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:
Religion and STEAM
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.
Integrated Language Arts (ILA) & Director of Middle School Affairs
Dr. Joan Withum
Email: [email protected]
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA/Lancaster for 21 years
Favorite Movie: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Education: Queens College, CUNY – BS in Secondary English Education; MS in Reading Education K – 12 Immaculata University – Ed.D. in Educational Leadership
Dr. Withum began teaching Integrated Language Arts (ILA) at Saint Leo the Great School in 2022. As Director of Middle School Affairs, her duties include: partnering with teachers and families to promote a positive growth mindset in students through the tenets of our Catholic faith as outlined in the SLTG School Handbook; supporting teachers in ensuring they implement consistent classroom management protocols, especially as it relates to issues of discipline and school culture per SLTG expectations; and developing, maintaining and exemplifying consistency in the enforcement of the SLTG School Handbook rules and procedures. Through inquiry, research, presentation, and reflection, Dr. Withum works to encourage her students to learn to love the English language. She has always wanted to become a teacher to share her love of reading with her students. The greatest joy she receives from teaching is when her students can relate literature to their lives.
Words to Live By: “What would Jesus do?” This is the question that helps guide my teaching each day. Although all educators follow a professional code of ethics, the actions that a Catholic school teacher needs to demonstrate and model, are those of Jesus. He taught us, among other things, to be compassionate, loving, forgiving, prayerful and committed. Compassion is recognizing that each student has special needs that are addressed in different ways. A teacher shows love every day to students through caring and listening. Although teachers demonstrate forgiveness to others every day, a teacher in a Catholic school goes one step further by reminding students that it is okay to make mistakes because Christ knows that we are human and that we will make mistakes, yet he loves us still. In this busy life, being prayerful can be a challenge. To help students be more prayerful, teachers must be continually mindful of their prayerfulness. Teachers can model commitment through working with students to build a Christian community within the classroom, the school, the church, and society. Helping students set goals and commit to reaching those goals can be a daunting task, but as Jesus said, “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). Dr. Withum and her husband (also Dr. Withum), live in Mount Joy and are members of Mary Mother of the Church. They enjoy spending time with their 14 grandchildren, traveling, and volunteering at the Lancaster Liederkranz, where they help promote German culture and traditions.
Curriculum: Please reference the Diocese of Harrisburg website for more information on our curriculum.
Integrated Language Arts (ILA)
Mrs. Kelly Hensley
Education:
- B.A. in English, M.A. in Teaching – James Madison University
- Ed.S. – Walden University
Experience: Teaching since 2006, with experience in grades 6-12.
Favorite Saint: St. Veronica, who has long inspired me through her selfless actions and commitment to living a good life.
Favorite Prayer: The Peace Prayer of Saint Francis
Favorite Title of Mary: Our Lady Undoer of Knots
Favorite Pastimes: Traveling, playing board games, reading, cooking, and spending quality time with my family.
My Philosophy of Catholic Education: Inspired by Saint John Paul II’s belief that “Catholic education is above all a question of communicating Christ,” I strive to recognize Christ in each of my students and help them see His presence in others. Together, we can be examples of Christ’s love and teachings in the world, living them out through our words and actions. It’s a true privilege to teach in a school that fosters both discipleship and the holistic development of each student in a Christ-centered environment.
Curriculum: Please reference the Diocese of Harrisburg website for more information on our curriculum.
Mathematics
Mrs. Elise Grignon
Teaching at Saint Leo the Great: 2005, 2022 – present.
Saint Leo the Great has been a home to Elise Grignon since her first day of Kindergarten. She attended Saint Leo School through 8th grade and continued on to Lancaster Catholic High School (LCHS). She attended Franciscan University and earned a degree in Middle School Education with concentrations in Math and Language Arts.
Quote: Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire! -St. Catherine of Sienna
She and her husband have 5 children who have attend(ed) LCHS, CTC, St. John Neumann, and Saint Leo School. Elise always believed in the strong importance of a Catholic education, but furthermore, she and her husband knew that it was important to surround their family with a strong, supportive community. Saint Leo the Great School is a huge part of their village.
Elise taught at Saint Leo School for one year before becoming a full-time stay-at-home mom. In 2022 she returned to the classroom as a part-time substitute and soon became a full-time faculty member.
Elise is so excited to be in the middle school teaching math! “I absolutely LOVE teaching middle school students. The best part of any teacher’s experience is seeing that ‘light bulb moment’. In math though, it is amazing.”
Curriculum: Please reference the Diocese of Harrisburg website for more information on our curriculum.
Miss Rosanne Settino
Education:
B.A. – Mathematics, George Mason University
M.Ed. – Educational Learning, Alvernia
Secondary Certification – Mathematics
Teaching at Saint Leo the Great: 2020 – present. Previous teaching experience at Holy Trinity, Columbia; St. Joseph, Dallastown; Lancaster Catholic High School
I have more than 32 years of teaching experience in grades 7 through 12. I retired from Lancaster Catholic High School after 25 years, 10 of which were spent as Mathematics Department Chairperson. In 2001 at the request of then principal, Chris McClean, I returned to the classroom as a middle school math teacher for Saint Leo the Great School. This has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. There is nothing like the excitement in the classroom when the lightbulb goes on and students grasp the meaning of a concept. There is nothing like the excitement generated by a student’s eagerness for learning more. And as a bonus, I have had the opportunity to work as a colleague with former students as well as the opportunity to teach the children of former students.
Outside of the classroom, I enjoy art, reading, and movies. And I LOVE the beach!
Curriculum: Please reference the Diocese of Harrisburg website for more information on our curriculum.
Mathematics and Art
Mrs. Kathryn Hemlick
Quote: “Hazard Yet Forward”- This is St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s motto, which means, to keep moving forward, even when there are challenges!
Hometown: Saltsburg, PA (near Indiana, PA)
MFA Industrial Design – Rochester Institute of Technology
MFA Art – Ceramics – Pennsylvania State University
BFA Art – Seton Hill University, Greensburg, PA
PA Certifications: Art K-12, Mid-Level Math Grades 6-9
Teaching at Saint Leo the Great: 2014 – present
Favorite Movie: It’s a Wonderful Life
Favorite Saint: Hildegard of Bingen – She was an abbess, artist, composer, author, mystic, and theologian.
Mrs. Hemlick enjoys sharing her passion for art with the children. Nothing compares to seeing a kindergartner’s facial expression when they ooh and ahh with delight at the new colors they create when they first begin to mix paint.
Likewise, before doing a chalk drawing of Botticelli’s painting of the Annunciation, she has the fifth-grade students pose like the Virgin Mary and the Angel Gabriel. The students are joyful and excited as they twist and turn to mimic the postures, which helps them to make sense of what they are drawing.
All students are artists when they step into the art room!
Recently, Mrs. Hemlick has also been teaching math classes. She has kept this nerdy side of her out of the spotlight until now. She enjoys seeing the students learn new concepts and master skills as they solve math problems. Confidence in math is an important skill that she likes to see grow along with math skills. This is especially important in middle school, when some students might begin to question their abilities. It is important for students to keep trying, persevere, and find joy in their successes.
Curriculum: Please reference the Diocese of Harrisburg website for more information on our curriculum.
Science
Mr. Kevin Kimmel
Hometown: Macungie, PA
Education:
St. Charles Borromeo Seminary
(BA in Philosophy & Liberal Arts)
(MA in Systematic Theology)
Teaching at Saint Leo the Great School: 2024 – present
Education Teaching Experience:
Sixteen years as a Director Children’s Religious Education for St. Jane Church in Easton, PA.
One year as a computer teacher at Our Lady Help of Christians in Allentown, PA.
Camp counselor for one year at the Pines Catholic Camp in Big Sandy, TX.
Favorite Bible Verse: Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again. Rejoice! – Phillippians 4:4
My wife and I have 4 children (2 girls and 2 boys), ages 15, 14, 11, and 8.
I enjoy cooking/baking, computers, laser tag, hiking, ice skating, Soduku, video photography, watching movies, and listening to all types of Christian music, especially TobyMac, Matt Maher, and Brandon Lake.
I spent a year as a Catholic counselor at the Pines Catholic Camp in Texas running high ropes courses and challenge games.
I spent 4 years in the seminary prayerfully discerning the priesthood.
I have a great love for Jesus and the Holy Mass.
Funny Science Motto from Lord of the Rings: “Certainty of death, small chance of success, what are we waiting for?” – Gimli
Curriculum: Please reference the Diocese of Harrisburg website for more information on our curriculum.
History
Mrs. Danielle Cox
Email: [email protected]
Hometown: Lancaster, PA
Education:
Franklin & Marshall College – BA in Psychology; 2003
Eastern University – MEd in Curriculum & Instruction with a Middle-Level Teaching Certification; In Progress
Teaching at Saint Leo the Great: 2016 – present
“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”
St. Catherine of Siena
Mrs. Cox teaches Social Studies to Middle School students. She encourages her students to experience history in order to better understand it through analysis, contextualization and research. As 6th graders, students become world explorers as they travel from continent to continent learning about the geography and cultures of different countries. In 7th and 8th grades, students become U.S. Historians as they investigate important historical events like the American Revolution, Westward Expansion, the Civil War, the Great Depression and World War 2.
As a recipient of 13 years of Catholic education, Mrs. Cox knows the value and impact it can have on a student. She attended Saint Leo the Great School and is a graduate of Lancaster Catholic High School. She lives in Lancaster with her husband and 3 children, all of whom benefit from a Catholic education. She enjoys spending time with family and friends and cheering on her children at their sporting events.
Curriculum: Please reference the Diocese of Harrisburg website for more information on our curriculum.
