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An Episcopal, co-educational 100% boarding school in Middletown, Delaware for grades 9 – 12

Introducing Our 2024-25 New Faculty!

Head of School Joy McGrath ’92 announced and welcomed the new faculty who will join St. Andrew’s in the 2024-25 school year. The school is grateful to Emily Pressman, Ana Ramírez, and the many department chairs and faculty members who engaged in the faculty hiring process this year. 


Jonah-Kai Baker

Jonah-Kai Baker joins St. Andrew’s as a history instructor, head volleyball coach, and assistant basketball coach. Originally from San Francisco, California, Jonah-Kai graduated magna cum laude from Carleton College in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in Religion and a minor in Medieval and Renaissance Studies. At Carleton, Jonah-Kai was awarded the Bardwell Smith Prize for Excellence in the Study of Religion, and was recognized for distinction in his major based on his thesis paper “Un-Orthodox Icons: Adaptations of the Byzantine Iconographic Tradition in the Contemporary Christian West.” Jonah-Kai’s studies have been wide-ranging, but he is particularly interested in the intersection of art, religion, and history as a lens for understanding how people live and what matters to them. His teaching experience includes a summer as an assistant first grade teacher at the Ventana School (Los Altos, California), and as a seventh grade literature teaching fellow at Breakthrough San Francisco.

Outside of the classroom, Jonah-Kai plays and coaches both volleyball and basketball. As a basketball player in high school, he won two league championships, one section title, and appeared in the 2019 CIF Division 3 state championship game. In college, Jonah-Kai transitioned to volleyball, where he served as team captain for three years. In his senior season, Jonah-Kai led his team to an unprecedented third place finish in the Northern Volleyball Conference and was recognized as an All-Conference player. He has also worked for three years as a student assistant coach for the Carleton women’s basketball team.

In his free time, Jonah-Kai loves watching movies, chilling outside, spending time with family and friends, playing and watching sports, and reading. He loves the San Francisco Giants more than just about anything.

Rick Barron

Rick Barron joins St. Andrew’s as an English teacher, head football coach, and assistant boys lacrosse coach. He earned his master’s degree in English from Middlebury College and his bachelor’s degree in English from Washington and Lee University where he also played football for the Generals.

Rick has taught English for 14 years in boarding, public, and private day schools before coming to St. Andrew’s. He has also served as an administrator, head lacrosse coach, assistant football coach, dorm parent, advisor, and English team lead. While he considers himself a Virginia native, his career has taken him up and down the East Coast from Portsmouth, Rhode Island to Savannah, Georgia.

In the classroom, Rick enjoys blending coaching and teaching philosophies and encourages dedicated practice, enthusiasm, and an attention to detail when it comes to the written and spoken word. Outside the classroom, Rick enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids, having weekend adventures, reading a good book, watching a good movie, studying coaching strategy, and trying to stay in shape.

Chris Bates

The son of educators, Chris Bates is originally from Katonah, New York, a suburb of New York City. He graduated from Dartmouth College with a B.A in psychology and played lacrosse as a two-time All-Ivy attackman. After a brief stint working in New York City, Chris began his career in education by establishing the first lacrosse program at Archbishop Ryan High School in Philadelphia and then went on to work at Drexel University, both as an assistant and then head lacrosse coach for 10 years. He helped build the Dragons into a perennial CAA conference contender, winning two conference championships, as well as being named the CAA Coach of the Year twice. Chris moved on to become the head coach at Princeton University for seven years where he guided the Tigers to three Ivy championships and two NCAA tournament appearances.

Chris most recently worked at Episcopal Academy where he helped create and lead the school’s auxiliary programs, including athletic camps and clinics, summer academic offerings, and Lower School enrichment classes and aftercare. He served in the role as a liaison between the college counseling and athletic departments helping students with the college recruiting process and also served as an advisor for the freshman class. As head lacrosse coach of Episcopal’s boys’ varsity program, the team was a top three Inter-Academic Athletic League competitor each season with many of his players going on to compete in college. In his first season leading the St. Andrew’s lacrosse program in 2024, the team recorded 10 wins and made the quarterfinals of the state tournament for the first time in six years. 

Chris has a M.Ed. in school psychology from the University of North Carolina. In addition to his work at St. Andrew’s, Chris is also the head coach of the 2023 Premier Lacrosse League championship team, the Archers Lacrosse Club. Chris is married to Melissa, who is pursuing her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling through Wake Forest University. Together they have three children: Eliza, Charlie, and Nicholas. Chris lives on campus in the historic Lewis Farmhouse near Rodney Point. 

Thomas Becker

The Reverend Thomas Becker, St. Andrew’s new associate chaplain, was born and raised in Newark, Delaware. He holds degrees from Centre College (B.S., Economics), Vanderbilt University (M.Ed., Leadership & Organizational Performance), and Sewanee: The University of the South (M.Div.). Prior to his ordination, Thomas worked for his entire career in school settings in areas adjacent to Appalachia, including stints in both higher and secondary boarding education. In addition to admission roles at Vanderbilt and Centre, he served in a variety of positions at The Webb School (Bell Buckle, Tennessee) and Christ School (Arden, North Carolina) including teacher, coach, lay chaplain, college counselor, and dorm parent.

During seminary, Thomas completed over a year and a half of field education at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. After graduating, he accepted a call back to his “chosen homte” of Kentucky where he served as Associate Rector of Christ Church Cathedral in Lexington. Thomas worked as the clergy coordinator for Christ Church’s Pastoral Care, Outreach, Pride (LGBTQ+), Youth, and Young Adult ministries.

Thomas is absolutely thrilled to be returning to his Delaware roots with his appointment as Associate Chaplain at St. Andrew’s School. He will serve alongside the Reverend Michael Giansiracusa, incoming Chaplain, in supporting and enriching the Chapel program. Additionally, Thomas will be a member of the Religion and Philosophy faculty, teaching a variety of courses, and a coach on the men’s and women’s soccer teams.

Joining Thomas on campus will be his beloved and lovable mini Aussie Maggie, his Green Bay Packers and Tennessee Volunteers paraphernalia, well-worn hiking boots, a growing Blenko glass collection, a needlepoint project in some stage of completion, and more books than any one human needs to own.

Khadijah Bell

Khadijah Bell joins St. Andrew’s as a Math Teaching Fellow and a member of the basketball coaching staff. Khadijah is from Mississippi and is a recent graduate of Dartmouth College where she earned a BA in Mathematics.  

Khadijah’s time at Dartmouth was marked by diverse roles and significant contributions. She excelled as an academic tutor and a member of various committees, including the Dean Search Committee and the Black Student Events Planning Committee. Her leadership was recognized when she was nominated as a Dartmouth Emerging Leader.

Khadijah’s international experience is extensive; she has traveled to 13 countries and completed internships at American Express in New York City and the American University of Kuwait. She also studied German in Berlin as part of a Language and Culture Immersion Experience and visited Canada as part of Dartmouth’s Rockefeller Global Leadership Program.

Her teaching experience includes roles as a substitute teacher and lead math teacher for Phillip’s Academy (MS)^2 program. In her free time, Khadijah enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling, reading, and baking. 

Kat Celata

Katharine Celata joins St. Andrew’s as a science and math teacher and cross-country coach. She graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Geology. After graduating, she moved to Bainbridge Island, Washington, teaching science at an outdoor school. In 2015, Katharine received her Masters in Education from the University of Washington. For the past eight years, Katharine has been a dorm parent, science teacher, and coach at the Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, Massachusetts.

Katharine spends her summers on Sebago Lake as the assistant director of an all-girls summer camp. In her free time, she enjoys running, reading, and sailing.

Michael Giansiracusa

As head chaplain, Michael Giansiracusa will lead spiritual life at the school, direct the school’s chapel program, and be responsible for defining, preserving, and promoting the school’s Episcopal identity to all constituencies. In overseeing the school’s chapel program, Michael will preside at services three times each week, and manage the student-led chapel guilds and vestry, as well as the chapel team.

Michael joins St. Andrew’s with extensive experience in spiritual leadership and campus ministry. He served as chaplain at Doane Academy, an Episcopal K-12 school where he also taught World Religions, and as vicar at St. Gabriel’s, a mission church in Philadelphia. Prior to Doane and St. Gabriel’s, Michael spent 13 years leading urban and suburban parishes, including Episcopal Community Services (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), where he engaged in a variety of nonprofit work; the Romero Center (Camden, New Jersey), where he led college and high school mission retreats; and St. Mary’s (Ardmore, Pennsylvania) where he served as rector.

Earlier in his career, Michael taught religion, English, and film at various secondary schools including St. Mark’s (Wilmington, Delaware), Malvern Prep (Malvern, Pennsylvania), and Bishop Eustace Prep (Pennsauken Township, New Jersey). It was during this time he spent teaching that he discerned a call to the Episcopal priesthood, attended Episcopal Divinity School, and earned a doctorate in Ministry. Michael is an ordained priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Michael attended LaSalle University, where he studied communication arts with minors in philosophy and English; and Villanova University, where he earned an M.A. in religious studies. Michael is a rabid Philadelphia sports fan, enjoys film and cooking, and is an animal rights advocate. He is father to a son, Michael, who attends Villanova University as a VUScholar.

Ben Horgan

Ben Horgan ’19 joins St. Andrew’s as a math teacher, admissions fellow, head soccer coach, and assistant baseball coach. He graduated summa cum laude from Washington College in December of 2023 with bachelor's degrees in economics and business management, and a minor in finance. His senior thesis examined the economic, environmental, and cultural impact of the professional soccer industry looking closely at Dutch team AFC Ajax. While in college, Ben served as a residential assistant for freshman boys and a tutor for math, accounting, and economics courses.

Prior to joining St. Andrew’s, Ben worked for a private equity fund in Philadelphia. There he assisted the company’s community service efforts organizing employee volunteer events and helping determine where to distribute grants. Ben also spent time volunteering at a financial literacy nonprofit mentoring individuals from underserved communities on personal finance skills.

Ben captained the Washington College men’s soccer team his junior and senior years. He helped lead the team to the program’s first conference championship and first NCAA tournament appearance. The 2023 season saw his team reach the NCAA Division III Final Four for the first time. He was recognized on the all-conference team, awarded team MVP, and won the Alfred Reddish Academic Award. Ben is thrilled to return to St. Andrew’s where he captained and was an all-state player in both soccer and baseball.

Photograph of Faculty Member Ben Knudsen

Ben Knudsen joins St. Andrew’s as an English teacher and assistant soccer coach. Born and raised in South Burlington, Vermont, Ben graduated summa cum laude from Middlebury College in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in English and education. At Middlebury, Ben was a captain of the men’s club soccer team and an actor in multiple theatre department productions, as well as Freedom Dreaming: Envisioning an Anti-Racist Middlebury, a theater piece exploring race and racism on campus.

Prior to joining St. Andrew’s, Ben spent time working as a long-term substitute teacher in the language and literature department at Middlebury Union High School, where he completed his student teaching during his undergraduate studies. He also has experience as a place-based educator, spending his last three summers at Shelburne Farms and Cedar Circle Farm, two Vermont nonprofit education centers. Ben has also previously coached at Far Post Soccer Club.

Outside of his role as an educator and coach, Ben loves to hike, play soccer, read, and write creative fiction. You can often find him with a book in hand or a soccer game on the TV.

Gabe Perla

Gabe Perla joins St. Andrew’s as a math teacher, assistant tennis coach, and assistant indoor track coach. Gabe is from Cleveland, Ohio, and graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2023 with degrees in mathematics and environment and sustainability studies. Since then he has been working at The Island School on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas. In this role, Gabe has taught math and sustainable systems classes and served as a dorm head.

Gabe went to and worked at summer camp for many summers growing up and is really excited to be coming to the strong all-boarding educational environment at St. Andrew’s.

In his free time, Gabe enjoys playing music and all forms of exercise. Gabe is excited to enjoy the outdoors on the St. Andrew’s campus through exploring running trails, playing tennis, and swimming in the pond.

Julia Poyato Montes, Modern Language Faculty Member

Julia Poyato Montes was born and raised in the beautiful region of Andalusia, in the south of Spain. Her love for languages began at the age of 8 with English, which sparked a lifelong passion that has only grown ever since. Over the years, she became proficient in English and Italian, gained a basic understanding of Portuguese and French, and recently started learning German.

Her dedication to languages led her to pursue a double degree in Translation and Interpreting at the University of Granada (Spain) and the University of Bologna (Italy), with a later specialization in Audiovisual Translation. Although she worked as audiovisual translator for several months, her true calling was teaching. This passion drove her to earn a master’s degree in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language.

In 2022, Julia moved to the United States to pursue an MA in Languages, Literatures, Cultures, and Pedagogy at the University of Delaware. There, she also taught Spanish undergraduate courses, served as the graduate student ambassador for her department, and was vice-president of the Hispanic/Latino Graduate Student Association.

Julia currently lives off-campus in Newark, Delaware. In her free time, she enjoys playing sports and cooking. She is not entirely sure whether she loves cooking because she enjoys eating, or she enjoys eating because she loves cooking. Whatever it may be, one thing is clear: what truly makes her happiest is preparing and sharing meals with others.

Karen Pupke ’87

Karen Pupke ’87 is thrilled to return to her alma mater as the Director of Academic Support. A proud SAS alum, Karen has worked with students and families in grades K-12, serving as an administrator, a classroom teacher, and a reading specialist. At the Chapin School in New York City, Karen worked as the Upper School Learning Specialist (grades 8-12) and as the Head of Learning Resources (grades K-12) for almost 10 years. Prior to that, she was the Middle School Learning Specialist at The Town School also in New York. She taught elementary school at The Dalton School in New York City, and she began her career as a Kindergarten teacher at St. Peter’s School in Philadelphia. After a move to Maryland, Karen worked most recently as a sixth grade English Language Arts teacher at Centreville Middle School.

Karen earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Lehigh University, a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Teacher’s College, Columbia University, and a post-master’s degree in reading from Bank Street College of Education.

Karen enjoys spending time with her daughter, Elizabeth, their dog, Molly, and friends and family on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Caroline Wilson Towne

Caroline Towne joins St. Andrew’s School as a Senior Associate Dean of Admission, who will coach swimming and lacrosse. Originally from West Hartford, Connecticut, Caroline graduated from Williams College in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Aside from a sabbatical year in California to receive a Master’s in Education from Stanford University, Caroline has spent her time since college graduation as a faculty member at Blair Academy.

At Blair, Caroline primarily worked in the admission office, but enjoyed brief stints in the Student Life Office, College Counseling, and the classroom as an AP Psychology teacher. Most recently, she acted as the Director of Financial Aid, during which she helped create and implement an experiential equity program to better support low-income students’ access to all parts of boarding school life. Over her years at Blair Academy, Caroline has coached swimming and JV lacrosse, in addition to spending the last six years running a dorm of 75 ninth and tenth grade girls.

A four year member of Williams’ varsity swim team, Caroline was named NCAA Division III swimmer of the year in 2013, and she was a 13-time Division III National Champion and a seven-time Division III NCAA national record holder. Recently, she was named one of CSCAA’s 100 Greatest Women’s Swimmers & Divers of the past century, in addition to being inducted into the inaugural class of the CSCAA NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame.

Caroline is looking forward to moving to Delaware with her husband, Mitch, who is a law student at Villanova University. In her spare time, she enjoys running, cycling, hiking, and reading.

Lauren Urbont

Lauren Urbont joins St. Andrew’s as a history teacher and tennis coach. She earned a BA from Yale University, where she majored in Literature, and an MSt in Medieval Studies from the University of Oxford. She is All But Dissertation in the PhD in History at Stanford University. Her research is devoted to exploring intercultural relations between Jews, Christians, and Muslims in medieval Europe and the Middle East during the Crusades. Her dissertation addresses how practices related to the commemoration of the dead were shared among these communities. She has taught courses on the global ancient world, medieval intercultural relations, and approaches to doing history.

Prior to starting the PhD, Lauren worked in college admissions as an admissions officer, and still loves to discuss possible educational paths with students. She also loves to play tennis, see new cities, and listen to classical music, especially opera.

Susannah Voigt

Susannah Voigt ’13 joins St. Andrew’s as an English teacher, crew coach, and cross country coach. Susannah graduated from Colby College in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and creative writing. While at Colby she was a coxswain for the men’s and women’s crew teams, earning All-American honors her senior year. After Colby, Susannah earned her master’s in education from Lesley University through Berwick Academy’s Teaching Apprentice program. She is currently pursuing a Masters of Arts in English at Middlebury’s Bread Loaf School of English.

Prior to returning to St. Andrew’s, Susannah was a teacher at Brooks School in North Andover, Massachusetts, where she was an English teacher, a cross country and crew coach, and a dorm head. Susannah’s husband, George, daughter, Lydia, and dog Tilly are excited to be joining the St. Andrew’s community!