discussions
Curriculum: Please reference the Diocese of Harrisburg website for more information on our curriculum.
Humanities Teacher
Mrs. Michelle Navickas
Email: [email protected]
Hometown: Lancaster, PA
High School: Lancaster Catholic High
College: St. Francis University, B.A. in Elementary Education
Certifications: Florida and Pennsylvania Teacher Certificate with a Reading endorsement certification. Basic Catechetical Certification; working towards level 2 certification. Working towards School Leader Academy Certification with ICLE.
Work Experience: 36 years of teaching grades 2–6, including five years co-teaching in an inclusion classroom, and eight years serving at Saint Leo the Great. My dedication to literacy is demonstrated through completion of a 40-hour reading endorsement course, presenting on literature circles at the International Reading Association in Orlando, Florida, and contributing to the design and implementation of the writing curriculum for Citrus County School District as part of a district writing cadre.
I have served as a grade-level leader, I have guided academic and student support committees, used data-driven decisions to promote student growth and to maintain high academic standards. I have mentored colleagues, fostered collaboration, and encouraged structured routines that help students break down complex tasks into manageable parts, reinforcing responsibility and perseverance.
Teaching at Saint Leo the Great: 2017 – present
Favorite Quote: Trust in HIS timing, Rely on HIS promises, Wait for HIS answers, Believe in HIS miracles, Rejoice in HIS goodness, Relax in HIS presence
Favorite Saint: St. Gemma Galgani – She is known for her deep devotion to the Passion of Jesus. She is the patron saint of students. (My daughter is named after her)
Why I love teaching at SLTG: I love celebrating weekly Mass with my students, sitting in adoration with my students, and praying every day together. My students continually awe me with their goodness and teach me more about my faith each and every day.
Hobbies and Free Time: I love spending time with my two daughters, taking walks, going to the beach, gardening, watching movies and going out to eat.
Fifth Grade Highlights: Learning about American History from the 1700-mid 1800’s, Boston Tea Party Celebration, Civil Rights Project, Digital Projects, field trip to Junior Achievement BizTown, IU13 events, Works of Mercy Projects, weekly adoration and Mass, memorization of the Nicene Creed, Memorare and the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Catholic Schools week activities, Pre-K buddies, and field day.
Vice-Principal: As Vice-Principal, I am passionate about academic excellence and moral formation. I want to foster a learning environment where students can excel academically and grow in their Catholic faith. I believe the first and foremost task at SLTG is to maintain and continually strengthen our Catholic Identity. My responsibilities include supporting Saint Leo the Great in transitioning to a Catholic Classical Education Approach for students in grades K-8. I serve as an academic advisor to faculty and lead the academic committee. Additionally, I facilitate the data committee, promoting a data-driven culture to enhance student academic achievement. I coordinate the Student Support Team and assist the principal in any capacity needed.
Curriculum: Please reference the Diocese of Harrisburg website for more information on our curriculum.
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:1-5
